emirate · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan

Zirid emirate

972 CE – 1148 CE · capital Kairouan

The Sanhaja Berber dynasty that ruled Ifriqiya for the Fatimids, broke away, and was ruined by the Banu Hilal invasions.

Origins

When the Fatimid caliph al-Mu'izz moved to Egypt in 972, he left Ifriqiya to Buluggin ibn Ziri, son of the Sanhaja Berber chief Ziri ibn Manad, who had served the Fatimids loyally from his fortress at Ashir. The Zirids ruled from Kairouan as hereditary governors of the Fatimid Caliphate.

Rule and society

Under Zirid rule Kairouan reached its height as a centre of trade, crafts and Maliki scholarship, and Ifriqiya exported grain, olive oil and textiles. In 1015 the western lands broke away under the Hammadid emirate. Around 1048 al-Mu'izz ibn Badis rejected Fatimid Shiism and recognised the Abbasid caliph, a move welcomed by the Sunni majority.

Decline and legacy

In revenge the Fatimids encouraged the Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym Arab tribes to move west. They defeated the Zirids at Haydaran in 1052, and Kairouan was abandoned in 1057. Confined to Mahdia and the coast, the dynasty ended in 1148 when the Normans of the Kingdom of Africa took Mahdia.

Connections (6)

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻