Bulletin of the Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan
Online ISSN : 1884-1406
Print ISSN : 0030-5219
ISSN-L : 0030-5219
The Almohad Hierarchy in the Reign of Ibn Tumart
Masatoshi KISAICHI
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1979 Volume 22 Issue 1 Pages 85-109

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Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to try to examine what is called 'the Almohad hierarchy' in the reign of Ibn Tumart from a point of view of the governmental structure. In his reign, almost all of the Almohads were organized in the Almohad hierarchy which had the characters and the functions as follows:
(1) Ibn Tumart was on the top of the Almohads as an absolute chief.
(2) al-'Ashara (The Ten), that is, Ibn Tumart's ten confidants, being the first to recognize him as Mahdi. They formed the council which discussed all matters of great moment were under the Mahdi.
(3) al-Khamsun (The Fifty), that is, fifty representatives of the Almohad tribes, forming the grand assembly of the Almohad community which discussed matters of less importance. They were intermediaries between Ibn Tumart and the tribes.
(4) The Talaba and the Huffaz, being missionaries. The Huffaz were the boys studying the Qur'an and the Almohad doctrine and becoming the Talaba.
(5) The Ahl al-Dar, being the chamberlains who served Ibn Tumart days and nights.
(6) The Almohad tribes equal to the list of al-Qattan: Hargha, Ahl Tinmallal, Jadmiwa, Janfisa, Hintata, Ahl al-Qaba'il. Most of the Almohad soldiers were composed of them.
(7) The Jund, that is, regular soldiers, being constituted of the foreigners who came from the towns with Ibn Tumart, but their scale was small.
(8) The Ghuzat, apparently being the special military groups of boys.
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