Yahya ibn Abd al-Aziz

Yahya ibn Abd al-Aziz ( Arabic يحيى بن عبد العزيز, DMG Yaḥyā b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ) was the ninth ruler of the Hammadids in Algeria from 1121 to 1152 .

Yahya succeeded Abd al-Aziz ibn al-Mansur (1104-1121) in the Hammadid Empire . The economy of the empire in Algeria had meanwhile largely switched to maritime trade in the Mediterranean and led to considerable economic prosperity in the port cities. However, this also led to attacks by Christians . In 1143 Jirdscheli was conquered and plundered by the Sicilian Normans . Even if the hinterland became less important for the Hammadids, some control over the Bedouin and Berber tribes could be maintained.

The fall of the empire could not be prevented, however, because with the Almohads in Morocco a new powerful dynasty had emerged, which had conquered western Algeria as early as 1145. In 1151 the Almohads under Abd al-Mumin began the attack on the Hammadid Empire and defeated Yahya before Bougie (1152). Algeria was annexed to the Almohad Empire. Yahya went into honorable exile in Sale, where he also died.

literature

• Stephan Ronart, Nandy Ronart: Lexicon of the Arab World. A historical-political reference work. Artemis Verlag, Zurich et al. 1972, ISBN 3-7608-0138-2 .