Akşitler | ||||||||||||
الإخشيديون (al-Ikhshīdīyūn) | ||||||||||||
Vassal of the Abbasid Caliphate | ||||||||||||
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Ikhshidid Dynasty 965-969
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Capital | Fustat(Cairo) | |||||||||||
Languages | Arabic (predominant), Turkic (army) | |||||||||||
Religion | Islam (predominant), Coptic Christians | |||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | |||||||||||
Wali (governor) | ||||||||||||
• | 935–946 | Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid | ||||||||||
• | 946–961 | Abu'l-Qasim Unujur ibn al-Ikhshid | ||||||||||
• | 961–966 | Abu'l-Hasan Ali ibn al-Ikhshid | ||||||||||
• | 966–968 | Abu'l-Misk Kafur | ||||||||||
• | 968–969 | Abu'l-Fawaris Ahmad ibn Ali ibn al-Ikhshid | ||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||
• | Established | 935 | ||||||||||
• | Disestablished | 969 | ||||||||||
Area | 2,000,000 km² (772,204 sq mi) | |||||||||||
Currency | Dinar | |||||||||||
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Today part of |
in Anatolia
Artuqid dynasty
Saltuqid dynasty
in Azerbaijan
Ahmadili dynasty
Ildenizid dynasty
in Egypt
Tulunid dynasty
Ikhshidid dynasty
in Fars
Salghurid dynasty
in The Levant
Burid dynasty
Zengid dynasty
in Yemen
Rasulid dynasty
The Ikhshidid dynasty (Turkish: Akşitler, Arabic: الإخشيديون) ruled Egypt from 935 to 969. Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid, a Turkic slave soldier, was appointed governor by the Abbasid Caliph. The dynasty carried the Arabic title "Wāli" reflecting their position as governors on behalf of the Abbasids. The Ikhshidids came to an end when the Fatimid army conquered Fustat in 969.
The creation of the Ikhshidid state is part of the wider disintegration and decentralisation of the Abbasids after the Anarchy at Samarra, whereupon government became more decentralised. The founder, ibn Tughj possesses some form of military power and is on friendly relations with Mu'nis al-Muzaffar, a powerful military leader. Before he was appointed to Futsat he held the post of the governor of Damascus. He was first appointed the post of Governor of Egypt in 933 but did not enter it during the first stint. In 935 he was appointed a second time to the governorship whilst the country was in war with multiple factions. He launched a campaign to conquer Egypt by land and sea, the naval forces taking Tinnis and able to outflank Ibn Kayghanlah, the main opponent, forcing his retreat and ibn Tughj's subsequent entry to Futsat in August. The Fatimids were a major threat at the time and considerable effort was put into repelling them, culminating in their defeat by Ubayd Allah, ibn Tughj's brother by November 936. There was remarkable stability in the early years with an absence of economic chaos and Bedouin raids, coupled with prohibition of looting with helped pacify Egypt. ibn Tughj sought the honorific title (laqab) of Al-Ikhshīd, which means "King of the Farghanians" from the Abbasids and official designation arrived in July 939.