The Beliefs of the Fatimid State and Its Impact on the Culture and Economy of the Maghreb (297 AH / 910 AD – 358 AH / 969 AD)

This study examines the beliefs of the Fatimid state and its impact on the cultural and economic life of Morocco through a systematic and academic approach. The research reveals that the Fatimids brought scholars, poets, and literary figures close to their court, engaging with them, listening to their views, and granting them generous financial rewards and gifts. Consequently, they established libraries and founded centers for copyists, who fulfilled a role comparable to printing in the present day. This intellectual and cultural model spread throughout the cities of Morocco during the Fatimid era. The Fatimid caliphs and princes possessed a high level of knowledge and erudition, among them were scholars, writers, and poets. The rise of the Fatimid state caused an intellectual, social, and political upheaval in the Islamic world due to the foreign ideas it introduced into the Islamic community. The prevalence of scholarly debate and dialectical argumentation between Shia scholars and their opponents from other sects marked Morocco’s first encounter with philosophy and its theological dimensions shaped by Shia doctrine. Economically, Morocco witnessed a notable prosperity during the Fatimid period, with markets flourishing, until the revolt of Abu Yazid and earlier uprisings which led to the economic collapse and revealed the extent of local resistance in that time period.