Sabir al-Fata was a freedman who served the

Fatimid caliph This is a list of an Arab dynasty, the Shi'ite caliphs of the Fatimid dynasty (909–1171). The Shi'ite caliphs were also regarded at the same time as the imams of the Isma'ili branch of Shi'a Islam Shia Islam is the second-largest br ...

al-Mahdi Billah Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ḥusayn (; 31 July 874 – 4 March 934), better known by his regnal name al-Mahdī biʾllāh (, "The Rightly Guided by God"), was the founder of the Isma'ili Fatimid Caliphate, the only major Shi'a caliphate i ...

as a governor and military commander.

Life

As his sobriquet of () demonstrates, Sabir was a Slavic () military slave who had been set free and made an officer of the

Fatimid army The Fatimid army was the land force of the Fatimid Caliphate (909–1171). Like the other armies of the medieval Islamic world, it was a multi-ethnic army, drawn from marginal and even foreign peoples, rather than the Arab mainstream of Fatimid soc ...

. His original master had been Ibn Qurhub. He served under the first

, as governor of

Kairouan Kairouan (, ), also spelled El Qayrawān or Kairwan ( , ), is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by the Umayyads around 670, in the period of Caliph Mu'awiya (reigned 661� ...

. In 927/28, he was sent to

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

with a fleet of 44 ships to launch an offensive against the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

's provinces in

southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

. In 928 with 30 ships, and joined by the Fatimid governor of Sicily, Salim ibn Abi Rashid, he attacked a locality named ('the caves') in

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

, and proceeded to sack the cities of

Taranto Taranto (; ; previously called Tarent in English) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base. Founded by Spartans ...

and

Otranto Otranto (, , ; ; ; ; ) is a coastal town, port and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce (Apulia, Italy), in a fertile region once famous for its breed of horses. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). ...

. At the sack of Taranto, on 17 August 928, some 6,000 inhabitants are reported to have been killed. The outbreak of a disease forced them to return to Sicily, but then Sabir led his fleet up the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy. Geography The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...

, forcing

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Campania, southwestern Italy, and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after Naples. It is located ...

and

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

to ransom themselves with money and precious brocades. In 929, with four ships he defeated the seven ships of the local Byzantine on the Adriatic coast, and sacked

Termoli Termoli ( Molisano: ''Térmëlë'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) on the south Adriatic coast of Italy, in the province of Campobasso, region of Molise. It has a population of around 32,000, having expanded quickly after World War II, and it is a ...

. He returned to the Fatimid capital, al-Mahdiya, on 5 September 930, bringing 18,000 prisoners with him. His successes encouraged Caliph al-Mahdi to prepare a new, even larger naval expedition against the Byzantines in Italy, but the arrival of a Byzantine embassy led to the conclusion of a treaty instead (931/32).

References

Sources

* * * {{PMBZ, volume=online 10th-century people from the Fatimid Caliphate Admirals of the Fatimid Caliphate Governors of the Fatimid Caliphate Fatimid people of the Arab–Byzantine wars Fatimid ghilman Freedmen Mamluks Slaves from the Fatimid Caliphate Saqaliba 10th-century slaves