Almoravides (In Arabic المرابطون al-Murabitun, sing. مرابط Murabit), is a Berber dynasty from the Sahara that flourished over a wide area of Africa and Europe during the 11th century. The Arabic language (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), or simply Arabic (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... The Berbers (also called Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are an ethnic group indigenous to Northwest Africa, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ...

Under this dynasty the Moorish empire was extended over Morocco, Mauritania, Gibraltar, Tlemcen (in modern Algeria) and a great part of what is now Senegal and Mali in the south, and Spain and Portugal in the north. The name is derived from the Arabic Murabit, variously translated as religious ascetic or warrior monk. For the terrain type see Moor Moors is used in this article to describe the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus and the Maghreb, whose culture is often called Moorish. For other meanings look at Moors (Meaning) or Blackamoors. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Beginnings

The most powerful of the invading tribes was the Lamtuna ("veiled men") from the upper Niger River, whose best-known representatives now are the Tuareg. They had been converted to Islam in the early times of the Arab conquest, but their knowledge of Islam did not go much beyond the formula of the shahada creed---"there is no god but God, and Muhammad is the apostle of God,"--and they were ignorant of the traditions of Shariah, or Islamic law. The Lamtuna are a Berber nomadic tribe of the western Sahara. ... Map of Niger River with Niger River basin in green. ... For other uses, see Tuareg (disambiguation). ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( (help· info)), submission (to the will of God) is a monotheistic faith and the worlds second-largest religion with approximately 1. ... There is also a town called Shāhāda, which is now in Nandurbār district (formerly in Dhule district) in the northwest corner of Maharashtra state in India. ... Sharia (Arabic شريعة also Sharia, Shariah or Syariah) is traditional Islamic law. ...

Influence of orthodox Islam

About the year 1040 (or a little earlier) one of their chiefs, Yahya ibn Ibrahim, made the pilgrimage to Mecca. On his way home, he attended the teachers of the mosque at Kairouan, in Tunisia, who soon learnt from him that his people knew little of the religion they were supposed to profess, and that though his will was good, his own ignorance was great. By the good offices of the theologians of Kairawan, one of whom was from Fez, Yahya was provided with a missionary, Abd Allah ibn Yasin, a zealous partisan of the Malikis, one of the four Madhhab; orthodox legal schools of Islam. The Hajj (Arabic: ‎ translit: ) is the Pilgrimage to Mecca in Islam. ... This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. ... Kairouan (Kairwan, Al Qayrawan) is a city in Tunisia, about 160 kilometres south of Tunis. ... This article is about the city Fez in Morocco. ... Abdallah Ibn Yasin (d. ... The Maliki madhab (Arabic مالكي) is one of the four schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. ... Madhhab(مذهب) (Madhahib, pl) is an Islamic term that refers to a school of thought or religious jurisprudence (fiqh) within Sunni Islam. ...

His preaching was before-long rejected by the Lamtunas; so on the advice of Yahya, who accompanied him, he retired to an island in the Niger River, where he founded a ribat, or Islamic monastery, from which as a centre his influence spread. There was no element of heresy in his creed, which was mainly distinguished by a rigid formalism, and strict obedience to the letter of the Qur'an, and the orthodox tradition or Sunnah. Map of Niger River with Niger River basin in green. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the Catholic or Orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... The Qurān (Arabic: recitation) from Syriac qeryānā lectionary, also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and less commonly as Alcoran, is the holy book of Islam. ... Sunnah (Arabic: ) means “way” or “custom”, and therefore, the sunnah of the prophet means “the way of the prophet”, or what is commonly known as the Prophet’s traditions. ...

Ascendence of Militarism

Abd-Allah ibn Yasin imposed a penitential scourging on all converts as a purification, and enforced a regular system of discipline for every breach of the law; even on the chiefs. Under such directions, the Murabits were brought into excellent order. Their first military leader, Yahya ibn Ibrahim, gave them a good military organization. Their main force was infantry, armed with javelins in the front ranks and pikes behind, which formed into a phalanx; and was supported by camelmen and horsemen on the flanks.

Military Successes

From the year 1053, the Murabits began to impose their orthodox and puritanical religion on the Berber tribes of the desert, and on the pagan black Africans. They converted Takrur (a small state in modern Senegal) to Islam, and after winning over the Sanhaja Berber tribe, they quickly took control of the entire desert trade route, seizing Sijilmasa from Morocco at the northern end in 1054, and Aoudaghost from the Ghana Empire at the southern end in 1055. Yahya ibn Ibrahim was killed in a battle in 1056, but Abd-Allah ibn Yasin, whose influence as a religious teacher was paramount; named his brother Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar as chief. Under him, the Murabits soon began to spread their power beyond the desert, and subjected the tribes of the Atlas Mountains. They then came in contact with the Berghouata, a Berber people of central Morocco, who followed a "heresy" founded by Salih ibn Tarif, three centuries earlier. The Berghouata made a fierce resistance, and it was in battle with them that Abdullah ibn Yasin was killed. They were, however, completely conquered by Abu Bakr Ibn-Umar, who took the defeated chief's widow, Zainab, as a wife. Events June 18 - Battle of Civitate - 3000 horsemen of Norman Count Humphrey rout the troops of Pope Leo IX Good harvests in Europe Malcolm Canmore invades Scotland. ... The Berbers (also called Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are an ethnic group indigenous to Northwest Africa, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. ... Takrur was one of the minor Iron Age states of West Africa, which flourished roughly parallel to the Kingdom of Ghana. ... The Sanhaja were one of the largest Berber tribal confederations of the Maghreb, along with the Zanata and Masmuda History The tribes of the Sanhaja settled at first in the northern Sahara. ... Sijilmasa (or Sijilmassa) was a mediaeval trade centre in the western Maghreb. ... Aoudaghost, also known as Tegdaoust was a major city in ancient and mediaeval West Africa, lying in what is now south east Mauritania. ... The Ghana Empire in Africa The Empire of Ghana (existed c. ... Events Anselm of Canterbury leaves Italy. ... Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar (died in 1087), Moroccan Almoravid ruler. ... Map showing the location of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in northwest Africa extending about 2400 km (1500 miles) through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and including The Rock of Gibraltar. ... The Berghouata were a medieval Berber tribe of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, belonging to the Masmuda group of tribes. ... Sâlih ibn Tarîf (Arabic صالح بن طريف) was the second king of the Berghouata, and proclaimed himself a prophet of a new religion. ... // Introduction Zainab was the 3rd child of Ali ibn Abu Talib and Fatima Zahra. ...

In 1061, Abu Bakr Ibn-Umar made a division of the power he had established, handing over the more-settled parts to his cousin Yusuf ibn Tashfin, as viceroy; resigning to him also his favourite wife Zainab, who had the reputation of being a sorceress. For himself, he reserved the task of suppressing the revolts which had broken out in the desert, but when he returned to resume control, he found his cousin too powerful to be superseded; so he had to go back to the Sahara, where-in 1087,having been wounded with a poisoned arrow, he died fighting the pagan black Africans. Yusuf ibn Tashfin يوسف ابن تاشفين or Tashufin (died in 1106), was the Almoravid ruler in Muslim Spain and North Africa. ... Events May 9 - The remains of Saint Nicholas were brought to Bari. ...

Morocco and Western Sahara

Yusuf ibn Tashfin had in the meantime brought what is now known as Morocco and the Western Sahara into complete subjection; and in 1062, had founded the city of Marrakech. In 1080, he conquered the kingdom of Tlemcen (in modern-day Algeria) and founded the present city of that name, his rule extending as far east as Oran. Events Founding of Marrakech The Almoravids overrun Morocco and establish a kingdom from Spain to Senegal. ... The Koutoubia Mosque. ... Events William I of England, in a letter, reminds the Bishop of Rome that the King of England owes him no allegiance. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Oran (population 700,000) (Arabic: ولاية وهران ) is a city in northwest Algeria, situated on the Mediterranean Sea coast. ...

Ghana Empire

In 1075, the Almoravides declared "jihad" ("holy war") on the Ghana Empire. The ensuing war pushed Ghana over the edge, ending the kingdom's position as a commercial and military power by 1100, as it collapsed into tribal groups and chieftaincies, some of which later assimilated into the Almoravides. Events Revolt of the Earls. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Ghana Empire in Africa The Empire of Ghana (existed c. ... Events William II of England dies in a hunting accident - Henry I becomes King of England King Henry I proclaims the Charter of Liberties, one of the first examples of a constitution. ...

Spain

Map of Iberia at the time of the Almoravid arrival

In 1086 Yusuf ibn Tashfin was invited by the Muslim princes in Spain to defend them against Alfonso VI, King of Castile and León. In that year, Yusuf ibn Tashfin passed the straits to Algeciras, inflicted a severe defeat on the Christians at the az-Zallaqah. He was prevented from following up his victory by trouble in Africa, which he had to settle in person. Image File history File links Almoravid_map_reconquest_loc. ... Image File history File links Almoravid_map_reconquest_loc. ... Events Domesday Book is completed in England Emperor Shirakawa of Japan starts his cloistered rule Imam Ali Mosque is rebuilt by the Seljuk Malik Shah I after being destroyed by fire. ... Alfonso VI (before June 1040 – July 1, 1109), nicknamed the Brave, was king of León from 1065 to 1109 and king of Castile since 1072 after his brothers death. ... A former kingdom of modern day Spain, Castile comprises the two regions of Old Castile in north-western Spain, and New Castile in the centre of the country. ... The city of León was founded by the Roman Seventh Legion (for unknown reasons always written as Legio Septima Gemina (twin seventh legion). It was the headquarters of that legion in the late empire and was a center for trade in gold which was mined at Las Médulas... Algeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, near the city of Gibraltar, slightly to the north from Tarifa, which is the southernmost town of the country (, ). Both cities are situated on the Strait of Gibraltar; Algeciras also faces the Mediterranean. ... The battle of az-Zallaqah (October 23, 1086) was a great victory of the Almoravid Yusuf ibn Tashfin over the forces of Castilian King Alfonso VI. Yusuf ibn Tashfin replied to the call of three Andalusian leaders (Abbad III al-Mutamid & others) and crossed to Andalusia with 7,000... A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ...

When he returned to Spain in 1090, it was avowedly for the purpose of deposing the Muslim princes, and annexing their states. He had in his favour the mass of the inhabitants, whom had been worn out by the oppressive taxation imposed by their spend-thrift rulers. Their religious teachers, as well as others in the east, (most notably, al-Ghazali in Persia and al-Tartushi in Egypt, who was himself a Spaniard by birth, from Tortosa), detested the native Muslim princes for their religious indifference, and gave Yusuf a fatwa -- or legal opinion -- to the effect that he had good moral and religious right, to dethrone the heterodox rulers, who did not scruple to seek help from the Christians, whose habits they had adopted. By 1094, he had removed them all; and though he regained little from the Christians except Valencia, he re-united the Muslim power, and gave a check to the reconquest of the country by the Christians. Events Granada captured by Yusuf Ibn Tashfin, King of the Almoravides Beginnings of troubadours in Provence Bejaia becomes the capital of the Algeria Births William of Malmsbury Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Saint Famianus Eliezer ben Nathan of Mainz Deaths Saint Malcoldia of Asti Saint Adalbero Categories: 1090 ... Al-Ghazali Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali (Arabic: ابو حامد محمد بن محمد الغزالى for short: الغزالى ) (born 1058 in Tus, Khorasan province of Persia, modern day Iran, died 1111 in Tus) was a Muslim theologian, and philosopher, known as Algazel to the Western Medieval world, Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali, or al-Ghazzali as it... Motto: Persian: Esteqlāl, āzādÄ«, jomhÅ«rÄ«-ye eslāmÄ« (English: Independence, freedom, the Islamic Republic) Anthem: SorÅ«d-e MellÄ«-e Īrān Capital Tehran Largest city Tehran Official language(s) Persian Government Supreme Leader President Islamic republic Ali Khamenei Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Revolution Declared Against Mohammad Reza Pahlavi... Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Walid al-Tartushi () (born 451 AH - 520 AH) was a famous Muslim jurist from Tortosa, Muslim Spain. ... Tortosa (Latin Dertusa) is the capital of the comarca of Baix Ebre, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain, located at 12 metres above the sea, by the Ebre river. ... A fatwa (Arabic: ) plural fatāwa (فتاوى), is a legal pronouncement in Islam, issued by a religious law specialist on a specific issue. ... The Hemispheric at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències by Santiago Calatrava, Valencia, Spain. ...

The Prince of the Muslims

After friendly correspondence with the caliph at Baghdad, whom he acknowledged as Amir al-Mu'minin (Prince of the Faithful), Yusuf ibn Tashfin in 1097 assumed the title of Amir al Muslimin (Prince of the Muslims). He died in 1106, when he was reputed to have reached the age of 100. Location of Baghdad within Iraq Baghdad (Arabic: ) (Bexda in Kurdish) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... Events Edgar I deposes Donald III to become king of Scotland. ... Events September 28 - Henry I of England defeats his older brother Robert Curthose, duke of Normandy, at the Battle of Tinchebrai, and imprisons him in Cardiff Castle; Edgar Atheling and William Clito are also taken prisoner. ...

The Murabit power was at its height at Yusuf's death, and the Moorish empire then included all North-West Africa as far as Algiers, and all Spain south of the Tagus, with the east coast as far as the mouth of the Ebro, and included the Balearic Islands. Map of Algeria showing Algiers province Algiers (French Alger, (Arabic: ولاية الجزائر) El-Jazair, The Islands) is the capital and largest city of Algeria in North Africa. ... View over Tejo River from Almourol Castle in Portugal (May 2005). ... The Ebro (Greek: Έβρος, Latin: Iberus, Spanish: Ebro, Catalan: Ebre) is Spains most voluminous and second longest river. ... Capital Palma de Mallorca Official languages Catalan and Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 17th  4 992 km²  1,0% Population  â€“ Total (2003)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 14th  916 968  2,2%  183,69/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Catalan  â€“ Spanish Balearic balear balear Statute of Autonomy March 1, 1983 ISO 3166...

Decline

Three years afterwards, under Yusef's son and successor, Ali ibn Yusuf, Madrid, Lisbon and Oporto were added, and Spain was again invaded in 1119 and 1121, but the tide had turned; the French having assisted the Aragonese to recover Zaragoza. In 1138, Ali ibn Yusuf was defeated by Alfonso VII of Castile and León, and in the Battle of Ourique (1139), by Afonso I of Portugal, who thereby won his crown; and Lisbon was recovered by the Portuguese in 1147. Ali ibn Yusuf (died in 1142) was a Berber ruler in North Africa and Muslim Spain, reigned 1106–1142, also a member of Almoravids dynasty. ... Madrid is the capital and largest city in Spain, as well as in the province and the autonomous community of the same name. ... District or region Lisbon Mayor   - Party Carmona Rodrigues PSD Area 84. ... A modern view of the ancient city of Porto, the city that gave the name to the country. ... Events February 2 - Callixtus II becomes Pope August 20 - Henry I of England routes Louis VI at the Battle of Bremule. ... Events Concordat of Worms condemns Pierre Abélards writings on the Holy Trinity. ... Zaragoza (sometimes still Saragossa in English; Latin Caesaraugusta) is the capital city of the autonomous region and former kingdom of Aragón in Spain, and is located on the river Ebro, and its tributaries the Huerva and Gállego, near the centre of the region, in a great valley with... Alfonso VII of Castile (March 1, 1104/5 - August 21, 1157), nicknamed the Emperor, was the king of Castile and Leon since 1126, son of Urraca of Castile and Count Raymond of Burgundy. ... The Battle of Ourique took place in July 26, 1139, in the countryside outside the town of Ourique, present-day Alentejo (southern Portugal). ... Events Alphonso I (Afonso Henriques) becomes first king of Portugal Second Council of the Lateran Births Emperor Konoe of Japan Deaths Henry the Proud, Duke of Bavaria and Saxony Categories: 1139 ... Afonso I of Portugal (English Alphonzo or Alphonse), more commonly known as Afonso Henriques (pron. ... District or region Lisbon Mayor   - Party Carmona Rodrigues PSD Area 84. ... Events King Afonso I of Portugal and the Crusaders capture Lisbon from Muslims First written mention of Moscow. ...

Ali ibn Yusuf was a pious non-entity, who fasted and prayed while his empire fell to pieces under the combined action of his Christian foes in Spain and the agitation of Almohades (the Muwahhids) in Morocco. After Ali ibn Yusuf's death in 1142, his son Tashfin ibn Ali lost ground rapidly before the Almohades, and in 1146 he was killed by a fall from a precipice, while endeavouring to escape after a defeat near Oran. The Almohad Dynasty (From Arabic الموحدون al-Muwahhidun, i. ... Events End of the reign of Emperor Sutoku, emperor of Japan Emperor Konoe ascends to the throne of Japan Henry the Lion becomes Duke of Saxony Births Farid od-Din Mohammad ebn Ebrahim Attar, Persian mystical poet (died 1220) Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy (died 1192) Bornin1142, a GameFAQs user... Oran (population 700,000) (Arabic: ولاية وهران ) is a city in northwest Algeria, situated on the Mediterranean Sea coast. ...

His two successors Ibrahim ibn Tashfin and Is'haq ibn Ali are mere names. The conquest of the city of Marrakesh by the Almohades in 1147 marked the fall of the dynasty, though fragments of the Almoravides (the Banu Ghanya), continued to struggle in the Balearic Islands, and finally in Tunisia. The Almohad Dynasty (From Arabic الموحدون al-Muwahhidun, i. ... Events King Afonso I of Portugal and the Crusaders capture Lisbon from Muslims First written mention of Moscow. ... Capital Palma de Mallorca Official languages Catalan and Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 17th  4 992 km²  1,0% Population  â€“ Total (2003)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 14th  916 968  2,2%  183,69/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Catalan  â€“ Spanish Balearic balear balear Statute of Autonomy March 1, 1983 ISO 3166...

The amirs of the Almoravides dynasty were as follows:---

• Yusuf ibn Tashfin (1061-1106)
• Ali ibn Yusuf (1106-1142)
• Tashfin ibn Ali (1142-1146)
• Ibrahim ibn Tashfin (1146)
• Ishaq ibn Ali (1146-1147)

Yusuf ibn Tashfin يوسف ابن تاشفين or Tashufin (died in 1106), was the Almoravid ruler in Muslim Spain and North Africa. ... Ali ibn Yusuf (died in 1142) was a Berber ruler in North Africa and Muslim Spain, reigned 1106–1142, also a member of Almoravids dynasty. ...

See also

• History of Morocco
• History of Islam
• History of Spain

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The History of Islam involves the history of the Islamic faith as a religion and as a social institution. ... It is traditional (at least, since the 19th century) to start the history of modern Spain with the Visigoth kingdom. ...

External links

• Almoravids Dynasty Berber dynasty

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Encyclopædia Britannica, the 11th edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...