A Muslim-Christian Heterarchy in 12th-Century Cairo: Plural Perspectives on a Patriarch Visiting a Vizier
In 1103 C.E. the newly elected Coptic patriarch Abā Maqāra rode in a procession to the residence of the Fatimid vizier al-Afḍal in al-Qāhira, where a ceremonial reception took place. Both men represented entangled political groups of interest, and this moment can be taken as an equilibrium of power...
| Published in: | Numen |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2022
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| In: |
Numen
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Cairo
/ Fatimidenreich, Vizier
/ Coptic Church
/ Interfaith dialogue
/ Hierarchy
/ Heterarchie
/ Social norms
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| RelBib Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy AF Geography of religion AX Inter-religious relations BJ Islam CC Christianity and Non-Christian religion; Inter-religious relations CG Christianity and Politics KAE Church history 900-1300; high Middle Ages KBL Near East and North Africa KDF Orthodox Church |
| Further subjects: | B
Public Sphere
B Coptic Church B heterarchy / hierarchy B Political Discourse B Urban Studies B Muslim rule |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In 1103 C.E. the newly elected Coptic patriarch Abā Maqāra rode in a procession to the residence of the Fatimid vizier al-Afḍal in al-Qāhira, where a ceremonial reception took place. Both men represented entangled political groups of interest, and this moment can be taken as an equilibrium of power between the city’s Muslims and Christians. At least, the main document about the event evokes this impression: being part of the official historiography of the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church, this text is an element of political negotiations and semantics too. Carole Crumley’s approach of a dynamic interplay between hierarchy and heterarchy can be a tool for better understanding this historic moment and for illuminating its complex sociocultural and spatial constructions. On the one hand, the Christians’ status was shaped by the strict ranking of the ḏimma-law. On the other hand, Cairo was like other urban settlements under Muslim rule: at least in some aspects an heir of the antique polis representing several groups of interest. |
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| ISSN: | 1568-5276 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Numen
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15685276-12341651 |