Almohad Army Organization

Timeline

1. 1121–1130Tinmal (Atlas Mountains) · Atlas MountainsIbn Tumart bound Berber tribes together through strict religious discipline, forming a core warrior group sworn to loyalty and laying the military foundation for the later conquest of the Almoravid state.
2. 1131–1140Maghreb · MaghrebAbd al-Mu'min organized tribal levies by region, supported by religious guards and siege engineers, capturing Fez, Marrakesh, and other cities in succession and establishing a multi-tiered command system centered on the caliph.
3. 1146–1212Al-Andalus · Al-AndalusThe army crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to support Muslims in Al-Andalus, developing a standing core including Black guards and Berber cavalry, equipped with trebuchets and siege towers for large-scale set-piece battles.
4. 1212–1269Marrakesh · MoroccoAfter a crushing defeat by a Christian coalition, territory contracted; tribal centrifugalism and succession crises weakened central mobilization capacity, and the state finally fell to the Marinids.