Moulay Idris II (al-Azhar)

Moulay Idris II, known as al-Azhar (“the Radiant”), is the posthumous son of Idris I. Raised to the throne at eleven, he consolidated the Idrisid state and founded the city of Fez at the beginning of the ninth century. He is a direct forefather of Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi Al Karkari.

A child king

He was born after his father's assassination, to a Berber mother, Kenza. Raised in secret and protected by the tribes, he was recognised as sovereign at eleven. He set about organising the territory and consolidating the state.

The founding of Fez

Around 808-809 he founded the city of Fez, which became the Idrisid capital and, later, one of the great religious and intellectual centres of the Muslim world. The city welcomed immigrants from Kairouan and al-Andalus.

Alliances and territory

He extended his authority through alliances with several Berber tribes and at his death, in 828, left a vast unified territory.

Descendants

He left some fifteen children, twelve of them sons. His son Muhammad succeeded him and divided the kingdom among his brothers, which weakened the unity of the state. The mausoleum of Idris II is in his zawiya, in the heart of the medina of Fez, near the al-Qarawiyyin mosque.