From 13th century
Eastern Barbary, Ifriqiya
The Hafsids were a dynasty that perpetuated the Almohad political order in eastern Barbary and Ifriqiya. Their administration combined Almohad shaykhs, dynastic governors, Andalusian officials, freedmen, and specialized palace offices. Their military included Arabs, Berbers, Andalusians, Orientals, Christian cavalry, and renegades. Tunis prospered as a metropolis, while the dynasty abandoned Kairouan as a political centre after its decline under the Banu Hilal.
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The Story
The Hafsid regime preserved important elements of the Almohad order in eastern Barbary. Almohad shaykhs formed a military aristocracy organized into ranked groups, while the shaykh of the Almohads remained one of the state’s principal pillars. In accordance with Almohad egalitarianism, shaykhs, including the sultan, received equal salaries alongside property concessions and annual grants.
Governmental offices evolved over time. Under Abu Zakariyya, separate viziers handled the army, finance, and the chancellery. The Andalusian chamberlain later became prime minister, while the munaffid eventually gained control over royal expenditure and finance. By the late fifteenth century, the mazwār had also acquired control over the army’s administration and ranked immediately after the munaffid.
The Hafsid army was diverse, comprising Almohads, nomadic Arabs, Berbers from the Maghrib and Ifriqiya, Orientals, Andalusians, Christian Franks, and Christian renegades. Arab forces from Ifriqiya were predominant, while urban, Andalusian, Turkoman, and Christian cavalry units also existed. Naval expeditions commissioned by the government or merchants played an important role.
Tunis became a thriving Hafsid metropolis. Abu Zakariyya transformed the Almohad kasaba into a governmental city and founded the al-Sammaʿiyya madrasa around 1240 near the Great Mosque of the Zaytuna. Madrasas and zawiyas multiplied, Christian merchants maintained funduks by nationality, and Andalusians cultivated gardens and orchards in the suburbs.
From 13th century
Eastern Barbary, Ifriqiya
The Hafsids were a dynasty that perpetuated the Almohad political order in eastern Barbary and Ifriqiya. Their administration combined Almohad shaykhs, dynastic governors, Andalusian officials, freedmen, and specialized palace offices. Their military included Arabs, Berbers, Andalusians, Orientals, Christian cavalry, and renegades. Tunis prospered as a metropolis, while the dynasty abandoned Kairouan as a political centre after its decline under the Banu Hilal.
Continue exploring
The Story
The Hafsid regime preserved important elements of the Almohad order in eastern Barbary. Almohad shaykhs formed a military aristocracy organized into ranked groups, while the shaykh of the Almohads remained one of the state’s principal pillars. In accordance with Almohad egalitarianism, shaykhs, including the sultan, received equal salaries alongside property concessions and annual grants.
Governmental offices evolved over time. Under Abu Zakariyya, separate viziers handled the army, finance, and the chancellery. The Andalusian chamberlain later became prime minister, while the munaffid eventually gained control over royal expenditure and finance. By the late fifteenth century, the mazwār had also acquired control over the army’s administration and ranked immediately after the munaffid.
The Hafsid army was diverse, comprising Almohads, nomadic Arabs, Berbers from the Maghrib and Ifriqiya, Orientals, Andalusians, Christian Franks, and Christian renegades. Arab forces from Ifriqiya were predominant, while urban, Andalusian, Turkoman, and Christian cavalry units also existed. Naval expeditions commissioned by the government or merchants played an important role.
Tunis became a thriving Hafsid metropolis. Abu Zakariyya transformed the Almohad kasaba into a governmental city and founded the al-Sammaʿiyya madrasa around 1240 near the Great Mosque of the Zaytuna. Madrasas and zawiyas multiplied, Christian merchants maintained funduks by nationality, and Andalusians cultivated gardens and orchards in the suburbs.
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