The Almohads: The Rise of an Islamic Empire

How did an obscure Islamic visionary found an empire? The Almohad Empire at its zenith in the 12th century was the major power in Mediterranean and North Africa, ruling a huge and disparate region from the Atlas Mountains to Tunisia, Morocco and Andalusia. Allen Fromherz, drawing on medieval Arabic and Berber sources, analyses the history and myths surrounding the rise of the Almohads. He shows how Muhammad Ibn Tumart, the son of an obscure Berber tribal chief, founded his mission to reform Islam - then at a low point in its history, battered by the crusades, having lost Jerusalem and been undermined by weak spiritual and political leadership. Ibn Tumart was proclaimed Mahdi by the Berber tribes, as one who heralded the golden age of Islam. He provided charismatic leadership, and a message of unswerving adherence to absolute monotheism and fundamental Islam, to be enforced by jihad - holy war. He died in 1130, before his dream could be accomplished but his successors quickly built on his foundation, conquering Marrakech - the door to the Sahara gold trade and the greatest city of commerce and trade in North Africa. Ibn Tumart and his legacy were to prove the launch-pad for empire, leading to Almohad domination of the Western Mediterranean from Tunisia to Morocco and Andalusia. It became the seat of a brilliant civilisation, the seed-bed of a 12th-century renaissance and flowering of scholarship which reached far into the Middle East and Europe. Fromherz shows how Tumart formed the sinews of empire - by charismatic leadership, a reformed and powerful Islam, unity based on the closely-knit traditions of the Berber tribes, military power and sound administration. This is the first account of the Almohads in English and will be essential for all who are interested in Islam, the Almohad Empire, North Africa and Middle East, and the lasting cultural effect on the region and on Europe.

Table of Contents:
On Founding Myths - Introduction. The Life of Ibn Tumart and the Birth of Almohad Movement. The Rise of Almohads: The Tribal Roots and Monotheism. The Doctrine of Muhammad Ibn Tumart: The Mahdi of Almohads. The Rise of Almohads in Context. Conclusions, Bibliography.

About the Author :
Allen J. Fromherz is Associate Professor of Middle Eastern and editerranean History at Georgia State University. He holds a PhD in History from St Andrews University and is the author of Qatar: A Modern History (I.B.Tauris) and Ibn Khaldun, Life and Times.

Review :
An intelligent and well-researched account of the origins of the Almohad Empire.' Hugh N. Kennedy, Professor of Arabic, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS),University of London 'A very welcome contribution to the field ... [Fromherz] introduces the Almohads in a lively and engaging way.' Amira K. Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge 'Well-researched and thorough ... invaluable for the scholar of Islam.' Anthony McRoy, Muslim World Book Review The Almohad Empire at its zenith in the twelfth century was the major power in the Mediterranean'This is an intelligent and well researched account of the origins of the Almohad Empire. There is no other full length account of this important movement in English.' - Hugh N Kennedy, Professor of Arabic, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.