Fatimid Treasury
In 1068 the fabled treasury of the Fatimid caliph’s palace was pillaged by troops whose lack of adequate pay had motivated them to mutiny. The pillaging revealed the amazing collection that the caliph had amassed and dispersed this collection to the world. In some cases these objects found their way to the Christian west (the famous rock crystal jug from the treasury of San Marco in Venice is thought to have origins in the Fatimid treasury). However, sadly almost all of this art has now either been lost or is extremely difficult to date back to the Fatimids in Cairo.