Abu Zayyan (I) Muhammad ibn Abi Said Uthman ibn Yaghmurasan () (died 1308), known as Abu Zayyan I, was the third Zayyanid

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

of the

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

. He succeeded his father Abu Said Uthman I on June 6, 1304.

Biography

Siege of Tlemcen

Five years before his accession to the throne, under the reign of his father Abu Sa'id Uthman I, the Marinids, led by Sultan

Abu Yaqub Yusuf an-Nasr Abu Yaqub Yusuf an-Nasr () (died 13 May 1307) was a Marinid ruler. He was the son of Abu Yusuf Ya'qub, whom he succeeded in 1286. His mother was a sharifa, Lalla Oum'el'Iz bint Mohammed al-Alaoui. He was assassinated in 1307. History Abu ...

, arrived in front the walls of

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran and is the capital of Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the port of Rachgoun. It had a population of ...

, launching one of the longest sieges in history, which lasted eight years and three months, so much so that the Marinid siege field become a real city, known as al-Mansura. Muhammad ascended the throne after the death due to a stroke of his father in 1304, the fifth year of siege. When Muhammad ascended the throne Tlemcen was now exhausted and the population (which was very loyal to zayyanid dynasty and had until then resisted with great courage) began negotiations to reach an agreement for the capitulation, however, Muhammad convinced the city to resist again and he formed a new army and continued the defense. To try to put away the besiegers, the ambassadors of Abu Zayyan convinced the Nasrid sultan, Muhammad III, to foment an uprising of a pretender to the Marinid throne, a certain Uthman ibn Idris, who landed in the

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...

with a Granadian army and conquered

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...

in 1306, proclaimed himself Sultan of Morocco. However, the Sultan Abu Ya'qub ignored the threat that had broken out in the north of his reign, preferring to carry on the siege of Tlemcen, now exhausted, it seemed was going to fall. Uthman ibn idris' troops, unchallenged, managed to conquer the city of

Asilah Asilah () is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about south of Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact. History The town's history dates back to 1500 B.C., when Phoenicians occupied a site ...

Larache Larache () is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast, where the Loukkos River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Larache is one of the most important cities of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. Many civilisations and cultures have ...

and much of Ghomara region. In May 1307, Sultan Abu Yusuf Ya'qub was assassinated in the field of siege by a

eunuch A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2 ...

, for unclear reasons, probably for reasons related to internal conspiracies of his harem. He was succeeded by his nephew, Abu Thabit 'Amir who, wisely, chose to end the siege of

to go to face the rebel Uthman ibn Idris in

Attempts to restore zayyanid power

Immediately after the end of the siege Abu Zayyan Muhammad and his brother Abu Hammou I launched a campaign against the tribes of the eastern part of his kingdom who had supported the enemy; the Tudjin Berbers were forced to submit and pay tribute, the Arab tribes were severely treated and driven back into the desert. On his return to Tlemcen, he devoted himself to repairing the damage caused by the siege, but died shortly afterwards, on 14 April 1308.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zayyan I, Abu Berber monarchs Zayyanid dynasty Year of birth missing 1308 deaths 13th-century Berber people 14th-century Berber people 14th-century monarchs in Africa