WORLD HISTORY
ALMORAVIDS
GENERAL FACTS
Almoravids followed most of the rules of Islamic law, which became the laws they were governed under. Their main political and religious leader was Abd Allah Ibn Yasin. However, once he died, his successors tried to continue his conquests but eventually, in the mid-1100s the Almohads took power from them. Their first military leader was Yahya ibn Umar al-Lamtun, who gave them very good military organization. The main force was infantry who were armed with javelins in the front ranks and pikes behind, which formed into a phalanx. They were supported by camel men and horsemen on the flanks. They also had a flag carrier at the front who guided the forces behind him. When the flag was upright, the combatants behind would stand and when it was turned down, they would sit. Al-Bakri (a geographer from the Muslim west) reported that, during combat, the Almoravids did not pursue those who fled and that their fighting was intense and they did not retreat when disadvantaged by an advancing opposing force, they preferred death over defeat. These characteristics were considered unusual at that time. The source of Almoravids goods was acquired from the Sahara desert trade routes. The mints that they had were supplied by African gold. The empire of Ghana that the Almoravids overtook had very important trades of gold and salt. Traders would cross deserts with caravans of camels carrying large loads of salts. Since the Almoravids captured Ghana their economy meshed with the Almoravids. They also had control of major ports in the Mediterranean Sea which was a heavy influence on their economy. (Islamic Spain)
RISE AND FALL
Almoravids started when the Berber Muslims went on a Hajj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca. When they were coming home, they convinced a Moroccan scholar, Abd Allah Ibn Yasin, to return home with them to teach their people about Islam. Ibn Yasin’s attracted followers, and he founded the Almoravids. He led a conquest to spread Islam, some of the major areas he conquered were Morocco, he founded Marrakech, and the southern part of Spain including al-Andalus. The Almoravids had success In the 11th century, they established an empire that stretched across the western Maghreb (Morocco) and Al-Andalus. They had control of a large portion of the western Sahara desert and controlled the trade routes within the desert and also controlled major trading ports in the Mediterranean Sea. The decline began during their conquest of Zaragoza Spain when Alfonso I started a new assault against Islam in Spain. The Almoravids began being rebelled against in the parts of Spain and Portugal they controlled by Alfonso. Eventually, the Almoravids were defeated and they were forced out. The Almohads, another powerful group of Islams claiming to be “more pure” than the Almoravids forced them out. Gradually, the Almoravids began losing power and the Almohads began taking the power from them and by 1150, the Almoravid Empire was over. (New World Encyclopedia)
GEOGRAPHY
The Almoravid empire was located in Morocco and southern Spain and Portugal. They had control of West Saharan trade routes and major ports on the Mediterranean Sea. The climate is a Mediterranean climate, winters are wet and cool with an average temperature of around 60 degrees Fahrenheit and summers are warm and dry with an average temperature of 64-82 degrees Fahrenheit, in coastal cities. Being located on the Mediterranean majorly impacts diet. A Mediterranean diet consists of eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. They also had an abundance of fish because of their location on the Mediterranean Sea. They had olive oil and canola oil and they used herbs and spices.
The Almoravids enemies were very close to them. Their main enemies were the Christians in Northern Spain and the Almohads which were another Berber Islam group that was taking power from the Almoravids. (Epic World History)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/almo/hd_almo.htm.
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“Epic World History.” Anglo-Saxon Culture, epicworldhistory.blogspot.com/2013/10/almoravid-empire.html.
“Mediterranean Diet: A Heart-Healthy Eating Plan.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 3 Nov. 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/mediterranean-diet/art-20047801.
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