Abu Hafs Umar I Al Mustansir

Umar was the son of Abu Zakaria Yahya I ibn Abd al-Wahid and brother of Abu Ishaq Ibrahim I.

In 1284, the usurper Ahmad ibn Abu Umar lost the support of the Bedouins , and nobles were called to the throne of Abu Hafs Umar. According to the annals, he was a pious and peaceful person who was able to restore central power in the state and is very concerned about religious architecture.

At the beginning of his reign, the Catalans captured the island of Djerba and reached an agreement with Umar, according to which Christians were allowed to settle in Tunisia . In 1285, the caliph restored the payment of tribute to the Egyptians, which they previously paid earlier to the Capetians of Sicily. In 1286-1287, Aragon entered into an alliance with the Marinides of Morocco, hoping to capture the coast of Ifricia. The Aragonese supported the candidate for the throne of Tunisia named Ibn al-Dabus, the Almohad prince, who took refuge in the Catalan court, but could not overthrow the caliph.

In 1285, with the support of the Hafsid’s Arab neighbors, Umar’s nephew, Abu Zakaria Yahya ibn Ibrahim, son of Ibrahim I , revolted, who seized the entire western part of the caliph’s possessions, including Bejaya and Constantine. In 1286, Abu Zakaria Yahya attacked Tunisia , but was recaptured and forced to flee south, where he captured Gabes . He had to leave Tripolitania, as his capital Bejaya was attacked by the Abdalvadids of Tlemcen, nominal allies and vassals of the Hafsids.

By this time, some sheikhs had become virtually independent in Tausar , Gabes and Jerida, while Arabs in the south and Tripolitania were openly hostile to the caliph. To ensure their loyalty, Umar gave them new lands and made tax breaks.

Meanwhile, Yahya ibn Ibrahim by 1294 gained power over the entire territory south of Constantine, the ruler of Gabes also recognized the suzerainty of Emir Bedzhai.

Umar I died in 1295 ; he was succeeded by Abu Asid Muhammad II , the posthumous son of Yahya II .

• Roxani Eleni; Sabra, Adam; Sijpesteijn, Petra. Histories of the Middle East: Studies in Middle Eastern Society, Economy and Law. Brill, 2010. ISBN 9004184279 .
• Abun-Nasr, Jamil M. A History of the Maghrib in the Islamic Period. Cambridge University Press, 1987. ISBN 0521337674 .