High Middle Ages · Africa · Politics

1068

Almoravid Empire Unifies Morocco Under Yusuf ibn Tashfin

1068

Yusuf ibn Tashfin methodically absorbed Morocco's key cities - Fez, Meknes, Tangier - creating a unified North African state for the first time in centuries. His armies combined Saharan Berber cavalry with religious zeal sharpened in the austere ribats of the deep desert. The Almoravid capital at Marrakesh grew from a military camp into a city of mosques and markets, its red walls rising against the Atlas Mountains.