The Hilalian invasion of Ifriqiya () refers to the migration of Arab tribes of Banu Hilal to

Ifriqiya Ifriqiya ( '), also known as al-Maghrib al-Adna ( ar, المغرب الأدنى), was a medieval historical region comprising today's Tunisia and eastern Algeria, and Tripolitania (today's western Libya). It included all of what had previously ...

. It was organised by the

Fatimids The Fatimid Caliphate was an Isma'ilism, Ismaili Shia Islam, Shi'a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries AD. Spanning a large area of North Africa, it ranged from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the ea ...

with the goal of punishing the Zirids for breaking ties with them and pledging allegiance to the Abbasid Caliphs.

Background

Since the Fatimid conquest of Egypt in 969, then under the rule of the Ikhshidids, vassals of the

Abbasids The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

, the Fatimids began to lose control over their possessions in the Maghreb. In 972, the Zirids declared independence from the Fatimids and recognised the

as caliphs. As retaliation, the Fatimids sent devastating Banu Hilal invasions into the Maghreb to punish the Zirids and Hammadids.

Invasion

After devastating Cyrenica in 1050, the Banu Hilal advanced westwards towards the Zirids. The Hilalians proceeded to sack and devastate Ifriqiya, they defeated the Zirids decisively in the Battle of Haydaran on April 14, 1052. The Hilalians then expelled the Zenatas from southern Ifriqiya and forced the Hammadids to pay an annual tribute, placing the Hammadids under Hilalian vassalage. The city of Kairouan was looted by the Banu Hilal in 1057 after it was abandoned by the Zirids.

Aftermath

As a result of the invasion, the Zirids and Hammadids were expelled to the coastal regions of Ifriqiya, with the Zirids being forced to move their capital from Kairouan to Mahdia, and their rule limited to a coastal strip around Mahdia, meanwhile the Hammadid rule was limited to a coastal strip between Ténès and El Kala as vassals of Banu Hilal and eventually being forced to move their capital from Beni Hammad to Béjaïa in 1090 following increasing pressure from Banu Hilal.

References

Sources

* * * {{EI2 , last = Idris , first = H. R. , title = Hilāl , volume = 3 , pages = 385–387 , url = http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0287 1050s conflicts Hilalian invasion of Ifriqiya Hammadids Kairouan Zenata

Background

Invasion

Aftermath

See also

References

Sources