Rustamid dynasty

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Rustamid kingdom[1]

777 or 779–909
Rustamid dynasty 900 ad.png
Common languagesBerber, Arabic, Persian
Ibadi Islam
• 777–788
ʿAbdu r-Rahman ibn Bahram ibn Rūstam
• 906–909
Yaqzan ibn Muhammad Abil-Yaqzan
• Established
777 or 779
• Disestablished
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Abbasid Caliphate
Emirate of Tlemcen
Fatimid Caliphate
Barghawata Confederacy
Today part of Algeria

The Rustamid dynasty (or Rustumids, Rostemids) was a ruling house of Ibāḍī imāms of Persian descent[3][4] centered in Algeria.[5][6][7] The dynasty governed as a Muslim theocracy for a century and a half from its capital Tiaret (in modern Algeria) until the Ismaili Fatimid Caliphate destroyed it. Their realm extended mostly to current central Algeria, but also Libya.[8][9]


Genealogy of the Rustamid dynasty






The Rustamid dynasty, "developed a cosmopolitan reputation in which Christians, non-Kharijite Muslims, and adherents of different sects of Kharijism lived".[11] On the intellectual field, the Rustamids had many scholars and learned men, such as ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Rustam, ‘Abd al-Wahhab ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman, Aflah ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab, dan Abu al-Yaqzhan ibn Aflah, Mahdi an-Nafusi, ‘Abd Allah al-Lamthi, and Mahmud ibn Bakr. ‘Abd ar-Rahman had an exegesis of the Qur’an. ‘Abd al-Wahhab wrote his Masa'il Nafusah on Islamic jurisprudence. Aflah mastered Arabic literature, mathematics, and astronomy. Abu al-Yaqzhan wrote about 40 works. Because of their intellectual enthusiasm, the Rustamids vigorously transferred valuable works from the Masyriq to the Maghrib, especially to the library of al-Ma‘shumah (in Tahert) and that of Khizanah Nafusah (in Jabal Nafusah). Moreover, Tahert was famous as ‘Iraq al-Maghrib, al-‘Iraq ash-Shaghir, Balkh al-Maghrib, or Little Basra. Apart from these achievements, the Rustamids also had significant contribution to Islamization in the Maghrib and Bilad as-Sudan. For about two centuries (130-340 AH / 750-950 AD), the Kharijite people gained control of trade routes in the Maghrib and Bilad as-Sudan. Many Ibadite merchants made journeys along the vast area, such as Tahert, Wargla, Nafzawa, Jabal Nafusah, Tadmakkat, Gao, and Ghana. By this economic activity, the Ibadites took advantages of trading business and preaching Islam at the same time.[12]

Rustamid Imams[edit]

Part of a series on the
History of Algeria
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Flag of Algeria.svg Algeria portal
  • Aflah ibn ʿAbdi l-Wahhab (824-872)
  • Abu Bakr ibn Aflah (872-874)
  • Yaʿqub ibn Aflah (895-899)


  1. ^ [1]
  3. ^ Encyclopedia of Islam (New ed.). Leiden [u.a.]: Brill [u.a.] 1995. p. 638. ISBN 9004098348. |first1= missing |last1= (help)CS1 maint: Extra text: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Islamic History - Laura Etheredge - p73
  5. ^ Britannica Encyclopedia, Retrieved on 18 December 2008.
  6. ^ "The Places where Men Pray Together", pg. 210.
  8. ^
  9. ^ Concise History of Islam - Muzaffar Husain Syed, Syed Saud Akhtar, B D Usmani [2] "The exact extent of its dominions is not entirely clear, but it stretched as far east as Jabal Nafusa in Libya"
  10. ^ Britannica Encyclopedia, Retrieved on 18 December 2008.
  11. ^ John P. Entelis, Algeria: The Revolution Institutionalized, page 14.
  12. ^ Ahmad Choirul Rofiq, "Moderation and Civilization: A Historical Analysis on the Moderate Policy of the Rustamid Dynasty" in