"Drawing on a wide array of primary sources and secondary studies, Delia Cortese has produced here a comprehensive and fascinating account of the dynasty of the Ismaili Shi'i imams who ruled for 262 years as Fatimid caliphs over a flourishing empire. This book traces the evolution of this dynasty, from its origins in 909 to its demise in 1171. Permeated with extensive insights and new interpretations and written in a highly accessible style with numerous images, this book also covers a number of hitherto relatively unexplored territories, such as the treatment of women under the Fatimids, and pays ample attention to the contributions of the Fatimids to Islamic civilisation. The Fatimids: Portrait of a Dynasty will be of great value to specialists in Fatimid-Ismaili studies as well as students and readers interested in medieval Islamic history in general and this Shi'i dynasty in particular.".