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The Battle of Tawahin took place on 15 August 978 between the Fatimid army, led in person by Caliph al-Aziz, and the forces of Alptakin, the Turkic ruler of Damascus.

The battle followed a series of back-and-forth operations by both sides for control of Palestine and southern Syria during the previous years, in which Fatimid forces had advanced from Egypt, only to be defeated and thrown back by varying combinations of regional rivals. At Tawahin, Alptakin defeated the Fatimid left, but al-Aziz managed to break through the Daylamites holding the Turk's centre and right, winning the battle, and with it control of Syria. Alptakin was captured but treated honorably, and his Turkic and Daylamite soldiery, who had proven their worth against the Kutama Berbers who until then composed the bulk of the Fatimid military, were taken into Fatimid service. Augmented with these forces, the Fatimids were able to expand their rule over Syria in the following decade and enter into a conflict with the Byzantine Empire. The battle thus marked the beginning of the eclipse of the Kutama as the mainstay of the Fatimid Caliphate.

References

1. Halm 2003, pp. 147–155.
2. Gil 1997, pp. 348–357.

Sources

• Gil, Moshe (1997) . A History of Palestine, 634–1099. Translated by Ethel Broido. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-59984-9.
• Halm, Heinz (2003). Die Kalifen von Kairo: Die Fatimiden in Ägypten, 973–1074 [The Caliphs of Cairo: The Fatimids in Egypt, 973–1074] (in German). Munich: C. H. Beck. ISBN 3-406-48654-1.

v t e Fatimid Caliphate topics
Imam-Caliphs	al-Mahdi Billah al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah al-Mansur Billah al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah al-Aziz Billah al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah al-Zahir li-i'zaz Din Allah al-Mustansir Billah al-Musta'li Billah al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah al-Hafiz li-Din Allah al-Zafir bi-Amr Allah al-Fa'iz bi-Nasr Allah al-Adid li-Din Allah Dynasty
History	Foundation and rise (909–973) Conquest of Aghlabid Ifriqiya Establishment 1st Sicilian revolt 1st invasion of Egypt 2nd invasion of Egypt 2nd Sicilian revolt Rebellion of Abu Yazid (943–947) Conquest of Morocco Conquest of Egypt Apogee and crisis (973–1073) Expansion into Syria Alexandretta 1st and 2nd Qarmatian invasions Struggle with Alptakin Aleppo Apamea Uprisings of Muffarij b. Daghfal Bedouin alliance uprising Revolt of Abu Rakwa Hilalian invasion of Ifriqiya al-Basasiri's conquest of Baghdad Loss of Aleppo Mustansirite Hardship Recovery and downfall (1073–1171) Dictatorship of Badr al-Jamali Revolt of Nizar Musta'li–Nizari schism First Crusade Siege of Ascalon Regime of Kutayfat and accession of al-Hafiz Hafizi–Tayyibi schism Crusader invasions of Egypt End of the Fatimid Caliphate Battle of the Blacks Conspiracy against Saladin
Government	Viziers and regents Jawdhar Ya'qub ibn Killis Ibn Ammar Barjawan Sitt al-Mulk Ali ibn Ahmad al-Jarjara'i Abu Muhammad al-Yazuri Rasad Nasir al-Dawla Ibn Hamdan Badr al-Jamali al-Afdal Shahanshah Kutayfat Hasan ibn al-Hafiz Bahram al-Armani Ridwan ibn Walakhshi al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi al-Adil ibn al-Sallar Abbas ibn Abi al-Futuh Tala'i ibn Ruzzik Ruzzik ibn Tala'i Shawar Dirgham Shirkuh Saladin Vassal dynasties Kalbids (Sicily) Zirids and Hammadids (Ifriqiya) Sharifs of Mecca Sharifs of Medina Jarrahids (Palestine) Mirdasids (Aleppo) Sulayhids, Hamdanids, and Zurayids (Yemen) Banu Kanz (Nubia) Lodi (Multan) Officials, governors and generals Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Baghdadi Khalil ibn Ishaq al-Tamimi Jawhar Bakjur Manjutakin Anushtakin al-Dizbari al-Basasiri Qadi al-Fadil Military Fatimid army Kutama Ghilman Fatimid navy Economy Coinage
Isma'ilism	Doctrines Imamate Hujja Esotericism Batin and Zahir Branches and offshoots Qarmatians Druze Hamza ibn Ali Nizari Assassins Musta'li Tayyibi Hafizi Missionaries and theologians Hamdan Qarmat Ibn Hawshab Ali ibn al-Fadl al-Jayshani Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Nasafi Abu Hatim al-Razi Abu Tammam Ja'far ibn Mansur al-Yaman al-Qadi al-Nu'man Abu Ya'qub al-Sijistani Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Naysaburi Abu'l-Fawaris Ahmad ibn Ya'qub Abdallah al-Mu'ayyad fi'l-Din al-Shirazi Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani Anti-Fatimid movement Akhu Muhsin Baghdad Manifesto
Culture	Art and architecture Mahdiya Great Mosque of Mahdiya Skifa Kahla Mansuriya Cairo Al-Hakim Mosque Aqmar Mosque Bab al-Futuh Bab al-Nasr Bab Zuweila Fatimid Great Palaces Juyushi Mosque Mashhad of Sayyida Ruqayya Portable mihrab Al-Salih Tala'i Mosque Minbar of the Ibrahimi Mosque Shrine of Husayn's Head Literature and learning Ali ibn Muhammad al-Iyadi al-Qadi al-Nu'man Muhammad ibn Hani al-Andalusi al-Azdi al-Musabbihi al-Azhar University House of Knowledge
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• 970s conflicts
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• Battles involving the Fatimid Caliphate
• 970s in the Fatimid Caliphate