Banu Isam

Banu Isam
بنو عصام
9th century–931
CapitalCeuta
Ethnic groups
Majakasa Berbers
Religion
Islam
Emir 
• ?-?
Majakasa
• ?-931
Al-Rida ibn Isam
History 
• Established
9th century
• Disestablished
931
Succeeded by
Umayyad state of Córdoba

The Banu Isam were a Berber Muslim dynasty that ruled Ceuta, present-day Spain.

History

Ceuta had been destroyed and sacked during the Berber Revolt in 740, and was lying waste; then, sometime in the middle of the 9th century, Majakas, chief of the Berber Majkasa tribe, resettled it and founded a dynasty. Majakas was succeeded by his son Isam, of whom the dynasty is named after; Isam ruled for a long time. After Isam died, he was succeeded by his son Mujir, who was then succeeded by his brother al-Rida. al-Rida pledged allegiance to the Idrisids. Ceuta was besieged in 931 by an Umayyad fleet led by Najah ibn Ghufayr, and al-Rida ended up yielding and handing the city, thus ending the Banu Isam.

List of Emirs

See also

References

  1. ↑ Sabta, Halima Ferhat, The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Vol. 8, ed. C.E. Bosworth, E. Van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs and G. Lecomte, (Brill, 1995), 690; " It was a refuge for Arab forces during the Kharidjite rebellion, an Idrisid principality (it was allegedly occupied by Idris I in 173/789-90), as the capital of the Banu 'Isam, who appear more as an independent dynasty than as Idrisid governors, occupied by the Umayyads of Cordova in 319/931 and became a pawn in the struggle against the Fatimids."
  2. ↑ Benchekroun, Chafik T. (2016-06-01). "Les Idrissides entre Fatimides et Omeyyades". Revue des mondes musulmans et de la Méditerranée (in French) (139): 29–50. doi:10.4000/remmm.9412. ISSN 0997-1327.