BOOK

The theocrat

Himmich, Ben Salem, 1947-, Allen, Roger, 1942-

2009

Overview

\"The Theocrat takes as its subject one of Arab and Islamic history's most perplexing figures, al-Hakim bi-Amr Illah (\"the ruler by order of God\"), the Fatimid caliph who ruled Egypt during the tenth century and whose career was a direct reflection of both the tensions within the Islamic dominions as a whole and of the conflicts within his own mind. In this remarkable novel Bensalem Himmich explores these tensions and conflicts and their disastrous consequences on an individual ruler and on his people. Himmich does not spare his readers the full horror and tragedy of al-Hakim's reign, but in employing a variety of textual styles-including quotations from some of the best known medieval Arab historians; vivid historical narratives; a series of extraordinary decrees issued by the caliph; and, most remarkably, the inspirational utterances of al-Hakim during his ecstatic visions, recorded by his devotees and subsequently a basis for the foundation of the Druze community-he succeeds brilliantly in painting a portrait of a character whose sheer unpredictability throws into relief the qualities of those who find themselves forced to cajole, confront, or oppose him.\"--Publisher description.

• Publisher: American University in Cairo Press ; Eurospan [distributor]
• Subject: ٍHهakim bi-Amr Allهah, Caliph of Egypt, 985-approximately 1021 Fiction. / Fatimites Fiction. / Egypt History 640-1250 Fiction.
• ISBN: 9789774162510, 977416251X

Item info:

1 item available

1 item total in all locations

Holdings :

Call Number	Copies	Material	Location
PJ7832.I445 M3513 2009	1	BOOK	AUTOSTORE