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By Xander Lopez
The Almohad Caliphate Begins (1130–1269)
The Almohad Caliphate Begins (1130–1269)
The Almohads were a reformist Berber dynasty that rose in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco in the early twelfth century and ruled much of the Maghrib and al-Andalus until the late 1200s. Their state replaced the Almoravids and claimed leadership of the western Islamic world. The name Almohad (“those who affirm God’s unity”) reflects their focus on the oneness of God, which shaped their politics and their architecture. (González Cavero, 2018, Petersen, 1999)
Around 1125–1126, the religious leader Muḥammad ibn Tūmart founded the Almohad movement at Tinmal in the Anti-Atlas. He preached strict doctrine against what he perceived as Almoravid laxity and was portrayed as the Mahdī (González Cavero, 2018,). Before going back to the Maghrib, Ibn Tūmart had studied in Córdoba and in eastern cities like Alexandria, Mecca, and Baghdad. His exposure to significant religious discussions and landmarks such as the Great Mosque of Córdoba during those travels shaped Almohad conceptions of mosque architecture and design (González Cavero, 2018). His message ultimately presented the movement as one of reform, although many saw it at first as a rebellious movement (Jewish Encyclopedia, n.d.)
After Ibn Tūmart’s death around 1130, his disciple ‘Abd al-Muʾmin turned the religious movement into a conquering force. He organized Almohad armies to defeat Almoravid forces, and pushed out of the mountains onto the plains. (González Cavero, 2018). Controlling Taza, which was on the route between far west and central Maghrib (now known as Morocco and Algeria), moved central control to a larger and more strategic zone. After taking the area, ‘Abd al-Muʾmin founded the Great Mosque of Taza in 1142, giving the new dynasty a visible monument at a strategic crossroads. (Nabataea.net, n.d.) In 1147, Almohad armies crossed the Strait of Gibraltar in 1147 and gradually took over western al-Andalus, making Marrakesh their capital. This capture marked the full transfer of power to the new dynasty (González Cavero, 2018, Petersen, 1999).
Ibn Tūmart
Ibn Tūmart
‘Abd al-Muʾmin
Almohad hands in Al-Andalus
Almohad hands in Al-Andalus
Almohad armies turned Seville into the center of Almohad rule and their main base in the region. By 1170, key governing functions for al-Andalus had been moved to Seville to better coordinate resistance to Christian kingdoms, while Marrakesh remained the imperial capital, the political center of the empire (Petersen, 1999). After the death of the anti-Almohad Ibn Mardanīsh in 1172, the Almohads absorbed the eastern region of Sharq al-Andalus and reached the height of their power (González Cavero, 2018). Seville, becoming the regional capital of Al-Andalus, saw great architectural projects. The Almohad congregational mosque there had a brick minaret that survives as the Giralda, described by the Discover Islamic Art project as the most important surviving Almohad religious monument in Iberia. (Sánchez Llorente, 2025
Almohad Collapse
Almohad Collapse
In the early 1200s, Christian kingdoms from northern and central Iberia pressed south while Almohad authority weakened. The turning point was the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, when a coalition led by Alfonso VIII of Castile defeated the Almohad army. Encyclopaedia Britannica calls this a decisive blow that broke Almohad military strength in Spain (Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d.). After this, Christian advances accelerated. Seville remained an Almohad city until 1248, when it fell and the dynasty lost its main Andalusian base. In North Africa, rival dynasties and local revolts narrowed Almohad control to Marrakesh. In 1269 a new ruling house took the city, which is considered the end of the Almohad caliphate (Petersen, 1999).
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