Ali bin Ahmad Jarjarai
Encyclopedia
Al-Jarjarai Fatimid
Vizir (1028–1045)
Ali bin Ahmad Jarjarai came from a small town south of Baghdad
. He came to Egypt
and entered the service of Sitt al-Mulk
, before becoming secretary to the police chief of Cairo
. He was convicted of disloyalty when he opened letters of the secret services in 1013, as a result of which his hands were cut off. However the Caliph Al-Hakim
soon regretted this harsh punishment, and took him back into the palace and promoted him to high office. After the death of Al-Hakim he administered the private estate of the regent Sitt al-Mulk
and after she died in 1023 took over control of the state finances.
In the ensuing years Al-Jarjarai exercised power as one of a group of favourites of Ali az-Zahir
, while the kingdom was shaken by a severe famine and a Bedouin
revolt in Syria
and Palestine
. By 1028 he had eliminated his rivals and took the position of Vizir.
After the pacification of Syria by Anushtegin ad-Duzbirir he concerned himself with improving relations with the Byzantine Empire
. A ceasefire had been in place since 1027, and after fresh fighting in 1036 a peace treaty was agreed. The main point of contention was the suzerainty over the Emirate
of the Mirdasids
in Aleppo
, which both powers made claim to. In practice a kind of dual control came into operation.
Under the Caliph
Al-Mustansir
Al-Jarjarai assumed the regency during his minority. He died March 27, 1045.
Fatimid
The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...
Vizir (1028–1045)
Ali bin Ahmad Jarjarai came from a small town south of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. He came to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and entered the service of Sitt al-Mulk
Sitt al-Mulk
Sitt al-Mulk , Ruler of the Fatimids , was the elder sister of Al-Hakim.After the death of her father Ali al-Aziz , she tried with the help of a cousin to force her brother from the throne, but was arrested by the eunuch Barjuwan. However, she became regent for his son and successor Ali az-Zahir...
, before becoming secretary to the police chief of Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. He was convicted of disloyalty when he opened letters of the secret services in 1013, as a result of which his hands were cut off. However the Caliph Al-Hakim
Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah
Abu ‘Ali Mansur Tāriqu l-Ḥākim, called Al-Hakim bi Amr al-Lāh , was the sixth Fatimid caliph and 16th Ismaili imam .- History :...
soon regretted this harsh punishment, and took him back into the palace and promoted him to high office. After the death of Al-Hakim he administered the private estate of the regent Sitt al-Mulk
Sitt al-Mulk
Sitt al-Mulk , Ruler of the Fatimids , was the elder sister of Al-Hakim.After the death of her father Ali al-Aziz , she tried with the help of a cousin to force her brother from the throne, but was arrested by the eunuch Barjuwan. However, she became regent for his son and successor Ali az-Zahir...
and after she died in 1023 took over control of the state finances.
In the ensuing years Al-Jarjarai exercised power as one of a group of favourites of Ali az-Zahir
Ali az-Zahir
ʻAlī az-Zāhir was the Seventh Caliph of the Fātimids . Az-Zāhir assumed the Caliphate after the disappearance of his father Tāriqu l-Ḥakīm bi Amr al-Lāh...
, while the kingdom was shaken by a severe famine and a Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
revolt in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. By 1028 he had eliminated his rivals and took the position of Vizir.
After the pacification of Syria by Anushtegin ad-Duzbirir he concerned himself with improving relations with the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. A ceasefire had been in place since 1027, and after fresh fighting in 1036 a peace treaty was agreed. The main point of contention was the suzerainty over the Emirate
Emirate
An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Muslim monarch styled emir.-Etymology:Etymologically emirate or amirate is the quality, dignity, office or territorial competence of any emir ....
of the Mirdasids
Mirdasids
The Mirdasid dynasty was a dynasty that controlled the Amirate of Aleppo more or less continuously from 1024 until 1080.-General Description:...
in Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
, which both powers made claim to. In practice a kind of dual control came into operation.
Under the Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
Al-Mustansir
Al-Mustansir of Cairo
' , was born in Cairo on 16th Jumada II, 420 AH and eight months afterwards was declared to succeed his father. His name was Ma'd Abu Tamim, surnamed al-Mustansir bil-Lah "The Asker Of Victory From God". He ascended on 15th Shaban, 427/June 13, 1036 at the age of . During the early years, the...
Al-Jarjarai assumed the regency during his minority. He died March 27, 1045.