The Banu Makki were one of the notable families in Gabès during the rule of the Hafsids in Ifriqiya. While the Hafsids appointed governors to the main cities of their provinces, powerful local families often exercised great influence. In the case of the Banu Makki, they were able to get one of their own members to be appointed as governor in Gabès. At their height, sometime the early 14th century, their domainextended from Gabès to Tripoli and the nearbyJabal Nafusa. By the mid-1350s, they had extended their control to both Tripoli and Sfax. During the second half of the 14th century they had formed an effectively independent state in this region. The region was only brought back under directHafsid control during the reign of Abu al-Abbas Ahmad II, who progressively reasserted Hafsid authority across former territories.