Hafsid Empire
| Hafsid Kingdom Sultanate of Tunis |
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 Realm of the Hafsid dynasty in 1400 (orange)
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| Capital | Tunis | |||||||||
| Languages | Berber, Maghrebi Arabic | |||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam, Ibadi Islam, Catholic Church, Judaism | |||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | |||||||||
| Amir al-Mu'minin | ||||||||||
| • | 1229-1249 | Abu Zakariya | ||||||||
| • | 1574 | Muhammad VI | ||||||||
| History | ||||||||||
| • | Established | 1229 | ||||||||
| • | Disestablished | 1574 | ||||||||
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| Today part of |
 Tunisia Algeria Libya
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The Hafsids (Arabic: الحفصيون al-Ḥafṣiyūn) were a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Berber descent who ruled Ifriqiya (western Libya, Tunisia, and eastern Algeria) from 1229 to 1574.
The dynasty was named after Muhammad bin Abu Hafs a Berber from the Masmuda tribe of Morocco. He was appointed governor of Ifriqiya (present day Tunisia) by Muhammad an-Nasir, Caliph of the Almohad empire between 1198-1213. The Banu Hafs, were a powerful group amongst the Almohads; their ancestor is Omar Abu Hafs al-Hentati, a member of the council of ten and a close companion of Ibn Tumart. His original name was "Fesga Oumzal", which later changed to "Abu Hafs Omar ibn Yahya al-Hentati" (also known as "Omar Inti") since it was a tradition of Ibn Tumart to rename his close companions once they had adhered to his religious teachings.
The Hafsids as governors on behalf of the Almohads faced constant threats from Banu Ghaniya who were descendants of Almoravid princes which the Almohads had defeated and replaced as a ruling dynasty.
The Hafsids were Ifriqiya governors of the Almohads until 1229, when they declared independence. After the split of the Hafsids from the Almohads under Abu Zakariya (1229–1249), Abu Zakariya organised the administration in Ifriqiya (the Roman province of Africa in modern Maghreb; today's Tunisia, eastern Algeria and western Libya) and built Tunis up as the economic and cultural centre of the empire. At the same time, many Muslims from Al-Andalus fleeing the Spanish Reconquista of Castile and Aragon were absorbed. He also conquered the Kingdom of Tlemcen in 1242 and made the Abdalwadids his vassals. His successor Muhammad I al-Mustansir (1249–1277) took the title of Caliph.
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Wikipedia