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tron of Aquataccio, or Aqua d'Acio. On the" place where 

 this river crofTed tlie Appianway, the priefts of Cybtle per- 

 formed the annual ceremony of wafliing the ftatue of tlie 

 goddefs, and their implements of facrifice. Ovid defcribes 

 this ceremony ; Faili iv. 337. 



" Ell locus, in Tibcrin quE lubricus influit Almosi, 



Et nomen niagno perdit in anine minor, 



]llic purpurea caiius cum vefte facerdos 



Alraonus dominam, faeraque lavit aquis." 



ALMOBARIN, a fmall to-.vn of Spain, in New Caf- 

 tilc, north -north-caft of Merida, and fouth-eaft of Alcan- 

 tara. N. lat. 39" 10'. W. long. 14'' 46'. 



ALMODAVAR, or Almudf.var, a fmall town of 

 Spain, in Aragon, three leagues fouth-weft from Huefea. 

 The adjacent country abou.ids with grain, wine, and 

 faffron. 



Almodavar del Cawpo, a town of Spain, in New Caf- 

 tile, fituate in a pleafant valley at the foot of Mount Mo- 

 rena, and defended by a caftle, fix leagues fouth of Civdad 

 Real. 



Almodavar, a town of Portugal, in Alentejo, contain- 

 ing within its diftiicl five pariflies. 



AI.MOENA, in Ancient Gcogrciphy, a town of Africa, 

 placed by Ptolemy in Bizacium, ten leagues to the eail- 

 fouth-eali of Tichufa. Almoena is now Telemccn, and Ti- 

 chufa, Tegewfe. Shaw's Travels, p. 126. 



ALMOGIZA, among Arabian JVriters, denotes the 

 limb or circumfe;. uce of the astrolabe. 



ALMOHARRAM, in Ancunt Chronology, wasthe firft 

 month of the Arab vear. On fome occafions the obiervance 

 of this month was put off to the following month Safar. 



ALMOHEDES, in Hijiory, the name of an African dy- 

 nafty which fucceeded that of the Almoravides in Bar- 

 bary, in the commencement of the lith century. It took 

 its rife in the 25th year of the rtign of Al Abraham, or 

 Brahem, who fucceeded his father Ali, A. D. 1 1 15; and 

 der'.ved its name from an obfcure founder, called Al Mo- 

 hedi, or Al Mohedes. This perfon was a Berber, of Uie tribe 

 of Muzamada, named Abdallah, and was a famous preacher 

 among thofe ofhis tribe, who were feated along Mount Atlas. 

 In order to fecure fuccefs to the defign he had conceived, he 

 affnmed the title of Mohdi, or Mohedi, and fet up for the 

 htad or leader of the Orthodox, or Unitarians, who were 

 now become fo numerous by his preaching, that he pre- 

 fumtd to bid defiance even to his fovereign. Brahem was 

 too much immerfed in pleafure to regard the revolt, and too 

 confident of his own fecurity to apprehend any danger from 

 the infurreftion of a party compofed of perfons whom he 

 looked upon with contempt. But their unexpefted increafe 

 alarmed him, and he prepared for fubduing them. His force, 

 however, was infufiicient for the purpofe, and in his firft en- 

 gagement he was totally defeated. Abdallah was wary, and 

 fecured the capital ; fo that Bi-ahcm, purfued as a fugitive 

 by Abdolmumen, one of the party, was obliged to feek re- 

 fuge in the city of Fez. But the gates of the city were not 

 only (hut againlt him, but opened to receive his pnrfuers. 

 The next place to which he lepaired was Auran, or Oran, 

 but the city was foon invefted by Abdolmumen, and threat- 

 ened with fire and fword. The magiftrates, unable to de- 

 fesd themfelves, and dreading the confequences of an hollile 

 attack, urged him to leave the town. Under the (helter of a 

 dark night he, with his favouritewife on horfeback behindhim, 

 fet out from Oran, but ihey were difcovercd and purfued ; and 

 fearing to fall into the hands of their enemies, he fpurred 

 bis horfe in a fit of defpair, and leaped down a precipice, 

 ■where he and his wife were dalhed to pieces. Such was the 



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fatal end of this prince, whofe death put a final period to 

 the empire of the Almoravides. As foon as Abdolmumen^ 

 vulgarly called Abdiihnan, was apprized of Brahem's death, 

 he Iraverfed the kingdom of Tremecen in his way to Mo- 

 rocco, where, Abdallah being dead, he was declared his luc- 

 ceffor by the chiefs of tlv; party, and proclaimed king of tlie 

 Almohedes, under the title of Al Emir Al " 'umin Abdallah 

 Mohammed Abdal Mumen Ebn Abdallah Ibni Ali, t. c. 

 thief or emperor of the true believers of the houfc of Mo- 

 hammed Abdul Mumen, the fiui of Abdal Mumen, the fon 

 of Abdal! ih of the hneage of Ali. A'jaalbh's r^ign was 

 long enough to allow his enafting fome prudei;lial .^,;ala- 

 tlons for the eftabliilmient of his feft aid : new kingdom, 

 which he left behind iji his will. He appointed a council of 

 40 difciples of his fe-^l, all of whom wt-re prcubers ; lome 

 of thefe were commifiioncd to regulate all pub':C affairs, and 

 at proper feafons to be itinerant prcnehers in the country, 

 for the diffulion of their doftrine ; and others of them, to 

 the number of 1 6, were to acl as fecretaries. From the 

 former of thefe two claffes the fuccefib;s to the regal and 

 pontifical throne were to be elefted, for both thefe dignities 

 and titles were to be united in the iame pc Ion. '1 he difci- 

 ples of this fedl were denorrii.ated Muhameddin, or Al 

 Moliaddin ; but by the Arabian writers they are ilyled only 

 preachers, and by the Spauilh, Al Mohedes ; and the de- 

 fcendants and fuceeffois of that tribe continued to retain the 

 appellation of Emir Al Mumenin, or chiefs oi the faithful 

 or true believers, as long as their dynally lailed ; and they 

 becam.e vei-y powerful both in Africa and Spain. As to 

 their religious tenets, if we except their fpecious pretence 

 to orthodoxv, and ftricl adherence to the doftrine of the 

 unity of God, which they zealc.ifiy inculcated, they had 

 little or nothing peculiar to themfelves ; but they were loud 

 in their reproaches againft the tyranny of the Almoravides, 

 and in their clamours for liberty ; and thus they allured the 

 greatell; p.art of the kingdom to revolt, and to embrace their 

 left and doftrine. 



The new fovereign, on his acceflion to power, extin- 

 guilhcd the Almoravidic line by tlrangling Ifaac, the fon of 

 Brahem, and extirpated all the unhappy remains and adhe- 

 rents of this race. During the progreis of this revolution, 

 fevcral of the Alinoravide governors, availing themfelves of 

 the diftraftion and tumult that prevailed, ercftcd their go- 

 vernments into independent principalities and petty king- 

 don-'S : and thofe who inhabited the mountainous parts ef- 

 tabliiTied a variety of lordfliips under their own cheyks. The 

 Nubians and Libyans took the lead, and others followed 

 their example ; particularly the ftates of Barbary, Tripoli, 

 Kairwan, Tunis, Algiers, Tremecen and Bugeia, each of 

 whieli had its own fovereign. Abdolmumen, however, pur- 

 fued his conquefts v.'lth fucccfs, and in a few years reduced, 

 the Numidians and Galatians in the weft, and the kingdoms 

 of Tunis, I'remecen, and the greateft part of Mauritania 

 and Tingitana, under his fubjettion. He likewife difpofTefled 

 the Chrillians of Mohedia, the chief city of Africa, and fome 

 others on the fame coaft, and made other conquefts both ia 

 Spain and Portugal. He died in the feventh year of liis 

 reign, and was fucceeded, A. D. 1 156, by his fon Yufef, or 

 Jofeph. Yufef was a valiant and martial prince; and having 

 cftabliihed the kings of Tunis and Bugeia in their rcfptc- 

 tive kingdoms as his iributaries and valTals, he prepared to 

 embark for Spain to afiift the Moorlfn princes, who folicitfd 

 his proteftion and fuccour. Yufef was fucceeded by Yakub, 

 or Jaacob, furnamed Al Manfur, or the conqueror, who, after 

 fecaring himfelf againft both the revolted and the plundering 

 A.rabf, purfued his conquefts with fuch fpced and fucceis, 

 that in a little time he becanje mafter of the whole country 



lying 



