Editing Almoravid dynasty (section)

==History==

===Origins===
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2021}}
[[File:Camel Rider 1413 Mecia Viladestes map.jpg|thumb|Possible depiction of Abu Bakr ibn Umar (labelled "Rex Bubecar"), in the 1413 [[portolan chart]] of [[Mecia de Viladestes]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=de la Roncière |first=Charles |title=La découverte de l'Afrique au Moyen Age, cartographes et explorateurs |publisher=Sociéte royale de géographie d'Égypte |year=1925 |location=Cairo |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Cortesão |first=Jaime |title=Os Descobrimentos portugueses |publisher=Livros Horizonte |year=1975 |volume=2 |pages=339 |language=pt}}</ref>]]
The Almoravids, sometimes called "al-mulathamun" ("the veiled ones", from ''{{Lang|ar-latn|[[litham]]}}'', Arabic for "[[veil]]".)<ref name=":16">{{Cite book |last=Julien |first=Charles André |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofnorthaf0000juli/page/76/mode/2up?view=theater |title=History of North Africa: Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco: From the Arab Conquest to 1830 |date=1970 |publisher=Praeger |isbn=978-0-7100-6614-5 |pages=77 |language=en}}</ref> trace their origins back to several Saharan [[Sanhaja]] nomadic tribes, dwelling in an area that stretches between the [[Senegal River]] in the south and the [[Draa River|Draa river]] in the north.<ref name=":17">{{Cite book |last=Baadj |first=Amar S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BvTjCQAAQBAJ&dq=touaregs+descendents+almoravids&pg=PA13 |title=Saladin, the Almohads and the Banū Ghāniya: The Contest for North Africa (12th and 13th centuries) |date=2015 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-29857-6 |pages=13 |language=en}}</ref> The first and main Almoravid founding tribe was the [[Lamtuna]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Africa |first=Unesco International Scientific Committee for the Drafting of a General History of |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qDFcD0BuekQC&dq=Almoravids+mauritania&pg=PA176 |title=Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century |date=1992 |publisher=J. Currey |isbn=978-0-85255-093-9 |pages=176–181 |language=en}}</ref> It occupied the region around [[Awdaghust]] (Aoudaghost) in the southern Sahara according to contemporary Arab chroniclers such as [[Ya'qubi|al-Ya'qubi]], [[al-Bakri]] and [[Ibn Hawqal]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Willis |first=John Ralph |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rD0sBgAAQBAJ&dq=bilad+lamtuna&pg=PA88 |title=Studies in West African Islamic History: Volume 1: The Cultivators of Islam, Volume 2: The Evolution of Islamic Institutions & Volume 3: The Growth of Arabic Literature |date=2012 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-25160-3 |pages=88–90 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Abun-Nasr |first=Jamil M. |url=http://archive.org/details/historyofmaghrib0000abun |title=A history of the Maghrib |date=1971 |publisher=Cambridge [Eng.] University Press |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-521-07981-5 |pages=92}}</ref> According to French historian [[Charles-André Julien]]: "The original cell of the Almoravid empire was a powerful Sanhaja tribe of the Sahara, the Lamtuna, whose place of origin was in the [[Adrar Region|Adrar]] in [[Mauritania]]."<ref name=":16" /> The [[Tuareg people]] are believed to be their descendants.<ref name=":17" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Brill |first=E. J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GEl6N2tQeawC |title=E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913–1936. A–Bābā Beg |date=1993 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-09787-2 |pages=318 |language=en}}</ref>

These nomads had been converted to Islam in the 9th century.<ref name=":16" /> They were subsequently united in the 10th century and, with the zeal of new converts, launched several campaigns against the "[[Sudan (region)|Sudan]]ese" (pagan peoples of [[sub-Saharan Africa]]).{{sfn|Lewicki|1992|pp=308–309 or pp. 160–161 in 1988 edition}} Under their king Tinbarutan ibn Usfayshar, the Sanhaja Lamtuna erected (or captured) the citadel of Awdaghust, a critical stop on the [[trans-Saharan trade]] route. After the collapse of the Sanhaja union, Awdaghust passed over to the [[Ghana Empire]]; and the trans-Saharan routes were taken over by the Zenata [[Maghrawa]] of [[Sijilmasa]]. The Maghrawa also exploited this disunion to dislodge the Sanhaja Gazzula and Lamta out of their pasturelands in the Sous and Draa valleys. Around 1035, the Lamtuna chieftain Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Tifat (alias Tarsina), tried to reunite the Sanhaja desert tribes, but his reign lasted less than three years.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021|reason=This and preceding sentences are unsourced}}

Around 1040, [[Yahya ibn Ibrahim]], a chieftain of the Gudala (and brother-in-law of the late Tarsina), went on [[Hajj|pilgrimage]] to [[Mecca]]. On his return, he stopped by [[Kairouan]] in [[Ifriqiya]], where he met [[Abu Imran al-Fasi]], a native of [[Fez, Morocco|Fez]] and a jurist and scholar of the [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] [[Maliki]] school. At this time, Ifriqiya was in ferment. The [[Zirid dynasty|Zirid]] ruler, [[al-Mu'izz ibn Badis]], was openly contemplating breaking with his [[Shia Islam|Shi'ite]] [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid]] overlords in Cairo, and the jurists of Kairouan were agitating for him to do so. Within this heady atmosphere, Yahya and Abu Imran fell into conversation on the state of the faith in their western homelands, and Yahya expressed his disappointment at the lack of religious education and negligence of [[Sharia|Islamic law]] among his southern Sanhaja people. With Abu Imran's recommendation, Yahya ibn Ibrahim made his way to the ''ribat'' of Waggag ibn Zelu in the [[Sous]] valley of southern Morocco, to seek out a Maliki teacher for his people. Waggag assigned him one of his residents, [[Abdallah ibn Yasin]].<ref name=HWA>{{cite book |last1=Levtzion |first1=Nehemia |author1-link=Nehemia Levtzion |editor1-last=Ajayi |editor1-first=A.J. |title=History of West Africa |date=1976 |publisher=Columbia University Press |location=New York |edition=2nd. |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/historyofwestafr0000ajay_q6f4/page/122/mode/2up |access-date=20 September 2023 |chapter=The early states of the Western Sudan to 1500|isbn=978-0-231-04103-4 }}</ref>{{rp|122}}

Abdallah ibn Yasin was a Gazzula Berber, and probably a convert rather than a born Muslim. His name can be read as "son of [[Ya-Sin]]" (the title of the 36th ''[[surah]]'' of the [[Quran]]), suggesting he had obliterated his family past and was "re-born" of the Holy Book.<ref>M. Brett and E. Fentress (1996), ''The Berbers'', Oxford: Blackwell, p. 100. Revealingly, the 36th ''surah'' begins the salutation "You are one of messengers" and the imperative duty to set people "on the straight path". Ibn Yasin's choice of name was probably not a coincidence.</ref> Ibn Yasin certainly had the ardor of a puritan zealot; his creed was mainly characterized by a rigid formalism and a strict adherence to the dictates of the Quran, and the [[Sunnah|Orthodox tradition]].<ref name="shilling88" /> (Chroniclers such as al-Bakri allege Ibn Yasin's learning was superficial.) Ibn Yasin's initial meetings with the [[Godala|Guddala]] people went poorly. As he had more ardor than depth, Ibn Yasin's arguments were disputed by his audience. He responded to questioning with charges of apostasy and handed out harsh punishments for the slightest deviations. The Guddala soon had enough and expelled him almost immediately after the death of his protector, Yahya ibn Ibrahim, sometime in the 1040s.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021|reason=This and preceding sentences are unsourced}}

Ibn Yasin, however, found a more favorable reception among the neighboring [[Lamtuna]] people.<ref name="shilling88">{{cite book|last=Shillington|first=Kevin|title=History of Africa|year=2005|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=New York|isbn=978-0-333-59957-0|page=88}}</ref> Probably sensing the useful organizing power of Ibn Yasin's pious fervor, the Lamtuna chieftain [[Yahya ibn Umar al-Lamtuni]] invited the man to preach to his people. The Lamtuna leaders, however, kept Ibn Yasin on a careful leash, forging a more productive partnership between them. Invoking stories of the early life of Muhammad, Ibn Yasin preached that conquest was a necessary addendum to Islamicization, that it was not enough to merely adhere to God's law, but necessary to also destroy opposition to it. In Ibn Yasin's ideology, anything and everything outside of Islamic law could be characterized as "opposition". He identified tribalism, in particular, as an obstacle. He believed it was not enough to urge his audiences to put aside their blood loyalties and ethnic differences, and embrace the equality of all Muslims under the Sacred Law, it was necessary to make them do so. For the Lamtuna leadership, this new ideology dovetailed with their long desire to refound the Sanhaja union and recover their lost dominions. In the early 1050s, the Lamtuna, under the joint leadership of Yahya ibn Umar and Abdallah ibn Yasin—soon calling themselves the ''al-Murabitin'' (Almoravids)—set out on a campaign to bring their neighbors over to their cause.<ref name=HWA/>{{rp|123}}

=== Early conquests ===
{{Campaignbox Almoravid Empire battles}}
In the early 1050s, a kind of triumvirate emerged in leading the Almoravid movement, including Abdallah Ibn Yasin, Yahya Ibn Umar and his brother [[Abu Bakr ibn Umar|Abu Bakr Ibn Umar]]. The movement was now dominated by the Lamtuna rather than the Guddala.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=28}} During the 1050s, the Almoravids began their expansion and their conquest of the Saharan tribes.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=336}} Their first major targets were two strategic cities located at the northern and southern edges of the desert: [[Sijilmasa]] in the north and Awdaghust in the south. Control of these two cities would allow the Almoravids to effectively control the trans-Saharan trade routes. Sijilmasa was controlled by the [[Maghrawa]], a part of the northern [[Zenata]] Berber confederation, while Awdaghust was controlled by the [[Soninke people|Soninke]].{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=30}} Both cities were captured in 1054 or 1055.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|pp=30, 336}} Sijilmasa was captured first and its leader, Mas'ud Ibn Wannudin, was killed, along with other Maghrawa leaders. According to historical sources, the Almoravid army rode on camels and numbered 30,000, though this number may be an exaggeration.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|pp=14–15}} Strengthened with the spoils of their victory, they left a garrison of Lamtuna tribesmen in the city and then turned south to capture Awdaghust, which they accomplished that same year. Although the town was mainly Muslim, the Almoravids pillaged the city and treated the population harshly on the basis that they recognized the pagan [[Ghana Empire|king of Ghana]].{{Sfn|Messier|2010|pp=14–15}}

Not long after the main Almoravid army left Sijilmasa, the city rebelled and the Maghrawa returned, slaughtering the Lamtuna garrison. Ibn Yasin responded by organizing a second expedition to recapture it, but the Guddala refused to join him and returned instead to their homelands in the desert regions along the Atlantic coast.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|pp=16–17}}{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=31}} Historian [[Amira Bennison]] suggests that some Almoravids, including the Guddala, were unwilling to be dragged into a conflict with the powerful Zanata tribes of the north and this created tension with those, like Ibn Yasin, who saw northern expansion as the next step in their fortunes.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=31}} While Ibn Yasin went north, Yahya Ibn Umar remained in the south in the Adrar, the heartland of the Lamtuna, in a defensible and well-provisioned place called Jabal Lamtuna, about 10 kilometres northwest of modern [[Atar, Mauritania|Atar]].<ref name=":8">{{harvnb|Messier|2010|p=17}}: "The Bani Gudala chose this moment to break away from the Sanhaja confederation. This open revolt of the Bani Gudala is linked with their rejection of Ibn Yasin; but it could also have something to do with their desire to seek their own fortune, now, along the salt routes to Awlil on the coast of the Atlantic. Regardless, it forced the Almoravids to split their forces. Ibn Yasin went north with a small detachment of Almoravid warriors. He added to his army as he went, recruiting tribesmen from the Bani Sarta and the Bani Tarja. He joined his forces to those of Abu Bakr Ibn Umar, Yahya's brother, who was already in the region of the Draa to the southwest of Sijilmasa. Yahya Ibn Umar, meanwhile, remained with part of the army in the Adrar, in the heartland of the Bani Lamtuna. He established his base at a place called Jabal Lamtuna. These mountains were surrounded by some 20,000 date palms. There was abundant water and pasturage. Most importantly, the place was easily defensible. He held up in a fortress called Azuggi, which his brother Yannu had built."</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite book |last1=Norris |first1=H.T. |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam|edition=2nd |last2=Chalmeta |first2=P. |publisher=Brill |year=1993 |isbn= |editor-last=Bosworth |editor-first=C.E. |volume=7 |location= |pages=583–591 |chapter=al-Murābiṭūn |quote=The foundation of the town of Azūgi (vars. Azuggī, Azuḳḳī, Azukkī) as the southern capital of the Almoravids. It lies 10 km NW of Atar. According to al-Bakrī, it was a fortress, surrounded by 20,000 palms, and it had been founded by Yānnū b. ʿUmar al-Ḥād̲j̲d̲j̲, a brother of Yaḥyā b. ʿUmar. It seems likely that Azūgi became the seat of the Ḳāḍī Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Murādī al-Ḥaḍramī (to cite both the Ḳāḍī ʿlyāḍ and Ibn Bas̲h̲kuwāl), who died there in 489/1095–96 (assuming Azūgi to be Azkid or Azkd). The town was for long regarded as the “capital of the Almoravids”, well after the fall of the dynasty in Spain and even after its fall in the Balearic Islands. It receives a mention by al-Idrīsī, al-Zuhrī and other Arab geographers. |editor2-last=van Donzel |editor2-first=E. |editor3-last=Heinrichs |editor3-first=W.P. |editor4-last=Pellat |editor4-first=Ch.}}</ref> His stronghold there was a fortress called [[Azougui|Azuggi]] (also rendered variably as Azougui or Azukki), which had been built earlier by his brother Yannu ibn Umar al-Hajj.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":11">{{Cite book |last=Levtzion |first=Nehemia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SGtQDwAAQBAJ&q=town+of+Azukki |title=Studies in West African Islamic History: The Cultivators of Islam |publisher=Routledge |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-315-29732-3 |editor-last=Willis |editor-first=John Ralph |pages=99–100 |language=en |chapter='Abd Allah b. Yasin and the Almoravids |quote=After the confrontation with Ibn Tashfin, Abu Bakr b. ‘Umar returned to the desert, where he led the southern wing of the Almoravids in the jihad against the Sudanis. The base for his operations seems to have been the town of Azukki (Azugi, Arkar.) It is first mentioned as the fortress in Jabal Lamtuna (Adrar), where Yahya b. 'Umar was besieged and killed by the Juddala. Azukki, according to al-Bakri, was built by Yannu b. ‘Umar, the brother of Yahya and Abu Bakr. Al-Idrisi mentions Azukki as an important Saharan town on the route from Sijilmasa to the Sudan, and adds that this was its Berber name, whereas Sudanis called it Kukadam (written as Quqadam).}}</ref><ref name=":10" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ould Cheikh |first1=Abdel Wedoud |last2=Saison |first2=Bernard |date=1987-01-01 |title=Vie(s) Et Mort(s) De Al-Imām Al-Hadrāmi: Autour de la postérité saharienne du mouvement almoravide (11e–17e s.) |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/arab/34/1/article-p48_2.xml |journal=Arabica |language=en |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=48–79 |doi=10.1163/157005887X00342 |issn=1570-0585 |quote=Au milieu du Ve siecle H/XIe siecle ap. J.C., l'écrivain andalou al-Bakri fait état de l'existence à «Arki» d'une «forteresse...au milieu de 20 000 palmiers...édifiée par Yannu Ibn 'Umar al-Ḥāğ, frère de Yaḥya Ibn 'Umar... ». Cette brève mention est vraisemblablement a l'origine du qualificatif d'«almoravide» qu'en l'absence de toute investigation proprement archéologique, les historiens modernes ont généralement attribué aux ruines apparentes du tell archéologique d'Azūgi; nous y reviendrons. Au siecle suivant, al-Idrisi (1154) localise la «première des stations du Sahara...au pays des Massūfa et des Lamṭa» ; étape sur un itinéraire transsaharien joignant Siğilmāsa a Silla, Takrūr ou Gāna, Azūki, ou Kukdam en «langue gināwiyya des Sudan», abrite une population prospère. Pour brève et à nos yeux trop imprécise qu'elle soit, l'évocation d'al-Idrisi est néanmoins la plus étoffée de celles qui nous sont parvenues des auteurs «médiévaux» de langue arabe. Aucun écrivain contemporain d'al-Idrisi, ou postérieur, qu'il s'agisse d'al-Zuhri (ap. 1133), d'Ibn Sa'id et surtout d'Ibn Haldun—qui n'en prononce même pas le nom dans son récit pourtant complet de l'histoire du mouvement almoravide—ne nous fournit en effet d'élément nouveau sur Azūgi. À la fin du XVe siècle, au moment où apparaissent les navigateurs portugais sur les côtes sahariennes, al-Qalqašandi et al-Himyari ne mentionnent plus «Azūqi» ou «Azīfi» que comme un toponyme parmi d'autres au Bilād al-Sudān... Les sources écrites arabes des XIe–XVe siècles ne livrent donc sur Azūgi que de brèves notices, infiniment moins détaillées et prolixes que celles dont font l'objet, pour la même période et chez ces mêmes auteurs, certaines grandes cités toutes proches, telles Awdagust, Gāna, Kawkaw, Niani, Walāta, etc... Faut-il voir dans cette discrétion un témoignage «a silentio» sur l'affaiblissement matériel d'une agglomération—une «ville» au sens où l'entendent habituellement les auteurs cités?—dont al-Idrisi affirme effectivement qu'elle n'est point une grande ville»?}}</ref> Some scholars, including Attilio Gaudio,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gaudio |first=Attilio |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iX5sG6T6QP4C&pg=PA58 |title=Le Dossier de la Mauritanie |date=1978 |publisher=Nouvelles Editions Latines |isbn=978-2-7233-0035-3 |language=fr |quote=L'historien El Bekri, dans sa Description de l'Afrique septentrionale, parle de l'ancienne fortresse d'Azougui, située dans une grande palmeraie de l'Adrar mauritanien, comme ayant été la véritable capital des sultans almoravides, avant leur épopée maroco-espagnole. Elle ne dut connaître qu'une splendeur éphémère, car depuis la fin du XIIe siècle son nom disparaît des chroniques.}}</ref> Christiane Vanacker,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vanacker |first=Christiane |url= |title=Introduction à la Mauritanie |publisher=Institut de recherches et d’études sur les mondes arabes et musulmans, Éditions du CNRS |year=1979 |isbn=978-2-271-08123-0 |language=fr |chapter=La Mauritanie jusqu’au XXe siècle |quote=Il est souhaitable que les fouilles prévues à Azougui, première « capitale » fondée par les Almoravides (avant Marrakech) puissent être prochainement réalisées. |chapter-url=https://books.openedition.org/iremam/1224}}</ref> and Brigitte Himpan and Diane Himpan-Sabatier<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Sabatier |first1=Diane Himpan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nZqSDwAAQBAJ&dq=almoravid+azougui&pg=PA114 |title=Nomads of Mauritania |last2=Himpan |first2=Brigitte |publisher=Vernon Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-62273-582-2 |page=114 |language=en}}</ref> describe Azuggi as the "first capital" of the Almoravids. Yahya ibn Umar was subsequently killed in battle against the Guddala in 1055 or 1056,{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=31}} or later in 1057.<ref name="shilling90">{{harvnb|Shillington|2005|p=90}}</ref>

Meanwhile, in the north, Ibn Yasin had ordered Abu Bakr to take command of the Almoravid army and they soon recaptured Sijilmasa.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=|pp=17–18}} By 1056, they had conquered [[Taroudant]] and the [[Sous Valley]], continuing to impose Maliki Islamic law over the communities they conquered. When the campaign concluded that year, they retired to Sijilmasa and established their base there. It was around this time that Abu Bakr appointed his cousin, [[Yusuf ibn Tashfin]], to command the garrison of the city.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=|pp=17–19}}

In 1058, they crossed the [[High Atlas]] and conquered [[Aghmat]], a prosperous commercial town near the foothills of the mountains, and made it their capital.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=32}}<ref name=":0522">{{Cite book |last=Messier |first=Ronald A. |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofi0000unse_u8d8 |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Three |publisher=Brill |year=2009 |isbn=978-9004181304 |editor-last=Fleet |editor-first=Kate |location= |pages= |chapter=Almoravids |issn=1873-9830 |editor2-last=Krämer |editor2-first=Gudrun |editor3-last=Matringe |editor3-first=Denis |editor4-last=Nawas |editor4-first=John |editor5-last=Rowson |editor5-first=Everett |url-access=registration}}</ref> They then came in contact with the [[Barghawata]], a Berber tribal confederation who followed an Islamic "heresy" preached by [[Salih ibn Tarif]] three centuries earlier.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=717}} The Barghawata occupied the region northwest of Aghmat and along the Atlantic coast. They resisted the Almoravids fiercely and the campaign against them was bloody. [[Abdallah ibn Yasin|Abdullah ibn Yasin]] was killed in battle with them in 1058 or 1059, at a place called Kurīfalalt or Kurifala.<ref name=":052" />{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=|pp=37–38}} By 1060, however, they were conquered by Abu Bakr ibn Umar and were forced to convert to orthodox Islam.<ref name=":052" /> Shortly after this, Abu Bakr had reached as far as [[Meknes]].{{Sfn|Abun-Nasr|1987|p=81}}

Towards 1068, Abu Bakr married a noble and wealthy Berber woman, [[Zaynab an-Nafzawiyyah]], who would become very influential in the development of the dynasty. Zaynab was the daughter of a wealthy merchant from Kairouan who had settled in Aghmat. She had been previously married to Laqut ibn Yusuf ibn Ali al-Maghrawi, the ruler of Aghmat, until the latter was killed during the Almoravid conquest of the city.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=39}}

=== Founding of Marrakesh and internal division ===
It was around this time that Abu Bakr ibn Umar founded the new capital of Marrakesh. Historical sources cite a variety of dates for this event ranging from 1062, given by [[Ibn Abi Zar]] and [[Ibn Khaldun]], to 1078 (470 AH), given by [[Muhammad al-Idrisi]].{{Sfn|Deverdun|1959|p=61}} The year 1070, given by [[Ibn Idhari]],{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=34}} is more commonly used by modern historians,{{Sfnm|1a1=Deverdun|1y=1959|1p=59–63|2a1=Messier|2y=2010|2p=180|3a1=Abun-Nasr|3y=1987|3p=83|4a1=Salmon|4y=2018|4p=33|5a1=Wilbaux|5y=2001|5p=208|6a1=Bennison|6y=2016|6p=22, 34|7a1=Lintz|7a2=Déléry |7a3=Tuil Leonetti|7y=2014|7p=565}} although 1062 is still cited by some writers.{{Sfnm|1a1=Bloom|1a2=Blair|1y=2009|1loc="Marrakesh"|2a1=Naylor|2y=2009|2p=90|3a1=Park|3a2=Boum|3y=2006|3p=238}} Shortly after founding the new city, Abu Bakr was compelled to return south to the Sahara in order to suppress a rebellion by the Guddala and their allies which threatened the desert trade routes, in either 1060{{Sfn|Abun-Nasr|1987|p=|pp=81–82}} or 1071.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|pp=34–35}} His wife Zaynab appears to have been unwilling to follow him south and he granted her a divorce. Apparently on Abu Bakr's instructions, she was then married to Yusuf Ibn Tashfin.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|pp=34–35}}{{Sfn|Abun-Nasr|1987|p=81}} Before leaving, Abu Bakr appointed Ibn Tashfin as his deputy in charge of the new Almoravid territories in the north.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=34}} According to Ibn Idhari, Zaynab became his most important political advisor.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=35}}

A year later, after suppressing the revolt in the south, Abu Bakr returned north toward Marrakesh, expecting to resume his control of the city and of the Almoravid forces in North Africa.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=35}}{{Sfn|Abun-Nasr|1987|p=81}} Ibn Tashfin, however, was now unwilling to give up his own position of leadership. While Abu Bakr was still camped near Aghmat, Ibn Tashfin sent him lavish gifts but refused to obey his summons, reportedly on the advice of Zaynab.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=|pp=35–36}}<ref name=":052" /> Abu Bakr recognized that he was unable to force the issue and was unwilling to fight a battle over control of Marrakesh, so he decided to voluntarily recognize Ibn Tashfin's leadership in the Maghreb. The two men met on neutral ground between Aghmat and Marrakesh to confirm the arrangement. After a short stay in Aghmat, Abu Bakr returned south to continue his leadership of the Almoravids in the Sahara.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=|pp=35–36}}<ref name=":052" />

Following this, the Almoravid Empire was divided into two distinct but co-dependent parts: one led by Ibn Tashfin in the north, and another led by Abu Bakr in the south.<ref name=":0522" /> Abu Bakr continued to be formally acknowledged as the supreme leader of the Almoravids until his death in 1087.{{Sfn|Abun-Nasr|1987|p=81}} Historical sources give no indication that the two leaders treated each other as enemies and Ibn Tashfin continued to mint coins in Abu Bakr's name until the latter's death.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=36}} Following Abu Bakr's departure, Ibn Tashfin was largely responsible for building the Almoravid state in the Maghreb over the next two decades.{{Sfn|Abun-Nasr|1987|p=|pp=81–82}} One of Abu Bakr's sons, Ibrahim, who served as the Almoravid leader in Sijilmasa between 1071 and 1076 (according to the coinage minted there), did develop a rivalry with Ibn Tashfin and attempted to confront him toward 1076. He marched to Aghmat with the intention of reclaiming his father's position in the Maghreb. Another Almoravid commander, [[Mazdali ibn Tilankan]], who was related to both men, defused the situation and convinced Ibrahim to join his father in the south rather than start a civil war.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=36}}{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=63}}

=== Further conquests in the Maghreb ===
Ibn Tashfin had in the meantime helped to bring the large area of what is now [[Morocco]], [[Western Sahara]], and [[Mauritania]] under Almoravid control. He spent at least several years capturing each fort and settlement in the region around Fez and in northern Morocco.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|pp=43–49}} After most of the surrounding region was under his control, he was finally able to conquer Fez definitively. However, there is some contradiction and uncertainty among historical sources regarding the exact chronology of these conquests, with some sources dating the main conquests to the 1060s and others dating them to the 1070s.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=39}} Some modern authors cite the date of the final conquest of Fez as 1069 (461 AH).<ref name=":0523">{{Cite book |last1=Le Tourneau |first1=Roger |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition |last2=Terrasse |first2=Henri |publisher=Brill |year=2012 |isbn= |editor-last=Bearman |editor-first=P. |location= |pages= |chapter=Fās |editor2-last=Bianquis |editor2-first=Th. |editor3-last=Bosworth |editor3-first=C.E. |editor4-last=van Donzel |editor4-first=E. |editor5-last=Heinrichs |editor5-first=W.P.}}</ref><ref name="Le Tourneau 19495">{{Cite book |last=Le Tourneau |first=Roger |title=Fès avant le protectorat: étude économique et sociale d'une ville de l'occident musulman |publisher=Société Marocaine de Librairie et d'Édition |year=1949 |location=Casablanca |pages=51}}</ref>{{Sfn|Abun-Nasr|1987|p=82}} Historian Ronald Messier gives the date more specifically as 18 March 1070 (462 AH).{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=49}} Other historians date this conquest to 1074 or 1075.<ref name=":0523" />{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|pp=39, 337}}<ref name=":9">{{Cite book |last=Rivet |first=Daniel |title=Histoire du Maroc: de Moulay Idrîs à Mohammed VI |publisher=Fayard |year=2012 |pages=110}}</ref>

In 1079, Ibn Tashfin sent an army 20,000 strong from Marrakesh to push towards what is now [[Tlemcen]] to attack the Banu Ya'la, the Zenata tribe occupying the area. Led by Mazdali Ibn Tilankan, the army defeated the Banu Ya'la in battle near the valley of the Moulaya River and executed their commander, Mali Ibn Ya'la, the son of Tlemcen's ruler. However, Ibn Tilankan did not push to Tlemcen right away as the city of [[Oujda]], occupied by the Bani Iznasan, was too strong to capture.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|pp=65–66}} Instead, Ibn Tashfin himself returned with an army in 1081 that captured Oujda and then conquered Tlemcen, massacring the Maghrawa forces there and their leader, al-Abbas Ibn Bakhti al-Maghrawi.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|pp=65–66}} He pressed on and by 1082 he had captured [[Algiers]].{{Sfn|Abun-Nasr|1987|p=82}} Ibn Tashfin subsequently treated Tlemcen as his eastern base. At that time, the city had consisted of an older settlement called Agadir, but Ibn Tashfin founded a new city next to it called Takrart, which later merged with Agadir in the Almohad period to become the present city.<ref name=":0525">{{Cite book |last1=Bel |first1=A. |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam|edition=2nd |last2=Yalaoui |first2=M. |publisher=Brill |year=1960–2007 |isbn=978-9004161214 |editor-last=Bearman |editor-first=P. |location= |pages= |chapter=Tilimsān |editor2-last=Bianquis |editor2-first=Th. |editor3-last=Bosworth |editor3-first=C.E. |editor4-last=van Donzel |editor4-first=E. |editor5-last=Heinrichs |editor5-first=W.P.}}</ref>{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=66}}

The Almoravids subsequently clashed with the [[Hammadid dynasty|Hammadids]] to the east multiple times, but they did not make a sustained effort to conquer the central Maghrib and instead focused their efforts on other fronts.<ref name=":0524">{{Cite book |last=Idris |first=H.R. |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam|edition=2nd |publisher=Brill |year=1960–2007 |isbn=978-9004161214 |editor-last=Bearman |editor-first=P. |location= |pages= |chapter=Ḥammādids |editor2-last=Bianquis |editor2-first=Th. |editor3-last=Bosworth |editor3-first=C.E. |editor4-last=van Donzel |editor4-first=E. |editor5-last=Heinrichs |editor5-first=W.P.}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Baadj |first=Amar S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BvTjCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA42 |title=Saladin, the Almohads and the Banū Ghāniya: The Contest for North Africa (12th and 13th centuries) |publisher=Brill |year=2015 |isbn=978-90-04-29857-6 |series=Studies in the History and Society of the Maghrib |page=50}}</ref> Eventually, in 1104, they signed a peace treaty with the Hammadids.<ref name=":0524" /> Algiers became their easternmost outpost.<ref name=":0" />

By the 1080s, local Muslim rulers in [[al-Andalus]] (the [[Iberian Peninsula]]) were requesting Ibn Tashfin's help against the encroaching [[Reconquista#Northern Christian realms|Christian kingdoms]] to the north. Ibn Tashfin made the capture of [[Ceuta]] his primary objective before making any attempt to intervene there. Ceuta, controlled by Zenata forces under the command of Diya al-Dawla Yahya, was the last major city on the African side of the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] that still held out against him.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|pp=66–67}} In return for a promise to help him, Ibn Tashfin demanded that [[al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad]], the ruler of [[Seville]], provide assistance in besieging the city. Al-Mu'tamid obliged and sent a fleet to blockade the city by sea, while Ibn Tashfin's son Tamim led the siege by land.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|pp=66–67}} The city finally surrendered in June–July 1083{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=161}} or in August 1084.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|pp=66–67}}

Ibn Tashfin also made efforts to organize the new Almoravid realm. Under his rule, the western Maghreb was divided into well-defined administrative provinces for the first time—prior to this, it had been mostly tribal territory. A developing central government was established in Marrakesh, while he entrusted key provinces to important allies and relatives.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|pp=160–161}} The nascent Almoravid state was funded in part by the [[Islamic taxes|taxes allowed under Islamic law]] and by the gold that came from Ghana in the south, but in practice it remained dependent on the [[Looting|spoils]] of new conquests.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=161}} The majority of the Almoravid army continued to be composed of Sanhaja recruits, but Ibn Tashfin also began recruiting slaves to form a personal guard (''ḥashm''), including 5000 [[Black people|black]] soldiers (''<nowiki/>'abid'') and 500 white soldiers (''uluj'', likely of European origin).{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=161}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Albarrán |first=Javier |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UpxYDwAAQBAJ&dq=uluj+almoravid&pg=PT31 |title=War in the Iberian Peninsula, 700–1600 |publisher=Routledge |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-351-77886-2 |editor-last=Fitz |editor-first=Francisco García |pages=12–13 |language=en |chapter=Al-Andalus |editor-last2=Monteiro |editor-first2=João Gouveia}}</ref>

At some point, Yusuf Ibn Tashfin moved to acknowledge the [[Abbasid dynasty|Abbasids caliphs]] in [[Baghdad]] as overlords. While the Abbasids themselves had little direct political power by this time, the symbolism of this act was important and enhanced Ibn Tashfin's legitimacy.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=49}} According to Ibn Idhari, it was at the same time as this that Ibn Tashfin also took the title of {{Transliteration|ar|amīr al-muslimīn}} ('Commander of the Muslims'). Ibn Idhari dates this to 1073–74, but some authors, including modern historian [[Évariste Lévi-Provençal]], have dated this political decision to later, most likely when the Almoravids were in the process of securing control of al-Andalus.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=|pp=49–50}} According to Amira Bennison, the recognition of the Abbasid caliph must have been established by the 1090s at latest.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=50}} When [[Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi]] visited Baghdad between 1096 and 1098, possibly as part of an Almoravid embassy to Caliph [[al-Mustazhir]], he claimed that the [[Friday prayer]]s were already being given in the Abbasid caliph's name across the territories ruled by Yusuf Ibn Tashfin.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=50}}

=== Southern Almoravids and the Ghana Empire ===
After leaving Yusuf Ibn Tashfin in the north and returning south, Abu Bakr Ibn Umar reportedly made Azuggi his base. The town acted as the capital of the southern Almoravids under him and his successors.<ref>{{harvnb|Messier|2010|p=86}}: "Nor did Abu Bakr interfere with Yusuf's free hand in Morocco or Spain. The old amir ruled in the Sahara in the same way that tribal chiefs among the Sanhaja had done for generations, through a combination nation of tribal loyalties, religious appeal, and military strength. He had every intention to continue the religious revival in the vein of strict Malikite Islam. He brought to the desert a teacher from the city of Aghmat, the Imam al-Hadrami. The latter had studied Malikite law in both Qayrawan and Andalusia. Abu Bakr made him qadi, judge, in Azuggi. From there, Imam al-Hadrami went out to preach among the unbelievers."</ref><ref name=":14">{{harvnb|Bennison|2016|p=2}}: "The Arabic narrative, such as it is, posits that Abu Bakir b. 'Umar returned to the Almoravids' southern base or capital at Azuggi in modern Mauritania with a handful of Maliki jurists, including Abu Bakr Muhammad al-Muradi from Qayrawan, to orchestrate the Almoravid advance south against the Soninke kingdom of Ghana, which was successfully conquered around 1076–77 and subsequently collapsed. (...) The nature of the Almoravid encounter with Ghana—conquest or partnership—and the ethnic and religious origins of those involved is impossible to determine in the absence of new sources. However, the Almoravids clearly achieved control of the salt trade and the gold flow north, their primary economic objective, and Islam did take root among the population of Ghana, their religious objective. Abu Bakr maintained Almoravid control of the Sahara at least in the vicinity of Azuggi, and the expansion of the Sanhaja eastwards appears to have been led by the Almoravid Masufa, a group with strong marriage and maternal connections to the Lamtuna, who migrated into the vast zone between Sijilmasa and Waraqlan, led quite possibly by Abu Bakr's son, Yahya, known as al-Masufi due to his maternal lineage."</ref><ref name=":11" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Norris |first=H. T. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pztzAAAAMAAJ&q=azougui |title=The Arab Conquest of the Western Sahara: Studies of the Historical Events, Religious Beliefs and Social Customs which Made the Remotest Sahara a Part of the Arab World |date=1986 |publisher=Longman |isbn=978-0-582-75643-4 |page=243 |language=en |quote=Its present capital is Āṭār, though in the mediaeval period its principal towns were Azuqqi (Azougui), which, for a while, was the "capital" of the southern wing of the Almoravid movement, (...)}}</ref><ref name=":10" /><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Norris |first1=H.T. |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition |publisher=Brill |year=1993 |isbn= |editor-last=Bosworth |editor-first=C.E. |volume=7 |location= |pages=583–591 |language=en |chapter=Mūrītāniyā |quote=The movement of the 'men of the ribāṭ', the Almoravids [see al-murābiṭūn ], became established in the Río de Oro and in parts of Mauritania by missionaries who were adepts of the saint Wad̲j̲ād̲j̲ b. Zalw, who had previously established a ribāṭ at Aglū in the Sūs of Morocco, not far from present-day Tīznīt and Ifnī (see F. Meier, Almoraviden und Marabute , in WI, xxi, 80–163). However, the raids of the Saharans who joined the movement were primarily launched from within against Morocco itself, so that Mauritania never became its major centre. Only Azuggī, the capital of the southern wing, under Abū Bakr b. ʿUmar and his successors, was considered worthy of mention by such geographers as al-Idrīsī and Ibn Saʿīd al-Mag̲h̲ribī. |editor2-last=van Donzel |editor2-first=E. |editor3-last=Heinrichs |editor3-first=W.P. |editor4-last=Pellat |editor4-first=Ch.}}</ref> Despite the importance of the Saharan trade routes to the Almoravids, the history of the southern wing of the empire is not well documented in Arabic historical sources and is often neglected in histories of the Maghreb and al-Andalus.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=37}} This has also encouraged a division in modern studies about the Almoravids, with archeology playing a greater role in the study of the southern wing, in the absence of more textual sources. The exact nature and impact of the Almoravid presence in the Sahel is a strongly debated topic among [[African studies|Africanists]].{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=37}}

According to Arab tradition, the Almoravids under Abu Bakr's leadership conquered the [[Ghana Empire]], founded by the Soninke, sometime around 1076–77.<ref name=":14" /> An example of this tradition is the record of historian [[Ibn Khaldun]], who cited Shaykh Uthman, the [[Faqīh|faqih]] of Ghana, writing in 1394. According to this source, the Almoravids weakened Ghana and collected tribute from the Sudan, to the extent that the authority of the rulers of Ghana dwindled away, and they were subjugated and absorbed by the [[Sosso Empire|Sosso]], a neighboring people of the Sudan.<ref>Ibn Khaldun in Levtzion and Hopkins, eds. and transl. ''Corpus'', p. 333.</ref> Traditions in [[Mali]] related that the Sosso attacked and took over Mali as well, and the ruler of the Sosso, Sumaouro Kanté, took over the land.<ref>Nehemia Levtzion, ''Ancient Ghana and Mali'' (New York, 1973), pp. 51–52, 58–60.</ref>

However, criticism from Conrad and Fisher (1982) argued that the notion of any Almoravid military conquest at its core is merely perpetuated folklore, derived from a misinterpretation or naive reliance on Arabic sources.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Masonen | first1=Pekka | last2=Fisher | first2=Humphrey J. | title=Not quite Venus from the waves: The Almoravid conquest of Ghana in the modern historiography of Western Africa | year=1996 | journal=History in Africa | volume=23 | pages=197–232 | jstor=3171941 | url=http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/~amcdouga/Hist446/readings/conquest_in_west_african_historiography.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/~amcdouga/Hist446/readings/conquest_in_west_african_historiography.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live | doi = 10.2307/3171941 | s2cid=162477947 }}</ref> According to Professor Timothy Insoll, the archaeology of ancient Ghana simply does not show the signs of rapid change and destruction that would be associated with any Almoravid-era military conquests.{{sfn|Insoll|2003|p=230}}

Dierke Lange agreed with the original military incursion theory but argues that this doesn't preclude Almoravid political agitation, claiming that the main factor of the demise of the Ghana Empire owed much to the latter.{{sfn|Lange|1996|pp=122–159}} According to Lange, Almoravid religious influence was gradual, rather than the result of military action; there the Almoravids gained power by marrying among the nation's nobility. Lange attributes the decline of ancient Ghana to numerous unrelated factors, one of which is likely attributable to internal dynastic struggles instigated by Almoravid influence and Islamic pressures, but devoid of military conquest.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Lange|first= Dierk|date=1996|title=The Almoravid expansion and the downfall of Ghana|journal= Der Islam|volume= 73|number= 73 |doi= 10.1515/islm.1996.73.2.313|s2cid= 162370098|pages= 122–159}}.</ref>

This interpretation of events has been disputed by later scholars like Sheryl L. Burkhalter,<ref name=":15">{{Cite journal |last=Burkhalter |first=Sheryl L. |date=1992 |title=Listening for Silences in Almoravid History: Another Reading of 'The Conquest That Never Was' |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3171996 |journal=History in Africa |volume=19 |pages=103–131|doi=10.2307/3171996 |jstor=3171996 |s2cid=163154435 }}</ref> who argued that, whatever the nature of the "conquest" in the south of the Sahara, the influence and success of the Almoravid movement in securing west African gold and circulating it widely necessitated a high degree of political control.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gómez-Rivas |first=Camilo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eCWeBQAAQBAJ |title=Law and the Islamization of Morocco under the Almoravids: The Fatwās of Ibn Rushd al-Jadd to the Far Maghrib |publisher=Brill |year=2014 |isbn=978-90-04-27984-1 |page=13 |language=en}}</ref>

The Arab geographer [[Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri]] wrote that the Almoravids ended [[Ibadi Islam]] in Tadmekka in 1084 and that Abu Bakr "arrived at the mountain of gold" in the deep south.<ref name=":7" /> Abu Bakr finally died in [[Tagant Region|Tagant]] in November 1087 following an injury in battle—according to oral tradition, from an arrow<ref>P. Semonin (1964) "The Almoravid Movement in the Western Sudan: A review of the evidence" ''Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana'', v. 7: p. 58</ref>{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=209}}—while fighting in the historic region of the [[Sudan (region)|Sudan]].{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=86}}

After the death of Abu Bakr (1087), the confederation of Berber tribes in the Sahara was divided between the descendants of Abu Bakr and his brother Yahya, and would have lost control of Ghana.<ref name=":7">''The Cambridge History of Africa, Volume 3: From c. 1050 to c.  1600''</ref> Sheryl Burkhalter suggests that Abu Bakr's son Yahya was the leader of the Almoravid expedition that conquered Ghana in 1076, and that the Almoravids would have survived the loss of Ghana and the defeat in the Maghreb by the Almohads, and would have ruled the Sahara until the end of the 12th century.<ref name=":15" /> Some local oral histories support this, describing a southern Almoravid dynasty that lasted 200 years after Abu Bakr's death. When it finally split apart in the 13th century, one branch (by now thoroughly integrated into the local culture of [[Takrur]]) may have been led by the legendary [[Ndiadiane Ndiaye]], founder of the [[Jolof Empire]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ba |first1=Abdourahmane |editor1-last=Villasante Cervello |editor1-first=Mariella |editor2-last=Taylor |editor2-first=Raymond |title=Histoire et politique dans la vallée du fleuve Sénégal: Mauritanie. Hiérarchies, échanges, colonisation et violences politiques, VIIIe-XXIe siècle |date=2017 |publisher=Harmattan |page=144 |language=French |chapter=Chapitre 1, Le Takrur Historique Et l'Héritage Du Fuuta Tooro}}
</ref>

=== Expansion into al-Andalus ===
Initially, it appears Ibn Tashfin had little interest in involving the Almoravids in the politics of al-Andalus (the Muslim territories on the Iberian Peninsula).{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|pp=40, 42}} After the collapse of the [[Caliphate of Córdoba]] in the early 11th century, al-Andalus had split into small kingdoms or city-states known as the ''[[Taifa]]s''. These states constantly fought with each other but were unable to raise large armies of their own, so they became reliant instead on the [[Reconquista#Northern Christian realms|Christian kingdoms of the north]] for military support. This support was secured through the regular payment of ''[[parias]]'' (tributes) to the Christian kings, but the payments became a fiscal burden that drained the treasuries of these local rulers. In turn, the ''Taifa'' rulers burdened their subjects with increased taxation, including taxes and tariffs that were not considered legal under Islamic law. As the payments of tribute began to falter, the Christian kingdoms resorted to punitive raids and eventually to conquest. The ''Taifa'' kings were unwilling or unable to unite to counter this threat, and even the most powerful ''Taifa'' kingdom, [[Taifa of Seville|Seville]], was unable to resist Christian advances.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|pp=145–153, 166–170}}{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=41}}

After the Almoravid capture of Ceuta (1083) on the southern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar, the way was now open for Ibn Tashfin to intervene in al-Andalus. It was in this same year that [[Alfonso VI of León and Castile|Alfonso VI]], king of [[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]] and [[Kingdom of León|León]], led a military campaign into southern al-Andalus to punish al-Mu'tamid of Seville for failing to pay him tribute. His expedition penetrated all the way to [[Tarifa]], the southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula. A couple of years later, in May 1085, he seized control of [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]], previously one of the most powerful city-states in al-Andalus. Soon after, he also began a siege of [[Zaragoza]].{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=161}} These dramatic events forced the ''Taifa'' kings to finally consider seeking an external intervention by the Almoravids.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=162}}{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=43}} According to the most detailed Arabic source, it was al-Mu'tamid, the ruler of Seville, who convened a meeting with his neighbours, al-Mutawwakil of [[Taifa of Badajoz|Badajoz]] and [[Abdallah ibn Buluggin]] of [[Taifa of Granada|Granada]], where they agreed to send an embassy to Ibn Tashfin to appeal for his assistance.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=162}} The ''Taifa'' kings were aware of the risks that came with an Almoravid intervention but considered it the best choice among their bad options. Al-Mu'tamid is said to have remarked bitterly: "Better to pasture camels than to be a swineherd"—meaning that it was better to submit to another Muslim ruler than to end up as subjects of a Christian king.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=162}}{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=43}}

As a condition for his assistance, Ibn Tashfin demanded that [[Algeciras]] (a city on the northern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar, across from Ceuta) be surrendered to him so he could use it as a base for his troops. Al-Mu'tamid agreed. Ibn Tashfin, wary of the hesitation of the ''Taifa'' kings, immediately sent an advance force of 500 troops across the strait to take control of Algeciras. They did so in July 1086 without encountering resistance. The rest of the Almoravid army, numbering around 12,000, soon followed.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=162}} Ibn Tashfin and his army then marched to Seville, where they met up with the forces of al-Mu'tamid, al-Mutawwakil, and Abdallah ibn Buluggin. Alfonso VI, hearing of this development, lifted his siege of Zaragoza and marched south to confront them. The two sides met at a place north of Badajoz, called Zallaqa in Arabic sources and Sagrajas in Christian sources. In the [[Battle of Sagrajas]] (or Battle of Zallaqa), on 23 October 1086, Alfonso was soundly defeated and forced to retreat north in disorder. Al-Mu'tamid recommended that they press their advantage, but Ibn Tashfin did not pursue the Christian army further, returning instead to Seville and then to North Africa. It is possible he was unwilling to be away from his home base for too long or that the death of his eldest son, Sir, encouraged him to return.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=|pp=162–163}}{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=|pp=43–44}}

After Ibn Tashfin's departure, Alfonso VI quickly resumed his pressure on the ''Taifa'' kings and forced them to send tribute payments again. He captured the fortress of [[Aledo, Spain|Aledo]], cutting off eastern al-Andalus from the other Muslim kingdoms. Meanwhile, Ibn Rashiq, the ruler of [[Murcia]], was embroiled in a rivalry with al-Mu'tamid of Seville. As a result, this time it was the elites or notables ({{Transliteration|ar|wujūh}}) of al-Andalus who now called for help from the Almoravids, rather than the kings.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=163}} In May–June 1088, Ibn Tashfin landed at Algeciras with another army, soon joined by al-Mu'tamid of Seville, by Abdallah ibn Buluggin of Granada, and by other troops sent by Ibn Sumadih of [[Almería]] and Ibn Rashiq of Murcia. They then set out to retake Aledo. The siege, however, was undermined by rivalries and disunity among the ''Taifa'' kings. News eventually reached the Muslims that Alfonso VI was bringing an army to help the Castilian garrison. In November 1088, Ibn Tashfin lifted the siege and returned to North Africa again, having achieved nothing.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=|pp=163–164}} Alfonso VI sent his trusted commander, [[Álvar Fáñez|Alvar Fañez]], to pressure the ''Taifa'' kings again. He succeeded in forcing Abdallah ibn Buluggin to resume tribute payments and began to pressure al-Mu'tamid in turn.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=164}}

In 1090, Ibn Tashfin returned to al-Andalus yet again, but by this point he seemed to have given up on the ''Taifa'' kings and now intended to take direct control of the region.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=164}}{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=45}} The Almoravid cause benefited from the support of the [[Maliki school|Maliki]] {{Transliteration|ar|fuqahā}} ([[Islamic jurists]]) in Al-Andalus, who extolled the Almoravid devotion to ''[[jihad]]'' while criticizing the ''Taifa'' kings as impious, self-indulgent, and thus illegitimate.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=164}}{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=|pp=45, 47}} In September 1090, Ibn Tashfin forced Granada to surrender to him and sent Abdallah ibn Buluggin into exile in Aghmat. He then returned to North Africa again, but this time he left his nephew, Sir ibn Abu Bakr, in charge of Almoravid forces in al-Andalus. Al-Mu'tamid, seeking to salvage his position, resorted to striking an alliance with Alfonso VI, which further undermined his own popular support.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=164}} In early 1091, the Almoravids took control of Cordoba and turned towards Seville, defeating a Castilian force led Alvar Fañez that came to help al-Mu'tamid. In September 1091, al-Mu'tamid surrendered Seville to the Almoravids and was exiled to Aghmat.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=164}} In late 1091, the Almoravids captured Almería.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=164}} In late 1091 or January 1092, Ibn Aisha,<!--Messier 2010 names him "Da'ud ibn Aisha" while Bennison 1996 names him "Muhammad ibn Aisha". Some other sources simply refer to him as "Ibn Aisha".--> one of Ibn Tashfin's sons, seized control of Murcia.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=112}}

=== Campaigns against Valencia ===
The capture of Murcia brought the Almoravids within reach of [[Valencia]], which was officially under the control of [[Yahya al-Qadir|al-Qadir]], the former ''Taifa'' ruler of Toledo. He had been installed here in 1086 by the Castilians after they took control of Toledo.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=|pp=153, 165}} Al-Qadir's unpopular rule in Valencia was supported by a Castilian garrison headed by [[Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar]], a Castilian noble and mercenary better known today as El Cid. In October 1092, when El Cid was away from the city, there was an insurrection and ''coup d'état'' led by the ''[[qadi]]'' (judge) Abu Ahmad Ja'far Ibn Jahhaf. The latter called for help from the Almoravids in Murcia, who sent a small group of warriors to the city. The Castilian garrison was forced to leave and al-Qadir was captured and executed.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=46}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=165}}

However, the Almoravids did not send enough forces to oppose El Cid's return and Ibn Jahhaf undermined his popular support by proceeding to install himself as ruler, acting like yet another ''Taifa'' king.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=165}}{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=46}} El Cid began a long [[Siege of Valencia (1092–1094)|siege of the city]], completely surrounding it, burning nearby villages, and confiscating the crops of the surrounding countryside. Ibn Jahhaf agreed at one point to pay tribute to El Cid in order to end the siege, which resulted in the Almoravids in the city being escorted out by El Cid's men.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|pp=114–115}} For reasons that remain unclear, an Almoravid relief army led by Ibn Tashfin's nephew, Abu Bakr ibn Ibrahim, approached Valencia in September 1093 but then retreated without engaging El Cid.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=165}} Ibn Jahhaf continued negotiations. In the end, he refused to pay El Cid's tribute and the siege continued.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=165}} By April 1094, the city was starving and he decided to surrender it shortly after. El Cid re-entered Valencia on 15 June 1094, after 20 months of siege. Rather than ruling through a puppet again, he now took direct control as king.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=115}}

Meanwhile, also in 1094, the Almoravids seized control of the entire ''Taifa'' kingdom of Badajoz after its ruler, al-Mutawwakil, sought his own alliance with Castile.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=164}} The Almoravid expedition was led by Sir ibn Abu Bakr, who had been appointed as governor of Seville.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=115}} The Almoravids then returned their attention to Valencia, where another of Ibn Tashfin's nephews, Muhammad ibn Ibrahim, was ordered to take the city.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=165}}{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=115}} He arrived outside its walls in October 1094 and began attacks on the city. The siege ended when El Cid launched a two-sided attack: he sent a sortie from one city gate that posed as his main force, occupying the Almoravid troops, while he personally led another force from a different city gate and attacked their undefended camp. This inflicted the first major defeat on the Almoravids on the Iberian Peninsula.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=116}} After his victory, El Cid executed Ibn Jahhaf by burning him alive in public, perhaps in retaliation for treachery.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=165}}

El Cid fortified his new kingdom by building fortresses along the southern approaches to the city to defend against future Almoravid attacks.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=116}} In late 1096, Ibn Aisha led an army of 30,000 men to besiege the strongest of these fortresses, Peña Cadiella (just south of [[Xàtiva|Xativa]]).{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=116}} El Cid confronted them and called on [[Kingdom of Aragon|Aragon]] for reinforcements. When the reinforcements approached, the Almoravids lifted the siege, but laid a trap for El Cid's forces as they marched back to Valencia. They successfully ambushed the Christians in a narrow pass located between the mountains and the sea, but El Cid managed to rally his troops and repel the Almoravids yet again.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=|pp=116–117}} In 1097, the Almoravid governor of Xativa, Ali ibn al-Hajj,{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=165}} led another incursion into Valencian territory but was quickly defeated and pursued to [[Almenara, Castellón|Almenara]], which El Cid then captured after a three-month siege.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=|pp=116–117}}

In 1097, Yusuf Ibn Tashfin himself led another army into al-Andalus. Setting out from Cordoba with Muhammad ibn al-Hajj as his field commander, he marched against Alfonso VI, who was in Toledo at the time. The Castilians were routed at the [[Battle of Consuegra]]. El Cid was not involved, but his son, Diego, was killed in the battle.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=|pp=117–118}} Soon after, Alvar Fañez was also defeated near [[Cuenca, Spain|Cuenca]] in another battle with the Almoravids, led by Ibn Aisha. The latter followed up this victory by ravaging the lands around Valencia and defeated another army sent by El Cid.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=|pp=117–118}} Despite these victories in the field, the Almoravids did not capture any major new towns or fortresses.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=166}}

El Cid attempted to Christianize Valencia, converting its main mosque into a church and establishing a [[bishopric]], but ultimately failed to attract many new Christian settlers to the city.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=|pp=117–118}} He died on 10 July 1099, leaving his wife, Jimena, in charge of the kingdom. She was unable to hold off Almoravid pressures, which culminated in a siege of the city by the veteran Almoravid commander, Mazdali, in the early spring of 1102. In April–May, Jimena and the Christians who wished to leave the city were evacuated with the help of Alfonso VI. The Almoravids occupied the city after them.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=|pp=117–118}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=166}}

That same year, with the capture of Valencia counting as another triumph, Yusuf Ibn Tashfin celebrated and arranged for his son, [[Ali ibn Yusuf]], to be publicly recognized as his heir.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=166|pp=}} The ''Taifa'' king of Zaragoza, the only other Muslim power left in the peninsula, sent an ambassador on this occasion and signed a treaty with the Almoravids.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=166|pp=}} By the time Ibn Tashfin died in 1106, the Almoravids were thus in control of all of al-Andalus except for Zaragoza. In general, they had not reconquered any of the lands lost to the Christian kingdoms in the previous century.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=|pp=171–172}}

=== Early reign of Ali ibn Yusuf ===
[[File:Almoravid_gold_dinar_coin_from_Seville,_Spain,_1116_British_Museum.png|thumb|An [[Almoravid dinar]] coin from [[Seville]], 1116. ([[British Museum]]); the Almoravid [[gold dinar]] would set the standard of the Iberian ''[[maravedí]]''.]]
Ali Ibn Yusuf ({{Reign|1106|1143}}) was born in Ceuta and educated in the traditions of al-Andalus, unlike his predecessors, who were from the Sahara.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|pp=54–55}}{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=121}} According to some scholars, Ali ibn Yusuf represented a new generation of leadership that had forgotten the desert life for the comforts of the city.<ref>''North Africa, Islam and the Mediterranean World: From the Almoravids to the Algerian War'' (History & Society in the Islamic World), p. 59  By Julia Ann Clancy-Smith</ref> His long reign of 37 years is historically overshadowed by the defeats and deteriorating circumstances that characterized the later years, but the first decade or so, prior to 1118, was characterized by continuing military successes, enabled in large part by skilled generals.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|pp=54–55}} While the Almoravids remained dominant in field battles, military shortcomings were becoming apparent in their relative inability to sustain and win long sieges.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=173}}{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|pp=57–58}} In these early years, the Almoravid state was also wealthy, minting more gold than ever before, and Ali ibn Yusuf embarked on ambitious building projects, especially in Marrakesh.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|pp=54–55}}

Upon his enthronement, Ali ibn Yusuf was accepted as the new ruler by most Almoravid subjects, except for his nephew, Yahya ibn Abu Bakr, the governor of Fes.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=|pp=121–122}} Ali ibn Yusuf marched his army to the gates of Fes, causing Yahya to flee to Tlemcen. There, the veteran Almoravid commander, Mazdali, convinced Yahya to reconcile with his uncle. Yahya agreed, went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, and upon his return he was allowed to rejoin Ali Ibn Yusuf's court in Marrakesh.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=|pp=121–122}}

Ali ibn Yusuf visited al-Andalus for the first time of his reign in 1107. He organized the Almoravid administration there and placed his brother Tamim as overall governor, with Granada acting as the administrative capital.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=172}} The first major offensive in al-Andalus during his reign took place in the summer of 1108. Tamim, assisted by troops from Murcia and Cordoba, besieged and captured the small fortified town of [[Uclés]], east of Toledo. Alfonso VI sent a relief force, led by the veteran Alvar Fañez, that was defeated on 29 May in the [[Battle of Uclés (1108)|Battle of Uclés]].{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=|pp=172–173}} The result was made worse for Alfonso VI because his son and heir, [[Sancho Alfónsez|Sancho]], died in the battle.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=56}} In the aftermath, the Castilians abandoned Cuenca and [[Huete, Spain|Huete]], which opened the way for an Almoravid invasion of Toledo.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=173}} This came in the summer of 1109, with Ali Ibn Yusuf crossing over to lead the campaign in person. The death of Alfonso VI in June must have provided another advantage to the Almoravids. [[Talavera de la Reina|Talavera]], west of Toledo, was captured on 14 August. Toledo itself, however, resisted under the leadership of Alvar Fañez. Unable to overcome the city's formidable defenses, Ali ibn Yusuf eventually retreated without capturing it.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=173}}

[[File:Almoravid Empire.png|thumb|The Almoravid empire at its height stretched from the city of [[Aoudaghost]] to [[Taifa of Zaragoza|Zaragoza]] in Al-Andalus]]Meanwhile, the ''Taifa'' king of Zaragoza, [[Al-Musta'in II|al-Musta'in]], was a capable ruler but faced conflicting pressures. Like the previous ''Taifa'' rulers, he continued to pay ''parias'' to the Christian kingdoms to keep the peace, but popular sentiment within the city opposed this policy and increasingly supported the Almoravids. To appease this sentiment, al-Musta'in embarked on an expedition against the Christians of Aragon, but it failed.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=173}} He died in battle in January 1110 at [[Valtierra]]. His son and successor, Imad al-Dawla, was unable to establish his authority and, faced with the threat of revolt, fled the city. Ali ibn Yusuf seized the opportunity and gave Muhammad ibn al-Hajj the task of capturing Zaragoza.{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=135}} On 30 May, Ibn al-Hajj entered the city with little opposition, ending the last independent ''Taifa'' kingdom.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=174}}

The Almoravids remained on the offensive in the following years, but some of their best generals died during this time. In 1111, Sir ibn Abu Bakr (governor of Seville) campaigned in the west, occupying Lisbon and [[Santarém, Portugal|Santarém]] and securing the frontier along the [[Tagus River]].{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=174}} Muhammad ibn al-Hajj continued to be active in the east. His expedition to [[Huesca]] in 1112 was the last time that Muslim forces operated near the [[Pyrenees]].{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=174}} In 1114, he [[Almoravid expedition to Catalonia (1114)|campaigned in Catalonia]] and raided across the region, aided by Ibn Aisha from Valencia. On their return march, however, the Almoravids were [[Battle of Martorell (1114)|ambushed]] and both commanders were killed.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=174}} In late 1113, Sir ibn Abu Bakr died. In 1115, it was Mazdali, one of the most veteran and loyal allies of Yusuf ibn Tashfin's family, who died in battle while serving as governor of Cordoba and campaigning to the north of it. Together, these deaths represented a major loss of senior and capable commanders for the Almoravids.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=56}}{{Sfn|Messier|2010|p=|pp=135–136}}

In 1115, the new governor of Zaragoza, Abu Bakr ibn Ibrahim ibn Tifilwit, besieged Barcelona for 27 days while Count Ramon Berengar III was in [[Mallorca|Majorca]]. They lifted the siege when the Count returned, but in that same year the Almoravids captured the Balearic Islands, which had been temporarily occupied by the [[Catalans]] and [[Republic of Pisa|Pisans]].{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=174}} The Almoravids occupied Majorca without a fight after the death of the last local Muslim ruler, Mubashir al-Dawla.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=174}}

Ali ibn Yusuf made his third crossing into al-Andalus in 1117 to lead an [[Siege of Coimbra (1117)|attack on Coimbra]].{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=|pp=172, 174}} After only a short siege, however, he withdrew. His army raided along the way back to Seville and won significant spoils, but it was a further sign that Almoravid initiative was being depleted.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=174}}{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=56}}

===Decline===
Almoravid fortunes began to turn definitively after 1117. While Léon and Castile were in disarray following the death of Alfonso VI, other Christian kingdoms exploited opportunities to expand their territories at the expense of the Almoravids.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|pp=179–180}} In 1118, [[Alfonso the Battler|Alfonso I El Batallador]] ('The Battler'), king of Aragon, launched a successful attack on Zaragoza with the help of the French crusader [[Gaston IV, Viscount of Béarn|Gaston de Béarn]].{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=56}} The siege of the city began on 22 May and, after no significant reinforcements arrived, it surrendered on 18 December.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=181}} Ali ibn Yusuf ordered a major expedition to recover the loss, but it suffered a serious defeat at the [[Battle of Cutanda]] in 1120.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=181}}

The crisis is evidence that Almoravid forces were over-extended across their vast territories.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=181}}{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=56}} When the Almoravid governor of Zaragoza, Abd Allah ibn Mazdali, had died earlier in 1118, no replacement was forthcoming and the Almoravid garrison left in the city prior to the siege seems to have been very small.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=181}} It is possible that Yusuf ibn Tashfin had understood this problem and had intended to leave Zaragoza as a buffer state between the Almoravids and the Christians, as suggested by an apocryphal story in the ''Hulul al-Mawshiya'', a 14th-century chronicle, which reports that Ibn Tashfin, while on his deathbed, advised his son to follow this policy.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=|pp=173, 181}} Alfonso I's capture of Zaragoza in 1118, along with the union of Aragon with the counties of Catalonia in 1137, also transformed the Kingdom of Aragon into a major Christian power in the region. To the west, [[Afonso I of Portugal]] asserted his independent authority and effectively created the [[Kingdom of Portugal]]. The growing power of these kingdoms added to the political difficulties Muslims now faced in the Iberian Peninsula.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=180}}

This major reversal precipitated a decline in popular support for the Almoravids, at least in al-Andalus. Andalusi society largely cooperated with the Almoravids on the understanding that they could keep the aggressive Christian kingdoms at bay. Once this was no longer the case, their authority became increasingly hollow.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=57}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=182}} Their legitimacy was further undermined by the issue of taxation. One of the main appeals of early Almoravid rule had been its mission to eliminate non-canonical taxes (i.e. those not sanctioned by the Qur'an), thus relieving the people of a major fiscal burden. However, it was not feasible to finance Almoravid armies in the fight against multiple enemies across a large empire with the funding from Quranic taxes alone. Ali ibn Yusuf was thus forced to reintroduce non-canonical taxes while the Almoravids were losing ground.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=57}}

These developments may have been factors in sparking an uprising in Cordoba in 1121. The Almoravid governor was besieged in his palace and the rebellion became so serious that Ali ibn Yusuf crossed over into al-Andalus to deal with it himself. His army besieged Cordoba but, eventually, a peace was negotiated between the Almoravid governor and the population.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=182}}{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=57}} This was the last time Ali ibn Yusuf visited al-Andalus.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=172}}

Alfonso I of Aragon inflicted further humiliations upon the Almoravids in the 1120s. In 1125, he marched down the eastern coast, reached Granada (though he refrained from besieging it), and devastated the countryside around Cordoba. In 1129, he raided the region of Valencia and defeated an army sent to stop him.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=185}} The Almoravid position in al-Andalus was only shored up in the 1130s. In 1129, following Alfonso I's attacks, Ali ibn Yusuf sent his son (and later successor), [[Tashfin ibn Ali]], to re-organize the military structure in al-Andalus. His governorship grew to include Granada, Almeria, and Cordoba, becoming in effect the governor of al-Andalus for many years, where he performed capably.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=186}} The [[Banu Ghaniya]] clan, relatives of the ruling Almoravid dynasty, also became important players during this period. [[Yahya ibn Ali ibn Ghaniya]] was governor of Murcia up to 1133, while his brother was governor of the Balearic Islands after 1126. For much of the 1130s, Tashfin and Yahya led the Almoravid forces to a number of victories over Christian forces and reconquered some towns.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|pp=186–187}} The most significant was the [[Battle of Fraga]] in 1134, where the Almoravids, led by Yahya, defeated an Aragonese army besieging the small Muslim town of [[Fraga]]. Notably, Alfonso I El Batallor was wounded and died shortly after.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=187}}

The greatest challenge to Almoravid authority came from the Maghreb, in the form of the [[Almohad]] movement. The movement was founded by [[Ibn Tumart]] in the 1120s and then continued after his death (c. 1130) under his successor, [[Abd al-Mu'min]]. They established their base at [[Tinmal]], in the High Atlas mountains south of Marrakesh, and from here they progressively rolled back Almoravid territories.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|p=58}}{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=183}} The struggle against the Almohads was immensely draining on Almoravid resources and contributed to their shortage of manpower elsewhere, including in al-Andalus. It also required the construction of large fortresses in the Almoravid heartlands in present-day Morocco, such as the fortress of [[Tasghîmût|Tasghimut]].{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|pp=56, 59}} On Ali ibn Yusuf's orders, [[Walls of Marrakesh|defensive walls]] were built around the capital of Marrakesh for the first time in 1126.{{sfn|Wilbaux|2001|p=224}} In 1138, he recalled his son, Tashfin, to Marrakesh in order to assist in the fight against the Almohads. Removing him from al-Andalus only further weakened the Almoravid position there.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|p=184}}

In 1138, the Almoravids suffered a defeat at the hands of [[Alfonso VII of León and Castile]]. In the [[Battle of Ourique]] (1139), they were defeated by Afonso I of Portugal, who thereby won his crown.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}} During the 1140s, the situation grew steadily worse.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|pp=184, 187}}

After Ali ibn Yusuf's death in 1143, his son Tashfin ibn Ali lost ground rapidly before the Almohads. In 1146, he was killed in a fall from a precipice while attempting to escape after a defeat near [[Oran]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=718}} The [[Murīdūn|''Muridun'']] staged a major revolt in southwestern Iberia in 1144 under the leadership of the Sufi mystic [[Abu al-Qasim ibn Qasi|Ibn Qasi]], who later passed to the Almohads. [[Siege of Lisbon|Lisbon was conquered]] by the Portuguese in 1147.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=718}}

Tashfin's two successors were [[Ibrahim ibn Tashfin]] and [[Ishaq ibn Ali]], but their reigns were short. The [[Almohad conquest of Marrakesh (1147)|conquest of Marrakesh]] by the Almohads in 1147 marked the fall of the dynasty, though fragments of the Almoravids continued to struggle throughout the empire.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=718}} Among these fragments, there was the rebel Yahya Al-Sahrāwiyya, who resisted Almohad rule in the Maghreb for eight years after the fall of Marrakesh before surrendering in 1155.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|pp=61, 342}} Also in 1155, the remaining Almoravids were forced to retreat to the Balearic Islands and later Ifriqiya under the leadership of the Banu Ghaniya, who were eventually influential in the downfall of their conquerors, the Almohads, in the eastern part of the Maghreb.{{Sfn|Bennison|2016|pp=91, 270, 342–344}}