Hammadid dynasty

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Hammadid
)
Hammadid dynasty
الحماديون (
Arabic)
Al-Hāmmādiyūn
1014–1152
Hammadid territory circa 1050 (in green), and extended territories (dotted line) controlled in certain periods
Hammadid territory circa 1050 (in green), and extended territories (dotted line) controlled in certain periods
StatusNominal vassal of the Abbasid or Fatimid Caliphate[a]
Capital (c. 1007–1090)
  • Bejaia
    (c. 1090–1152)
Official languages
Berber languages
Religion
Official:
Islam

Minority:
Christianity, Judaism

Government Hereditary
monarchy
Emir 
• c. 1007-1028
Hammad (first)
• c. 1062-1088
Al Nasir ibn Alnas
• c. 1121-1152
Yahya ibn Abd al-Aziz (last)
History 
• 
Almohads
1152
Currency
Dinar (gold coin) [3]
: 240 
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Zirid dynasty
Zenata
Almohad Caliphate
Kingdom of Africa

The Hammadid dynasty (

Laribus, and Tripoli to the east.[3]: 238 [9][10][7]

At first,

Almohads in 1152 after a brief clash with them.[7]: 47 [11][8]
: 58 

History

Establishment

In 987 and 989,

Badis ibn Mansur. In 1007 and 1008, forces under Hammad left Ashir and built a new citadel-capital, Qal'at Bani Hammad (also called Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad), in M'Sila Province in the Hodna Mountains; a thriving city sprung up around the fortress.[11]

In 1014, Hammad declared his independence from Zirid

Abbasid caliphs of Baghdad. The Zirids failed to quash the rebellion and recognized Hammadid legitimacy in 1017, in a peace with al-Mu'izz that was sealed by Hammad's son and successor, Qaid ibn Hammad (r. 1028–1054).[11] The peace was further sealed by marriage, with al-Mu'izz's sister marrying one of Hammad's sons.[17][9] According to historian Hady Roger Idris, it appears that the Hammadids agreed to recognize Fatimid suzerainty again at this time, but at some later point in his reign, perhaps around the same time as the Zirids did in the 1040s, Qa'id ibn Hammad repudiated Fatimid suzerainty again.[9]

In 1039, Qaid ibn Hammad was attacked by Hammama, the ruler of Fes, but Hammama soon returned to Fez, requested peace, and declared his submission to the Hammadids.[18]

Al-Mu'izz subsequently also broke with the Fatimids and changed his allegiance to the Abbasids. The Fatimid caliph, al-Mustansir, sent Bedouin Arab allies, the Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym, into a mass migration and invasion of the lands in present-day Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria, culminating in al-Mu'izz's defeat in 1053 and the subsequent reduction of the Zirids to a small, insignificant territory based in Mahdia.[11] Amidst the chaos, the Hammadids reverted their allegiance to the Fatimids and managed to negotiate an alliance with the Bedouin tribes.[11][9]

Although the Hammadids and Zirids entered into an agreement in 1077 in which Zirid ruler

caliph to recognize; historian Amar S. Baadj writes, "It would appear that the principle which the Hammadids followed in the course of their relations with Baghdad and Cairo was that of opposing the Zirids. Whenever the Zirids recognized one of two rival caliphs, the Hammadids would declare their submission to the other."[21]

Apogee

Buluggin ibn Muhammad (r. 1055–1062), a subsequent Hammadid ruler, invaded northern Morocco in 1062 and briefly took Fez for a few months before being assassinated by his paternal cousin, An-Nasir ibn Alnas, who succeeded him as emir.[22][9] The Hammadid empire peaked during al-Nasir's reign.[23][11] Under his reign the Hammadids established their control across large parts of the Maghreb. Al-Nasir captured Constantine and Algiers, then established Hammadid influence far to the east in Sfax, where the local ruler acknowledged Hammadid suzerainty, as well as in Susa and Tripoli.[9][10][24] At the request of local shaykhs, he was also able to install a loyal governor in Tunis until 1067.[25][9] Between 1067 and 1072 he built Béjaïa, developing it from a small fishing village into a large, fortified town and port.[24][11] The Hammadids also expanded south deep into the Sahara, with Ouargla forming the southernmost city of their territory.[10][22][24] They briefly extended their authority further to the Oued Mya.[26][27]

In the 11th century, the Hammadids came under increasing pressure from the Banu Hilal, who had settled in the Plains of Constantine and increasingly threatened Qal'at Bani Hammad.

al-Mansur ibn Nasir, large gardens, palaces, a Great Mosque, and other landmarks were constructed in the town.[11]

An-Nasir corresponded with Pope Gregory VII and expanded commercial opportunities for Italian traders in Béjaïa. The city since flourished as a trading port and a prominent intellectual centre where even Abu Madyan and the Andalusian Shaykh Abu Ali Hassan bin Ali Muhammad taught.

al-Khwarizmi
.

Decline

In 1103–1104 the Hammadids defeated the

The last dynastic emir was

Khurasanid rulers had previously vacillated between recognizing Zirid and Hammadid authority, was annexed in 1128 and controlled by Hammadid governors until 1148.[32]

Yahya tried to establish good relations with the Fatimids in the early 1140s, but ultimately he recognized the Abbasids instead and minted coins in

Almohads led by Abd al-Mu'min, though the latter emerged victorious.[11]

In 1145, Abd al-Mu'min conquered Tlemcen and Oran. In 1151, he marched against the Hammadids. The Almohads took Algiers in 1152 and then captured Béjaïa later the same year, crushing Hammadid forces at the gates of the city.[11] This marked a major military triumph for Abd al-Mu'min.[33] Yahya fled to Constantine but surrendered several months later.[23] He died in comfortable exile in Salé, Morocco, in 1163.[11][23] Abd al-Mu'min enslaved the women and children of Hammadid loyalists who had fought against him, but did not sack Béjaïa because the city had willingly surrendered.[33]

Some 30 years after the collapse of the Hammadids, the dynasty had a brief revival in 1184, when 'Ali ibn Ghaniya—a member of the Banu Ghaniya branch of the Almoravid dynasty, which had established a corsair kingdom in the Balearic Islands—seized control of Béjaïa, recruited a mixed force of "dispossessed Hammadids, Sanhaja Berbers, and Hilalian tribes" opposed to Almohad rule, and quickly captured Algiers, Miliana, Ashir, and al Qal'a, with the goal of establishing a new Almoravid polity in the Maghreb.[11] Less than a year later, the Almohad had recaptured all the towns.[11] The Banu Ghaniya did retain, through the end of the Almohad period, some influence in Tripolitania, southern Tunisia, and the Algerian plains, where Hammadid loyalists numbered among their allies.[11]

Territories

The Hammadid domain stretched across the entirety of the Central Maghreb, comprising the northern expanse of contemporary

Fes. The latter swiftly backtracked and declared submission to the Hammadids.[6]: 41 [3]: 234  Under the reign of Sultan Buluggin ibn Muhammad, campaigns were conducted in the west to subdue the Zenata tribes.[6]: 55  He defeated the Zenata and entered Tlemcen in 1058.[35][36]
At the same time, the governor of
Almoravids into the desert.[4]: 353 [6]: 56  He was assassinated by his successor on his return journey near Tessala.[4]
: 353 

It was under the reign of

Administration

The governmental structure represented an

Arabic: القضاء) or Jurisdiction was separated from the administration and derived its rulings and legislative texts from the Maliki school of thought, which was prevalent among the people of the Maghreb and Al-Andalus.[3]: 237  Arabic was the official language in the Jurisdiction.[42] And each city had a judge appointed by the Hammadid Emirs who was responsible for the affairs of Muslims,[12]: 208  including complaints and others. [42]
: 109 

Initially, the Hammadid emirs personally oversaw the administration of the emirate, later delegating this responsibility to

: 123 

Regarding the administration of the kingdom's territories, most

emirs, such as the region of Tozeur, which was given by Al Nacer to Yusuf ibn Makhluf.[6]: 124  During this period, Tunis was under the governance of the Banu Khurasan,[6]: 124  and Biskra under the Banu Ruman and later the Banu Sindi, both subject to Sultan Al Nacer.[3]: 240  The city of Sfax was assigned to Hammu Ibn Malil.[34]: 624  Al Nacer also had a governor in Ouargla whose name is not known.[34]: 622 [6]
: 124 

Art and architecture

Architecture

Hammadid Minaret

Qal'at Beni Hammad, the dynasty's capital, was described by Al-Bakri in the 11th century as a large and powerful military stronghold and a centre of commerce that attracted caravans from all over the Maghreb, Iraq, Syria, Egypt and the Hejaz.[46] 14th-century Arab historian and philosopher Ibn Khaldun noted that the abundance of travellers was due to the wealth of resources offered to those interested in sciences, commerce and arts. The Qal'at attracted poets, sages and theologians. It was filled with various richly decorated palaces, caravanserai, gardens and what was to be the largest mosque built in North Africa prior to the twentieth century.[47] The art and architecture of the Hammadids influenced that of the Arabs, Almohads, Almoravids and Normans.[48][49][50][51]

Hammadid emirs constructed five palaces, most of which are now destroyed. The

stalactites; building and pottery ornamentation consisted of geometric designs and stylized floral motifs."[11]

Ibn Hamdis wrote two different poems describing one of the Hammadid palaces which he described having interior courts of marble that looked as if they had been carpeted with crystal and he observed that the grounds looked as if they were strewn with fine pearls.[51] His description mentions that the palace had a pool that was bordered by marble lions with water streaming from their mouths, these lions were likely similar to that of the Alhambra.[51]

In the Qal'at Beni Hammad fragments of stucco were discovered from the Qasr al-Salam and the Qasr al-Manar which may be the oldest fragments of muqarnas in the Western Islamic world, dating back to the 11th or 12th century.[50][53]: 133  According to Lucien Golvin the fragments of the muqarnas semi-dome at the Qasr al-Salam are the oldest documented remains of a true muqarnas vault in the Islamic world.[54] However, other scholars of Islamic architecture have questioned or rejected the dating of these fragments or their identification as true muqarnas.[55][50][56]: 93 

Furthermore, the Qal'at buildings are considered to be documented antecedents and precursors to certain developments in Western Islamic art in the 12th century.[50] Plaster capitals that were found at the Qal'at were composed of smooth leaves recurved in their upper part are considered to be an antecedent to the common Almoravid and Almohad forms which are seen in the Great Mosque of Tlemcen or in Tinmel.[50] The framework of a marble basin and a grey marble fragment document the use of multifoil arches with spiral-form impost decoration. The use of this motif at the Qal'at subsequently spread during the times of the Almoravids and became universal in Almohad buildings.[50] The square rooms surrounded by rampant barrel vaults in the Qasr al-Manar have been compared to the Almohad minarets and the Torre Pisana in Palermo which it predates. The Hammadid palaces are also noted to contain the first or one of the first documented use of shadirwan.[57]

Art

The excavations in the Qal'at Beni Hammad also discovered the first reference corpus of Islamic ceramics.[52][verification needed] The production of ceramics in Al-Andalus during the taifa and Almoravid periods reflect a strong and direct Hammadid influence.[51] The technique of luster-painting on pottery was passed from al Qal-at to Béjaïa to Malaga and black painted and incised earthenware objects as well as bronze sculptures from the Zirids most likely influenced similar objects in Andalusia.[51] Ceramic architectural decorations had never played such a large role in the Islamic world up until the Hammadids and from there it subsequently spread to Al-Andalus and Morocco where it became a hallmark for the architecture of these countries and it also spread throughout Europe.[58]

glazed ceramic decoration in a wide variety of shapes and forms were a feature in the Islamic architecture of Hammadid-era Béjaïa.[59] Al-Nasir reputedly negotiated with Pope Gregory VII for the services of Italian masons and other skilled craftsmen for the construction of Béjaïa.[11] Although Béjaïa is mostly in ruins, a large sea gate reportedly survives.[60] The Bab al-Bahr (gate of the sea) was built during an-Nasirs reign along with five other gates with the purpose of protecting the town. It is now a ruin consisted of a pointed arch constructed with solid bricks.[61] The Bab al-Bunud was also built in Béjaïa during an-Nasirs reign with hexagonal towers and its two ogival-arch gates.[62]

In Béjaïa drawings of a facade of two palaces with ground plans by one of the Hammadids have been preserved and provide an insight into palatial architecture of the time period of the Hammadids. The first palace consisted of a huge domed hall flanked by smaller domed towers and chambers while the second palace called al-Kukab which was said to have been located where the present day Bordj Moussa is currently situated. al-Kukab consisted of a large centred hall with a gabled roof flanked by side aisles and two small towers.[63]

The Great Mosque of Constantine was originally constructed by the Hammadids in the 12th century and was built on the ruins of a Roman temple.[citation needed]

List of rulers

The following is a list of Hammadid rulers, starting at Hammadid independence from the Zirids in 1015 and ending with the Almohad conquest in 1152:[64]

Hammadid Emirs
Emir Reign
ʿHammad ibn Buluggin 1015 – 1028
Qaid ibn Hammad ibn Buluggin 1028 – 1054
Muhsin ibn Qaid 1054 – 1055
Buluggin ibn Muhammad ibn Hammad 1055 – 1062
An-Nasir ibn Alnas 1062 – 1088
Al-Mansur ibn al-Nasir 1088 – 1105
Badis ibn Mansur 1105
ʿAbd al-Aziz ibn Mansur 1105 – 1121
Yahya ibn Abd al-Aziz 1121 – 1152
End of the Emirate

See also

  • List of Sunni Muslim dynasties

Notes

  1. ^ Allegiance varied from period to period. See article for details.

References

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