emirate · Iberia
Second Taifa of Mértola
Origins
Ibn Qasi, a former tax official turned Sufi teacher, gathered disciples called the Muridun in the western Algarve. In 1144, as Almoravid rule weakened, his followers seized Mértola, and he proclaimed himself imam and mahdi.
Rule and society
The movement combined religious reform with rebellion against Almoravid taxes and jurists. Ibn Qasi was allied for a time with Ibn al-Mundhir of Silves and Sidray ibn Wazir of Beja, but they soon turned against him. He was among the first to appeal to the Almohads in Morocco, then sought support from Afonso I of Portugal.
Decline and legacy
His alliance with Portugal angered his own supporters, who killed him in Silves in 1151. Mértola passed to the Almohads, and his mystical writings were later studied by Ibn Arabi.
Lineage
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- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Second Taifa of Mértola. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-taifa-of-mertola
- MLA
- “Second Taifa of Mértola.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-taifa-of-mertola. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Second Taifa of Mértola.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-taifa-of-mertola.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Second Taifa of Mértola’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/second-taifa-of-mertola (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻