Ali ibn Yusuf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ali ibn Yusuf |
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| Amir Al-Muslimin | |||||
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Gold dinar minted by Ali ibn Yusuf
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| Amir of the Almoravids | |||||
| Reign | 1106–1143 | ||||
| Predecessor | Yusuf ibn Tashfin | ||||
| Successor | Tashfin ibn Ali | ||||
| Born | 1084 Ceuta |
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| Died | 26 January 1143 | ||||
| Issue | Tashfin ibn Ali Syr ibn Ali Ishaq ibn Ali Zaynab bint Ali |
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| Dynasty | Almoravid | ||||
| Father | Yusuf ibn Tashfin | ||||
| Mother | Zaynab an-Nafzawiyyah | ||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||
Ali ibn Yusuf (also known as "Ali Ben Youssef") (Arabic: علي بن يوسف) was an important ruler of the Almoravid dynasty. He was the fifth Emir, which is like a king or leader. He ruled from 1106 to 1143.
Contents
Ali ibn Yusuf's Life
Ali ibn Yusuf was born in 1084 in a city called Ceuta. His father was Yusuf ibn Tashfin, who was the fourth Almoravid Emir before him. His mother was Zaynab an-Nafzawiyyah. When his father passed away in September 1106, Ali was 23 years old. He took over as ruler on September 2, 1106.
Ali ruled from Morocco. He put his brother, Tamim ibn Yusuf, in charge of Al-Andalus, which was a part of Spain ruled by Muslims. Ali made his empire bigger in Spain by taking over the Taifa of Zaragoza in 1110. However, he later lost it to King Alfonso I of Aragon in 1118. The city of Córdoba also rebelled against the Almoravids in 1121.
Building and Improving Cities
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Ali ibn Yusuf was a great builder. He ordered a special wooden pulpit, called a minbar, to be made in Córdoba. This minbar was for his main mosque, the original Ben Youssef Mosque, in his capital city, Marrakesh. You can still see a building called the Almoravid Qubba today, which also has Ali's name on it.
A wise person named Abu Walid Ibn Rushd advised Ali to build strong walls around Marrakesh. This was because a new group, led by Ibn Tumart, was becoming powerful. There were already some walls around the mosque and palace. But Ali spent a lot of money, 70,000 gold dinars, to build new city walls. This made the city twice as big! He also told the leaders in Al-Andalus to make their city walls stronger too.
Ali also created a clever system to bring water to Marrakesh. This system used underground channels called qanawat. He also had the very first bridge built over the Tensift River.
In 1139, Ali's forces lost a battle called the Battle of Ourique against the Portuguese. The Portuguese forces were led by Count Afonso Henriques. This victory allowed Afonso to declare himself an independent King of Portugal.
Ali was succeeded by his son, Tashfin ibn Ali, in 1143.
Exploring the Ocean
A Muslim mapmaker named Muhammad al-Idrisi wrote about a group of adventurers. These adventurers were sent by Ali ibn Yusuf and led by his admiral, Ahmad ibn Umar. They reached a part of the ocean that was covered in seaweed. Some people think this was the Sargasso Sea, which is a large area in the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda.
Ali's Family
Ali was the son of Yusuf ibn Tashfin. He had at least two sons:
- Tashfin ibn Ali: He was in charge of Granada and Almeria in 1129, and Cordoba in 1131. He became the next ruler after his father in 1143.
- Ishaq ibn Ali: He passed away in 1147.
See also
In Spanish: Alí ibn Yúsuf para niños
