Draft:Hammadid capture of Tlemcen (1102)

Hammadid Capture of Tlemcen (1102-1103)
One of the gateways of Tlemcen
Date July 1103 Location Tlemcen, Algeria 34°52′58″N 01°19′00″W Result Hammadid victory
Belligerents
Hammadid dynasty Sanhadja Banu Hilal	Almoravid dynasty
Commanders and leaders
Al-Mansur	Tashfin ibn Tin'ama
Strength
24,000	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Low	High

The Hammadid capture of Tlemcen (1102) was a battle involving the Almoravid Dynasty and the Hammadid Dynasty.

Background

Prior to Al-Mansur's expedition to Tlemcen, Ibn Tinamur, the governor of Tlemcen, began raiding the lands of the Sanhaja. possibly with the help of the powerful Zenata tribe of Banu Wamanu, led by Makhoukh, despite the fact that both Al-Nasir and Al-Mansour were married to two sisters of this leader. In response, Al-Mansour fiercely retaliated, destroying the lands and fortresses of Makhoukh, and tightening the siege on Muhammad ibn Tinamur. This pressure forced Yusuf ibn Tashfin to reconcile with him and put an end to the Almoravid raids in the Sanhaja territory.

However, the Almoravids soon resumed their attacks. In response, Al-Mansour sent his son, Prince Abdullah, who forced them to withdraw from the Sanhaja lands and retreat to the far west of Morocco. Abdullah then took control of the western region of the central Maghreb, attacked the Banu Wamano territory, and besieged the town of El-Jaabat, eventually capturing it. He also took over the town of Marrat, pardoned its inhabitants, and then returned to his father.

The Banu Wamanu would revolt again, prompting Al-Mansur to personally intervene to quell the uprising among the Berbers. However, he faced a defeat that forced him to retreat to his capital, Bejaia. In his anger, the emir ultimately killed his wife, who was the sister of Makhoukh. Following this, Makhloukh's son sought assistance from the governor of Tlemcen, who, in turn, laid an unsuccessful siege to the city of Algiers but died during the battle. His brother, Tashfin ibn Tin'amar, succeeded him as the governor of Tlemcen and then marched toward the city of Achir, he caused significant damage.

Battle

Al-Mansur moved to counter the Almoravid-Zenata attack, rallying all forces that he could muster against the Almoravids in the Central Maghreb and Ifriqiya. He prepared a substantial army, estimated by Ibn al-Khatib to be twelve divisions, or 24,000 men, while Ibn Khaldun estimated it at around twenty thousand strong. His forces included Sanhadja warriors as well as contingents from the tribes of Athbaj, Zughba, and Rabi'ah among the Hilalian Arabs. In Shawwal 496 (July - August 1103), Al-Mansur marched towards Tlemcen with his army. He reached the Astasif River, now known as Wadi Safsaf, about 4 km west of Tlemcen, and sent his vanguard to the capital of Tashfin ibn Tin'amar.

The Almoravid governor, realizing he could not withstand Al-Mansur, had already evacuated Tlemcen and retreated to Tessala. However, Al-Mansur encountered him at Tesala and defeated him. Tashfin then took refuge in the mountain of Al-Sakhrah. Al-Mansur's soldiers entered Tlemcen to plunder it. During the plunder, Hawwa, the wife of Tashfin, came out of the city and approached Al-Mansur, throwing herself at his feet and pleading for mercy due to the shared Sanhadja ancestry between the Almoravids and the Hammadids. The emir welcomed her, honored her plea, and withdrew his troops, returning to his capital the following morning. The campaign lasted about a year.

Aftermath

After this, Al Mansur would re affirm his authority over the Zenata tribes that occupied his capital and would make some tribes that were yet never conquered submit to his rule. In the year 497 AH / 1104 AD, Yusuf ibn Tashfin made peace with Al-Mansour. To satisfy him, Tashfin ibn Tinamur was relieved of his governorship over Tlemcen.

After that, Al-Mansour attacked the Zanata tribes and scattered them in the Zab and Central Maghreb regions. He then returned to Bejaia, subjugating the tribes in the outskirts of the city, which had previously been difficult to control. He forced them to take refuge in the rugged mountains. Al-Mansour passed away in Rabi' al-Thani of the year 498 AH / 1105, seven months after returning from his campaign against Tlemcen.