Location: The Zayanid Kingdom is located in Africa in the country of Algeria. It borders the Mediterranean Sea, the Hafsid Kingdom, and the Wattasid Kingdom. The Zayanids are based on the relationship of the four Zanata tribes. The main tribe, Banu `Abdul-Wad which was the center or the mainstay of the Zayanid state, followed by the smaller tribes, the Banu Marin, the Banu Tujin, and the Maghrawa tribe. The Banu `Abdul-Wad maintained predominance over the central Maghrib for over three centuries.
History: For over three centuries, until the kingdom came under Ottoman attacks, the Zayanids kept a tenuous hold in the central Maghrib. The territory of Zayanid grew to such a great extent (according to the strength of their neighbors) that it would be impossible to give a precise accuracy to the limits of their authority. It would be wrong to assume that because the Zayanids rule was tribal, that urban and civil life did not develop. The Zayanid state profited from the administrative and artistic skills of Andalusian refugees in creating the rudiments of an administration and embellishing the capital with mosques and manrasas. Tlemsen was one of the main towns in the Zayanid society, which became the first and only time the capital of an independent state, received ambassadors from Muslim and Christian rulers, as well as foreign merchants. Tlemsen was known as the “pearl of the Maghrib.” Yaghmurasan, the founder of the Zayanid state, sent an ambassador to Barcelona to start wholesale trade between the two countries. A treaty signed in 1286 between the Zayanid state and Aragon, marked the culmination of Catalonian influences in Tlemsen. The treaty stated the Alcayt had authority over all Europeans residing or passing through the Zayanid Kingdom. The Zayanids had to pay 5,000 golden dinars to not pay tribute to Alcayt. The Zayanid Kingdom collapsed after European attacks on the Maghribs, with the Ottomans championing the cause of Islam.
Daily Life: From the twelfth century the Zayanid culture had started. The kingdom consisted of four small tribes, each with their own systems, which related to each other. Daily life in the Zayanid culture consisted of trade. The Zayanids exported gold, slaves, woolen articles and livestock between the Argaonese. This trade lasted until the first two decades of the fourteenth century. The air was dry and cool, making the market a perfect place for trade.
Best Known Feature: The Zayanid Kingdom was full of killing and destruction. They were the most feared and troubled culture. The Zayanids had lasted for over three centuries because of their great power over other countries.
References:
http://www.workmall.com/wfb2001/algeria_history_zayanids.html
Abun-Nasr, Jamil M.,.A History of the Maghrib. Cambridge University Press, 1971. pgs 150-158
Written by Jessica Vars, 2003