XIIIᵉ siècle – XVIᵉ siècle
Central Maghrib, centered on Tlemcen
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The ʿAbd al-Wadid Kingdom, also called the Zayyanid dynasty, was a polity centered on Tlemcen in the central Maghrib. It occupied a strategically important position between the Hafsids and Marinids and prospered through commerce linking Europe, the Maghrib, and the western Sudan. Its borders were fluid and its power weaker than that of its neighbors, yet it survived for roughly three centuries through shifting alliances and periods of subordination before Ottoman conquest.
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Le récit
The ʿAbd al-Wadids, or Zayyanids, formed the third major dynasty separating the Hafsids of Ifriqiya from the Marinids of Morocco. Their center was Tlemcen, and their kingdom was consistently weaker than either neighboring power. Its boundaries remained fluid, while periods of patronage by the Marinids, Hafsids, or the Christian king of Aragon limited its independence without eliminating the dynasty.
Tlemcen’s principal strength was commercial rather than military. The city became the focal point for trade linking Europe with the Maghrib and the western Sudan, replacing Tahert as the commercial entrepôt of the central Maghrib. Al-Bakri described it as a destination for traders from all directions, while al-Idrisi later ranked it among the richest towns of the Maghrib. By the thirteenth century, Tlemcen and Fez competed as the capitals of rival dynasties for shares in expanding international commerce.
The city’s location gave it advantages over Fez. Oran, founded as a port by Andalusians in the tenth century, first served Tahert and later Tlemcen; Hunayn also diverted trade toward Tlemcen from the latter part of the fourteenth century. Caravans often preferred the Tlemcen route from Sijilmasa because it avoided crossing the Atlas range. This commercial geography made Tlemcen both a valuable prize and a persistent political challenge to the Marinids.
The Marinids and the ʿAbd al-Wadids fought over Sijilmasa while both dynasties were still consolidating their power. In 1257 Abu Yahya conquered Sijilmasa and the Wadi Darʿa, preventing Yaghmurasen, the ruler of Tlemcen, from taking the town. Yaghmurasen reversed the situation in 1264, when he seized Sijilmasa during Abu Yusuf’s war against the Almohads, but Abu Yusuf recovered it after attacking Tlemcen in 1272.
Tlemcen survived the Marinid assault, but thereafter could not match Fez militarily. Its rulers frequently allied with opponents of the Marinids, including internal Muslim rivals and Christian powers. In 1299 Abu Yaʿqub conquered the central Maghrib as far as Algiers and began an eight-year siege of Tlemcen. Across from the city he constructed al-Mansura, a new settlement equipped with markets and caravanserais that became a rival commercial entrepôt.
Christian merchants secretly supplied the besieged city during the siege, while the bulk of commercial activity shifted to al-Mansura. After Abu Yaʿqub was murdered by one of his eunuchs in 1307, the Marinid army withdrew, Tlemcen was relieved, and al-Mansura was destroyed. From 1308 to 1337, Tlemcen regained commercial prosperity and greater political independence in its dealings with Aragon and other Maghribi neighbors. In May 1337, however, Abu al-Hasan conquered the city, and Marinid dominance over the central Maghrib was reasserted.
XIIIᵉ siècle – XVIᵉ siècle
Central Maghrib, centered on Tlemcen
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The ʿAbd al-Wadid Kingdom, also called the Zayyanid dynasty, was a polity centered on Tlemcen in the central Maghrib. It occupied a strategically important position between the Hafsids and Marinids and prospered through commerce linking Europe, the Maghrib, and the western Sudan. Its borders were fluid and its power weaker than that of its neighbors, yet it survived for roughly three centuries through shifting alliances and periods of subordination before Ottoman conquest.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
The ʿAbd al-Wadids, or Zayyanids, formed the third major dynasty separating the Hafsids of Ifriqiya from the Marinids of Morocco. Their center was Tlemcen, and their kingdom was consistently weaker than either neighboring power. Its boundaries remained fluid, while periods of patronage by the Marinids, Hafsids, or the Christian king of Aragon limited its independence without eliminating the dynasty.
Tlemcen’s principal strength was commercial rather than military. The city became the focal point for trade linking Europe with the Maghrib and the western Sudan, replacing Tahert as the commercial entrepôt of the central Maghrib. Al-Bakri described it as a destination for traders from all directions, while al-Idrisi later ranked it among the richest towns of the Maghrib. By the thirteenth century, Tlemcen and Fez competed as the capitals of rival dynasties for shares in expanding international commerce.
The city’s location gave it advantages over Fez. Oran, founded as a port by Andalusians in the tenth century, first served Tahert and later Tlemcen; Hunayn also diverted trade toward Tlemcen from the latter part of the fourteenth century. Caravans often preferred the Tlemcen route from Sijilmasa because it avoided crossing the Atlas range. This commercial geography made Tlemcen both a valuable prize and a persistent political challenge to the Marinids.
The Marinids and the ʿAbd al-Wadids fought over Sijilmasa while both dynasties were still consolidating their power. In 1257 Abu Yahya conquered Sijilmasa and the Wadi Darʿa, preventing Yaghmurasen, the ruler of Tlemcen, from taking the town. Yaghmurasen reversed the situation in 1264, when he seized Sijilmasa during Abu Yusuf’s war against the Almohads, but Abu Yusuf recovered it after attacking Tlemcen in 1272.
Tlemcen survived the Marinid assault, but thereafter could not match Fez militarily. Its rulers frequently allied with opponents of the Marinids, including internal Muslim rivals and Christian powers. In 1299 Abu Yaʿqub conquered the central Maghrib as far as Algiers and began an eight-year siege of Tlemcen. Across from the city he constructed al-Mansura, a new settlement equipped with markets and caravanserais that became a rival commercial entrepôt.
Christian merchants secretly supplied the besieged city during the siege, while the bulk of commercial activity shifted to al-Mansura. After Abu Yaʿqub was murdered by one of his eunuchs in 1307, the Marinid army withdrew, Tlemcen was relieved, and al-Mansura was destroyed. From 1308 to 1337, Tlemcen regained commercial prosperity and greater political independence in its dealings with Aragon and other Maghribi neighbors. In May 1337, however, Abu al-Hasan conquered the city, and Marinid dominance over the central Maghrib was reasserted.
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