"Nothing could resist the descendant of the prophet, and Mahadi
Obeidallah erected his throne in Alexandria. The conquest of Egypt,
begun by him, was finished by his grandson, Moez. He brought a
hundred thousand men, commanded by his vizier Jauhar, to Alexandria,
and marched with them through the desert toward the great city of
Fostal, which Caliph Amrou had built.
"Near this great city, Jauhar founded another with splendid walls
and palaces, and he called it El-Kahera--that is, the--Victorious.'
Proudly, victoriously, beside the old city of Fostal, arose the new
city of El-Kahera, the wondrous city! Moez sat enthroned there in
the midst of his realm, and he founded in El-Kahera, the Victorious,
the dynasty of the Fatimite caliphs; for Fatima, the daughter of the
prophet Mohammed, had married Ali, who was the head of the house
from which Moez and Jauhar descended.
"The new city, El-Kahera arose quickly, and soon became the model
for all that was beautiful in the arts and sciences in Egypt. The
haughty Bagdad, once so mighty, sank into the dust before her.
"But the Fatimites were neither wiser nor more fortunate than the
Abbassites, of whom I told you yesterday, had been. The people could
not love them, for the Fatimites ruled tyrannically, and knew
nothing of pity and love; and the religion of the prophet, which
teaches that we should love and do good to our fellow-men, they
practised with their tongues only, but not in reality.
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