The Almoravid Empire: Morocco's Desert Reformers Conquer Andalusia

Long before the Saadians or Alaouites, another dynasty rose from the Sahara to reshape Morocco and Spain. This episode follows the Almoravids — Berber desert monks who launched a religious reform movement, built Marrakech from scratch, and crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to save Muslim Iberia from Christian conquest. We trace the rise of Abdallah ibn Yasin, the fiery preacher who united the Sanhaja tribes; the military genius of Yusuf ibn Tashfin, who founded Marrakech and defeated Alfonso VI at the Battle of Sagrajas in 1086; the strange story of the veiled men — the mulaththamun — whose face-covering tradition baffled outsiders; and the fall of the dynasty to the Almohads, another reformist movement. We also explore how Almoravid gold currency, the gold dinar, became the standard across the Mediterranean, and how their austere piety clashed with the sophisticated culture of al-Andalus. A story of faith, sand, and steel.

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