A tour through the interior of the Fatimid caliphal palace in early eleventh-century Cairo would have been a truly unforgettable experience. One would walk through room upon room furnished with precious objects, to eventually face a golden throne studded with precious stones. Gleaming fine silverware, some even reproducing miniature gardens with fruits made of precious stones, would shine; dainty gilt vases filled with expensive violet, rose and other exotic oils would abound. Violets, narcissi, roses and water-lilies would be on view to please the senses with their vibrant colours and with their scent freshening the air. Exquisitely carved rock-crystal chess pieces and other games would be available as favourite pasttimes for both palace ladies and men. Ivory caskets would guard the fine jewellery worn by the royal women. One would perhaps enter the vaults of famed princesses, such as 'Abda and Rashida, or of queen mothers like Rasad, and find them piled with embroidered linen and colourful silks, dusty silver shields and saddles, gold coins and ingots. Or stroll across some forty rooms to browse through rare and precious illuminated manuscripts. One would witness the opulence and style of a court where sophistication was at its height: a court where women's wealth and riches would be recorded in history books.