Sharifate of Fez (Yarmuk)

The Sharifate of Fez was a coastal enclave that formed the core remnant of the Almoravid Empire after its collapse in 1140. After the collapse of the Sheikdom of Kairuoan in 1181, it was the sole surviving fiefdom of the Murabit family.

Conception
Murabit Yusuf Tariq Abdullah found himself outmanoeuvred, outnumbered and outclassed by his enemies, when his arch rival Muwahhid Abdul Yusuf launched his attack from the desert in 1138. With his own forces tied up against Songhai incursions and his ally and relation, Murabit Yusuf Abu Saed, watching the forces of the Byzantine Empire, there was no way of summoning up the forces required for a counter-offensive. Tariq Abdullah was forced to watch, idle, as Muwahhid Abdul Yusuf's forces took first Bougie in 1138, then Constantine and Algiers in 1139. Come 1140, the Almohad Kingdom was firmly established.

Reformation of the Almoravid Successor State - The Sharifate of Fez
Left with only his westernmost provinces, Tariq Abdullah's run of failure came to an end. A stroke of fortune manifested itself in a rebellion in the Malian heartland of the Songhai, causing the Berber Emperor to recall such soldiers as were still in his service. His principal foe, Muwahhid Abdul Yusuf, was a man content to rest on his laurels. He signed a lenient peace agreement with Fez at the close of the year.

Changes to administration
Complacency was no longer one of Tariq Abdullah's weaknesses. He appreciated the need for a strong economic hub as his centre of government, and consequently abandoned Marrakesh in favour of Fez, the Sharifate's wealthiest town. Whilst Marrakesh diminished in size and importance, Fez and neighbouring Tingis boomed in response to this astute move. In 1145, Tariq Abdullah launched his mercantile marine. It was a comparatively small enterprise compared to the golden days of Murabit Yusuf Khalifah, but it was something to be cherished.