Abu Faris al-Mustansir Abd al-Aziz ibn Ali () was the

Marinid The Marinid Sultanate was a Berber Muslim empire from the mid-13th to the 15th century which controlled present-day Morocco and, intermittently, other parts of North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and of the southern Iberian Peninsula (Spain) ar ...

Sultan of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

from 1366 until his death in 1372. He assumed the throne at a time when Marinid authority was in decline, but during his rule managed to reverse this trend. After his death the kingdom returned to anarchy.

Background

Abu Faris Abd al-Aziz came to power at a time when the Moorish states of Granada,

and

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ar, تلمسان, translit=Tilimsān) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran, and capital of the Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the p ...

were all weak, and were all prone to meddling in each other's affairs. Abu Faris was one of the sons of Abu al-Hasan ibn Uthman, and before coming to the throne was held captive in the palace of Fez.

Rule

In 1366 Sultan

Muhammad II ibn Faris of Morocco Abu Zayyan Muhammad ibn Faris (Arabic: أبو زيان محمد بن فارس), was Marinid Sultan of Morocco in 1358 and again from 1362 to 1366. Life Muhammad II ibn Faris briefly assumed the throne after the death of Abu Inan Faris in 1358 b ...

tried to remove the vizier Umar bin Abdulla al-Yabani from office, and was killed in response. Abu Faris Abdul-Aziz came to the throne. Once he was firmly in control he had the vizier killed. Abu Faris was one of the more decisive of the Marinid rulers. He defeated the neighboring Zayyanid

kingdom of Tlemcen The Kingdom of Tlemcen or Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen ( ar, الزيانيون) was a Berber kingdom in what is now the northwest of Algeria. Its territory stretched from Tlemcen to the Chelif bend and Algiers, and at its zenith reached Sijil ...

, to the east. Abu Faris also reestablished control over Marrakesh, where a Marinid prince supported by the

Hintata The Hintata or Hin Tata were a Berber tribal confederation belonging to the tribal group Masmuda of the High Atlas, Morocco. They were historically known for their political power in the region of Marrakesh between the twelfth century and sixtee ...

chief of the Atlas Mountains had seceded from the sultanate of Fez. When Abu Faris captured Tlemcen he took the diplomat Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406) prisoner, and enlisted him in his own service. Later Ibn Khaldun was to establish lasting fame for his great world history, which he started to write around 1372. Ibn Ridwan al-Malaqi (1318–1381), author of a major treatise on political ethics, was another of Abu Faris's senior administrators. He gave asylum to Lisan ad-Din ibn al-Khatib, former vizier of

Muhammed V of Granada Abu Abdallah Muhammad V () (4 January 1339 – 16 January 1391), known by the regnal name al-Ghani bi'llah ( ar, الغني بالله, al-Ghanī bi-ʾllāh, He who is contented with God), was the eighth Nasrid ruler of the Emirate of Granada ...

. Abu Faris arranged for the Marinid forces in

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

to help al-Khatib to escape to Morocco. He built the Muristan al-Azizi (Azizi Hospital) in Fez and an adjacent fountain that have both survived until modern times. Abu Faris died in 1372 and was succeeded by his infant son Muhammad abu Zayyan as-Saîd II. The kingdom again descended into anarchy. In 1374 Muhammad V of Granada took control of Gibraltar.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Faris Abdul Aziz 1372 deaths People from Fez, Morocco Marinid sultans of Morocco 14th-century Berber people 14th-century Moroccan people 14th-century monarchs in Africa Year of birth unknown