The Almoravids and the Meanings of Jihad

This book offers a scholarly, highly readable account of the 11th-12th century rulers of Morocco and Muslim Spain who offered a full range of meanings of jihad and challenged Ibn Khaldun's paradigm for the rise and fall of regimes. • Contains sketches of three principle characters (Ibn Yasin, Zaynab, and El Cid) as well as the Koranic inscription and the plan of the Sijilmasa mosque • Includes maps showing various places in North Africa and Southern Spain discussed in the text • Photographs of structures, archaeological sites, and coins that are mentioned in the narrative • A two-section bibliography contains both medieval Arabic sources and modern sources • The glossary defines place names, tribes, tribal confederations, titles, and technical Islamic terms