Midrarid dynasty
(Redirected from
Banu Midrar
)Emirate of Sijilmasa | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 757–976 | |||||||||
Kharijite Islam | |||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| King | |||||||||
• 757–772 | Abu Kasim | ||||||||
• 963–976 | Abdallah | ||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Sijilmasa built | 757 | ||||||||
• Almoravid annexation | 976 | ||||||||
| Currency | Midrar | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| History of Morocco |
|---|
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The Midrarid dynasty (
Arabic: بنو مدرار, romanized: Banu Midrār) was a Berber dynasty that ruled the Sijilmasa region in Morocco from their capital of Sijilmasa
, starting in the late 8th or early 9th century to 976/7.
History
The exact origin or date of foundation of the Midrarid dynasty are unclear, as the main sources—in the main,
Samgu ibn Wasul. Samgu led the establishment of the town of Sijilmasa in 757/8, and in 772, became its second ruler.[1] According to the second version, the dynasty was established by a smith called Midrar, who fled the suppression of the Ribad revolt in Córdoba against al-Hakam I in 818, and settled at the site where Sijilmasa was later established.[1] According to Charles Pellat, it is clear that Sijilmasa was already in existence by the late 8th century, but on the other hand, the arrival of Midrar in c. 823/4 tallies with the frequently repeated statement by the medieval sources that the dynasty lasted for 160 years, and the fact that a person of that name, which the dynasty is named after, is not mentioned before then.[1] It therefore appears that the Midrarid dynasty either appeared in 823/4, or likely was a separate line descended from Samgu, but any such connection is tentative.[2]
According to
Midrar
dynasty.
The Arab geographer
dinars from another merchant based out of Sijilmasa. Ibn Hawqal explains that he has never heard of such a large sum of money in all of his travels.[6][7] Not only was Ibn Hawqal impressed with the volume of trade with the Maghrib and Egypt, Al-Masudi noted gold from Sudan was minted here.[8]
On account of its wealth, the city was able to assert its independence under the Midrarid dynasty, freeing itself from the
Shi'ite interpretations, but also threatened to the status quo of Abbasid caliphate. According to legend, 'Abd Allah and his son fulfilled a prophecy that the mahdi would come from Mesopotamia
to Sijilmasa. They hid among the population of Sijilmasa for four years under the countenance of the Midrar rulers, specifically one Prince Yasa'.
Al-Qasim, the son of the mahdi, had miraculous powers and caused a spring to gush forth outside of the city. A Jewish resident of the city witnessed this, and spread the word throughout Sijilmasa that 'Abd Allah was going to attempt to take over the city. At or around the same time, Prince Yasa', the Midrarid ruler, received a letter from the Abbasids in Baghdad, warning him to close his frontiers and be wary of 'Abd Allah. Yasa' was forced to imprison the men he had previously patronized. 'Abd Allah's servant escaped to
Rustamid dynasty. The army arrived in the Tafilalt in the latter half of 909, and laid siege to the city. After Yasa' was killed in that year or the next, the Midrar dynasty began a long process of fragmentation that eventually resulted in a hostile takeover by the Maghrawa Berbers, former clients of the Cordoban caliphate.[9]
List of rulers of Sijilmasa
Wasulids
- Isa ibn Mazyad al-Aswad 757/8–772
- Abu'l-Qasim Samgu ibn Wasul al-Miknasi772–784/5
- Abu'l-Wazir al-Yas ibn Abi'l-Qasim 785–790/1
- Abu'l-Muntasir al-Yasa ibn Abi'l-Qasim 790/1–823/4
Midrarids
- Midrar ibn Yasah, known as al-Muntasir (victorious), 823/4–867
- Maymun ibn Rustumiyya, 867
- Maymun ibn Thakiyya, 867
- Muntasir ibn Yasah, 867 (second time)
- Maymun ibn Thakiyya, 867–877 (second time)
- Muhammad ibn Maymun, 877–883
- Yasah ibn Midrar, 883–909
- Wasul ibn Thakiyya, 909–913
- Ahmad ibn Thakiyya, 913–921
- Muhammad Mutazz ibn Saru, 921–933 / 934
- Muhammad ibn Muhammad, 933 / 934–942 / 943
- Samgu ibn Muhammad, 942/943
- Muhammad ibn Wasul 942 / 943–958
- Samgu ibn Muhammad (Muntasir Billah), 958–963
- Abd Allah ibn Muhammad, 963–976
References
- ^ a b c d Pellat 1991, p. 1038.
- ^ Pellat 1991, pp. 1038–1039.
- ^ Levtzion & Hopkins 2000, pp. 64–87.
- ^ Levtzion & Hopkins 2000, p. 43.
- ^ Levtzion & Hopkins 2000, p. 45.
- ^ Levtzion & Hopkins 2000, pp. 45, 47, 381 Note 6.
- ^ Levtzion 1968.
- ISBN 0841904316.
- ^ This story is related in Al-Bakri's account in Levtzion, "Corpus"
Sources
- Love, Paul M. Jr. (2010). "The Sufris of Sijilmasa: Toward a history of the Midrarids". The Journal of North African Studies. 15 (2): 173–188. .
- Pellat, Ch. (1991). "Midrār". In ISBN 978-90-04-08112-3.
- Terrasse, M. (1997). "Sid̲j̲ilmāsa". In ISBN 978-90-04-10422-8.