Revolt of Tyre (996–998)

The Revolt of Tyre was an anti-Fatimid rebellion by the populace of the city of Tyre, in modern Lebanon. It began in 996, when the people, led by an ordinary sailor named 'Allaqa, rose up against the Fatimid government. The Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah sent his army and navy to retake the city under Abu Abdallah al-Husayn ibn Nasr al-Dawla and the freedman Yaqut. Based in the nearby cities of Tripoli and Sidon, the Fatimid forces blockaded Tyre by land and sea for two years, during which a Byzantine squadron's attempt to reinforce the defenders was repulsed by the Fatimid navy with heavy losses. In the end, Tyre fell in May 998 and was plundered and its defenders either massacred or taken captive to Egypt, where 'Allaqa was flayed alive and crucified, while many of his followers, as well as 200 Byzantine captives, were executed.