- Zirid
The Zirids ( _ar. زيريون) were a Berber dynasty, originating in
Petite Kabylie among theKutama tribe, that ruledIfriqiya (in modern day EasternAlgeria andTunisia ), initially on behalf of theFatimid s, for about two centuries, until weakened by theBanu Hilal and finally destroyed by theAlmohad s. Their capital wasKairouan . An offshoot branch of the family ruledGranada until1090 .The
Hammadid s were an offshoot of this dynasty.History
The Zirids were
Sanhaja Berbers from the area of modernAlgeria . In the 10th century this tribe served as vassals of theFatimids , defeating theKharijite rebellion ofAbu Yazid (943 -947 , underZiri ibn Manad (935 -971 ). Ziri was installed as the governor of centralMaghreb and founded the gubernatorial residence ofAshir south-east ofAlgiers , with Fatimid support.When the Fatimids moved their base to
Egypt in972 , Ziri's sonBuluggin ibn Ziri (971 -984 ) was appointed viceroy ofIfriqiya . The removal of the fleet to Egypt made the retention ofKalbid Sicily impossible, whileAlgeria broke away under the governorship ofHammad ibn Buluggin , Buluggin's son.The relationship with the Fatimid overlords was variable - in
1016 thousands ofShiites lost their lives in rebellions inIfriqiya , and the Fatimids encouraged the defection ofTripolitania from the Zirids, but nevertheless the relationship remained close. In1045 the Zirids broke away completely by recognising theAbbasids ofBaghdad as rightful Caliphs.The Fatimids sent the
Bedouin tribes ofBanu Hilal andBanu Sulaym to Ifriqiya. The Berber troops defected and the Zirids were defeated, and the land laid waste by the Bedouin. The resulting anarchy devastated the previously flourishing agriculture, and the coastal towns assumed a new importance as conduits for maritime trade and bases for piracy against Christian shipping.After the loss of
Kairouan (1057 ) the rule of the Zirids was limited to a coastal strip withMahdia as the capital, while severalBedouin Emirate s formed inland. Between1146 and1148 theNormans ofSicily conquered all the coastal towns, and in1152 the last Zirids in Algeria were superseded by theAlmohads .Zirids in
Al-Andalus The Zirids are also known as a dynasty of the
Taifa of Granada kingdom. The founder wasZiri Manad and his main descendant,Zawi ben Ziri , a general of theCaliphate of Córdoba army, under the orders ofCaliph Hisham II , and his "Hayib"Almansur After his death in
Medinaceli August 12th1002 (25 Ramadan 392), there is a civil war that spreads on Al-Andalus.Zawi ben Ziri takes part as General of one of the Armies and destroys several cities, as in1011 Medina Azahara and March1013 Córdoba. He is founder ofTaifa of Granada , and he declares himself as firstEmir . He died poisoned inAlgiers in1019 .The Zirids also were governors of other kingdoms as
Malaga History tells that art and civil construction made under the rule of Zirids governors and emirs in Al-Andalus, mainly in
Taifa of Granada , were very important. An example is the CadimaAlcazaba inAlbayzin ,Granada and part of the old wall surroundingGranada .Tunisian Zirid Rulers
*Abul-Futuh Sayf ad-Dawla
Buluggin ibn Ziri (973 -983 )
*Abul-Fat'hal-Mansur ibn Buluggin (983 -995 )
*Abu Qatada Nasir ad-DawlaBadis ibn Mansur (995 -1016 )
*Sharaf ad-Dawlaal-Muizz ibn Badis (1016 -1062 ) declared independence from theFatimid s1048 , changed capital toMahdia in1057 afterKairouan was lost to theBanu Hilal .
*Abu TahirTamim ibn al-Muizz (1062 -1108 ); changed thekhutba to refer to theAbbasid Caliph in1087 , marking a final break with theFatimid s.
*Yahya ibn Tamim (1108 -1131 )
*Ali ibn Yahya (1115 -1121 )
*Abul-Hasan al-Hasan ibn Ali (1121 -1152 )
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.