The Mirdasids defeat the Fatimid Caliphate at the Battle of al-Funaydiq, signalling the definitive loss of Aleppo for the Fatimids.
Mirdasid dynasty
The Mirdasid dynasty, also called the Banu Mirdas, was an Arab Shia Muslim dynasty which ruled an Aleppo-based emirate in northern Syria and the western Jazira more or less continuously from 1024 until 1080.
Fatimid Caliphate
The Fatimid Caliphate, also known as the Fatimid Empire, was a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries CE under the rule of the Fatimids, an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area of North Africa and West Asia, it ranged from the western Mediterranean in the west to the Red Sea in the east. The Fatimids traced their ancestry to the Islamic prophet Muhammad's daughter Fatima and her husband Ali, the first Shi'a imam. The Fatimids were acknowledged as the rightful imams by different Isma'ili communities as well as by denominations in many other Muslim lands and adjacent regions. Originating during the Abbasid Caliphate, the Fatimids initially conquered Ifriqiya. They extended their rule across the Mediterranean coast and ultimately made Egypt the center of the caliphate. At its height, the caliphate included—in addition to Egypt—varying areas of the Maghreb, Sicily, the Levant, and the Hejaz.
Battle of al-Funaydiq
The Battle of al-Funaydiq took place on 30 August 1060, between the forces of the Fatimid Caliphate under Nasir al-Dawla Ibn Hamdan, and the forces of the renegade Mirdasid chieftain of the Banu Kilab, Mahmud ibn Nasr, who aimed to capture Aleppo. The battle was a comprehensive defeat for the Fatimids after their Bedouin allies switched sides, resulting in the capture of Ibn Hamdan and most of his commanders. As a result of the battle, Aleppo surrendered to Mahmud ibn Nasr, ending direct Fatimid rule over the city for good.
Aleppo
Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents as of 2021, it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and was the largest by population until it was surpassed by Damascus, the capital of Syria. Aleppo is also the largest city in Syria's northern governorates and one of the largest cities in the Levant region.