Miknasa

Last updated

The Miknasa (Berber: Imeknasen) was a Zenata Berber tribe of the Maghreb. [1]

The Miknasa Berbers historically populated the Aurès and are part of the Dharisa tribe belonging to Botr who descended from Madghis, coming from the Aures mountains in Algeria. [2] [3] [4] [5] The Aures and the regions north of it were traditionally the home of the Miknasa, they were also mentioned to have been situated there by Ibn Khaldun, Al Yaqubi and Al Bakri at the time of the foundation of Tahert. [6] In antiquity Ptolomey referred to three groups whom had inhabited a certain mountain range which can now be identified as the Ouarsenis, one of these three peoples were the Μυκίνοι whom were most likely the Miknasa, Edrisi had also mentioned the Miknasa as one of the tribes that inhabited the Ouarsenis. [7]

The modern Moroccan city of Meknes, which took its name from them, [8] bears witness to their presence, as does the Spanish town of Mequinenza. [9]

After defeat by the Umayyads, many of the Miknasa converted to Islam. [10] In 711, members of the tribe took part in the conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom under Tariq ibn Ziyad. They settled north of Córdoba and in the 11th century founded the Aftasid dynasty in Badajoz. [11]

Another group of the Miknasa took part in the successful massive Berber Revolt led by Maysara al-Matghari in 739–742 against the Umayyad Arabs, and managed to wipe out the Umayyad Arab presence in Morocco and Algeria. [12] The Berber principality Banu Midrar is named after Abul-Qasim Samku ibn Wasul, nicknamed Midrar, a Miknasa Berber who was said to take part in the Berber Revolt. [12] The principality of the Banu Midrar was founded by Miknasa who came from the Aures massif, and at the time were nomads south of Tiaret. [13] [14] The Miknasa adopted Kharijism-Islam and established the Emirate of Sijilmasa, under the Midrarid dynasty, on the northern edge of the Sahara in 757. [15] [16] This became very wealthy as the western end-point of the Trans-Saharan trade route with the Sudan. [17] In alliance with the Caliphate of Córdoba, it was able to fight off the attacks of the Fatimids. However, when the Miknasa chief Al-Mutazz allied himself with the Fatimids, the Miknasa were driven out of Sijilmasa by the Maghrawa, who were allies of the Umayyads.[ citation needed ]

A further group of Miknasa were allied with the Fatimids against the Umayyads, and overthrew the Rustamids of Tahert in 912 and drove the Salihids from northern Morocco in 917. [18] [19] [20] But they could not maintain their resistance to the Magrawa in northern Morocco permanently, and, weakened by the struggle, they were subdued by the Almoravids in the 11th century. [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berbers</span> Diverse grouping of distinct ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa

Berbers or the Berber peoples, also called by their contemporary endonym Amazigh or Imazighen, are a diverse grouping of distinct ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa who predate the arrival of Arabs in the Arab migrations to the Maghreb. Their main connections are identified by their usage of Berber languages, most of them mutually unintelligible, which are part of the Afroasiatic language family. They are indigenous to the Maghreb region of North Africa, where they live in scattered communities across parts of Morocco, Algeria, Libya, and to a lesser extent Tunisia, Mauritania, northern Mali and northern Niger. Smaller Berber communities are also found in Burkina Faso and Egypt's Siwa Oasis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medieval Muslim Algeria</span>

Medieval Muslim Algeria was a period of Muslim dominance in Algeria during the Middle Ages, spanning the millennium from the 7th century to the 17th century. The new faith, in its various forms, would penetrate nearly all segments of society, bringing with it armies, learned men, and fervent mystics; in large part, it would replace tribal practices and loyalties with new social norms and political idioms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rustamid dynasty</span> Persian ruling house in Algeria

The Rustamid dynasty was an Ibadi Persian dynasty centered in present-day Algeria. The dynasty governed as a Muslim theocracy for a century and a half from its capital Tahert until the Ismaili Fatimid Caliphate defeated it. Rustamid authority extended over what is now central and western Algeria, parts of southern Tunisia, and the Jebel Nafusa and Fezzan regions in Libya as far as Zawila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zirid dynasty</span> Sanhaja Berber dynasty

The Zirid dynasty, Banu Ziri, was a Sanhaja Berber dynasty from what is now Algeria which ruled the central Maghreb from 972 to 1014 and Ifriqiya from 972 to 1148.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barghawata</span> Beber tribal confederation in Morocco

The Barghawatas were a Berber tribal confederation on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, belonging to the Masmuda confederacy. After allying with the Sufri Kharijite rebellion in Morocco against the Umayyad Caliphate, they established an independent state in the area of Tamesna on the Atlantic coast between Safi and Salé under the leadership of Tarif al-Matghari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abd Allah al-Mahdi Billah</span> Ismaili Imam and first Fatimid Caliph from 909 to 934

Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ḥusayn, better known by his regnal name al-Mahdī biʾllāh, was the founder of the Isma'ili Fatimid Caliphate, the only major Shi'a caliphate in Islamic history, and the eleventh Imam of the Isma'ili branch of Shi'ism.

The Zenata are a group of Berber tribes, historically one of the largest Berber confederations along with the Sanhaja and Masmuda. Their lifestyle was either nomadic or semi-nomadic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buluggin ibn Ziri</span> Emir of Maghreb

Buluggin ibn Ziri, often transliterated Bologhine, in full ʾAbū al Futūḥ Sayf ad Dawlah Bulukīn ibn Zīrī ibn Manād aṣ Ṣanhājī was the first leader of the Sanhaja Berber dynasty of Zirids to serve as viceroy of Ifriqiya under the Fatimid Caliphs, founding a dynasty that continued to rule the region after him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sijilmasa</span> Historical Medieval city in Morocco

Sijilmasa was a medieval Moroccan city and trade entrepôt at the northern edge of the Sahara in Morocco. The ruins of the town extend for five miles along the River Ziz in the Tafilalt oasis near the town of Rissani. The town's history was marked by several successive invasions by Berber dynasties. Up until the 14th century, as the northern terminus for the western trans-Sahara trade route, it was one of the most important trade centres in the Maghreb during the Middle Ages.

al-Mansur Billah Fatimid ruler from 946 to 953 and 13th Ismaili Imam

Abu Tahir Isma'il, better known by his regnal name al-Mansur Billah, was the third caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate in Ifriqiya, ruling from 946 until his death. He presided over a period of crisis, having to confront the large-scale Kharijite rebellion of Abu Yazid. He succeeded in suppressing the revolt and restoring the stability of the Fatimid regime.

al-Qaim (Fatimid caliph) Second Fatimid caliph from 934 to 946

Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh, better known by his regnal name al-Qāʾim (القائم) or al-Qāʾim bi-Amr Allāh, was the second caliph of the Fatimid dynasty, ruling in Ifriqiya from 934 to 946. He was the twelfth Isma'ili Imam, succeeding his father Abd Allah al-Mahdi Billah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maghrawa</span> Berber confederation in 10th–11th centuries

The Maghrawa or Meghrawa were a large Zenata Berber tribal confederation whose cradle and seat of power was the territory located on the Chlef in the north-western part of today's Algeria, bounded by the Ouarsenis to the south, the Mediterranean Sea to the north and Tlemcen to the west. They ruled these areas on behalf of the Umayyad Caliphate of Cordoba at the end of the 10th century and during the first half of the 11th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idrisid dynasty</span> 788–974 Arab dynasty ruling Morocco

The Idrisid dynasty or Idrisids were an Arab Muslim dynasty from 788 to 974, ruling most of present-day Morocco and parts of present-day western Algeria. Named after the founder, Idris I, the Idrisids were an Alid dynasty descended from Muhammad through his grandson Hasan. The Idrisids are traditionally considered to be the founders of the first Moroccan state, setting the stage for subsequent dynasties and states centered in this region. Their reign played an important role in the early Islamization of Morocco and also presided over an increase in Arab immigration and Arabization in major urban centers.

The Berbers are an indigenous ethnic group of the Maghreb region of North Africa. Following the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, most Berber tribes eventually became Muslims. Presently, about one-sixth of the population of Maghreb speaks one of the Berber languages, but most of them also speak some form of Arabic. Berbers are the first non-Arab people to have established an Islamic state.

The Banu Ifran or Ifranids, were a Zenata Berber tribe prominent in the history of pre-Islamic and early Islamic North Africa. In the 8th century, they established a kingdom in the central Maghreb, with Tlemcen as its capital.

Zawi ibn Ziri as-Sanhaji or Al-Mansur Zawi ibn Ziri ibn Manad as-Sanhaji, was a chief in the Berber Sanhaja tribe. He arrived in Spain in 1000 (391) during the reign of Almanzor. He took part in the rebellion against the Caliphate of Córdoba and settled in the Cora of Elvira with followers from his Sanhaja tribe. He founded the Taifa of Granada, and founded the Zirid dynasty of Granada as its first Emir, reigning from 1013 to 1019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midrarid dynasty</span> Family

The Midrarid dynasty was a Berber dynasty that ruled the Sijilmasa region in Morocco from their capital of Sijilmasa, starting in the late 8th or early 9th century to 976/7.

The Ifranid Emirate of Tlemcen or Ifranid Kingdom of Tlemcen, was a Kharijite state, founded by Berbers of the Banu Ifran in the eighth century, with its capital at Tlemcen in modern Algeria.

Musa ibn Abi'l-Afiya was a Miknasa Berber chieftain who ruled the western Maghreb for the Fatimid Caliphate before defecting to the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba in 931. He played a central role in the Umayyad–Fatimid rivalry of the time, and is also remembered for his persecution of the Idrisids of Morocco.

The Talkata or Telkata constitute a branch of the sedentary faction of the Sanhaja in central Maghreb, with their stronghold being Titteri, during the Middle Ages. They played a prominent role in the history of the Muslim Maghreb and are the progenitors of the Zirid dynasties that ruled over central Maghreb, Ifriqiya, and Al-Andalus, the Telkata tribe went extinct during the French Invasion of Algeria.

References

  1. ↑ Nijst, A. L. M. T. (1973). Living on the edge of the Sahara: a study of traditional forms of habitation and types of settlement in Morocco. Govt. Pub. Office. p. 333. ISBN   9789012001052.
  2. ↑ Les Berbers dans l'histoire: De Ziri à Hammad Mouloud Gaïd Editions Mimouni
  3. ↑ Kitāb el-istiqça li akhbār doual el-Maghrib el-Aqça, Volume 30Aḥmad ibn Khālid Salāwī‬ Librairie orientaliste Paul Geuthner
  4. ↑ History of Morocco Henri Terrasse Éditions Atlantides
  5. ↑ Field Studies in Libya John Innes Clarke
  6. ↑ Zerouki, Brahim. L'Imamat de Tahart: Histoire politico-socio-religieuse. France: L'Harmattan, 1987.”Les Miknassa, traditionnellement, avaient pour demeure les Awras ainsi que la région située au nord de ces montagnes (228). Ils y sont en effet signalés par Ibn Haldun (229) qui situe son propos au moment des bouleversements qui provoquèrent la fondation de Tahart, ainsi que par Al Ya'qubi (230) ainsi que par Al Bakri (231)”
  7. ↑ Essai sur la province Romaine de Maurétanie Césarienne. 1891. pp.75-76.
  8. ↑ Halm, Heinz (1996). Der Nahe und Mittlere Osten. BRILL. p. 266. ISBN   9004100563.
  9. ↑ Scales, Peter C. (1993-12-31). The Fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba: Berbers and Andalusis in Conflict. BRILL. p. 148. ISBN   9004098682.
  10. ↑ Africa, Unesco International Scientific Committee for the Drafting of a General History of (1992). Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century. J. Currey. p. 123. ISBN   9780852550939.
  11. ↑ Jayyusi, Salma Khadra; Marín, Manuela (1992). The Legacy of Muslim Spain. BRILL. p. 51. ISBN   9004095993.
  12. 1 2 Abun-Nasr, Jamil M. (1987-08-20). A History of the Maghrib in the Islamic Period. Cambridge University Press. p. 49. ISBN   9781316583340.
  13. ↑ Encyclopédie du dix-neuvième siècle: répertoire universel des sciences, des lettres et des arts, avec la biographie et de nombreuses gravures. Au Bureau de l'Encyclopédie du XIXe Siècle, 1867.
  14. ↑ Bellil, Rachid. Ksour et saints du Gourara: dans la tradition orale, l'hagiographie et les chroniques locales. C.N.R.P.A.H., 2003. p.84. “La chute de la capitale des Ibadites maghrébins favorisera les Miknassa ( surtout les Banu Midrar ) qui nomadisaient au sud de Tahart et développeront Sidjilmasa pour tirer profit du commerce avec le pays des Noirs”
  15. ↑ Haji, Hamid (2006-05-26). Founding the Fatimid State: The Rise of an Early Islamic Empire. I.B.Tauris. p. 106. ISBN   9780857712721.
  16. ↑ Hoyland, Robert G. (2014). In God's Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire. Oxford University Press. p. 243. ISBN   9780199916368.
  17. ↑ Blanchard, Ian (2001). Mining, Metallurgy and Minting in the Middle Ages: Asiatic supremacy, 425-1125. Franz Steiner Verlag. p. 130. ISBN   9783515079587.
  18. ↑ Melton, J. Gordon (2014-01-15). Faiths Across Time: 5,000 Years of Religious History [4 Volumes]: 5,000 Years of Religious History. ABC-CLIO. p. 629. ISBN   9781610690263.
  19. ↑ Bloom, Jonathan M. (1989). Minaret: Symbol of Islam. Oxford University Press. p. 108. ISBN   9780197280133.
  20. ↑ Scales, Peter C. (1993-12-31). The Fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba: Berbers and Andalusis in Conflict. BRILL. p. 149. ISBN   9004098682.
  21. ↑ Africa, Unesco International Scientific Committee for the Drafting of a General History of (1992). Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century. J. Currey. p. 37. ISBN   9780852550939.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.