Idrisid dynasty الأدارسة | |||||||||||
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| 788–974 | |||||||||||
 Idrisid state, around 820CE, showing its maximal extent. | |||||||||||
| Capital | Walilli(788–808) Fez(808–927) Hajar an-Nasar(927–985) | ||||||||||
| Official languages | Arabic[1] | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Arabic,Berber languages | ||||||||||
| Religion | Islam –Sunni orZaydiShia (disputed) | ||||||||||
| Government | Hereditary monarchy | ||||||||||
| Emir | |||||||||||
• 788–791 | Idris I | ||||||||||
• 954–974 | Al-Hasan ibn al-Qasim | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Medieval | ||||||||||
• Established | 788 | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | 974 | ||||||||||
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| History ofMorocco |
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TheIdrisid dynasty orIdrisids (Arabic:الأدارسةal-Adārisah) were anArabMuslim dynasty from 788 to 974, ruling most of present-dayMorocco and parts of present-day westernAlgeria. Named after the founder,Idris I, the Idrisids were anAlid dynasty descended fromMuhammad through his grandsonHasan.[2][3] Their reign played an important role in the earlyIslamization of Morocco and also presided over an increase in Arab immigration andArabization in major urban centers.[4]: 52 [5]: 83–84
Fleeing theAbbasid Caliphate to the east in the aftermath of theBattle of Fakhkh, Idris I first established himself in 788 atVolubilis in present-day Morocco with the help of localBerber allies. He and his son,Idris II, subsequently founded what became the city ofFez further east. Fez became the capital of an Idrisid state which ruled most of present-day Morocco and part of westernAlgeria. After Idris II's death, the realm was divided between his rival sons. After a period of conflict, the dynasty's authority resumed and remained relatively stable between 836 and 863. In the late 9th century, however, they faced repeated challenges and local opposition. In the 10th century the region came under the political domination ofZenata tribes who fought proxy battles on behalf of two rival powers in the region, theFatimid Caliphate and theUmayyad Caliphate of Córdoba. The Idrisids were definitively expelled from Fez in 927, but held onto to a reduced territory in the north of Morocco from their base atHajar an-Nasr. They were finally defeated and removed from power in 974, and a brief attempt to regain power in 985 also failed.
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By the second half of the 8th century the westernmost regions of theMaghreb, including present-day Morocco, had been effectively independent of theUmayyad Caliphate since theKhariji-ledBerber revolts that started in 739–40.[4][6] TheAbbasid Caliphate after 750 had no more success in re-establishing control over Morocco.[4]: 41 The overthrow of eastern authority meant that Morocco was controlled by various local Berber tribes and principalities which emerged around this time, such as theBarghwata Confederacy on the Atlantic coast and theMidrarid Emirate inSijilmasa.[4][5]
The founder of the Idrisid dynasty wasIdris ibn Abdallah (788–791),[2] who traced his ancestry back toAli ibn Abi Talib (died 661)[2] and his wifeFatimah, daughter of the Islamic prophet,Muhammad. He was the great-grandchild ofHasan ibn Ali.[2][5]: 81 After theBattle of Fakhkh, nearMecca, between theAbbasids and supporters of the descendants of Muhammad, Idris ibn Abdallah fled to the Maghreb. He first arrived inTangier, the most important city of Morocco at the time, and by 788 he had settled inVolubilis (known as Walili in Arabic).[4]: 51
The powerfulAwraba Berbers of Volubilis took in Idris and made him their 'imam' (religious leader).[4]: 51 [5]: 81 The Awraba tribe had supportedKusayla in his struggle against theUmmayad armies in the 670s and 680s. By the second half of the 8th century they had settled in northern Morocco, where their leader Ishak had his base in the Roman town of Volubilis. By this time the Awraba were already Muslim, but lived in an area where most tribes were either Christian, Jewish,Khariji or pagan. The Awraba seem to have welcomed a Sharifi imam as a way to strengthen their political position. Idris I, who was very active in the political organization of the Awraba, began by asserting his authority and working toward the subjugation of the Christian and Jewish tribes. In 789 he founded a settlement south east of Volubilis, calledMedinat Fas. In 791 Idris I was poisoned and killed by an Abbasid agent. Even though he left no male heir, shortly after his death, his wife Lalla Kanza bint Uqba al-Awrabi, bore him his only son and successor,Idris II. Idris' loyal Arab ex-slave and companion Rashid brought up the boy and took on himself the regency of the state, on behalf of the Awraba. In 801 Rashid was killed by theAbbasids. In the following year, at the age of 11 years, Idris II was proclaimed imam by the Awraba.[4]: 51
Even though he had spread his authority across much of northern Morocco, as far west asTlemcen, Idris I had been completely dependent on the Awraba leadership. Idris II began his rule with the weakening of Awraba power by welcoming Arab settlers in Walili and by appointing two Arabs as hisvizier andqadi. Thus he transformed himself from a protégé of the Awraba into their sovereign. The Awraba leader Ishak responded by plotting against his life with theAghlabids of Tunisia. Idris reacted by having his former protector Ishak killed, and in 809 moved his seat of government from the Awraba dominated Walili to Fes, where he founded a new settlement named Al-'Aliya.Idris II (791–828) developed the city ofFez, established earlier by his father as a Berber market town. Here he welcomed two waves of Arab immigration: one in 818 from Cordoba and another in 824 fromAghlabid Tunisia, giving Fes a more Arab character than other Maghrebi cities. When Idris II died in 828, the Idrisid state spanned from western Algeria to theSous in southern Morocco and had become the leading state of Morocco, ahead of the principalities ofSijilmasa,Barghawata andNekor which remained outside their control.[4]: 51–52 [5]: 86
The dynasty's power would slowly decline following Idris II's death. Under his son and successorMuhammad (828–836) the kingdom was divided amongst seven of his brothers, whereby eight Idrisid statelets formed in Morocco and western Algeria.[7] Muhammad himself came to rule Fes, with only nominal power over his brothers. His brother Al-Qasim ruledTangier and its surroundings. 'Umar ruled over the Sanhaja and theGhumara in the Rif region.[7] Isa was given control of the coastalTamesna regions near theBou Regreg, includingShallah (Chellah), and was based at Wazeqqūr (a town near modern-dayKhenifra).[7][8] Yahya was given Hiṣn Daī (a site probably near modernBeni Mellal).[7][8][9] Hamza was given Walili. 'Ubayd Allah (or 'Abd Allah) was given the south, including the territory of the Lamta tribes and a town namedTamdult.[7][8] Agadir (later Tlemcen) was left under the control of Muhammad Ibn Sulayman, Idris II's cousin and the son ofSulayman, the brother of Idris I whom the latter had left in charge of the city, constituting theSulaymanid dynasty.[7][8][10]
Soon after this territorial division Isa revolted against his brother Muhammad. Muhammad entrusted his other brother Umar to punish him. Umar successfully drove Isa from power, who was forced to take refuge in Chellah.[7] Umar then turned north to punish his other brother, al-Qasim, because the latter had refused to join him and Muhammad against Isa. Al-Qasim fled toAsilah and settled nearby, while Muhammad gave Umar governorship of Tangier as a reward. Upon Umar's death in September or October 835 his sonAli ibn Umar was granted all of his father's domains in turn.[7] Muhammad himself died seven months later in the March or April 836. His sonAli ibn Muhammad inherited his position and ruled for 13 years (836–849) in a competent manner, ensuring the stability of the state. After his death in 849 he was succeeded by his brotherYahya ibn Muhammad (or Yahya I), who also enjoyed a peaceful reign.[7]
During this timeIslamic andArabic culture gained a stronghold in the towns and Morocco profited from thetrans-Saharan trade, which came to be dominated by Muslim (mostly Berber) traders. The city of Fes also flourished and became an important religious center.[4]: 52 During Yahya's reign more Arab immigrants arrived and the famous mosques ofal-Qarawiyyin andal-Andalusiyyin were founded.[7] Even so, the Islamic and Arabic culture only made its influence felt in the towns, with the vast majority of Morocco's population still using theBerber languages and often adhering to Islamic heterodox and heretical doctrines. The Idrisids were principally rulers of the towns and had little power over the majority of the country's population.[4]: 52
After the death of Yahya I in 863 he was succeeded by his less competent son, Yahya II, who divided up the Idrisid realm yet again among the extended families. Yahya II died in uncertain circumstances in 866 after fleeing his palace. After an episode of disorder in Fes his cousin Ali ibn Umar took over power.[7] In 868, under the leadership of the Abd al-Razzaq the BerberKharijiSufri tribes of Madyuna, Ghayata andMiknasa of the Fes region formed a common front against the Idrisids. From their base inSefrou they were able to defeat Ali ibn Umar and occupy Fes. Fes refused to submit, however, and anotherYahya, the son of al-Qasim, was able to retake the city and establish himself as the new ruler, Yahya III. Thus the ruling line had passed from the sons of Muhammad to the son of Umar and now the sons of al-Qasim.[4]: 52 [7]
Yahya III ruled over the entire Idrisid realm and continued to attack the Sufris. In 905 however he died in battle against another family member,Yahya ibn Idris ibn Umar (a grandson of Umar), who then took power as Yahya IV.[7] At this point, however, theFatimids in the east began to intervene in Morocco, hoping to expand their influence. In 917 theMiknasa and its leader Masala ibn Habus, acting on behalf of their Fatimid allies, attacked Fes and forced Yahya IV to recognize Fatimid suzerainty, before deposing him in 919[7][12] or 921.[4]: 63 He was succeeded by his cousin Musa ibn Abul 'Afiya, who had already been given charge over the rest of the country. The IdrisidHassan I al-Hajam, a grandson of al-Qasim, managed to wrest control of Fez from 925 but in 927 Musa returned, captured Hassan and killed him, marking the last time the Idrisids held power in Fes.[7]
From Fes, the Miknasa began pursuing the Idrisid family across Morocco. The family took refuge at the fortress ofHajar an-Nasr in northern Morocco, where the Miknasa besieged them.[7] Soon after, however, civil war broke out among the Miknasa when Musa switched allegiance to theUmayyads of Cordoba in 931 in an attempt to gain more independence. The Fatimids sent Humayd ibn Yasal (or Hamid[4]), the nephew of Masala ibn Habus, to confront Musa, defeating him in 933 and forcing him to fall back into line.[7][4]: 63 The Idrisids took advantage of the situation to break the siege of their fortress and defeat the Mikanasa Zenata troops. Once the Fatimids were gone, however, Musa once again threw off their authority and recognized the Umayyad caliph. The Fatimids sent their general Maysur to confront him again, and this time he fled. He was pursued and killed by the Idrisids.[7]
After this Idrisids settled among theJbala tribes in the Rif region of north-west Morocco where they partially rebuilt their power base from Hajar an-Nasr, alternately acknowledging either theUmayyads of Cordoba (underAbd ar-Rahman III) or the Fatimids as overlords.[7]Al-Qasim al-Gannun ibn Muhammad ruled here from 938 until 948 in the name of the Fatimids.[7][12] His son and successor, Ahmad, known asAbul-'Aysh, recognized the Umayyads instead but ran afoul of them when he refused to let them occupy Tangier. He was besieged there and forced to retreat, retaining only the areas aroundal-Basra and Asilah while the Umayyads occupied the rest of northern Morocco.[7] He eventually left for Al-Andalus, leaving his brotherHasan ibn al-Qasim al-Gannun as the new leader in 954.[7][12] In 958 the Fatimids sent a new general,Jawhar, to invade Morocco. His success forced the Idrisids to again accept Fatimid overlordship.[7][4]: 75 Soon afterwards, however, when Jawhar and the Fatimids were busy taking control of Egypt, the Umayyads made a comeback. In 973 their general, Ghalib, invaded Morocco.[4] The Idrisids were expelled from their territories and al-Hasan, along with many other Idrisids or their sons, were taken as hostages to Cordoba in 974.[7] The remaining Idrisids in Morocco acknowledged Umayyad rule.[4] Al-Hasan was later expelled from Cordoba and fled to Egypt, which was now under Fatimid rule. In 979Buluggin ibn Ziri, the Fatimid governor of Ifriqiya (after the Fatimid Caliphs had their capital toCairo), returned to defeat the Umayyads and impose Fatimid overlordship in the western Maghreb again. In 985[12] he returned to Morocco with Fatimid support, but that same year he was defeated by another Umayyad general sent byal-Mansur and then assassinated on the way to Cordoba.[7] This brought a final end to the Idrisid dynasty. The Umayyads kept control over northern Morocco until their caliphate's collapse in the early 11th century. Following this, Morocco was dominated by various Zenata Berber tribes.[5]: 91 [4]: 82 Until the rise of theSanhajaAlmoravids later in the century, theMaghrawa controlledFes,Sijilmasa andAghmat while theBanu Ifran ruled over Tlemcen,Salé (Chellah), and theTadla region.[5]: 91
According toEncyclopædia Britannica, "although Idrīs I hadShīʿite sympathies, the state founded by his son wasSunni in matters of religious doctrine."[13] Primary source material and contemporary scholars have described them as aSunni Muslimdynasty.[4]: 50 [14][15] Certain contemporary academics have described them asShi'a orZaydi Shi'a to one extent or another, most likely because of their political affiliation.[16] The Idrisids were political opponents of theAbbasid Caliphate.[17] Others have criticized this claim for conflating Shia theology with a political movement in a historical period where there was no Shia theology distinct from Sunni theology in this area as of yet.[18]Amira Bennison argues that Idrisid coinage suggests that Idris I portrayed himself as a religious leader whose legitimacy was based on his descent from Muhammad, which Bennison describes as a "proto-Shi'i or 'Alid position."[19]
The Awraba Berbers who welcomed Idris I in Volubilis wereMuʿtazila and Idris relied widely on the support of Muʿtazila Berber tribes to found his state.[20][21] He is also likely to have had ties to Muʿtazila figures in theHijaz and further east, as he was accompanied on his journey to the Maghreb by a Muʿtazilakhatib fromBasra who aided him in gaining the support of the tribes.[20] It is unclear, however, to what extent the community he established was Muʿtazila in character.[20]
Despite having fallen from power, the Idrisids spawned many sharifian families which continued to be present for centuries to come. Some Moroccans today still claim descent from them.[7] In the 11th century, an Idrisid family descended from Umar (son of Idris II), theHammudids, were able to gain power in several cities of northernMorocco and southernSpain.[7][22]
In Fes and in the town ofMoulay Idriss (near Volubilis), the tombs of Idris II and Idris I, respectively, eventually developed into important religious complexes and pilgrimage sites, like theZawiya of Moulay Idris II.[23][24] Several prominent sharifian families in Fez traced their lineages to Idris I,[25]: 488 and some of these played a role in maintaining or rebuilding the Zawiya of Idris II in the city.[26]
The Idrisid period also played an important role in theIslamization of the region, particularly in the spread of Islam to the Berber tribes that occupied the interior territories of present-day Morocco, outside the northern coastal regions where the earliest Muslim presence was initially concentrated.[12][27][4]: 52 [5]: 84 The new city of Fes also became a center ofArabization that spread to some of the surrounding Berber tribes in the area.[5]: 84 Idrisid towns also formed a part of the wider trade network that linked the Maghreb with the Sahara and theSudan region (south of the Sahara). This trade network and the Muslim merchants who came to dominate it in the 9th century were important in turn to theIslamization of the Sudan.[4]: 52
The Idrisid state set a precedent forSharifian rule, which inspired the rise of Sharifism in Morocco during the 15th century[27] and which is maintained by the present-day ruling dynasty of Morocco, the'Alawis.[28] From the 14th century, local writers began to portray the Idrisids as the starting point of an IslamicMaghrib al-Aqsa ("Furthest West", corresponding to present-day Morocco[29]).[5]: 81 Both theMarinid dynasty (13th–15th centuries) and theWattasid dynasty (15th–16th centuries) attempted at times to associate themselves with the Idrisid dynasty as a way to legitimize their own rule.[30][31] TheRawd al-Qirtas, written byIbn Abi Zar in the 14th century, is one of the best-known chronicles of this period and promoted the idea of continuity between Idrisid rule and contemporary Marinid rule, while at the same time downplaying the potential Shi'a character of Idris I.[30] In the national narratives of modern Morocco, the Idrisids are often portrayed as the first Moroccan dynasty and as the start of an uninterrupted tradition of monarchy to the present day.[5]: 81
Idrisid rule in northern Morocco:
The propagation of Islam and the Arabic language in urban spaces was promoted by the Idrisid dynasty, the first Moroccan sharifian Muslim Arab dynasty. [...] The urban spaces became the centers of formal Islam and witnessed the intrusion of the Arabic language, which became the official language of the newly Islamized cities.
At this point, the rebels had control of all modern Morocco, most of which was not to see rule by the universal caliphate again.
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