Almohad Caliphate | |||||
الموَحدون (Al-Muwaḥḥidūn) (Arabic) ⵉⵎⵡⴻⵃⵃⴷⴻⵏ (Imweḥḥden) (Berber) |
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Ruling dynasty of Morocco, Ifriqiya, Central Maghreb and Al-Andalus ; Caliphate (since 1147) |
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The Almohad empire at its greatest extent, c. 1180–1212.
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Capital |
Tinmel (1121–1147) Marrakesh (1147–1269) In Al-Andalus: Seville (1147–1162) Córdoba (1162–1163) Seville (1163–1248) |
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Languages | Arabic, Berber, Mozarabic | ||||
Religion | Sunni Islam (Creed: Ash'ari; Madhab: Zahiri) | ||||
Government | Caliphate | ||||
Caliph | |||||
• | 1121–1130 | Ibn Tumart (first)(under title of "Mahdi") | |||
• | 1130–1163 | Abd al-Mu'min (first)(under title of "Caliph" from 1147) | |||
• | 1266–1269 | Abu al-Ula al-Wathiq Idris (last) | |||
History | |||||
• | Established | 1121 | |||
• | Almoravids overthrown | 1147 | |||
• | Marinid suzerainty | 1248 | |||
• | Disestablished | 1269 | |||
Area | |||||
• | 1150 est. | 2,300,000 km² (888,035 sq mi) | |||
Currency | Dinar | ||||
Today part of |
Morocco Algeria Gibraltar Libya Portugal Spain Tunisia Western Sahara |
The Almohad Caliphate (British English: /almə(ʊ)ˈhɑːd/, U.S. English: /ɑlməˈhɑd/; Berber: ⵉⵎⵡⴻⵃⵃⴷⴻⵏ (Imweḥḥden), from Arabic الموحدون (al-Muwaḥḥidūn), "the monotheists" or "the unifiers") was a MoroccanBerber Muslim movement founded in the 12th century.
The Almohad movement was founded by Ibn Tumart among the Berber Masmuda tribes of southern Morocco. Around 1120, the Almohads first established a Berber state in Tinmel in the Atlas Mountains. They succeeded in overthrowing the ruling Almoravid dynasty governing Morocco by 1147, when Abd al-Mu'min al-Gumi (r. 1130–1163) conquered Marrakesh and declared himself Caliph. They then extended their power over all of the Maghreb by 1159. Al-Andalus followed the fate of North Africa and all Islamic Iberia was under Almohad rule by 1172.