'AZIZ, AL-

born May 10, 955 died Oct. 14, 996, Bilbays, Egypt in full Al-'aziz Bi'llah Nizar Abu Mansur caliph under whom the Fatimid empire attained its greatest extent. The first of the Fatimids to begin his reign in Egypt, where the caliphate was later centred, al-'Aziz succeeded his father, al-Mu'izz, in 975. He was ambitious to expand his domains at the expense of the Byzantine Empire and of the rival 'Abbasid caliphate, and for most of his reign he was involved in military and political ventures in northern Syria, where he and the Byzantine emperor Basil II at length reached a stalemate. Al-'Aziz, who had a Christian wife, was known for his favourable attitude toward Christians and Jews, and he began the practice of employing Turkish mercenaries, who later came to dominate Egypt. He died as he was preparing to lead a great expedition against the Byzantines.