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From 969 to 1073, the Red Sea does not seem to have been of much interest to the Fatimids. During this period, the
Fatimid imams were engaged in an ideological struggle with the Abbasids, and the main territory for this battle
was the Hijaz and its holy Muslim cities. The period after 1073, and especially the 12th century, can be considered
as a time of pragmatism. The ideology that seems to have dictated Fatimid actions since the very beginning of the
dynasty disappeared under the extensive reforms of Badr al-Jamālī. Keeping the Red Sea open for trade became the
new goal of Fatimid interventions in the area.