Almohad Caliphate: A Visual History

The Almohad Caliphate was founded by followers of Ibn Tumart, a Berber preacher who declared himself Mahdi around 1121 and demanded a strict unitarian Islam. His successor Abd al-Mumin destroyed the Almoravids, taking Marrakesh in 1147, and conquered all of North Africa to Tripoli and Muslim Spain. The Almohads defeated Castile at Alarcos in 1195 but were crushed by a Christian coalition at Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212. Spain fell to the Reconquista and the Marinids took Marrakesh in 1269.

When it existed: the era ribbon

The bold bar is Almohad Caliphate. The lighter bars are empires and wars from the same era and the same part of the world. Click any bar to jump to its page.

Almohad territory

Timeline of the Almohad Caliphate

1. 1121
   Ibn Tumart proclaimed Mahdi
2. 1130
   Ibn Tumart dies; Abd al-Mumin caliph
3. 1147
   Marrakesh takenThe Almoravids destroyed.
4. 1160
   Ifriqiya conquered
5. 1195
   AlarcosCastile defeated.
6. 1212
   Las Navas de Tolosa
7. 1248
   Seville falls to Castile
8. 1269
   Marinids take Marrakesh

Ibn Tumart and Abd al-Mumin

Ibn Tumart, a Masmuda Berber from the Atlas, returned from study in the East preaching the absolute oneness of God (tawhid, hence al-Muwahhidun, Almohads) and denouncing Almoravid laxity. From his mountain base at Tinmel his community formed a militant hierarchy. After his death in 1130 Abd al-Mumin took the title caliph, defeated the Almoravids over 17 years and took Marrakesh in 1147, then Ifriqiya from the Normans and rebels by 1160.

The empire

The Almohads unified the Maghreb for the only time in its history and made Seville their Andalusian capital. Yaqub al-Mansur (1184-1199) built the Koutoubia minaret in Marrakesh, the Giralda in Seville and the Hassan Tower in Rabat, and destroyed the Castilian army at Alarcos. The philosophers Averroes and Ibn Tufayl served the court, though Averroes was later banished; Almohad rule was harsh on Jews and Christians, forcing conversions.

Las Navas and collapse

In July 1212 the kings of Castile, Aragon and Navarre with crusaders from beyond the Pyrenees routed the caliph al-Nasir at Las Navas de Tolosa. Almohad al-Andalus fell apart into taifas and Christian conquest took Cordoba (1236) and Seville (1248). In Africa the Hafsids of Tunis and Zayyanids of Tlemcen broke away, and the Marinids took Marrakesh in 1269, killing the last caliph.

Related empires and wars

Chosen automatically by overlap in time and geography, plus a few hand picked connections.

Empires of the same era and region

• Almoravid dynasty (1040 to 1147)
• Caliphate of Cordoba (929 to 1031)
• Ayyubid dynasty (1171 to 1260)
• Fatimid Caliphate (909 to 1171)
• Kingdom of France (Middle Ages) (987 to 1498)
• Byzantine Empire (395 to 1453)

Wars of the same era and region

• Reconquista (718 to 1492)
• Crusades (1096 to 1291)

8 surprising things about the Almohad Caliphate

1. The Giralda of Seville cathedral, the Koutoubia of Marrakesh and the Hassan Tower of Rabat are three sister minarets built by the same dynasty.
2. The Almohads forced Jews to convert or leave; the philosopher Maimonides fled Cordoba as a result.
3. Ibn Tumart claimed infallibility and had those who doubted him purged in a 'sifting' that killed thousands.
4. The Almohads' unification of the whole Maghreb from Morocco to Libya has never been repeated.
5. Averroes' commentaries on Aristotle, written under Almohad patronage, shaped medieval European philosophy.
6. The Almohads dropped the phrase 'in the name of God' from their coins in favour of their own creed, and struck square silver dirhams.
7. Las Navas de Tolosa was proclaimed a crusade by Pope Innocent III.
8. The Almohad navy was strong enough that Saladin asked to borrow it against the Crusaders.

Sources

• Almohads Encyclopaedia Britannica
• Almohad Caliphate Wikipedia
• Almohads World History Encyclopedia
• Amira K. Bennison, The Almoravid and Almohad Empires (2016) Edinburgh University Press

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