Ashir

Ashir was a fortified city in the Titteri mountains and an early seat of the Zirid dynasty. Around 935, Ziri ibn Manad, a Sanhaja leader allied to the Fatimids, founded it on the edge of the Tell Atlas. Palaces and strong walls proclaimed the power of a dynasty that would rule much of Ifriqiya. After the Hammadids founded their own capital in the Hodna in 1007, Ashir remained an important city of their realm. Its ruins preserve the memory of the royal settlement among the mountains.