This thesis engages with the early years of the Murābiṭūn movement by assessing the narrative of the movement's genesis as presented in Kitāb al-masālik wa-'l-mamālik ("The book of routes and realms"). This is the earliest written piece about the Murābiṭūn and stems from the Andalusī scholar Abū 'Ubayd 'Abd Allāh b. 'Abd al-'Azīz b. Muḥammad b. Ayyūb b. 'Amr al-Bakrī (d. 486 AH/ 1094 CE). At the forefront of this thesis stands a primary source analysis, thus treating what is known of the movement as the product of writing history (historiography). This thesis consists of six chapters. Besides the introduction and conclusion, the main body comprises four chapters. The first chapter establishes the foundation for the subsequent three. As such it will demonstrate the necessity of assessing the movement through a hermeneutic approach, for what is known of the early years stems from at least eight different primary sources which should be individually assessed against the backdrop of the Zeitgeist or the respective ages in which each of these authors lived. The subsequent three chapters will deconstruct the pillars al-Bakrī used to write the narrative of the Murābiṭūn's rise. These three pillars in al-Bakrī's narrative can be defined as the geographical context, the religious context and the re-affirmation of the Golden Age.

Th. Etat : Litt. arabe : Fés : 1989.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center; full text release delayed at author's request until 2007 Mar 20