The Kairouan disaster
واقعة القيروان
1348 CE · Dhu al-Hijja 748 AH
The greatest battle of the Marinid era: the Arabs of Ifriqiya — sons of Mihhal, the Ka'ub and Banu Sulaym — rose against Abu al-Hasan's army and set over themselves Ahmad ibn Hamza back from Alexandria; the sultan marched in the hajj days of 748 and routed them at the defile below Kairouan, but they regathered, turned and hemmed him in the city, broke his ranks and plundered his camp, while he escaped to Susa and sailed for Tunis as the Arabs with Ibn Abi Dabbus laid siege to the capital — until he abandoned Ifriqiya for the Maghreb, his son Abu Inan having seized the throne in his absence.
At a glance
- Era
- The Mongol and Post-Mongol Era
- Region
- Maghreb
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
In time
Overview
Ibn Khaldun records the battle of Qayrawan in 748 AH, and counts it among the greatest events of the Marinid state. 1
The account
The Arabs of Ifriqiya from the sons of Muhalhil, the Ka'ub and the Banu Sulaym rose against the armies of the sultan Abu al-Hasan al-Marini, and set Ahmad ibn Hamza over them. The sultan advanced against them from Tunis at the time of the pilgrimage, met them at al-Thaniyya before Qayrawan, and defeated them. 1
The reversal
Connections
- Had participant
- أبو الحسن المريني سلطان المغرب· Abu Inan Faris al-Marini
People and things also explored
أبو الحسن المريني سلطان المغرب· Abu Inan Faris al-Marini· واقعة طريف وتمحيص المسلمين· واقعة الزقاق البحرية وملك أسطول المسلمين· سقوط الجزيرة الخضراء وكسرة الأسطول· Abu al-Hasan al-Marini's entry into Ifriqiya· Al-Mawla Abu Salim Ibrahim al-Marini· Marinid dynasty
Sources
- Kitab al-Ibar of Ibn Khaldun, p.1761
- Kitab al-Ibar of Ibn Khaldun, p.1762
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The Kairouan disaster”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/kairouan-disaster-748/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.