The sun., 1901-05-05

Of the FAtimid rulers were men Of intellectual
culture. and highly appreciative OF literary
talent. and although they displayed ex-
oeptlonal ardor In the accumulation OF books.
the period Of their rule was unproductive
In writer's Of conspicuous merit. II was not
for lack OF patronage, for the Yiziers of Egypt,
as well as some OF the Caliphs. were often
gener lus in their gifts to scholars. poets
and divines The fact that there was not
q larger number OF distinguished scholars
during the two centuries OF Fatimid sway
IN the Nile Valley Ia attributed by our author
pa tly TO the insecurity Of life court poet, for
example. was wantonly beheaded by one OF
the rulers-but mainly to the heretical char
acter OF tho dynasty. Orthodox Mosleins
summed the court OF Calphs whose doc
doctrines and claims they repudiated There
was n great deal ofintellectual activity, how
ever among the rank and file Of students
during this period, and. although the Uni
versity Of the Azhar had not yet attained
the celebrity which 1t was TO acquire under
the orthodox rule OF tho succeeding dyn-
asties. there was already tho nucleus Of q
great theological school The era Of Egy ptian
colleges begins with the reign of Saladin
There Is no doubt that under the Fatimids
treated with unusual consideration II we set
aside the prosecutions Of the Caliph Hakim
which we're merely features OF a tyranny from
which Moslems and Christians alike suffered.
we may say that the Copts and Armcnians
enjoyed toleration which they had never
before received at the hands Of Moslem rulers
Under Azlz they were favored even beyond
Mohammedans and were appointed TO the
highest offices Of state Under Mustanslr
and his SUCCESSORS Armenians whether Chris
tisns or mott protected their fellow country
men and through them the other Christians
through the long period when the Nizierats
was In their hanas Most OF the financial
posts In the Government were then in tho
possession Of Copts They were the farmers
= taxes and the cOmptrollers of accounts
Throughout the regns Of tho later Caliphs
Christian churches were incessantly con-
structed or restored. as we learn from tho
Christian Abu-Salih. whose contemporary
history is said TO reflect accurately the state
of Egypt at the close OF the Fatimid rule
The Cahph Hafiz even welcomed the Armenian
patriarch at his public levees on Mondays
and Thursdays: he received instruction from
him In history and continued the practice
up 70 his death Hahz was fond Of visiting
monastcries where manlars or belvedere
was sometimes erected looking on the secluded
gardens and commanding view OF tho
blessed Nile" he and his son Zafir and the
last Caliph Abb used for this reason TO fre
quent the Monastery OF Our Lady at el-Ada-
wiya, eighteen miles south Of Cairo. and
contributed 10 its support In return for tho
monks hospitality The Cal!ph Amir great
lover u gardens, delighted m the Monastery
of Nahya. west OF Glza. where he built q
bevedcre and whence he used 70 60 out hunt
ing Every time he went he gave tho monks
a thousand dirherns the number Of dirhems
in dlnar vlrcd from II 10 ?sl lie used TO
amuse himself by standing in the priests
place 10 the church but he refused TO bow IN
order 20 enter the low door and compromised
natter. by STOPPING and going in backward
/ The revenue Of ths Egyptian churches largely
derived from Fatimd gifts. amounted In MS
TO 2O23 dinars and 4s?6 sacks (of bushels
Of corn, and the churches owned 9i5 acres
| OF land