Under Kafur's patronage at Fustat, c. 347/958

المتنبي في رعاية كافور بالفسطاط، نحو ٣٤٧هـ/٩٥٨م

c. 958 CE · c. 347 AH

From Damascus al-Mutanabbi went to Egypt and to Fustat, where he obtained the patronage of the Ikhshidid regent Kafur, and was forced to sing the praises of a patron for whom in his heart he felt only contempt — his panegyrics barely conceal regret at losing Sayf al-Dawla's favour. He agreed to celebrate Kafur, it is said, only because he had been promised the governorship of Sidon; when the promises went unfulfilled he courted the Ikhshidid general Abu Shuja' Fatik, until relations with Kafur broke down 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era
Region
Egypt & Nile

In time

950960970 c.
The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era

Overview

From Damascus al-Mutanabbi went to Egypt and to Fustat, where he obtained the patronage of the Ikhshidid regent Kafur, and was forced to sing the praises of a patron for whom in his heart he felt only contempt — his panegyrics barely conceal regret at losing Sayf al-Dawla's favour. He agreed to celebrate Kafur, it is said, only because he had been promised the governorship of Sidon; when the promises went unfulfilled he courted the Ikhshidid general Abu Shuja' Fatik, until relations with Kafur broke down 1.

Connections

Explore the connections

Had participant
al-Mutanabbi· كافور الإخشيدي
During the reign of
al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah Ma'add ibn al-Mansur

People and things also explored

Flight from Fustat on the day of sacrifice, 350/962· Al-Buyut al-Amina (Safe Homes)· Construction of al-Azhar Mosque· Al-Daraqutni journeys to al-Sham and Egypt and composes the Musnad for Ibn Hinzaba, about 350/961· Death of al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah and accession of al-Aziz· Jawhar's conquest of Egypt and the laying out of Cairo· The Khutba in the Two Harams for al-Mu'izz the Ubaydid· The killing of al-Mutanabbi (354 AH)

Sources

  1. Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 7 p. 770
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Under Kafur's patronage at Fustat, c. 347/958”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/mutanabbi-kafur-egypt-347/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-09.

Improve this page on GitHub · Report an error · Help complete it · JSON

Wing

Time

Eras, timelines, this day in history, any year in the Islamic world.
Related

Flight from Fustat on the day of sacrifice, 350/962

On the feast of sacrifice of 350 — 20 January 962 — after writing a satire on Kafur, al-Mutanabbi left Fustat secretly and, crossing Arabia after great trials, reached Iraq, where he spent some time in Kufa before settling in Baghdad.