EBÛ ‘ALÎ KÂTİB EL-MANSÛR EL-‘AZÎZÎ EL-CEVZERÎ’NİN SÎRETÜ’L-ÜSTÂZ CEVZER’İNDE FÂTIMÎ SİCİLYA VE KELBÎ HANEDANI (336-444/948-1052)
FĀTIMID SICILY AND THE KALBID DYNASTY (336-444/948-1052) IN THE SĪRAT AL-USTĀDH DJAWDHAR OF ABŪ ‘ALĪ AL-MANSŪR AL-KĀTIB AL-‘AZĪZĪ AL-DJAWDHARĪ

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this study is to shed light on the historical events that took place in Sicily under Fātimid rule in the 4th/10th century in the light of the archival documents and official letters included in the work Sīrat al-ustādh Djawdhar, which was written by Abū ‘Alī al-Mansūr, one of the scribes trained in the palace by Ustādh Djawdhar (d. 362/973), a servant of Saklabī (Slav) origin who carried out state affairs on behalf of the Fātimids during the reigns of the Shī‘ī-Ismā‘īlī caliphs al-Mansūr Bi’llāh (334-341/946-953) and his son alMu‘izz li-Dīn Allāh (341-365/953-975) and to reveal the place and role of the Banū Abi’l-Husayn al-Kalbid family, who held the administration of the island, within the caliphate. During the period mentioned, the Kalbid Emirate of Sicily (359-444/970-1052), which was a frontier principality that was still affiliated with this state in foreign policy but autonomous in internal affairs, was not only an important and inseparable part of this state, but also played a decisive role in relations with the Byzantine Empire and the Umayyads of Andalusia. With its strategic location and natural resources, the emirate constituted one of the main centers of power not only in political and military terms but also in economic and commercial ones. However, it is observed that neither the Kalbids of Sicily nor the sections about this dynasty in the work in question have been subjected to any systematic study in Turkish literature. Therefore, examination of the mentioned documents will contribute to reaching more information about the Kalbids who brought the most glorious period to Muslim Sicily, as well as shedding light on the history of this family and the unknown aspects of their relations with the Fātimids.

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