—the districts of Ifriqiya, tightening the noose around Tunis; he then besieged the city for a time, fouled its water-sources, and cut down its trees. At that moment it was held by Ibn Khurasan, the lieutenant of the Sicilian ruler Lujar (1), son of the Roman duke.

The siege weighed heavily on Ibn Khurasan, so he sallied out, met the Almohads in open battle, routed them, and killed a great many of their men. ʿAbd Allah therefore appealed to his father for reinforcements. In 553 AH ʿAbd al-Muʾmin prepared for Tunis, advanced with his armies, encamped before it, and captured it by storm. He then marched on Mahdia, a city in Christian hands although its inhabitants were Muslims. The siege was prolonged because of its strength—it is said that the width of its wall allowed six horses abreast and that much of the city projected into the sea—so relief forces kept arriving from Sicily (2).

Ibn al-Athir (3) writes: “ʿAbd al-Muʾmin invested Mahdia; brave Frankish fighters sallied out and struck at his army, whereupon he ordered an outer wall to be built around them and maintained the siege with perseverance. He went on to seize Sfax, Tripoli, and Gabes; many other incidents and battles occurred whose details would take too long to recount. He dispatched troops who conquered Tozeur and the Jarid region, drove the Franks from it, and purified Ifriqiya of unbelief. Thus the Maghrib was fully under his rule from Tripoli to the farthest Sous, together with most of al-Andalus. Had he directed his attention to Egypt, he would have taken it with ease.”

It is also said that he passed by his native village to assist his relatives there and to visit his mother’s grave. When he appeared, his armies filled the horizon, banners and standards billowed above him, and some two hundred massive drums—whose booming shook the earth—were being beaten. An old woman among the villagers cried out: