Emirate of Tlemcen

Emirate of Tlemcen
Emirate of Tlemcen
Late Umayyad period [1]–790[2][3]
Status	Emirate
Capital	Tlemcen
Common languages	Berber, Arabic
Religion	Sufri Islam
Government	Emirate, tribal confederacy
• Until 790	Abu Qurra
History
• Establishment	Late Umayyad period [4]
• Annexed by the Rustamids and Idrisids	790[5][6]
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Umayyad Caliphate
Rustamid dynasty
Idrisid dynasty
Sulaymanid dynasty
Today part of	Algeria; Spain; Morocco[7]

The Ifranid Emirate of Tlemcen[8] or Ifranid Kingdom of Tlemcen,[9][10][11] was a Kharijite state,[12][10] founded by Berbers of the Banu Ifran in the eighth century,[13] who migrated from modern day Yafran in Libya[14]. with its capital at Tlemcen in modern Algeria.[13]

Background

After the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, there were a number of Berber revolts against the Umayyad caliphate. These mid-eighth century revolts were associated with Kharijite teachings, which won over a good part of the Maghreb with their puritanism and egalitarian message.[15] As a result of one of these, the Rustamid dynasty founded a kingdom at Tahert.

Foundation of the Emirate

Around the same time, a revolt of the Zenata tribe of the Banu Ifran broke out. The rebels proclaimed their leader Abu Qurra to be the Caliph, and he established a Sufri state in Tlemcen.[15][16] Although the founding of this city is sometimes attributed to the Ifranids, the site had already been occupied by the Roman city of Pomaria.[13] Little is known of the internal affairs of the new state, but it was of considerable military significance.[9]

Expansion

Between 767 and 776 Abu Qurra began to lead expeditions against the Abbasids and became their most important enemies. Abu Qurra hunted down the Abbasid governor after reaching Tobna, Omar ibn Hafç-Hazarmard, who had hidden in Kairouan which Abu Qurra then besieged and subdued after defeating the Abbasid army.[17][18][19][16] Back in Tlemcen, he allied himself with the Maghrawa and had to confront the expansionist aims of the Idrisids.[15][16] The Abbasids sent a strong army under the new governor, Yazid ibn Hatim al-Muhallabi, who defied the Kharijites in Ifriqiya, but the rest of the Maghreb escaped his authority.[15][9]

Legacy

The kingdom did not last long: in accordance with the strict rules of Sufrites, Abu Qurra would not allow his descendants to found a dynasty.[20] He welcomed Idris I, recognizing his kingdom and breaking with the Rustamids. Idris I negotiated the surrender of Tlemcen with the Maghrawa. One of his descendants, Muhammed Sulayman, established the Sulaymanid kingdom in the region, a state that dominated the cities and lasted until the time of the Fatimids in 931.[21] Tlemcen became a distinguished city, growing in connection with the Sunni Arab culture of Al-Andalus; in the countryside however, the Ifranids retained their heterodox faith. In 955 their leader Yala Ibn Mohamed revolted against the Fatimids.[21]

Bibliography

Meynier, Gilbert (2010). L'Algérie, cœur du Maghreb classique: De l'ouverture islamo-arabe au repli (698-1518) (in French). Paris: La Découverte. ISBN 9782707152312.
Philippe Sénac (21 September 2011). Le monde musulman: des origines au Xe siècle (in French). Armand Colin. ISBN 9782200274139.

References

Cambridge History of Africa. p. 663.
Lewicki, T. (1960–2007). "Banu Ifran". In Bearman, P.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C.E.; van Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W.P. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Brill. ISBN 9789004161214. The Īfranid tribes which emigrated to the central Mag̲h̲rib towards the middle of the 2nd/8th century and remained under the command of Abū Ḳurra al-Īfranī al-Mag̲h̲īlī founded a Ṣufrī state, probably between 140/757-8 and 148/765-6, whose capital became the town of Tlemcen, built by the newcomers on the site of an ancient Roman town. (...) He conducted a long war with ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, probably relying mainly on the Banū Īfran; in the end he died in battle, killed by Aflaḥ, son of ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, in about 188/803-4 or shortly afterwards. At that time, the Īfranid state of Abū Ḳurra had already ceased to exist for some years. It seems moreover that control of Tlemcen, which was then inhabited by the Banū Īfran and the Mag̲h̲rāwa, had passed after the death of Abū Ḳurra into the hands of Mag̲h̲rāwa leaders belonging to the dynasty of the Banū K̲h̲azar, this dynasty being destined to play a considerable part in the history of the Mag̲h̲rib. In 173/789-90 (or according to certain historians, in 174/790-1), at the time of the conquest of that country by Idrīs I [q.v.], the founder of the dynasty of the Idrīsids, Muḥammad Ibn K̲h̲azar b. Ṣūlāt, the ruler of the town of Tlemcen, came before the conqueror and, thanks to his prompt submission, obtained security for himself and for all the Zanāta tribes of the central Mag̲h̲rib. It was Sulaymān, brother of Idrīs I and later hereditary ruler of that town, who became the Idrīsid governor of Tlemcen; it seems however that, save for this fact, conditions in the central Mag̲h̲rib were little changed. The Zanāta tribes in the country continued to recognize the supremacy of the Mag̲h̲rāwa, which had long replaced the supremacy of the Banū Īfran.
Abun-Nasr, Jamil (1987). A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 43. ISBN 0521337674. From the early 770s, however, they lost their leading position amongst the Kharijite tribes in Algeria. Although they retained control of Tilimsan until its conquest in 790 by the Idrisid rulers of Morocco, their authority was eclipsed by that of 'AbdulRahman b. Rustam, the leader whom the Ibadite tribes in Algeria proclaimed as their imam in 776 or 777 (A.H. 160). Thereafter the Banu Ifran, to whom 'AbdulRahman b. Rustam was related through marriage, figured more as allies of the Rustamid rulers than as a politically dominant group.
Cambridge History of Africa. p. 663.
Lewicki, T. (1960–2007). "Banu Ifran". In Bearman, P.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C.E.; van Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W.P. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Brill. ISBN 9789004161214. The Īfranid tribes which emigrated to the central Mag̲h̲rib towards the middle of the 2nd/8th century and remained under the command of Abū Ḳurra al-Īfranī al-Mag̲h̲īlī founded a Ṣufrī state, probably between 140/757-8 and 148/765-6, whose capital became the town of Tlemcen, built by the newcomers on the site of an ancient Roman town. (...) He conducted a long war with ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, probably relying mainly on the Banū Īfran; in the end he died in battle, killed by Aflaḥ, son of ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, in about 188/803-4 or shortly afterwards. At that time, the Īfranid state of Abū Ḳurra had already ceased to exist for some years. It seems moreover that control of Tlemcen, which was then inhabited by the Banū Īfran and the Mag̲h̲rāwa, had passed after the death of Abū Ḳurra into the hands of Mag̲h̲rāwa leaders belonging to the dynasty of the Banū K̲h̲azar, this dynasty being destined to play a considerable part in the history of the Mag̲h̲rib. In 173/789-90 (or according to certain historians, in 174/790-1), at the time of the conquest of that country by Idrīs I [q.v.], the founder of the dynasty of the Idrīsids, Muḥammad Ibn K̲h̲azar b. Ṣūlāt, the ruler of the town of Tlemcen, came before the conqueror and, thanks to his prompt submission, obtained security for himself and for all the Zanāta tribes of the central Mag̲h̲rib. It was Sulaymān, brother of Idrīs I and later hereditary ruler of that town, who became the Idrīsid governor of Tlemcen; it seems however that, save for this fact, conditions in the central Mag̲h̲rib were little changed. The Zanāta tribes in the country continued to recognize the supremacy of the Mag̲h̲rāwa, which had long replaced the supremacy of the Banū Īfran.
Abun-Nasr, Jamil (1987). A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 43. ISBN 0521337674. From the early 770s, however, they lost their leading position amongst the Kharijite tribes in Algeria. Although they retained control of Tilimsan until its conquest in 790 by the Idrisid rulers of Morocco, their authority was eclipsed by that of 'AbdulRahman b. Rustam, the leader whom the Ibadite tribes in Algeria proclaimed as their imam in 776 or 777 (A.H. 160). Thereafter the Banu Ifran, to whom 'AbdulRahman b. Rustam was related through marriage, figured more as allies of the Rustamid rulers than as a politically dominant group.
Cambridge History of Africa. p. 663.
Philippe Sénac; Armand Colin (2011). Le monde musulman: des origines au Xe siècle [The Muslim World: From Its Origins to the 10th Century] (in French). p. 177. ISBN 9782200274139 – via Google Books.
Charles-André Julien (1994). Histoire de l'Afrique du Nord: Des origines à 1830 [History of North Africa: From Its Origins to 1830]. Paris: Édition Payot. pp. 365–366. ISBN 9782228887892.
Alain Romey (1982). Histoire, mémoire et sociétés: L'exemple de N'goussa: oasis berbérophone du Sahara (Ouargala) [History, Memory and Societies: The Example of N'goussa: Berber-speaking Oasis of the Sahara (Ouargala)]. University of Tunis. ISBN 9782296271937.
Chems Eddine Chitour (2004). Algérie: le passé revisité [Algeria: The Past Revisited]. Casbah Editions. p. 51. ISBN 9789961644966.
Leïla Babès (2011). L'utopie de l'islam: La religion contre l'État [The Utopia of Islam: Religion Against the State]. Armand Colin. p. 122. ISBN 9782200276409.
C. Agabi (2001). "Ifren (Beni)". Encyclopédie berbère. Edisud. 24 (24): 3657–3659. doi:10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.1543.
Dr sanjay Kumar. A Handbook of Political Geography. p. 148.
Gilbert Meynier (2010). L'Algérie, cœur du Maghreb classique: De l'ouverture islamo-arabe au repli (698-1518) [Algeria, Heart of the Classical Maghreb: From the Islamo-Arab Opening to the Retreat]. Paris: La Découverte. p. 25. ISBN 9782707152312.
Meynier 2010, p. 27
Initiation à l'Algérie Jean Alazard Adrien-Maisonneuve, 1957
L'Algérie rebelle Jean André Faucher Éditions du Grand Damier
Histoire de L'Afrique: Des origines au XVIe siècle Robert Cornevin
Mohamed Talbi (1982). Dirasat fi tarij Ifriqiyya wa-fi al-hadara al-islamiyya fi al-'asr al-wasit (in Arabic). University of Tunis. p. 58. Retrieved January 1, 2018 – via Google Books.
Meynier 2010, p. 28.

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[1] Cambridge History of Africa. p. 663.

[2] Lewicki, T. (1960–2007). "Banu Ifran". In Bearman, P.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C.E.; van Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W.P. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Brill. ISBN 9789004161214. The Īfranid tribes which emigrated to the central Mag̲h̲rib towards the middle of the 2nd/8th century and remained under the command of Abū Ḳurra al-Īfranī al-Mag̲h̲īlī founded a Ṣufrī state, probably between 140/757-8 and 148/765-6, whose capital became the town of Tlemcen, built by the newcomers on the site of an ancient Roman town. (...) He conducted a long war with ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, probably relying mainly on the Banū Īfran; in the end he died in battle, killed by Aflaḥ, son of ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, in about 188/803-4 or shortly afterwards. At that time, the Īfranid state of Abū Ḳurra had already ceased to exist for some years. It seems moreover that control of Tlemcen, which was then inhabited by the Banū Īfran and the Mag̲h̲rāwa, had passed after the death of Abū Ḳurra into the hands of Mag̲h̲rāwa leaders belonging to the dynasty of the Banū K̲h̲azar, this dynasty being destined to play a considerable part in the history of the Mag̲h̲rib. In 173/789-90 (or according to certain historians, in 174/790-1), at the time of the conquest of that country by Idrīs I [q.v.], the founder of the dynasty of the Idrīsids, Muḥammad Ibn K̲h̲azar b. Ṣūlāt, the ruler of the town of Tlemcen, came before the conqueror and, thanks to his prompt submission, obtained security for himself and for all the Zanāta tribes of the central Mag̲h̲rib. It was Sulaymān, brother of Idrīs I and later hereditary ruler of that town, who became the Idrīsid governor of Tlemcen; it seems however that, save for this fact, conditions in the central Mag̲h̲rib were little changed. The Zanāta tribes in the country continued to recognize the supremacy of the Mag̲h̲rāwa, which had long replaced the supremacy of the Banū Īfran.

[3] Abun-Nasr, Jamil (1987). A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 43. ISBN 0521337674. From the early 770s, however, they lost their leading position amongst the Kharijite tribes in Algeria. Although they retained control of Tilimsan until its conquest in 790 by the Idrisid rulers of Morocco, their authority was eclipsed by that of 'AbdulRahman b. Rustam, the leader whom the Ibadite tribes in Algeria proclaimed as their imam in 776 or 777 (A.H. 160). Thereafter the Banu Ifran, to whom 'AbdulRahman b. Rustam was related through marriage, figured more as allies of the Rustamid rulers than as a politically dominant group.

[4] Cambridge History of Africa. p. 663.

[5] Lewicki, T. (1960–2007). "Banu Ifran". In Bearman, P.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C.E.; van Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W.P. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Brill. ISBN 9789004161214. The Īfranid tribes which emigrated to the central Mag̲h̲rib towards the middle of the 2nd/8th century and remained under the command of Abū Ḳurra al-Īfranī al-Mag̲h̲īlī founded a Ṣufrī state, probably between 140/757-8 and 148/765-6, whose capital became the town of Tlemcen, built by the newcomers on the site of an ancient Roman town. (...) He conducted a long war with ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, probably relying mainly on the Banū Īfran; in the end he died in battle, killed by Aflaḥ, son of ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, in about 188/803-4 or shortly afterwards. At that time, the Īfranid state of Abū Ḳurra had already ceased to exist for some years. It seems moreover that control of Tlemcen, which was then inhabited by the Banū Īfran and the Mag̲h̲rāwa, had passed after the death of Abū Ḳurra into the hands of Mag̲h̲rāwa leaders belonging to the dynasty of the Banū K̲h̲azar, this dynasty being destined to play a considerable part in the history of the Mag̲h̲rib. In 173/789-90 (or according to certain historians, in 174/790-1), at the time of the conquest of that country by Idrīs I [q.v.], the founder of the dynasty of the Idrīsids, Muḥammad Ibn K̲h̲azar b. Ṣūlāt, the ruler of the town of Tlemcen, came before the conqueror and, thanks to his prompt submission, obtained security for himself and for all the Zanāta tribes of the central Mag̲h̲rib. It was Sulaymān, brother of Idrīs I and later hereditary ruler of that town, who became the Idrīsid governor of Tlemcen; it seems however that, save for this fact, conditions in the central Mag̲h̲rib were little changed. The Zanāta tribes in the country continued to recognize the supremacy of the Mag̲h̲rāwa, which had long replaced the supremacy of the Banū Īfran.

[6] Abun-Nasr, Jamil (1987). A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 43. ISBN 0521337674. From the early 770s, however, they lost their leading position amongst the Kharijite tribes in Algeria. Although they retained control of Tilimsan until its conquest in 790 by the Idrisid rulers of Morocco, their authority was eclipsed by that of 'AbdulRahman b. Rustam, the leader whom the Ibadite tribes in Algeria proclaimed as their imam in 776 or 777 (A.H. 160). Thereafter the Banu Ifran, to whom 'AbdulRahman b. Rustam was related through marriage, figured more as allies of the Rustamid rulers than as a politically dominant group.

[7] Cambridge History of Africa. p. 663.

[8] Philippe Sénac; Armand Colin (2011). Le monde musulman: des origines au Xe siècle [The Muslim World: From Its Origins to the 10th Century] (in French). p. 177. ISBN 9782200274139 – via Google Books.

[CAJ-9] Charles-André Julien (1994). Histoire de l'Afrique du Nord: Des origines à 1830 [History of North Africa: From Its Origins to 1830]. Paris: Édition Payot. pp. 365–366. ISBN 9782228887892.

[:0-10] Alain Romey (1982). Histoire, mémoire et sociétés: L'exemple de N'goussa: oasis berbérophone du Sahara (Ouargala) [History, Memory and Societies: The Example of N'goussa: Berber-speaking Oasis of the Sahara (Ouargala)]. University of Tunis. ISBN 9782296271937.

[Chitour-11] Chems Eddine Chitour (2004). Algérie: le passé revisité [Algeria: The Past Revisited]. Casbah Editions. p. 51. ISBN 9789961644966.

[:1-12] Leïla Babès (2011). L'utopie de l'islam: La religion contre l'État [The Utopia of Islam: Religion Against the State]. Armand Colin. p. 122. ISBN 9782200276409.

[:2-13] C. Agabi (2001). "Ifren (Beni)". Encyclopédie berbère. Edisud. 24 (24): 3657–3659. doi:10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.1543.

[14] Dr sanjay Kumar. A Handbook of Political Geography. p. 148.

[auto-15] Gilbert Meynier (2010). L'Algérie, cœur du Maghreb classique: De l'ouverture islamo-arabe au repli (698-1518) [Algeria, Heart of the Classical Maghreb: From the Islamo-Arab Opening to the Retreat]. Paris: La Découverte. p. 25. ISBN 9782707152312.

[Meynier27-16] Meynier 2010, p. 27

[17] Initiation à l'Algérie Jean Alazard Adrien-Maisonneuve, 1957

[18] L'Algérie rebelle Jean André Faucher Éditions du Grand Damier

[19] Histoire de L'Afrique: Des origines au XVIe siècle Robert Cornevin

[20] Mohamed Talbi (1982). Dirasat fi tarij Ifriqiyya wa-fi al-hadara al-islamiyya fi al-'asr al-wasit (in Arabic). University of Tunis. p. 58. Retrieved January 1, 2018 – via Google Books.

[Meynier28-21] Meynier 2010, p. 28.