emirate · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan

Maghrawa emirate of Fez

987 CE – 1070 CE (approx.) · capital Fez

A Zenata Berber emirate that ruled Fez and northern Morocco as allies of Córdoba, between the Idrisids and the Almoravids.

Origins

The Maghrawa, a Zenata Berber tribe, became allies of the Caliphate of Córdoba in its struggle with the Fatimids. Around 987 their chief Ziri ibn Atiyya took control of Fez as Córdoba's governor, while another branch of the tribe had seized Sijilmasa from the Midrarid emirate in 976.

Rule and society

Ziri ibn Atiyya founded the city of Oujda in 994. He rebelled against the Córdoban regent al-Mansur, was defeated in 998, and his son al-Mu'izz was restored as a vassal. The emirs ruled through tribal alliances and the urban notables of Fez, which grew as a centre of trade and learning. After Córdoba's collapse in 1031 they ruled independently, though weakened by wars with the Banu Ifran emirate.

Decline and legacy

In the 1060s the Almoravid Empire advanced from the south. Yusuf ibn Tashfin took Fez around 1069 to 1070, ending Maghrawa rule in Morocco. Fez went on to become a leading city of the Almoravid and later Moroccan states.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (3)

More states of Egypt, North Africa and Sudan →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Maghrawa emirate of Fez. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/maghrawa-emirate-of-fez
MLA
“Maghrawa emirate of Fez.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/maghrawa-emirate-of-fez. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Maghrawa emirate of Fez.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/maghrawa-emirate-of-fez.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Maghrawa emirate of Fez’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/maghrawa-emirate-of-fez (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻