Misplaced Pages

#33966

81-801: A major centre of the Central Maghreb , the city is a mix of Arab , Berber , 'Āndalusī , Ottoman , and Western influences . From this mosaic of influences, the city derives the title of capital of Andalusian art in Algeria. Various titles are attributed to the city including "the Pearl of the Maghreb", "the African Granada" and "the Medina of the West". The name Tlemcen ( Tilimsān ) was given by

162-607: A Zenata tribe, the Bani Abd el Wad , which had been settled in the region by Abd al Mumin, the Zayyanids also emphasized their links with the Almohads. For more than 300 years, until the region came under Ottoman suzerainty in the 16th century, the Zayyanids kept a tenuous hold in the central Maghrib. The regime, which depended on the administrative skills of Andalusians, was plagued by frequent rebellions but learned to survive as

243-537: A common form of government in the Maghrib. In Algeria, the influence of the marabouts continued through much of the Ottoman period, when the authorities would grant political and financial favors to these leaders to prevent tribal uprisings. The final triumph of the 700-year Christian reconquest of Spain, marked by the fall of Granada in 1492, was accompanied by the forced conversion of Spanish Muslims (Moriscos). As

324-506: A council of ten of his oldest disciples. Influenced by the Berber tradition of representative government, he later added an assembly composed of fifty leaders from various tribes. The Almohad rebellion began in 1125 with attacks on Moroccan cities, including Sus and Marrakech . Upon Muhammad ibn Abdallah ibn Tumart 's death in 1130, his successor Abd al Mumin took the title of caliph and placed members of his own family in power, converting

405-461: A large and devoted following. These men and women were believed to possess divine grace (baraka) or to be able to channel it to others. In life, the marabouts offered spiritual guidance, arbitrated disputes, and often wielded political power. After death, their cults—some local, others widespread—erected domed tombs that became sites of pilgrimage. Many tribes claimed descent from marabouts. In addition, small, autonomous republics led by holy men became

486-1022: A model the Grand Mosque of Córdoba . Like the Almoravids, the Almohads found their initial inspiration in Islamic reform . Their spiritual leader, the Moroccan Muhammad ibn Abdallah ibn Tumart , sought to reform Almoravid decadence. Rejected in Marrakech and other cities, he turned to his Masmuda tribe in the Atlas Mountains for support. Because of their emphasis on the unity of God , his followers were known as Al Muwahhidun (unitarians, or Almohads). Although declaring himself mahdi , imam , and masum (infallible leader sent by God), Muhammad ibn Abdallah ibn Tumart consulted with

567-628: A process that would determine Tlemcen's historical role for almost all of the next millennium. In the late 8th century a settlement named Agadir existed on the site of former Roman Pomaria. Idris I founded a congregational mosque here, the Great Mosque of Agadir, circa 790 (no longer extant). In 1081 or 1082 the Almoravid leader Yusuf ibn Tashfin founded the city of Tagrart ("encampment" in Berber language ), just west of Agadir. The fusion of

648-419: A program of religious reform as their predecessors had done. Of necessity, they compromised with rural cults that had survived the triumph of puritanical orthodoxy in the 12th century despite the efforts of the Almoravids and Almohads to stamp them out. The aridity of official Islam had little appeal outside the mosques and schools of the cities. In the countryside, wandering marabouts , or holy people, drew

729-621: A result of the Inquisition , thousands of Jews fled or were deported to the Maghrib where many gained influence in government and commerce. Without much difficulty, Christian Spain imposed its influence on the Maghrib coast by constructing fortified outposts ( presidios ) and collecting tribute during the 15th and early 16th centuries. On or near the Algerian coast, Spain took control of Mers el Kebir in 1505, Oran in 1509, and Tlemcen, Mostaganem, and Ténès, all west of Algiers , in 1510. In

810-647: A result, widespread opposition took the form of open revolt in 739–40 under the banner of Kharijite Islam . The Kharijites objected to Ali, the fourth caliph, making peace with the Umayyads in 657 and left Ali's camp (khariji means "those who leave"). The Kharijites had been fighting Umayyad rule in the East, and many Berbers were attracted by the sect's egalitarian precepts. For example, according to Kharijism, any suitable Muslim candidate could be elected caliph without regard to race, station, or descent from Muhammad. After

891-551: A single city and gave it the name Tlemcen. Initially, Yagmurasen resided in the Qasr al-Qadim but he soon moved the seat of power to a new citadel, the Mechouar , towards the mid 13th century. The city was thereafter ruled for centuries by successive Zayyanid sultans. During this era it was one of the most important economic and cultural centers in the region, alongside other political capitals like Fez , Tunis , and Granada . During

SECTION 10

#1732765771034

972-499: A synod wherein they elected Eugenius of Carthage as the bishop of Carthage. However, not long after the ordination of Eugenius, Huneric reversed himself and began to once again persecute Catholics. In 484, he ordered that the tongues and right hand of all Catholics in Tipasa be cut off due to them celebrating the liturgy . Furthermore, he tried to make Catholic property fall to the state, but when this caused too much protest from

1053-399: A unique outlook on art and culture, and its architecture and urban life evolved to accommodate this new sense. In the independence movements of the mid-twentieth century, it was relatively quiet, reflecting the city's sense of aloofness from the turbulence of Algiers. In 1943 Tlemcen was little more than a railway halt. On January 13 a British and American train patrol engaged in a skirmish with

1134-634: A variety of Mediterranean maritime goods "redirected" to Tlemcen by corsairs —in addition to imported European goods available at the funduk. Merchant houses based in Tlemcen, such as the al-Makkari, maintained regular branch offices in Mali and the Sudan . Later in the fourteenth century, the city twice fell under the rule of the Marinid sultan, Abu al-Hasan Ali (1337–1348) and his son Abu 'Inan . Both times

1215-748: Is twinned with: Medieval Muslim Algeria French Algeria (19th–20th centuries) Algerian War (1954–1962) 1990s– 2000s 2010s to present Medieval Muslim Algeria was a period of Muslim dominance in Algeria during the Middle Ages , spanning the millennium from the 7th century to the 17th century. The new faith, in its various forms, would penetrate nearly all segments of society, bringing with it armies, learned men, and fervent mystics ; in large part, it would replace tribal practices and loyalties with new social norms and political idioms. The first Arab military expeditions into

1296-547: Is reported to have been advised by a Jewish viceroy named Abraham, who, in the time of the Inquisition of Torquemada , opened the gates of Tlemcen to Jewish and Muslim refugees fleeing Spain. Abraham is said to have supported them with his own money and with the tolerance of the king of Tlemcen. In 1551, Tlemcen came under Ottoman rule after the Campaign of Tlemcen . Tlemcen and the Algerian provinces regained effective independence in their own affairs in 1671, although Tlemcen

1377-500: Is that Spain was more intent on projecting its force on the high seas than on risking defeat in the forbidding interior of Africa. Privateering was an age-old practice in the Mediterranean . North African rulers engaged in it increasingly in the late 16th and early 17th century because it was so lucrative, and because their merchant vessels, formerly a major source of income, were not permitted to enter European ports. Although

1458-653: The Eastern Roman Emperor, he chose to banish a number of Catholics to a faraway province instead. On February 1, 484 he organized a meeting of Catholic bishops with Arian bishops , but on February 24, 484 he forcibly removed the Catholic bishops from their offices and banished some to Corsica . A few were executed, including the former proconsul Victorian along with Frumentius and other wealthy merchants , who were killed at Hadrumetum after refusing to become Arians. Yves Modéran estimated that around 20% of

1539-634: The Fatimid Dynasty , named after Fatima, daughter of Muhammad and wife of Ali, from whom the caliph claimed descent. The Fatimids turned westward in 911, destroying the imamate of Tahert and conquering Sijilmasa in Morocco . Ibadi Kharijite refugees from Tahert fled south to the oasis at Ouargla beyond the Atlas Mountains , whence in the 11th century they moved southwest to Oued M'zab . Maintaining their cohesion and beliefs over

1620-703: The Gaetuli to revolt against the Romans. Tlemcen became a military outpost of Ancient Rome in the 2nd century CE under the name of Pomaria. It was then an important city in the North Africa see of the Roman Catholic Church , where it was the center of a diocese . Its bishop , Victor, was a prominent representative at the Council of Carthage (411) , and its bishop Honoratus was exiled in 484 by

1701-589: The Netherlands , France , and Italy , as well as Spain , dominated Mediterranean trade . Why Spain did not extend its North African conquests much beyond a few modest enclaves has puzzled historians. Some suggest that Spain held back because it was preoccupied with maintaining its territory in Italy; others that Spain's energies were absorbed in obtaining the riches of the New World . Still another possibility

SECTION 20

#1732765771034

1782-541: The Ottoman Empire ) 1551–1832 [REDACTED] Emirate of Mascara 1832-1836 [REDACTED] France , ( French Algeria ) 1836–1837 [REDACTED] Emirate of Mascara 1837-1842 [REDACTED] France , ( French Algeria ) 1842–1962 [REDACTED]   Algeria 1962–present The areas surrounding Tlemcen were inhabited during the Neolithic period, as evidenced by the discovery of polished axes in

1863-528: The Vandal king Huneric for denying Arianism . It was a center of a large Christian population for many centuries after the city's Arab conquest in 708 AD . In the later eighth century and the ninth century, the city became a Kingdom of Banu Ifran with a Sufri Kharijite orientation. These same Berber Kharijis also began to develop various small Saharan oases and to link them into regular trans-Saharan caravan routes terminating at Tlemcen, beginning

1944-619: The Almohads at the Battle of Jebel Nafusa in 1210. Despite the destruction of Tlemcen's already-feeble agricultural base, Tlemcen rose to prominence as a major trading and administrative center in the region under the ensuing reign of the Almohads . After the end of Almohad rule in the 1230s, Tlemcen became the capital of one of the three successor states, the Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen (1236–1554). The Zayyanid ruler Yaghmurasen Ibn Zyan succeeded in merging Agadir and Tagrart into

2025-616: The Almoravids to the Almohad Caliphate in the mid-twelfth century. After its conquest, the Almohad ruler ' Abd al-Mu'min surrounded the city with a wall in 1145 and built a new citadel . However, in the early thirteenth century, 'Abdallah ibn Ghaniya attempted to restore Almoravid control of the Maghreb . In about 1209, the region around Tlemcen was devastated by retreating Almoravid forces, not long before their final defeat by

2106-560: The Arian patriarch of Carthage and a supporter of Theoderic, was publicly burned to death. Huneric was a fervent adherent to Arianism . Yet his reign opened with making a number of positive overtures towards the local Roman population. Following the visit of a diplomatic mission from the Eastern Roman Empire led by Alexander, Huneric restored properties seized by his father from the merchants of Carthage . Quodvultdeus ,

2187-485: The European financial system. For example, Genoese bills of exchange circulated there, at least among merchants not subject to (or not deterred by) religious prohibitions. At the peak of its success in the first half of the fourteenth century, Tlemcen was a city of perhaps 40,000 inhabitants. It housed several well-known madrasas and numerous wealthy religious foundations, and became the principal centers of culture in

2268-650: The Islamic community in the Mashriq. Although it was not an entirely peaceful time, North Africa benefited economically and culturally during the Almoravid period, which lasted until 1147. Muslim Spain (Andalus in Arabic) was a great source of artistic and intellectual inspiration. The most famous writers of Andalus worked in the Almoravid court, and the builders of the Grand Mosque of Tilimsan , completed in 1136, used as

2349-521: The Maghreb , between 642 and 669, resulted in the spread of Islam and migration of Arabs to the Maghreb . These early forays from a base in Egypt occurred under local initiative rather than under orders from the central caliphate . When the seat of the caliphate moved from Medina to Damascus , the Umayyads (a Muslim dynasty ruling from 661 to 750) recognized that the strategic necessity of dominating

2430-666: The Maghrib." Situated at the head of the Imperial Road through the strategic Taza Gap to Marrakech , the city controlled the caravan route to Sijilmasa , gateway for the gold and slave trade with the western Sudan. Aragon came to control commerce between Tlemcen's port, Oran , and Europe beginning about 1250. An outbreak of privateering out of Aragon, however, severely disrupted this trade after about 1420. The successor dynasties in North Africa—; Marinids , Zayanids, and Hasfids—did not base their power on

2511-631: The Marinids found that they were unable to hold the region against local resistance. Nevertheless, these episodes appear to have marked the beginning of the end. Over the following two centuries, Zayyanid Tlemcen was intermittently a vassal of Ifriqiya (then governed by the Hafsid dynasty ), Maghrib al-Aqsa (then governed by the Marinid dynasty), or Aragon . When the Spanish took the city of Oran from

Tlemcen - Misplaced Pages Continue

2592-527: The Mediterranean dictated a concerted military effort on the North African front. In 670, therefore, an Arab army under Uqba ibn Nafi established the town of Al-Qayrawan about 160 kilometers south of present-day Tunis and used it as a base for further operations. Abu al-Muhajir Dinar , Uqba's successor, pushed westward into Algeria and eventually worked out a modus vivendi with Kusaila ,

2673-535: The Middle Ages, Tlemcen not only served as a trading city connecting the "coastal" route across the Maghreb with the trans-Saharan caravan routes, but also housed a European trading center, or funduk which connected African and European merchants. African gold arrived in Tlemcen from south of the Sahara through Sijilmasa or Taghaza and entered European hands. Consequently, Tlemcen was partially integrated into

2754-629: The Umayyad caliphs ruled from Al Qayrawan, capital of the new wilaya (province) of Ifriqiya, which covered Tripolitania (the western part of present-day Libya), Tunisia, and eastern Algeria. Paradoxically, the spread of Islam among the Berbers did not guarantee their support for the Arab-dominated caliphate. The ruling Arabs alienated the Berbers by taxing them heavily; treating converts as second-class Muslims; and, at worst, by enslaving them. As

2835-548: The Vandals of maintaining their sea-power and their hold on the islands of the western Mediterranean, Huneric did not have the prestige that his father Gaiseric had enjoyed with other states. Huneric was a son of King Gaiseric, and was sent to Italy as a hostage in 435, when his father made a treaty with the Western emperor Valentinian III. Huneric became king of the Vandals on his father's death on 25 January 477. Like Gaiseric he

2916-571: The Zayyanid King Yaghmurasen Ibn Zyan . One possible etymology is that it comes from a Berber word tilmas , meaning "spring, water-hole", or from the combination of the Berber words tala ("fountain"), the preposition m- , and sān ("two"), thus meaning "two fountains". Another proposed etymology is from the Zanata words talam ("junction") and sān ("two"), referring to the town's geographic position which links

2997-405: The Zayyanids in 1509, continuous pressure from the Berbers prompted the Spanish to attempt a counterattack against Tlemcen in 1543, which the papacy deemed a crusade. The Spanish failed to take the city in the first attack, although the strategic vulnerability of Tlemcen caused the kingdom's weight to shift toward the safer and more heavily fortified corsair base at Algiers . The ruler of Tlemcen

3078-631: The Zirids and Hammadids and in 1057 sacked Al Qayrawan. They sent farmers fleeing from the fertile plains to the mountains and left cities and towns in ruin. For the first time, the extensive use of Arabic spread to the countryside. Many sedentary Berbers who sought protection from the Hilalians were gradually Arabized. The Almoravid movement developed early in the 11th century among the Sanhaja confederation, whose control of trans-Saharan trade routes

3159-447: The Zirids eventually emerged as a dominant force in the region, with their influence extending as far as Sicily . The Zirid rulers were known for their patronage of the arts and sciences, and their court was a center of learning and culture. However, the dynasty's decline in the 12th century paved the way for the rise of other powers in the region, ultimately leading to the fragmentation of North Africa. Despite their relatively short reign,

3240-469: The bishop of Carthage, was expelled to Campania by the Vandals in 439. The position remained vacant for fifteen years until Gaiseric allowed Deogratias to be appointed on 24 October 454 at the request of Valentinian III. The position was made vacant again for twenty-four years after the death of Deogratias. Huneric lifted the policy of persecuting the Nicene Christians , allowing them to hold

3321-511: The bishops in Africa converted to Arianism in response to the persecution. However, Huneric died that year and his successor, Gunthamund , allowed those exiled to return. Among those exiled was Vigilius , bishop of Thapsus , who published a theological treatise against Arianism. Additionally, Huneric murdered many members of the Hasdingi dynasty and also persecuted Manichaeans . Towards

Tlemcen - Misplaced Pages Continue

3402-472: The caliph's pleasure, Al Aghlab and his successors, the Aghlabids , ruled independently until 909, presiding over a court that became a center for learning and culture. Rustamids or Banou Rostom, an Ibadi Islamic berber state, appeared in 776 AD, founded and led initially by Abdurrahman ibn Rostom. Its capital was Tahert in the northeast of what is now known as Algeria . The Rustamid state spread all over

3483-496: The caves of Boudghene by Gustave-Marie Bleicher in 1875. There are three important prehistoric sites in the region: lake Karar, located one kilometer south of Remchi ; the rock shelters of Mouilah, 5 km north of Maghnia ; and the deposit called "d'Ouzidan", 2 km west of Aïn El Hout. The shelters found at the Mouilah and Boudghene show evidence of long periods of pre-historic human habitation. In AD 17 , Tacfarinas led

3564-472: The central Maghreb. The Zayyanids were the first to sponsor of the construction of madrasas in this part of the Maghreb, and among the most famous in Tlemcen was the Tashfiniya Madrasa founded by Abu Tashfin I (r. 1318–1337). At the souk around the Great Mosque, merchants sold woolen fabrics and rugs from the East, slaves and gold from across the Sahara, local earthenware and leather goods, and

3645-515: The centuries, Ibadi religious leaders have dominated public life in the region to this day. For many years, the Fatimids posed a threat to Morocco, but their deepest ambition was to rule the East, the Mashriq, which included Egypt and Muslim lands beyond. By 969, they had conquered Egypt and in 972, the Fatimid ruler Al Muizz established the new city of Cairo as his capital. The Fatimids left

3726-445: The city a center of a unique blend of music and art. Its textiles and handcrafts, its elegant display of Andalusi culture, and its cool climate in the mountains have made it an important center of tourism in Algeria. It is home to a tomb —that of Sidi Boumédiène , whose tomb adjoins a mosque . The Great Mosque of Tlemcen was completed in 1136 and is said to be the most remarkable remaining example of Almoravid architecture. Tlemcen

3807-620: The colonial period they served in the French Army. French Jews of the Alliance Israélite Universelle paid for a local Jewish school, which closed in 1934, perhaps owing to the rise of Fascism. In 2009 Jordanian sources reported that the Algerian government intended to restore the damaged Jewish tombs at the historic cemetery. Tlemcen has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen climate classification Csa ). Its centuries of rich history and culture have made

3888-470: The conquest of the central Maghrib and advanced to Tripolitania. Nonetheless, pockets of Almoravid resistance continued to hold out in the Kabylie for at least fifty years. After Abd al Mumin's death in 1163, his son Abu Yaqub Yusuf (r. 1163–84) and grandson Yaqub al Mansur (r. 1184–99) presided over the zenith of Almohad power. For the first time, the Maghrib was united under a local regime, and although

3969-402: The corsairs banded together in a self-regulating taifa (community) to protect and further the corporate interests of their trade. The taifa came to be ethnically mixed, incorporating those captured Europeans who agreed to convert to Islam and supply information useful for future raids. The taifa also gained prestige and political influence because of its role in fighting the infidel and providing

4050-559: The crusading instincts of their Castilian adversaries, but the continuing wars in Spain overtaxed their resources. In the Maghrib, the Almohad position was compromised by factional strife and was challenged by a renewal of tribal warfare. The Bani Merin (Zenata Berbers) took advantage of declining Almohad power to establish a tribal state in Morocco, initiating nearly sixty years of warfare there that concluded with their capture of Marrakech,

4131-467: The daughter of King Theodoric I . He divorced her under the claim that she attempted to poison somebody. She returned to the Visigothic Kingdom after her nose and ears were cut off. This action soured relations between the Vandals and Visigoths, who are not known to have attempted contact until 467. Huneric married Eudocia in 455 or 456, after she was taken following the Sack of Rome . Huneric renounced his claims to Eudocia's inheritance in 478. Hilderic

SECTION 50

#1732765771034

4212-859: The desert regions to the south with the mountainous regions to the north.   Roman Empire 2nd century–c. 429   Agadir c. 429–c. 477   Kingdom of Masuna c. 477-578   Kingdom of Altava 578–708   Umayyad Caliphate 708–c. 757   Emirate of Tlemcen c. 757–790   Rustamid dynasty 790–798   Idrisid dynasty 798–831   Rustamid dynasty 831–902   Idrisid dynasty 902–919   Fatimid Caliphate 919–944   Zirid dynasty 944–982   Zenata 982–1015   Hammadid Emirate 1015-1083   Almoravid dynasty 1083–1147   Almohad Caliphate 1147-1235 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Tlemcen 1235-1337   Marinid Sultanate 1337-1348 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Tlemcen 1348-1551 [REDACTED] Regency of Algiers , ( tributary of

4293-418: The early years of the movement, the scholar was concerned only with imposing moral discipline and a strict adherence to Islamic principles among his followers. Abd Allah ibn Yasin also became known as one of the marabouts, or holy persons (from al murabitun , "those who have made a religious retreat"). The Almoravid movement shifted from promoting religious reform to engaging in military conquest after 1054 and

4374-439: The empire was troubled by conflict on its fringes, handcrafts and agriculture flourished at its center and an efficient bureaucracy filled the tax coffers. In 1229, the Almohad court renounced the teachings of Ibn Tumart, opting instead for greater tolerance of opposing views. As evidence of this change, the Almohads hosted two of the greatest thinkers of Andalus: Abu Bakr ibn Tufayl and Ibn Rushd (Averroes). The Almohads shared

4455-546: The end of 11th century. The Ifrenides dynasty was recognized as the only dynasty that has defended the Africans People in the Maghreb. The Zirid Dynasty , which ruled over parts of North Africa from the 10th to the 12th century, was one of the most significant Muslim dynasties in medieval Algeria. Founded by the Berber general Ziri ibn Manad , the Zirids established their capital in the city of Ashir , located in modern-day Algeria. The dynasty's early years were marked by political turmoil and conflict with other Muslim powers, but

4536-506: The end of his reign, the Moors in the Aurès Mountains (in modern-day Algeria ) successfully rebelled from Vandal rule. Only three pieces of legislation from the Vandal Kingdom exist today in partial or total form and all three came from the reign of Huneric. Huneric renamed Hadrumetum to Unuricopolis, in honor of himself. Upon his death Huneric was succeeded by his nephew Gunthamund, who reigned until 496. A lurid account of Huneric's death by putrefaction and "an abundance of worms"

4617-402: The first book about sociology. The fall of the state was after the defeat against the Fatimids and putting out the last leader, Yakdan Ibn Mohamed, in 909 AD. In Algeria , Tlemcen was the capital of the Kingdom of Banu Ifran in the time period before Islam to 1068. The Banu Ifran waged uprisings against the foreign occupiers: the Romans , the Vandals , and the Byzantines . They pledged to

4698-429: The last Almohad stronghold, in 1271. Despite repeated efforts to subjugate the central Maghrib, however, the Marinids were never able to restore the frontiers of the Almohad Empire . From its capital at Tunis , the Hafsid dynasty made good its claim to be the legitimate successor of the Almohads in Ifriqiya , while, in the central Maghrib, the Zayyanids founded a dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Tlemcen . Based on

4779-513: The legacy of the Zirids continues to shape the cultural and political landscape of Algeria and North Africa to this day. In the closing decades of the 9th century, missionaries of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam converted the Kutama Berbers of what was later known as the Petite Kabylie region and led them in battle against the Sunni rulers of Ifriqiya . Al Qayrawan fell to them in 909. The Ismaili imam, Abdallah, declared himself caliph and established Mahdia as his capital. Abdallah initiated

4860-401: The merchants and rulers of Algiers with a major source of income. Algiers became the privateering city-state par excellence, especially between 1560 and 1620. And it was two privateer brothers who were instrumental in extending Ottoman influence in Algeria. Huneric Huneric, Hunneric or Honeric (died December 23, 484) was King of the (North African) Vandal Kingdom (477–484) and

4941-446: The methods varied, privateering generally involved private vessels raiding the ships of an enemy in peacetime under the authority of a ruler. Its purposes were to disrupt an opponent's trade and to reap rewards from the captives and cargo. Privateering was a highly disciplined affair conducted under the command of the rais (captains) of the fleets. Several captains became heroes in Algerian lore for their bravery and skill. The captains of

SECTION 60

#1732765771034

5022-403: The north African coast from Tlemcen to the area now known as Sert in northern Libya , though it is slightly hard to get precise frontiers of this state. During the Rostomid ruling, its capital was a cultural and a scientific metropolis of the Great Maghreb , attracting many scientists, such as Ibn Khaldoun, where he wrote his popular book called " Al Mukadima ", which was likely to be known as

5103-420: The oldest son of Gaiseric . He abandoned the imperial politics of his father and concentrated mainly on internal affairs. He was married to Eudocia , daughter of western Roman Emperor Valentinian III (419–455) and Licinia Eudoxia . The couple had one child, a son named Hilderic . Huneric was the first Vandal king who used the title King of the Vandals and Alans . Despite adopting this style, and that of

5184-532: The retreating troops of the Afrika Korps . As the US Army marched eastwards from its Moroccan landing grounds, the British 8th Army drove west, forcing the Germans into an evacuation pocket at Tunis. Between 1942–1943, before embarking for Italy, the US Army Medical Corps established two fixed hospitals at Tlemcen: 9th Evacuation (as station), 12–26 December 1942. Seven hundred and fifty beds and 32d Station, 28 February – 28 November 1943, 500 beds. The most important place for pilgrimage of all religions into Tlemcen

5265-482: The revolt, Kharijites established several theocratic tribal kingdoms, most of which had short and troubled histories. Others, however, like Sijilmasa and Tilimsan, which straddled the principal trade routes, proved more viable and prospered. In 750 the Abbasids, who succeeded the Umayyads as Muslim rulers, moved the caliphate to Baghdad and reestablished caliphal authority in Ifriqiya, appointing Ibrahim ibn al Aghlab as governor in Al Qayrawan. Although nominally serving at

5346-431: The rule of Ifriqiya and most of Algeria to the Zirids (972–1148). This Berber dynasty, which had founded the towns of Miliana , Médéa , and Algiers and centered significant local power in Algeria for the first time, turned over its domain west of Ifriqiya to the Banu Hammad branch of its family. The Hammadids ruled from 1011 to 1151, during which time Bejaïa became the most important port in North Africa . This period

5427-407: The ruler of an extensive confederation of Christian Berbers. Kusaila, who had been based in Tilimsan (Tlemcen), became a Muslim and moved his headquarters to Takirwan, near Al Qayrawan. This harmony was short-lived, however. Arab and Berber forces controlled the region in turn until 697. By 711, Umayyad forces helped by Berber converts to Islam had conquered all of North Africa. Governors appointed by

5508-497: The same year, the merchants of Algiers handed over one of the rocky islets in their harbor, where the Spaniards built a fort. The presidios in North Africa turned out to be a costly and largely ineffective military endeavor that did not guarantee access for Spain's merchant fleet. Indeed, most trade seemed to be transacted in the numerous free ports. Moreover, from the 16th to the 18th century, sailing superior ships and hammering out shrewd concessions, merchants from England , Portugal ,

5589-421: The sedentary farmers of the Kabylie to the east swore allegiance to the Sanhaja. Their traditional enemies, the Zenata , were tough, resourceful horsemen from the cold plateau of the northern interior of Morocco and the western Tell in Algeria. In addition, raiders from Genoa , Pisa , and Norman Sicily attacked ports and disrupted coastal trade. Trans-Saharan trade shifted to Fatimid Egypt and to routes in

5670-438: The side of the Kahina , against the Umayyad in the 7th century. In the 8th century, they mobilize around the dogma of sufri to revolt against the powers of the Umayyad and Abbasids . In the 10th century, they created a dynasty facing the Fatimids , the Zirid , the Umayyad, the Hammadid , and the Maghraoua. The Banu Ifran was defeated by the Almoravids and the coalition of Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym - Hammadid, towards

5751-446: The system into a traditional monarchy . The Almohads entered Spain at the invitation of the Andalusian amirs, who had risen against the Almoravids there. Abd al Mumin forced the submission of the amirs and reestablished the caliphate of Córdoba , giving the Almohad sultan supreme religious as well as political authority within his domains. The Almohads took control of Morocco in 1146, captured Algiers around 1151, and by 1160 had completed

5832-473: The two settlements of Tagrart and Agadir over time became what is now Tlemcen. At the same time as he founded Tagrart, Ibn Tashfin founded its congregational mosque, known today as the Great Mosque of Tlemcen , which was expanded in 1126 by his son and successor 'Ali Ibn Yusuf . He built a governor's residence next to it, known after as the Qasr al-Qadim ("Old Palace"). Control of the region passed from

5913-461: The vassal of the Marinids or Hafsids or later as an ally of Spain. Many coastal cities defied the ruling dynasties and asserted their autonomy as municipal republics. They were governed by their merchant oligarchies, by tribal chieftains from the surrounding countryside, or by the privateers who operated out of their ports. Tlemcen prospered as a commercial center and was called the "pearl of

5994-470: The west leading to Spanish markets. The countryside was being overtaxed by growing cities. Contributing to these political and economic dislocations was a large incursion of Arab beduin from Egypt starting in the first half of the 11th century. Part of this movement was an invasion by the Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym tribes, apparently sent by the Fatimids to weaken the Zirids. These Arab beduin overcame

6075-412: Was an Arian, and his reign is chiefly memorable for his persecution of Catholic Christians in his dominions. A peace treaty was signed between the Vandals and Romans in 442, in which the Vandals acquired the most fertile regions of Roman Africa. A marriage alliance between Huneric and Eudocia , the four-year old daughter of Emperor Valentinian III , was also made. However, Huneric was already married to

6156-531: Was born from this marriage between c.456 and c.471. Eudocia died after sixteen years of marriage according to the 9th century chronicler Theophanes the Confessor . Huneric conducted a purge in 479. He had his older brother Theoderic, along with his daughters and younger son, and the eldest son of his brother Gento , along with his wife, exiled. Theoderic's wife and eldest son were executed along with Heldica, one of Gaiseric's officials, and his family. Jucundus,

6237-693: Was led by Lamtuna leaders: first Yahya, then his brother Abu Bakr, and then his cousin Yusuf ibn Tashfin . With Marrakech as their capital, the Almoravids had conquered Morocco, the Maghrib as far east as Algiers, and Spain up to the Ebro River by 1106. Under the Almoravids, the Maghrib and Spain acknowledged the spiritual authority of the Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad , reuniting them temporarily with

6318-628: Was marked by constant conflict, political instability, and economic decline. The Hammadids , by rejecting the Ismaili doctrine for Sunni orthodoxy and renouncing submission to the Fatimids, initiated chronic conflict with the Zirids . Two great Berber confederations – the Sanhaja and the Zenata – engaged in an epic struggle. The fiercely brave, camelborne nomads of the western desert and steppe as well as

6399-583: Was no longer a government seat as before. The Spanish were evicted from Oran in 1792, but thirty years later, they were replaced by the French, who seized Algiers. A French fleet bombarded Algiers in 1830, at which point the dey capitulated to French colonial rule; a broad coalition of natives continued to resist, coordinated loosely at Tlemcen. Tlemcen was a vacation spot and retreat for French settlers in Algeria, who found it far more temperate than Oran or Algiers. The city adapted and became more cosmopolitan, with

6480-502: Was the Jewish cemetery on the outskirts of town. Up to 10,000 people worldwide made the journey to the site. Nonetheless, despite religious freedoms, their community had never numbered more than 5,000–6,000 in the 20th century, and discriminatory laws of had been in force since 1881. After Algerian independence in 1962, most of the small Jewish population evacuated to metropolitan France. The Berber tribes historically professed Judaism. During

6561-527: Was under pressure from the Zenata Berbers in the north and the state of Ghana in the south. Yahya Ibn Ibrahim , a leader of the Godala tribe of the Sanhaja confederation, decided to raise the level of Islamic knowledge and practice among his people. To accomplish this, on his return from the hajj (Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca) in 1048–1049, he brought with him Abdallah Ibn Yasin , a Moroccan scholar. In

#33966