Why did the Fatimids build libraries and colleges in their empire?

The Fatimid dynasty established libraries and colleges primarily to support their grand strategy of challenging the Sunni Abbasid caliphate and propagating Ismāʿīlī doctrine.12

As the Fatimid caliphs viewed themselves as the spiritual heads of the Ismāʿīlī faith and the embodiment of infallible guidance, they utilized these institutions to train a network of missionaries and agents. These individuals were tasked with gaining converts, disseminating Ismāʿīlī theology, and practicing subversion against the Abbasid order. By founding centers such as Al-Azhar and other academies, the Fatimids created an intellectual environment that drew scholars from across the Muslim world, stimulating original contributions in philosophy, literature, and the Islamic sciences.12

In the Fatimid state, this mission functioned effectively as a third branch of government, institutionalizing their religious authority to bolster their imperial ambitions and religious prestige.1