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Almohad Capital System

Type Object Region Africa Time c. 1147–1269

In the mid-12th century the Almohad Berber Empire centered on Marrakech, with Seville governing Iberian lands and Rabat and Fez forming an Atlantic–M…

Timeline

  1. c. 1171–1180Marrakech · MoroccoIn the 1170s Sultan Abu Ya'qub Yusuf maintained a permanent court at Marrakech, where the Koutoubia Mosque and the royal camp formed the empire's administrative and religious core, governing the inland provinces of the Maghreb.
  2. c. 1172–1180Seville · Al-AndalusAs the seat of the Iberian governorate, Seville's Giralda tower and Alcázar palace quarter concentrated judicial, tax, and military command, linking with secondary capitals such as Córdoba and Granada to form a peninsular rule network.
  3. c. 1175–1190Rabat–Fez corridor · MoroccoRabat served as an Atlantic port and military outpost while Fez continued as a center of scholarship and crafts; together with Marrakech they formed a coastal–inland triangular capital layout in Morocco, supporting control of Saharan trade routes.

Sources