'Abd al-Mu'min (1094-1163) did not establish the first caliphate in the Islamic West, but his Almohad empire encompassed more territory than any that had preceded it. After defeating the Almoravids and conquering their capital Marrakesh, he united for the first time the whole of North Africa west of Egypt, and eventually took in the southern part of the Iberian peninsula.
In this volume, Maribel Fierro explores how 'Abd al-Mu'min and the Almohads shaped the history of the western Mediterranean. From al-Mu'min's encounter with Almohad founder Ibn Tumart to his administration of empire, his violent repression of opposition, and the flourishing of scholarship and thought during his reign, she reveals an intelligent ruler and a skilled military commander who sought to build a lasting caliphate across disparate and diverse societies.
