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Islamic & Medieval Era
Ibn Tumart
Early Islamic / Medieval
Religious FiguresEarly 12th centuryMaghreb / Intellectual history
He died before his movement seized power; his disciples carried his project forward.
Historical significance
His teachings gave rise to the Almohad movement, which would later rule a vast empire.
Their story
A Berber scholar from the Atlas, Ibn Tumart studied across the Muslim east and returned home preaching strict reform and the unity of God. He gathered followers in the mountains, called himself the awaited Mahdi and laid the spiritual foundations of a new movement.
Did you know?
He died before his movement seized power; his disciples carried his project forward.