Michael Brett

A complete history of the Fatimids, showing the significance of the empire to Islam and the wider worldThe Fatimid empire in North Africa, Egypt and Syria was at the centre of the political and religious history of the Islamic world in the Middle Ages, from the breakdown of the aAbbasid empire in the tenth century, to the invasions of the Seljuqs in the eleventh and the Crusaders in the twelfth, leading up to its extinction by Saladin. As Imam and Caliph, the Fatimid sovereign claimed to inherit the religious and political authority of the Prophet, a claim which inspired the conquest of North Africa and Egypt and a following of believers as far away as India. The reaction this provoked was crucial to the political and religious evolution of mediaeval Islam. This book combines the separate histories of Isma'ilism, North Africa and Egypt with that of the dynasty into a coherent account. It then relates this account to the wider history of Islam to provide a narrative that establishes the historical significance of the empire.Key FeaturesThe first complete history of the Fatimid empire in English, establishing its central contribution to medieval Islamic historyCovers the relationship of tribal to civilian economy and society, the formation and evolution of the dynastic state, and the relationship of that state to economy and societyExplores the question of cultural change, specifically Arabisation and IslamisationGoes beyond the history of Islam, not only to introduce the Crusades, but to compare and contrast the dynasty with the counterparts of its theocracy in Byzantium and Western Europe

Fatimid Empire

This Variorum volume is a collection of articles dealing with Egypt under the Fatimids, originally published in diverse journals and books between 1984 and 2013. The Fatimids came to power in North Africa in 910 CE, and ruled in Egypt from 969 to 1171 CE. As Imams and Caliphs, they claimed authority for the faith and the government of the Muslim world. In Egypt and Syria, they both reigned and ruled over the state. In North Africa and Sicily, the Hijaz and latterly the Yemen, they reigned but did not rule. In the rest of the Muslim world, they pursued their aim for recognition, notably through their missionaries active in Iraq and Iran A core theme is the evolution of the population and its passage from a Coptic to a Muslim majority. Two articles deal with the murderous history of the Wazirs of the Pen before the Armenian Badr al-Jamali began the rule of the Wazirs of the Sword. Four articles deal with the question of Fatimid diplomacy followed by three dealing with Badr al-Jamali and his revival of the dynasty, including his relations with the Yemen, his use of the Coptic church to extend Fatimid influence to Christian Nubia and Ethiopia, and his employment of his military as tax-farmers, creating a system which culminated in the Mamluk regime of the 13th to the 16th century. The final articles concern the Fatimid response to the Crusades which ended with Saladin and the death of the last Imam Caliph, leaving Ismailism to the breakaway sects of the Nizaris in Iran and the Tayyibis in the Yemen.

The Fatimids and Egypt

Property and Money is a simple guide to the investment and financial aspects of commercial property. Putting property into its financial context, it seeks to bridge the world of the surveyor and property developer and the investment and financial markets of the City of London. The book starts from first principles, assuming no pre-existing knowledge. It is thus suitable for students as well as more established property practitioners and its appeal extends to bankers, solicitors, accountants and fund managers whose work brings them into contact with commercial property transactions. This updated and expanded edition includes coverage of: - Principles and pitfalls of property finance - How the property investment market works - Evaluating property and its performance - Understanding property companies and their accounts - How property companies get into trouble - Bank loans, bonds, profit-share agreements, leasebacks and other methods of property finance - The crash of the early 1990's and its consequences. Based on a widely acclaimed series of articles that appeared in Estates Gazette magazine, Property and Money is complemented by an extensive index and glossary and enlivened by Nick Newman's cartoonist-eye view of the property world.

Property and Money

The Eastern Cape province has something to offer every visitor, whether you are looking for a relaxed beach holiday or a close encounter with wildlife, a cultural experience or a trip back into history. The province contains areas of almost unrivalled natural beauty and the range of landscape and vegetation types is simply incredible, from the snowy mountains of the Drakensberg, the wide open arid plains and rugged mountains of the Karoo, gently rolling grassy hills with forest patches tucked into their valleys, and deeply incised, thicket crowded river valleys, not to forget the finest sandy beaches set on a pristine coastline. This authoritative and comprehensive guide contains up-to-date information that will help you to make the most of your visit to this region. This guide includes: • Background information on the province's geography, climate, people and culture • Ten regional chapters from Tsitsikamma to the mountainous interior • Over 50 maps, including a map of each region, all the major towns and most of the smaller towns • The latest info on national parks and provincial reserves • Accommodation options from camping sites and backpackers' lodges to guesthouses and hotels that will suit all budgets • Where to eat and where to shop

Getaway Guide Eastern Cape & Wild Coast

Elizabeth Fentress

The Berbers (The Peoples of Africa)

When Alex and Michael travel to the Alps with their family to celebrate their great-grandmother’s hundredth birthday, the last thing they expect is to be thrown into an adventure where worlds collide and everything is not what it seems… The two children arrive in the valley at the foot of The Dragon of Ice, a great glacier and the cold heart of a centuries-old legend. Their great-grandmother has arranged for them to go climbing, enlisting a geologist and a mountaineer to accompany them on their ascent. But as an ancient spell takes hold, the legends of the valley become reality, and Alex and Michael are transported to a medieval world of witchcraft, dragons and a devil king. Can they overcome fear and will heroism prevail?

THE DRAGON OF ICE

Stripping away the mystique from the world of investment and finance, How to Read the Financial Pages is a layman's guide to reading and understanding the financial press and the markets and events it covers. Assuming no financial knowledge, Michael Brett provides a valuable explanation of the workings of the financial world - from money markets to commodity markets, investment ratios to takeover bids. With an extensive glossary of financial terms, this book will help you through the financial columns to a better understanding of the language of markets and money. For ten years How to Read the Financial Pages has been an outstanding first-choice buy for everyone who wants a thorough - but friendly - grounding in finance and investment. --What are stock markets, currency markets, commodities markets? How do they operate? --What are derivatives? Could they cause the financial system to crash? --What is meant by insider dealing? Why is it illegal? --Who are the main players in the world of money? What do stock brokers, market makers, merchant bankers and underwriters actually do? --How has the Internet affected private investors? What are the new opportunities?

How To Read The Financial Pages

The book uses the rise of the Fatimids to survey the Islamic world in the 4th century AH/10th century CE, and reinterpret the role of the dynasty in the history of Islam down to the period of the Crusades.

Michael Brett

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