First §: AN IMPORTANT SHIʿI MUSLIM community, the Ismailis have had a complex history dating to the formative period of Islam, when different communities of interpretation were developing their doctrinal positions. In time, these communities acquired specific designations and were generally classified as Sunni or Shiʿi, Islam’s two main divisions. From early on, the Ismailis, who were dispersed throughout much of the Islamic world, from North Africa to Central Asia and India, represented a multiplicity of ethnic groups as well as social and cultural milieus; they also produced a rich literary heritage in a variety of languages. On two occasions in the course of their long and eventful history, the Ismailis established states of their own, the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171) and the Nizari Ismaili state (1094-1256), also making important contributions to Islamic thought and culture.