Period of Fatimid Rule (jan 5, 909 – jan 1, 1171)

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The Fatimids were Isma’ili Shi’ites that opposed the authority of the Abbasids and aimed at establishing their own state. In 899, Abd Allah who also became the first Fatimid caliph announced himself as an imam or al-Mahdi. He travelled throughout North Africa while his da’i, Abu Abd Allah al-Shi’i managed to acquire the loyalty of the Kutama Berber tribe who controlled Kabylia, a region in modern day Algeria.

Abu Abd Allah’s forces with the help of the Kutama Berbers, managed to defeat the Aghlabids who were Abbasid vessels and they also managed to secure Aghlabid territories. Once firmly securing Qayrawan and Raqqadah, Abu Abd Allah immediately gathered an army that would march towards Sijilmasa and rescue al-Mahdi who remained there in hiding. Al-Mahdi then enters Raqqadah and claims the title of Fatimid caliph.

Although Aghlabid territories were now under the jurisdiction of the Fatimids, they relied on previous Aghlabid administrations. They re-employed previous administrators and military leaders. The decline of the Fatimids was a result of Maliki opposition where they supported rebellions against the Fatimids. By 973, direct Fatimid rule on the Maghreb ended after Imam al-Mu’izz moved to Cairo and appointed Buluggin, a Berber chief as a viceroy in Maghreb and he fell under the influence of the Maliki.

Sources:
http://africanhistory.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.001.0001/acrefore-9780190277734-e-321?print

http://africanhistory.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.001.0001/acrefore-9780190277734-e-327

https://www.britannica.com/place/North-Africa/From-the-Arab-conquest-to-1830

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fatimid-dynasty

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