Until 11th century
Southern Sahara, Morocco, and western Sudan
An Almoravid military commander and emir who led campaigns across the Sahara and southern Morocco. He reconquered Sijilmasa, helped defeat Barghawata, established Marrakesh, pacified the Sahara, and directed the southern Almoravid conquest of Ghana and part of the western Sudan.
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The Story
Abu Bakr ibn Umar succeeded his brother Yahya ibn Umar as emir and supreme military commander after Yahya was defeated and killed during the Juddala revolt. He reconquered Sijilmasa from the Zanata and continued the Almoravid campaign in southern Morocco. Between 1056 and 1059, the movement dispossessed the Zanata across the region from Dara and Sus to Tadla.
In 1059, Ibn Yasin was killed fighting the Barghawata Berbers, but Abu Bakr continued the war until their state and religious system were defeated. After the main objectives in southern Morocco had been achieved, Abu Bakr remained strongly attached to the desert. His authority was repeatedly shaped by the need to preserve unity among the Sanhaja groups and maintain the Sahara as the movement's source of reinforcement.
Abu Bakr initiated the establishment of Marrakesh in 1070 but returned to the desert after learning of disputes between the Lamtuna and Massufa. He appointed Yusuf ibn Tashfin as his deputy in Morocco and later conceded authority in the Maghrib to him, explaining that he could not live outside the desert. Abu Bakr then returned to the Sahara after pacifying it and may have led raids toward the Sudan.
In 1076, Abu Bakr led the southern wing of the Almoravids in the conquest of Ghana and part of the western Sudan. These conquests were subsequently regarded as components of the Almoravid empire, even though political domination over parts of the Sudan lasted only a few decades. His campaigns helped establish enduring political and commercial relations between the Maghrib and western Sudan.
Until 11th century
Southern Sahara, Morocco, and western Sudan
An Almoravid military commander and emir who led campaigns across the Sahara and southern Morocco. He reconquered Sijilmasa, helped defeat Barghawata, established Marrakesh, pacified the Sahara, and directed the southern Almoravid conquest of Ghana and part of the western Sudan.
Continue exploring
The Story
Abu Bakr ibn Umar succeeded his brother Yahya ibn Umar as emir and supreme military commander after Yahya was defeated and killed during the Juddala revolt. He reconquered Sijilmasa from the Zanata and continued the Almoravid campaign in southern Morocco. Between 1056 and 1059, the movement dispossessed the Zanata across the region from Dara and Sus to Tadla.
In 1059, Ibn Yasin was killed fighting the Barghawata Berbers, but Abu Bakr continued the war until their state and religious system were defeated. After the main objectives in southern Morocco had been achieved, Abu Bakr remained strongly attached to the desert. His authority was repeatedly shaped by the need to preserve unity among the Sanhaja groups and maintain the Sahara as the movement's source of reinforcement.
Abu Bakr initiated the establishment of Marrakesh in 1070 but returned to the desert after learning of disputes between the Lamtuna and Massufa. He appointed Yusuf ibn Tashfin as his deputy in Morocco and later conceded authority in the Maghrib to him, explaining that he could not live outside the desert. Abu Bakr then returned to the Sahara after pacifying it and may have led raids toward the Sudan.
In 1076, Abu Bakr led the southern wing of the Almoravids in the conquest of Ghana and part of the western Sudan. These conquests were subsequently regarded as components of the Almoravid empire, even though political domination over parts of the Sudan lasted only a few decades. His campaigns helped establish enduring political and commercial relations between the Maghrib and western Sudan.
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