al-Muwahhidun

North Africa and Spain. Capital: Marrakesh

The decline and fall of the Almoravid empire was essentially caused by popular uprisings against the nepotism and corruption of rulers who had abandoned themselves to the luxury and indifference of palace life.
The Almohads (al-Muwahidun: the unitarians), a reformist Berber clan descended from the High Atlas to denounce the unholy Almoravids, took Marrakesh in AH 541 / AD 1147 and their leader, 'Abd al-Mu'min, took the title Amir al-Muminin.
His grandson, Ya'qub al-Mansur, who won a crucial victory over the Iberian armies at Alarcos in 597 / 1195, was a great builder and patron, and he led the empire to its political, economic, intellectual and artistic high point.
The Almohads succeeded in unifying a huge empire covering the entire Muslim West (North Africa from the Atlantic to Gabes) and Muslim Spain, before beginning to decline in 608 / 1212 with a heavy defeat at the hands of the Christian armies at Las Navas de Tolosa (Jaen). They had intended to establish a new capital, but the death of Ya'qub al-Mansur (595 / 1199) and the decline of the dynasty prevented the completion of Ribat al-Fath (Rabat).
The buildings erected by the Almohads, both in the Maghreb and al-Andalus, are evidence of a continuous concern for grandeur and sobriety with their huge ramparts, monumental gateways, majestic minarets and fine decorative motifs.