8th century – 10th century
Central Maghreb, Algeria
The Tahert Ibāḍite State was a Kharijite polity founded after ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Rustam was expelled from Qayrawān in 761. Tahert became an important commercial centre linking the central Maghreb with the Sudan, especially through routes passing by Wargala and Tadmekka toward Gao. Its rulers also established diplomatic contacts with the Sudan. The state was conquered by the Fāṭimids in 909, after which Ibāḍite political power was destroyed and Tahert declined.
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The Story
Tahert emerged as an Ibāḍite centre in the central Maghreb after ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Rustam was expelled from Qayrawān in 761. The city became the political centre of an Ibāḍite state and formed part of the wider Kharijite response to Arab rule and Islamic orthodoxy. Its position south of the northern Maghreb placed it within the commercial geography of the pre-Saharan steppes.
Trade gave Tahert a significant connection with the Sudan. The principal route appears to have passed through Wargala and Tadmekka to Gao, while other goods reached the Sudan through Sijilmāsa and Awdaghust. Under the ruler Aflaḥ ibn ʿAbd al-Wahāb, whose reign is dated 823/4–871/2, a wealthy citizen was sent as an envoy to the Sudan, showing that commercial contacts were followed by diplomatic relations.
Tahert’s political and commercial importance ended after its conquest by the Fāṭimids in 909. The Ibāḍite state was destroyed and the town declined. By the middle of the tenth century, the Berber inhabitants of Tahert were described as poor, even though the city’s former networks remained connected to the wider trans-Saharan trade system.
8th century – 10th century
Central Maghreb, Algeria
The Tahert Ibāḍite State was a Kharijite polity founded after ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Rustam was expelled from Qayrawān in 761. Tahert became an important commercial centre linking the central Maghreb with the Sudan, especially through routes passing by Wargala and Tadmekka toward Gao. Its rulers also established diplomatic contacts with the Sudan. The state was conquered by the Fāṭimids in 909, after which Ibāḍite political power was destroyed and Tahert declined.
Continue exploring
The Story
Tahert emerged as an Ibāḍite centre in the central Maghreb after ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Rustam was expelled from Qayrawān in 761. The city became the political centre of an Ibāḍite state and formed part of the wider Kharijite response to Arab rule and Islamic orthodoxy. Its position south of the northern Maghreb placed it within the commercial geography of the pre-Saharan steppes.
Trade gave Tahert a significant connection with the Sudan. The principal route appears to have passed through Wargala and Tadmekka to Gao, while other goods reached the Sudan through Sijilmāsa and Awdaghust. Under the ruler Aflaḥ ibn ʿAbd al-Wahāb, whose reign is dated 823/4–871/2, a wealthy citizen was sent as an envoy to the Sudan, showing that commercial contacts were followed by diplomatic relations.
Tahert’s political and commercial importance ended after its conquest by the Fāṭimids in 909. The Ibāḍite state was destroyed and the town declined. By the middle of the tenth century, the Berber inhabitants of Tahert were described as poor, even though the city’s former networks remained connected to the wider trans-Saharan trade system.
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