THE ALMORAVIDS
The Almoravids were a dynasty of Morroco who formed an empire in the 11th century. Their capital was Marakesh, a city they founded in 1062. The dynasty originated amongst the indigenous black berber tribes traversing the territory between the Niger and Senegal rivers.The Almoravids were crucial in preventing a fall of Al andalus to the Iberian Christian kingdoms, when they decisively beat a coalition of the Castillian and Aragonese armies at the Battle of Sagrajas. This enabled them to control an empire that stretched 3,000 kilometers north to south. Conquests:From the year 1053, the Almoravids began to spread their religious way to the Berber areas of the Sahara, and to the regions south of the desert. After winning over the Sanhanja Berber tribe, they quickly took control of the entire desert trade route, seizing Sijilmasa at the northern end in 1054, and Aoudaghost at the southern end in 1055. Yahya ibn Umar was killed in a battle in 1057, but Abdullah ibn Yasin, whose influence as a religious teacher was paramount, named his brother Abu Bakr ibn Umar as chief. Under him, the Almoravids soon began to spread their power beyond the desert, and conquered the tribes of the Atlas Mountains. They then came in contact with the Berghouata, a Berber tribal confederation, who followed a "heresy" founded by Salih Ibn Tariff, three centuries earlier. The Berghouata resisted, and it was in battle with them that Abdullah ibn Yasin was killed in 1059, in a village called "Krifla" located near Rommani, Morocco. They were, however, completely conquered by Abu Bakr ibn Umar, and adopted Islam as a religion. Abu Bakr married a noble and wealthy woman, Zaynab an-Nafzawiyyat, who would become very influential in the development of the dynasty. Zaynab was the daughter of a wealthy merchant from Houara (a Masmuda tribe), who is said to be from Kairouan in origin.
In 1061, Abu Bakr ibn Umar made a division of the power he had established, handing over the more-settled parts to his cousin Yusuf ibn Tashfin as viceroy, and also assigning to him his favourite wife Zaynab. Ibn Umar kept the task of suppressing the revolts that had broken out in the desert. When he returned to resume control, he found his cousin too powerful to be superseded. In November 1087, Abu Bakr was killed in battle by a poisoned arrow, while fighting in the historic region of the Sudan.
Yusuf ibn Tashfin had in the meantime brought the large area of what is now known as Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauretania into complete subjection. In 1062 he founded the city of Marrakech. In 1080, he conquered the kingdom of Tlemcen (in modern-day Algeria) and founded the present city of that name, his rule extending as far east as Oran. In 1075 CE the Almoravids began seizing teritory from the African kingdom of Ghana but did not conquer it. The Almoravid religious influence was gradual and not heavily involved in military strife; there the Almoravids increased in power by marrying among the nation's nobility and assimilating tribal groups and chieftaincies into them.
In 1061, Abu Bakr ibn Umar made a division of the power he had established, handing over the more-settled parts to his cousin Yusuf ibn Tashfin as viceroy, and also assigning to him his favourite wife Zaynab. Ibn Umar kept the task of suppressing the revolts that had broken out in the desert. When he returned to resume control, he found his cousin too powerful to be superseded. In November 1087, Abu Bakr was killed in battle by a poisoned arrow, while fighting in the historic region of the Sudan.
Yusuf ibn Tashfin had in the meantime brought the large area of what is now known as Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauretania into complete subjection. In 1062 he founded the city of Marrakech. In 1080, he conquered the kingdom of Tlemcen (in modern-day Algeria) and founded the present city of that name, his rule extending as far east as Oran. In 1075 CE the Almoravids began seizing teritory from the African kingdom of Ghana but did not conquer it. The Almoravid religious influence was gradual and not heavily involved in military strife; there the Almoravids increased in power by marrying among the nation's nobility and assimilating tribal groups and chieftaincies into them.
THE BATTLE OF SAGRAJAS
The Battle of Sagrajas (23 October 1086), also called Zalaca or Zallaqa, Arabic: معركة الزلاقة), was a battle between the Almoravid army led by the Almoravid king Yusuf ibn Tashfin and a Christian army led by the Castilian King Alfonso VI. The battleground was later called az-Zallaqah (in English "slippery ground") because the warriors were slipping all over the ground due to the tremendous amount of blood shed that day, and this gives rise to its name in Arabic. In 1086 Yusuf ibn Tashfin was invited by the Muslim taifa princes of Al-Andalus in the Iberian Peninsula to defend their territories from the encroachment of Alfonso VI, King of León and Castile. Who had previously that year tooken the pyschologicaly very important city of Toledo. In that year, he replied to the call of three Andalusian leaders and crossed the straits to Algeciras. He came to al-Andalus with a force of 15,000 men, armed with javelins and daggers, most of his soldiers carrying two swords, shields, cuirass of the finest leather and animal hide, and accompanied by drummers for psychological effect. Yusef's cavalry was said to have included 6,000 shock troops from Senegal mounted on white Arabian horses. When Alfonso VI reached the battleground he found himself badly outnumbered even though he had some 2,500 men, including 1,500 cavalry, in which 750 were knights. The two leaders exchanged messages before the battle. Yusuf ibn Tashfin offered three choices to the Castilians: convert to Islam, to pay tribute , or to battle, they would choose the latter. The battle started on Friday at dawn with an attack from Castile. Yusuf ibn Tashfin divided his army into 3 divisions. The first division including the Senegalese shock troops was led by Abbad III al-Mu'tamid, the second division was led by Yusuf ibn Tashfin and the third division consisted of black African warriors with Indian Swords and long javelins. Abbad III al-Mu'tamid and his division battled with Alfonso VI alone till the afternoon, then Yusuf ibn Tashfin and his division joined the battle and circled Alfonso VI and his troops. Alfonso's troops panicked and started to lose ground, then Yusuf ordered the third division of his army to attack and finish the battle. At least half of the christian army was decimated one source claiming only 500 soldiers returned to Castille. This would be a decisive victory for the Moors , ensuring Muslim rule over Europe for several hundred years .