The Khurasanid Dynasty ( ar, بنو خراسان, Banu Khurasan) was a

Sanhaja The Sanhaja ( ber, Aẓnag, pl. Iẓnagen, and also Aẓnaj, pl. Iẓnajen; ar, صنهاجة, ''Ṣanhaja'' or زناگة ''Znaga'') were once one of the largest Berber tribal confederations, along with the Zanata and Masmuda confederations. Ma ...

Berber Sunni Muslim

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

centered in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. It ruled an independent principality in

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

from 1059 to 1148 when they became governors of Ifriqiya under the

Siculo-Norman The Italo-Normans ( it, Italo-Normanni), or Siculo-Normans (''Siculo-Normanni'') when referring to Sicily and Southern Italy, are the Italian-born descendants of the first Norman conquerors to travel to southern Italy in the first half of the ...

kings and their annexions into the

Kingdom of Africa The Kingdom of Africa was an extension of the frontier zone of the Siculo-Norman state in the former Roman province of Africa (''Ifrīqiya'' in Arabic), corresponding to Tunisia and parts of Algeria and Libya today. The main primary sources f ...

, until the end of the dynasty in 1159 due to the

Almohad The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire fou ...

conquest.

History

The Khurasanid dynasty was founded during the 11th century by Abd al-Haqq ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Khurasan, who was appointed as governor of

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

by the

Hammadid dynasty The Hammadid dynasty () was a branch of the Sanhaja Berber dynasty that ruled an area roughly corresponding to north-eastern modern Algeria between 1008 and 1152. The state reached its peak under Nasir ibn Alnas during which it was briefly the m ...

. This followed entreaties by locals seeking protection from raids by the

Banu Hilal The Banu Hilal ( ar, بنو هلال, translit=Banū Hilāl) was a confederation of Arabian tribes from the Hejaz and Najd regions of the Arabian Peninsula that emigrated to North Africa in the 11th century. Masters of the vast plateaux of t ...

, as the

Zirid dynasty The Zirid dynasty ( ar, الزيريون, translit=az-zīriyyūn), Banu Ziri ( ar, بنو زيري, translit=banū zīrī), or the Zirid state ( ar, الدولة الزيرية, translit=ad-dawla az-zīriyya) was a Sanhaja Berber dynasty from m ...

sultan

Al-Mu'izz ibn Badis Al-Muʿizz ibn Bādīs (; 1008–1062) was the fourth ruler of the Zirids in Ifriqiya, reigning from 1016 to 1062. Political career Al-Muizz ascended the throne as a minor following the death of his father Badis ibn Mansur, with his aunt, Umm Ma ...

offered none. Abd al-Haqq soon made the city an independent principality that would be governed by his family for almost a century. The fourth Khurasanid ruler, Ahmad ibn Abd al-Aziz (1107-1128), was considered by

Ibn Khaldoun Ibn Khaldun (; ar, أبو زيد عبد الرحمن بن محمد بن خلدون الحضرمي, ; 27 May 1332 – 17 March 1406, 732-808 AH) was an Arab The Historical Muhammad', Irving M. Zeitlin, (Polity Press, 2007), p. 21; "It is, of ...

to be the most remarkable of his family. He built ramparts around Tunis to defend it and secured guarantees of safe passage for travellers from the Banu Hilal.Sir H. A. R. Gibb, ''The Encyclopaedia of Islam'' (1954), Brill Archive, page 60 The principality was annexed to the Hammadid kingdom in 1128, before it recovered its independence in 1148. After a period of Hammadid rule and a brief interregnum during which the people of Tunis sought to elect a new leader, Khurasanid rule was restored when Abu Bakr ibn Ismail was smuggled over the city walls at night in a basket. Seven months later he was drowned by his nephew Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Aziz, who succeeded him. Under Khurasanid rule, the small independent kingdom resumed foreign trade relations and people enjoyed unprecedented prosperity. The city was embellished with new buildings, including a fortified palace, and the outer defenses were strengthened. In 1159, the last Khurasanid ruler, Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Abd al-Aziz, was ousted by the Almohad Caliphate and sent into exile. The Almohads annexed the whole Ifriqiya to its empire, putting an end to Khurasanid rule.Martijn Theodoor Houtsma
''E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936''
Brill, Leyde, 1987, p. 967 ()

List of rulers of the Khurasanid dynasty

* 1062-1095 : Abd al-Haqq ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Khurasan * 1095-1105 : Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd al-Haqq * 1105-1107 : Ismail ibn Abd al-Haqq * 1107-1128 : Ahmad ibn Abd al-Aziz * ''1128-1148 : Hammadid annexation''

Governors under the
Siculo-Norman The Italo-Normans ( it, Italo-Normanni), or Siculo-Normans (''Siculo-Normanni'') when referring to Sicily and Southern Italy, are the Italian-born descendants of the first Norman conquerors to travel to southern Italy in the first half of the ...
kings
Roger II Roger II ( it, Ruggero II; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became Duke of Apulia and Calabria in ...
and
William I of Sicily William I (1120 or 1121May 7, 1166), called the Bad or the Wicked ( scn, Gugghiermu lu Malu), was the second king of Sicily, ruling from his father's death in 1154 to his own in 1166. He was the fourth son of Roger II of Sicily, Roger II and Elvi ...

* 1148 : Cadi Abu Muhammad Abd al-Mumin ibn Abu al-Hasan (elected, not belonging to the Dynasty) * 1148 : Muhriz ibn Ziyab (from the Banu Riyah tribe, not belonging to the Dynasty) * 1148-1149 : Abu Bakr ibn Ismail * 1149-1159 : Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Aziz * 1159 : Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Abd al-Aziz * ''1159 : Almohad conquest''

References

{{Muslim dynasties in Maghreb region 11th century in Ifriqiya 12th century in Ifriqiya Sunni dynasties Berber dynasties Sanhaja History of Tunis