ABSTRACT
There are various similarities between the Almohad and Almoravid empires. Both came into existence in north-west Africa, and then later included al-Andalus in their territories. Both were ruled by a Berber dynasty, and found their original supporters among Berber tribesmen. The founder of the Almohad movement is commonly known as Ibn-Tumart. His family belonged to a branch of the tribe of Hintata, and he was born in a village in the Atlas in the years round about 1082. The founder of the Almohad empire, 'Abd-al-Mumin, after incorporating Tunisia and Tripolitania, began to think once more of the Iberian peninsula and from 1162 was making preparations for a large-scale campaign there. The further fact that the Almohads had at times to make concessions in order to retain the goodwill of the jurists is perhaps a pointer to the most serious weakness of the Almohads—the lack of popular support.
