Editing Berbers (section)

==== In al-Andalus under the Almoravids ====
[[File:Empire almoravide.PNG|thumb|right|The [[Almoravid empire|Almoravid]] realm at its greatest extent, c.&nbsp;1120]]
During the taifa period, the Almoravid empire developed in northwest Africa, whose core was formed by the [[Lamtuna]] branch of the Sanhaja Berber.{{r|Reilly1992|p=99}} In the mid-11th century, they allied with the [[Godala|Guddala]] and Massufa Berber. At that time, the Almoravid leader [[Yahya Ibn Ibrahim|Yahya ibn Ibrahim]] went on a [[hajj]]. On his way back he met [[Maliki]]te preachers in Kairouan, and invited them to his land. Malikite disciple [[Abdallah ibn Yasin|Abd Allah ibn Yasin]] accepted the invitation. Traveling to Morocco, he established a military monastery or [[ribat]] where he trained a highly motivated and disciplined fighting force. In 1054 and 1055, employing these specially trained forces, Almoravid leader [[Yahya ibn Umar al-Lamtuni|Yahya ibn Umar]] defeated the [[Ghana Empire|Kingdom of Ghana]] and the Zenata Berber. After Yahya ibn Umar died, his brother [[Abu Bakr ibn Umar]] pursued an Almoravid expansion. Forced to resolve a Sanhaja civil war, he left control of the Moroccan conquests to his brother, [[Yusuf ibn Tashfin]]. Yusuf continued to conquer territory; and following Abu Bakr's death in 1087, he became the Almoravid leader.{{r|Reilly1992|p=100–101}}

After their loss of Cordoba, the Hammudids had occupied Algeciras and Ceuta. In the mid-11th century, the Hammudids lost control of their Iberian possessions, but retained a small taifa kingdom based in Ceuta. In 1083, Yusuf ibn Tashufin conquered Ceuta. In the same year, [[al-Mutamid]], king of the [[Taifa of Seville]], traveled to Morocco to appeal to Yusuf for help against King [[Alfonso VI of León and Castile|Alfonso VI]] of Castile. Earlier, in 1079, the king of Badajoz, al-Mutawakkil, had appealed to Yusuf for help against Alfonso. After the fall of [[Taifa of Toledo|Toledo]] to Alfonso VI in 1085, al-Mutamid appealed again to Yusuf. This time, financed by the taifa kings of Iberia, Yusuf crossed to al-Andalus and took direct personal control of Algeciras in 1086.{{r|Reilly1992|p=102–103}}