- Aftasids
- (1022-1095)They are an Arabized Hispano-Berber dynasty belonging to the Maknassa clans settled in the area north of Cordoba. They are also known as Banu Aftas and sometimes referred to as Banu Maslama. At one time, with their seat at Badajoz, they ruled almost the entire western area of the Iberian Peninsula, stretching from the valley of the Guadiana into present-day Portugal, including Lisbon. The founder of the dynasty, `Abd Allah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Maslama, surnamed al-Aftas, had held a high-ranking position at the court of the Umayyad caliph al-Hakam II and ascended the throne after the death of his sovereign. After several attempts to stop the advance of the Abbasid rulers of Seville and the kings of Castile and Leon, the Aftasid capital, Badajoz, was conquered by an Almoravid army (1095), and two of the last Aftasid heirs fell into the hands of the enemy and lost their lives. A third heir and some of his followers found refuge with King Alfonso and were converted to Catholicism.
Historical Dictionary of the Berbers (Imazighen) . Hsain Ilahiane. 2014.