An ethnic Armenian, Aziz al-Dawla started his political career as a trusted ghulam (slave soldier) of Manjutakin, the Fatimid governor of Damascus under Caliph al-Hakim (r. 996–1021).
By 1020, Aziz al-Dawla was acting independently of al-Hakim, asserting his sovereignty by issuing his own coins and having his name pronounced in the khutba (Friday prayer sermon).
Afterward, the Fatimid court attempted to reconcile with Aziz al-Dawla, who nonetheless moved to secure his rule by building a well-fortified palace at the foot of the Aleppo citadel.
[7] Aziz al-Dawla was an ambitious governor and established Aleppo as an autonomous entity in between two regional rivals, the Fatimid Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire.
[1][5][8] Upon assuming the governorship, Aziz al-Dawla convinced Fatimid troops in the city that with their assignment being completed they should withdraw to their garrisons in Sidon, Tripoli and Afamiyah.
[8] To publicly demonstrate his sovereignty, he issued his own coins omitting the name of al-Hakim and had his own name read in the city's mosques during the khutba (Friday prayer sermon).
[1] Moreover, he had his honorary name, al-Sayyid Amir al-Umara Aziz al-Dawla inscribed on the city's Antioch Gate and in silver chandeliers in the Great Mosque of Aleppo.
[7] That year, al-Hakim launched an expedition to reassert direct Fatimid rule over Aleppo, prompting Aziz al-Dawla to request military assistance from the Byzantine emperor, Basil II (r. 976–1025).
[9] Nonetheless, Aziz al-Dawla sought to secure his virtual independence and built a well-fortified palace and bathhouse at the foot of the Aleppo's citadel.
[8] The prominent local poet al-Ma'arri had friendly relations with Aziz al-Dawla and dedicated two of his works to him:[15][10] Risalat al-Sahil wa'l Shahij ("Letter of a Horse and a Mule") and Kitab al-Qa'if.