Invasions of Egypt In 301 A.H. the first Fatimid invasion of Egypt was undertaken. From Mahdiya a fleet sailed towards the northern coast of Egypt and occupied Alexandria. Qaim himself led the army towards the Egyptian border. It was so arranged with the Qarmatians of Iraq that they would forget their past differences with the Fatimids and would march against Baghdad, thus helping in the Fatimid invasion of Egypt by diverting the Abbasid troops. But the Qarmatians went back on this arrangement and the Abbasids were able to prevent the Fatimid success in Egypt. In 306 A.H. a second invasion was undertaken. At this time also the same story was repeated, with this differences that the Fatimids had made an advance right up to the Egyptian capital before they were repulsed.
These two invasions took place under the command of Qaim, but during the Caliphate of Mahdi. After his succession to the Caliphate, Qaim launched a third invasion of Egypt in 323 A.H. under the command of his General, Raydan, But he was defeated and repulsed. The fourth invasion took place during the time of the fourth Fatimid Caliph Muizz, and this was successful. In 322 A.H. Qaim succeeded his father at the quite advanced age of 47. Most of his achievements were already made during the lifetime of his father. About the time of his accession two important Dais visited him. Abu Hatim ai-Razi from Persia and Jafar bin-Mansur al-Yaman, the son of Ibn- Hawshab from Yaman. During the last years of his life Qaim had to deal with a most dangerous rebellion led by Abu Yazid.
