emirate · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan
Hafsid emirate of Bejaia
Origins
After the death of al-Mustansir in 1277 the Hafsid Sultanate fell into succession disputes. In 1285 Abu Zakariya, a son of Sultan Abu Ishaq Ibrahim, established himself at Bejaia and soon held Constantine and Algiers, refusing to recognise his uncle Abu Hafs Umar in Tunis. The western provinces thus became a separate Hafsid state.
Rule and society
Bejaia was a prosperous port with strong ties to Aragon, Genoa and Pisa, and a seat of Maliki scholarship. The emirs governed the central Maghreb through the same Almohad-style institutions as Tunis, while facing pressure from the Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen on their western border and from Arab tribes in the interior.
Decline and legacy
Abu Zakariya's son Abu al-Baqa Khalid succeeded in 1301 and, in 1309, took Tunis, reuniting the two Hafsid realms. Bejaia and Constantine would again break away under rival princes later in the 14th century.
Lineage
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Hafsid emirate of Bejaia. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hafsid-emirate-of-bejaia
- MLA
- “Hafsid emirate of Bejaia.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hafsid-emirate-of-bejaia. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Hafsid emirate of Bejaia.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hafsid-emirate-of-bejaia.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Hafsid emirate of Bejaia’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hafsid-emirate-of-bejaia (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻