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Ziri ibn Atiyya

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Ziri ibn Atiyya (died 1001, Achir) was the tribal leader of the Berber Maghrawa tribal confederacy and kingdom in Fez.

Biography

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Under the protection of the Umayyad Caliph in Spain, Hisham II, and his powerful regent al-Mansur, Ziri became king of the Zenata tribes in 978-979 and immediately set about conquering as much as he could of what is now known as northern Morocco. In 987-988 he was secure enough to be able to establish his court at Fes after capturing it from the Idrissids[1][2] In 989, he was asked by al-Mansur to attack Abu al-Bahar, who controlled most of what is now Algeria and Tunisia. Abu al-Bahar had deserted the Fatimid cause to align himself with the Umayyads, but then changed sides again once he had gained control of most of the Maghreb. Ziri attacked with such vigour that Abu al-Bahar fled without much of a fight, and Ziri became master of the Maghreb in the year 991, which led to the annexation of Souss and Zab[3][4] After this victory, Ziri is said to have sent al-Mansur a present consisting of 200 racehorses, 50 racing camels, 1000 shields, musk civets, giraffes, gazelles and other animals of the Sahara, and 1000 loads of dates. Al-Mansur invited Ziri to Cordoba. He went accompanied by 300 slaves on horseback and 300 more on foot, as well as taking more presents including lions in cages, cattle that resembled horses, a bird that spoke both Arabic and Berber, dates the size of melons, and other prodigies. Al-Mansur gave him the title of vizier. However, on his return to Morocco, Ziri is said to have exclaimed "Now my head is my own!" and forbade anyone to call him by any title other than amir[citation needed] in his absence, the Banu Ifran had managed to capture Fes. They were led by Yaddū, a long-standing adversary of Ziri. After a bloody struggle, Ziri recaptured Fes in 993 and displayed Yaddū's severed head on its walls.[5][6][7] the Maghrawa state extended its influence from Fez to Constantine after this[8] Then followed by a period of peace during which time Ziri built (or rebuilt) the city of Oujda beginning in August or September 994.[2][9][10][11] al-Mansur relied on support from the Maghrawa. He often urged Ziri to assist him in his campaigns in Andalusia by providing manpower and financial resources[12] until rumours began to reach al-Mansur that Ziri was ignoring his wishes. At last, in 996, al-Mansur withdrew his support and cancelled his title. Ziri responded by acknowledging Hisham II as rightful Caliph. Al-Mansur then sent an invasion force to Morocco. After three months of struggle, al-Mansur's force had to retreat to the safety of Tangiers. Al-Mansur immediately sent a powerful reinforcement under his son Abd al-Malik. The armies clashed near Tangier. During the battle, Ziri was stabbed by an African soldier who reported to Abd al-Malik that he had seriously wounded the Zenata leader. Abd al-Malik pressed home the advantage, and the wounded Ziri fled the field hotly pursued by the Caliph's army. The inhabitants of Fes would not let him enter the city, but opened the gates to Abd al-Malik on October 13, 998.[13] Ziri fled to the Sahara, where he rallied the Zenata tribes and overthrew the unpopular remnants of the Idrisid dynasty at Tiaret. He was able to expand his territory to include Tlemcen and other parts of western Algeria, this time under Fatimid protection.[14][15]

Death

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Ziri died in Achir, in 1001 of the eventual effects of the stab wounds. He was succeeded by his son al-Mu'izz, who made his peace with al-Mansur, who restored him to possession of all his father's former territories.[13][16][17][18]

References

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  1. ^ Grammet, Ivo; Dewachter, Min; Palmenaer, Els de (2006). Maroc: les artisans de la mémoire (in French). Quo Vadis. p. 33. ISBN 978-90-5349-577-3.
  2. ^ a b Bulletin trimestriel de géographie et d'archéologie (in French). Soc. 1886.
  3. ^ al-Fāsī, ʻAlī ibn ʻAbd Allāh Ibn Abī Zarʻ (1860). Histoire des souverains du Maghreb (Espagne et Maroc) et annales de la ville de Fès (in French). Impr. impériale.
  4. ^ Brett, Michael (2001). The Rise of the Fatimids: The World of the Mediterranean and the Middle East in the Fourth Century of the Hijra, Tenth Century Ce. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-11741-9.
  5. ^ Bellil, Rachid (1999). Les oasis du Gourara, Sahara algérien: Fondation des ksour. II (in French). Peeters Publishers. ISBN 978-90-429-0924-3.
  6. ^ Golvin, Lucien (1957). Le Magrib central à l'époque des Zirides: recherches d'archéologie et d'histoire (in French). Arts et métiers graphiques.
  7. ^ Khaldûn, ʿAbd al-Raḥman b Muḥammad Ibn (1856). Histoire des Berbères et des dynasties musulmanes de l'Afrique septentrionale, tr. par le baron de Slane (in French).
  8. ^ Benbella, Bouchra (2003). Oujda au miroir des voyageurs franc̨ais: fin XIXème, début XXème siècles (in French). Université Mohamed Premier, Faculté des lettres et des sciences humaines. ISBN 978-9981-102-47-7.
  9. ^ Krulick-Belin, Jan (2021-05-03). Love, Bill: Finding My Father Through Letters from World War Ii (New ed.). Archway Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4808-9291-0.
  10. ^ Voinot, L. (1912). Oudjda et l'Amalat (Maroc) (in French). L. Fouque.
  11. ^ Boulanger, Robert (1969). Maroc: Le texte de ce guide a été établi (in French). Hachette.
  12. ^ Gaïd, Mouloud (1996). Les berbers dans l'histoire: En Espagne Musulmane à partir de 711 (in French). Editions Mimouni. ISBN 978-9961-68-001-8.
  13. ^ a b Ibn, Khaldun. Histoire des Berbères.
  14. ^ Marouf, Nadir (1980-01-01). Lecture de l'espace oasien (in French). FeniXX réédition numérique. ISBN 978-2-402-03711-2.
  15. ^ Khaldūn, Ibn (1969). Histoire des Berbères et des dynasties musulmanes de l'Afrique septentrionale. Traduite de l'arabe par le baron de Slane (in French). P. Geuthner.
  16. ^ Hamet, Ismaël (1857-1932) Auteur du texte (1923). Histoire du Maghreb : cours professé à l'Institut des hautes études marocaines / Ismaël Hamet,...{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Venning, Timothy (2023-06-30). A Compendium of Medieval World Sovereigns. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-86633-9.
  18. ^ Fage, J. D.; Oliver, Roland Anthony (1975). The Cambridge History of Africa. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-21592-3.
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