Amidst the gilded splendor of 11th-century Seville, the Abbadid Kingdom teeters on the edge of ruin. Poetry and intrigue entwine as Al-Mutamid, the philosopher warrior-king, navigates a court of ambition, love, and betrayal. With rival empires pressing close and whispers of rebellion within, the city of amber and gold becomes a stage for the twilight of a dynasty—a tale of fleeting glory, forbidden desire, and the mournful song of a kingdom’s end.

Music:

Max Richter, James Heather, Jóhannsson, Sufjan Stevens, and Farya Faraji

(00:00) Andalusian Lament Song

(00:39) Lament for the Fall of Seville

(01:35) Welcome Back

(03:09) The Taifa Kingdoms

(11:23) From the Ashes of Empire, Rises A Dynasty 

(15:58) A King of Blood and Beauty

(20:24) The Almoravid Alliance

(23:18) The Fall of Paradise

(26:32) To Dust We Shall Return

Welcome back to Winds of the West, the Moroccan history Podcast part of the Cherifian Winds initiative.

Let's dive straight into the Rise and Fall of the Almoravid dynasty, the builders of the first Moroccan Empire.

(00:11) Introduction

(01:50) A Sandstorm is Brewing

(03:44) Abdallah ibn Yassin

(05:43) Rise of a Dynasty

(09:03) The Call of Andalusia

(11:00) The Battle of Sagrajas

(14:44) The Expansion Continues

(15:57) The Decline

(18:43) Almoravid and Beyond

Welcome to Winds of the West, a podcast about Moroccan history and culture. I’m your host, Sayd, and together we will plunge in the intricately beautiful landscape of Moroccan history and culture. Since its establishment in AD 788, the Kingdom of Morocco has been ruled by seven succeeding dynasties, and has played a major role in Mediterranean and even World politics. This podcast will aim to retrace the history of this ancient Kingdom beginning more than a thousand years before its inception, when the ancestor of Morocco, the Kingdom of Mauretania, was founded by the legendary Berber King Atlas in 600BC.