Capital Tunis Government Monarchy | Languages Arabic, Berber Historical era Middle Ages | |
1062-1095 Abd al-Haqq ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Khurasan 1149-1159 Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Aziz | ||
The Khurasanid Dynasty (Arabic: بنو خراسان, Banu Khurasan) was a Sunni-Muslim dynasty that ruled an independent principality in Tunis from 1059 to 1158.
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History
The Khurasanid dynasty was founded during the 11th century by Abd al-Haqq ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Khurasan, who was appointed as governor of Tunis by the Hammadid dynasty. This followed entreaties by locals seeking protection from raids by the Banu Hilal, as the Zirid sultan Al-Mu'izz ibn Badis offered none. Abd al-Haqq soon made the city an independent principality that would be governed by his family for almost a century.
The principality was annexed to the Hammadid kingdom in 1128, before it recovered its independence in 1148.
Under Khurasanid rule, the small independent kingdom resumed foreign trade relations and people enjoyed unprecedented prosperity. The city was embellished with new buildings, including a fortified palace, and the outer defenses were strengthened.
In 1158, the Almohad dynasty annexed the whole Ifriqiya to its empire, putting an end to Khurasanid rule.