RUSTAMID KINGDOM

Rustamid also spelled Rostamid (AD 761909) Islamic state on the high plateau of northern Algeria, founded by followers of the Ibadiyah branch of Kharijism. It was one of several kingdoms that arose in opposition to the new 'Abbasid dynasty and its Eastern orientation. The Kharijites preached a puritanical, democratic, and egalitarian theocracy that found support among the Berber tribes. The state was governed by imams descended from 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Rustam, the austere Persian who founded the state. These imams were themselves under the supervision of the religious leaders and the chief judge. The kingdom was renowned for its religious toleration and secular learning. The state was very active in the trans-Saharan trade, and its size fluctuated with the power of its leaders. The Rustamid kingdom ended with the capture of its capital, Tahart (near modern Tihert), by the Shi'ite Fatimids in 909.