Almohads

Almohads

▪ Berber confederation
Arabic  al-Muwaḥḥidūn (“those who affirm the unity of God”)  

      Berber confederation that created an Islamic empire in North Africa and Spain (1130–1269), founded on the religious teachings of Ibn Tūmart (died 1130).

      A Berber state had arisen in Tinmel in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco about 1120, inspired by Ibn Tūmart and his demands for puritanical moral reform and a strict concept of the unity of God (tawḥīd). In 1121 Ibn Tūmart proclaimed himself the mahdī (a promised messianic figure), and, as spiritual and military leader, began the wars against the Almoravids. Under his successor, Abd al-Muʾminʿ, the Almohads brought down the Almoravid state in 1147, subjugating the Maghrib, and captured Marrakech, which became the Almohad capital. Almoravid domains in Andalusia, however, were left virtually intact until the caliph Abū Yaʿqūb Yūsuf (reigned 1163–84) forced the surrender of Sevilla (Seville) in 1172; the extension of Almohad rule over the rest of Islamic Spain followed. During the reign of Abū Yūsuf Yaʿqūb al-Manṣūr (Manṣūr, Abū Yūsuf Yaʿqūb al-) (1184–99) serious Arab rebellions devastated the eastern provinces of the empire, whereas in Spain the Christian threat remained constant, despite al-Manṣūr's victory at Alarcos (1195). Then, at the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (Navas de Tolosa, Battle of Las) (1212), the Almohads were dealt a shattering defeat by a Christian coalition from Leon, Castile, Navarre, and Aragon. They retreated to their North African provinces, where soon afterward the Ḥafṣids seized power at Tunis (1236), the ʿAbd al-Wādids took Tilimsān (Tlemcen; 1239), and, finally, Marrakech fell to the Marīnids (1269).

      The empire of the Almohads had kept its original tribal hierarchy as a political and social framework, with the founders and their descendants forming a ruling aristocracy; however, a Spanish form of central government was superimposed on this Berber organization. The original puritanical outlook of Ibn Tūmart was soon lost, and the precedent for building costly Andalusian monuments of rich ornamentation, in the manner of the Almoravids, was set as early as Ibn Tūmart's successor ʿAbd al-Muʾmin. The Booksellers' Mosque (Kutubiyyah) in Marrakech and the older parts of the mosque of Taza date from his reign. Neither did the movement for a return to traditionalist Islam survive; both the mystical movement of the Sufis and the philosophical schools represented by Ibn Ṭufayl and Averroës (Ibn Rushd) flourished under the Almohad kings.

       Rabat, an important cultural centre during the Almohad period, was known particularly for its polychrome pottery. The wares are colourful and gay, usually painted in yellows, greens, and bright blues on a buff background. Almohad pottery wares, however, never reached the artistic level of the work from Syria, Egypt, and Persia, and most are considered products of “folk” rather than “fine” art.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • ALMOHADS — (Arab. Al Muwaḥḥhidūn; Those who Advocate the Unity of Allah ), Moroccan Berbers from Tinmel in the Atlas Mountains. Like their predecessors, the almoravids (al Murabitūn), who ruled major areas of the Maghreb and Muslim Spain, the Almohads… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Almohads — n. member of Berber tribe that ruled North Africa and Spain during the 12th and 13th centuries …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Almohads —    Spanish form of the Arabic word al Muwahhidun (Unitarians). It refers to a Berber dynasty (1113 1269) that crushed the Almoravid dynasty and for more than a century controlled an empire consisting of the entire Maghrib (Morocco, Algeria,… …   Historical dictionary of the berbers (Imazighen)

  • THE ALMOHADS — • (MARRAKECH, 1130 1276) • The Mahdi Muhammad Ibn Tu mart 1130 • Abd al Mu min 1133 1163 • Abu Ya qu b Yu suf 1163 1184 • Abu Yu suf Ya qu b al Mansu r 1184 1199 • Muhammad al Na sir 1199 1213 • Abu Ya qu bYu suf al Mustansir 1213 1224 • Abu… …   Historical dictionary of the berbers (Imazighen)

  • Timeline of the Muslim presence in the Iberian peninsula — This is a timeline of notable events in the Muslim presence in Iberia, which started with the Umayyad conquest in the 8th century. Contents 1 Conquest (710–756) 2 The Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba (756–929) 3 The Umayyad Caliphate (929–1031) …   Wikipedia

  • History of medieval Tunisia — The present day Republic of Tunisia, al Jumhuriyyah at Tunisiyyah , has over ten million citizens, almost all of Arab Berber descent. The Mediterranean Sea is to the north and east, Libya to the southeast, and Algeria to the west. Tunis is the… …   Wikipedia

  • Taifa — A taifa (from ar. طائفة ṭā ifa , plural طوائف ṭawā if ) in the history of Iberia was an independent Muslim ruled principality, an emirate or petty kingdom, of which a number formed in the Al Andalus (Moorish Iberia) after the final collapse of… …   Wikipedia

  • Medieval Muslim Algeria — Part of a series on the History of Algeria …   Wikipedia

  • Al-Andalus — This article is about the historical region. For the modern day region, see Andalusia. For the district in Kuwait, see Kuwait City. For the musical group, see Andalus. History of Al Andalus 711–1492 711–732 Musl …   Wikipedia

  • Kingdom of Africa — The Tabula Rogeriana, an early world map drawn by Muhammad al Idrisi for Roger II of Sicily in 1154. Note that the north is at the bottom, and so the map appears upside down compared to modern cartographic conventions. Al Idrisi is also the… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”