Yaghmurasen ibn Zyan explained

Yaghmurasen Ibn Zyan
Arabic: يغمراسن إبن زيان
Amîr al-Muslîmîn[1]
Succession:Sultan of the Kingdom of Tlemcen
Reign:1236–1283
Predecessor:Zyan ben Thabet
Successor:Abu Said Uthman I
Birth Name:Yaghmurasen Ibn Zyan
Birth Date:1206
Death Date:February/March 1283[2] (aged 76–77)
Death Place:Miliana (present-day Algeria)
House:Zayyanid
House-Type:Dynasty
Religion:Islam

Yaghmurasen Ibn Zyan (1206 – February/March 1283, Arabic: يغمراسن إبن زيان, long name: Yaghmurasan ben Ziyan ben Thabet ben Mohamed ben Zegraz ben Tiddugues ben Taaullah ben Ali ben Abd al-Qasem ben Abd al-Wad) was the founder of the Zayyanid dynasty. Under his reign the Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen extended over present-day north-western Algeria.

Life

He was of the Zenata Berber tribe.[3] He founded the Zayyanid state in 1235, and warred with the Almohad Caliphate until 1248. He was successful in his military campaigns against the Merinids and the Maqil Arab tribe.

The governor of Ceuta, Abou'l-Hassan ben-Khelas, had revolted against the Almohads and recognised the sovereignty of Yaghmurasen, after this the Almohad ruler decided to march against Tlemcen but was defeated by Yaghmurasen.[4] When the Almohad Caliph marched against him, Yaghmurasen defeated him in the Battle of Oujda, the Almohad Caliphs head was taken and ordered to be shown to his mother.

Ibn Khaldun mentions anecdotes about him. Thus Yaghomracen heard genealogists who traced his descent from Muhammad. He commented about this claim in his local Berber language and said this:

When an architect wanted to write his name on a minaret that he had built, Yaghmurasen replied in his Zenati dialect "God knows" (Issen Rebbi).[5]

Name

In his commentary on the hagiographic book of Ibn al-Zayyat al-Tadili (Attashawof), Ahmed Toufiq explains that Yaghmur in Berber means "the virile/Stallion" whereas the prefix asen means "to them". Thereby giving "Yaghmurasen" a meaning close to "To prevail over them"[6]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Abou Zakarya Yah'ya Ibn Khaldoun Trad. Alfred Bel, Histoire des beni 'Abd El-Wad rois de Tlemcen jusqu'au règne d'Abou Hammou Moussa II, Alger, Imprimerie orientale Pierre Fonatana, 1904 p151 ; 152
  2. a et b Ibn Khaldoun, Histoire des Berbères et des dynasties musulmanes de l'Afrique septentrionale, traduction du baron de Slane (tome III), Ed. Imprimerie du Gouvernement (Alger), 1856 (read online)
  3. The History of Ibn Khaldun, book 7
  4. https://books.google.com/books?id=GIppAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA16 Histoire des Beni Zeiyan, rois de Tlemcen, par Abou-Abd'Allah-Mohammed ibn-Abd'el-Djelyl et Tenessy, ouvrage trad. par ...'
  5. Book: Piquet, Victor. Histoire des monuments musulmans du Maghreb. Impr. R. Bauche. 1937. fr. 2016-09-24. 2022-03-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20220310220759/https://books.google.com/books?id=_bAjAAAAMAAJ. live.
  6. Book: 1220. Ahmed Toufiq. 286. ar. ar:التشوف إلى رجال التصوف. Ibn al-Zayyat al-Tadili. Ibn al-Zayyat al-Tadili.