Badr al-Jamali

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Badr al-Jamali († 1094 ; Arabic بدر الجمالي, DMG Badr al-Ǧamālī ) was a vizier and de facto ruler of the Fatimid Empire (1074-1094).

Badr al-Jamali was governor of Damascus in present-day Syria under Caliph al-Mustansir (1036-1094) . After the national bankruptcy and the turmoil in the Fatimid Empire, al-Mustansir gave him extraordinary powers to pacify the empire. So he was appointed commander in chief of the army ( arab . Amīr al-ğuyūš - commander of the armies), chief judge ( Ober-Kadi ) and head of the Fatimid mission organization ( Ober-Dai'i ). The former title was also his usual form of address. With his Armenian troops he intervened in Egypt in 1073 and liberated Cairo in 1074, which had been occupied by the Seljuks two years earlier .

By 1077 he succeeded in pacifying the country, above all the rebellious tribes were subdued and Alexandria was conquered. In the period that followed, Badr successfully reorganized the administrative and tax system. The lowering of the levies for the farmers and the promotion of foreign trade also helped revive the economy, which had suffered considerable damage from the middle of the 11th century due to the high tax burden to finance the expansion policy of the Fatimids. Due to the economic upswing, the state finances were soon reorganized.

By reorganizing the administration of the empire, Badr managed to save the Fatimid dynasty, at least in Egypt. Syria could not be held by him against campaigns by the Seljuks under Atsiz that had been going on since 1071 . In 1076 Damascus had to be finally given up. Only Acre and Ascalon on the Palestinian coast could be held by the Fatimids. A direct attack by the Seljuks under Atsiz on Egypt could be repelled in the Nile Delta. This threat also led to the construction of the new city fortifications of Cairo (1087), of which the three gates Bab Zuweila , Bab al-Futuh and Bab an-Nasr can still be seen today. Towards the end of the reign, successes against the Seljuks could be achieved again when in 1089 the ports on the Palestinian coast as far as Tire were conquered.

  • Bab Zuweila with the two minarets on the gate towers

  • Bab al-Futuh

  • Bab an-Nasr

The power of Badr al-Jamali as vizier of the Fatimids was so great that after his death his son al-Afdal Shahanshah (1094–1121) could continue to rule without any problems.

The family of Badr al-Jamali:

al-Mustansir
Caliph 1036-1094
 
 
 
 
 
 Badr al-Jamali
vizier 1074-1094
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
al-Mustali
caliph 1094-1101
 
 ?
 
 al-Afdal Shahanshah
vizier 1094–1121
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
al-Amir
Caliph 1101-1130
 
 ?
 
 Abu Ali Ahmad
"Kutaifat"
ruler 1130–1131
 

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Heinz Halm: Caliphs and Assassins - Egypt and the Middle East at the time of the first crusades . CH Beck, ISBN 978-3-406-66163-1 , p. 18 .
  2. ↑ Heinz Halm: Caliphs and Assassins - Egypt and the Middle East at the time of the first crusades . CH Beck, ISBN 978-3-406-66163-1 , p. 35-36 .
personal data
SURNAME Badr al-Jamali
ALTERNATIVE NAMES بدر الجمالي (Arabic)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Regent of the Fatimids
DATE OF BIRTH 11th century
DATE OF DEATH 1094