Almoravid Dynasty

Almoravid dynasty
Imṛabḍen, ⵉⵎⵕⴰⴱⴹⴻⵏ المرابطون, Al-Murābiṭūn
Ruling dynasty of Morocco and Al-Andalus
1040–1147
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The Almoravid empire at its greatest extent, c. 1120.
Capital		Aghmat (1040–1062) Marrakesh (1062–1147)
Languages		Berber, Arabic, Mozarabic
Religion		Islam (Sunni); minority Christianity (Catholic), Judaism
Government		Hereditary monarchy
Emir
•	1040–1059	Abdallah ibn Yasin
•	1146–1147	Ishaq ibn Ali
History
•	Established	1040
•	Disestablished	1147
Area
•	1147 est.	3,300,000 km² (1,274,137 sq mi)
Currency		Dinar
Preceded by Succeeded by First Taifas period Barghawata Confederacy Zenata kingdoms Almohad Caliphate Second Taifas period
Today part of		Morocco  Algeria  Gibraltar  Mauritania  Portugal  Spain

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The Almoravids (Berber: Imṛabḍen, ⵉⵎⵕⴰⴱⴹⴻⵏ; Arabic: المرابطون‎‎, Al-Murābiṭūn) were a Berber imperial dynasty of Morocco, who formed an empire in the 11th century that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus. Founded by Abdallah ibn Yasin, their capital was Marrakesh, a city they founded in 1062. The dynasty originated among the Lamtuna and the Gudala, nomadic Berber tribes of the Sahara, traversing the territory between the Draa, the Niger, and the Senegal rivers.

The Almoravids were crucial in preventing the fall of Al-Andalus to the Iberian Christian kingdoms, when they decisively defeated a coalition of the Castilian and Aragonese armies at the Battle of Sagrajas in 1086. This enabled them to control an empire that stretched 3,000 kilometers north to south. However, the rule of the dynasty was relatively short-lived. The Almoravids fell—at the height of their power—when they failed to quell the Masmuda-led rebellion initiated by Ibn Tumart. As a result, their last king Ishaq ibn Ali was killed in Marrakesh in April 1147 by the Almohads, who replaced them as a ruling dynasty both in Morocco and Al-Andalus.