Ifrīqiya’s Status in the Caliphal Hierarchy in the Marwānid Period

ABSTRACT This article examines the integration of Ifrīqiya into the Umayyad Empire from the conquest of Carthage in 78/698 until the ʿAbbāsid revolution in 132/750. It compares the province of Ifrīqiya with the province of Egypt and argues that, although Ifrīqiya and Egypt were both directly subordinated to caliphal control from 86/705 and therefore equal in a formal administrative sense, Ifrīqiya was a less prestigious province than Egypt within the caliphal hierarchy. This argument is based on a prosopographical comparison of the governors of the two provinces and a comparison of the factors affecting their selection. It is supported by a consideration of the reasons why Ifrīqiya was a less prestigious province than Egypt. Among these reasons, an important role is attributed to Egypt’s role as a transit province between North Africa and Syria. This gave Egypt an informal dominance over Ifrīqiya, which was a disadvantage for a governorship over this province.