emirate · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan

Sulaymanid emirate

814 CE – 931 CE (approx.) · capital Tlemcen

A small Alid dynasty related to the Idrisids that ruled Tlemcen and western Algeria in the 9th and 10th centuries.

Origins

Sulayman ibn Abd Allah was a brother of Idris I, founder of the Idrisid dynasty. Around 814 Idris II granted Tlemcen to Sulayman's son Muhammad, establishing a branch dynasty, the Sulaymanids, which ruled the city and surrounding region, formerly held by the Banu Ifran emirate.

Rule and society

Little is known in detail. The emirate was divided among family members, who ruled towns such as Tlemcen, Arshgul and Ténès, relying on local Zenata Berber tribes. Like the Idrisids, the Sulaymanids drew prestige from descent from the Prophet's family, and Tlemcen prospered as a crossroads of trade routes between Morocco, Ifriqiya and the Sahara.

Decline and legacy

In the early 10th century the Sulaymanid princes were caught in the struggle between the Fatimid Caliphate and the Caliphate of Córdoba. Fatimid forces ended their rule around 931, and several family members fled to al-Andalus.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

Idrisid dynasty 788 CE – 974 CESulaymanid emirate

Connections (1)

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻