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Maqil

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Banu Ma'qil
بَنُو مَعقِل
KahlaniteArab tribe
The tribe in 1894.
EthnicityArab
Nisbaal-Ma'qili
المعقلي
LocationYemen,Morocco,Mauritania,Algeria,Western Sahara
Parent tribeBanu Kahlan
Branches
LanguageArabic
ReligionSunni Islam

TheBanuMa'qil(Arabic:بنو معقل) is anArabnomadic tribe that originated inSouth Arabia.[1]The tribe emigrated to theMaghrebregion ofNorth Africawith theBanu HilalandBanu Sulaymtribes in the 11th century. They mainly settled in and around theSaharanwolds and oases ofMorocco;inTafilalt,Wad Nun(nearGuelmim),DraaandTaourirt.With the Ma'qil being aBedouintribe that originated in theArabian Peninsula,like Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym, they adapted perfectly to the climatic desert conditions of the Maghreb, discovering the same way of life as in the Arabian Peninsula.[1]The Ma'qil branch ofBeni Hassanwhich came to dominate all ofMauritania,Western Sahara,southMorocco,and south-westAlgeria,spread theHassaniya Arabicdialect,[2]which is very close toclassical Arabic.[1]

Origins

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The exact origin of the Ma'qil tribe is unknown,[3]although it has been established that they most likely originated inSouth Arabia(Yemen).[1]They claimed for themselves a prestigiousHashemitedescent fromJa'far ibn Abu Talib,son ofAbu Taliband brother ofAli ibn Abu Talib.Some Arabian genealogists categorized them asHilalians.[3]Ibn Khaldunhypothesized that both of these versions are false, since the Hashemites lived in urban cities and weren't nomadic nor ever wandered in the desert.[3]He added that the Ma'qil is a name only found in Yemen.[3]Ibn Khaldun said that they were likely an Arab nomadic group from Yemen, and this is supported byIbn al-KalbiandIbn Said.[3][4]Ibn Khaldun noted "the origin of the Ma'qil tribe is from theArabs of Yemen,and their grandfather is Rabi'a bin Ka'b bin Rabi'a bin Ka'b bin al-Harith, and from al-Harith bin Ka'b bin 'Amr bin 'Ulah bin Jald binMadhhijbin Adad bin Zayd binKahlan".[5]

Sub-tribes

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Beni Ubayd Allah

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The Banu Ubayd Allah descended from Ubayd Allah bin Sahir (or Saqil), son of the Ma'qil forefather.[4]They were the biggest sub-group of the Ma'qil and lived as nomads in the southern hills betweenTlemcenandTaourirt.[6]In their nomadic travel they reached as far as theMelwiya riverin the north andTuatin the south.[6]The Beni Ubayd Allah later divided into two sub-tribes: The Haraj and The Kharaj.[7]

Beni Mansur

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The Banu Mansur descended from Mansour bin Mohammed, the second son of the Ma'qil forefather.[8][9]They lived as nomads between Taourirt and theDraavalley.[9]At one time they controlled the area between theMoulouya riverandSijilmasa,in addition toTazaandTadla.[9]They were the second most numerous Ma'qil sub-tribe after the Beni Ubayd Allah.[8]

Beni Hassan

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The Banu Hassan descended from Hassan bin Mokhtar bin Mohamed, the second son of the Ma'qil forefather.[4]They were thus the cousins of Beni Mansour. The Banu Hassan sub-tribe is, however, not limited to the descendants of Hassan, they also include the Shebanat (sons of Shebana the brother of Hassan) and the Reguitat who descended from the other sons of Mohamed; namely Jalal, Salem and Uthman.[4][10]They wandered in theSousand the extreme-Sous(present-day southern Morocco)[9]but they had originally lived as nomads near theMelwiya riverneighboring their relatives; the Banu Ubayd Allah and Banu Mansour.[10]Their coming to theSouswas a result of the Almohad governor of this region who invited them to fight for him when a rebellion broke out.[10]

Thaaliba

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TheThaalibawere the descendants of Thaalab bin Ali bin Bakr bin Sahir (or Saqir or Suhair) son of the Ma'qil forefather. This sub-tribe settled in a region close toAlgiers,theMitidjaplain. They came to ruleAlgiersfrom 1204 to 1516 until theOttomanstook over control from Salim al-Tumi in thecapture of Algiers.[11]

Emigration to the Maghreb

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The Ma'qils entered the Maghreb during the wave of emigration of the Arabian tribes (Banu Hilal,Banu Sulaym,etc.) in the 11th century.[9]They adapted to the climatic desert conditions of the Maghreb, discovering the same way of life as in the Arabian Peninsula.[1]TheBanu Sulaymopposed their arrival and fought them off.[12]They later allied with theBanu Hilaland entered under their protection,[9]which enabled them to wander in the Moroccan Sahara between theMoulouya RiverandTafilaletoases.[9]A tiny group of them however stayed inIfriqiya,during their westward transit in theMaghreb,and briefly worked as viziers of the victoriousHilaliansandBanu Sulaym,who had recently defeated the powerfulBerberZirid Empire.[9]

Harry Norris noted "the Moorish Sahara is the western extremity of the Arab World. Western it certainly is, some districts further west than Ireland, yet in its way of life, its culture, its literature and in many of its social customs, it has much in common with the heart lands of the Arab East, in particular with the Hijaz and Najd and parts of the Yemen".[13]

The Ma'qils quickly grew in numbers, this is due to the fact that parts of many other Arabian tribes joined them, which included:[3]

  • Fezaraof Asheja
  • Chetha of Kurfa
  • Mehaya of Iyad
  • Shuara of Hassin
  • Sabah of al-Akhdar
  • Some ofBanu Sulaym

Once in Morocco, they allied with theZenatanomadic groups that neighbored them in the wolds. After the decline ofAlmohadauthority, the Ma'qil took advantage of the civil war between the differentZenatagroups and seized control of variousKsoursand oases in theSous,Draa,TuatandTaourirtupon which they imposed taxes, while giving a certain amount of the collected money to the local competingZenatakings.[3]

Evolution under the Almohads

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During theAlmohadera, the Ma'qils stayed loyal, paid taxes and neither looted nor attacked any villages,Ksoursor passing trading Caravans.[3]As the power of the Almohads declined, the Ma'qils took advantage of the lack of central state authority and the civil war between the Zenata, and seized the control of manyKsoursaroundTafilalet,theDraaValley and Tawrirt.[3][14]

Almohad caliphAbd al-Mu'minencouraged the settlement of Banu Ma'qil and other Arabian tribes in coastal Morocco, an area which was largely depopulated by the conquest of theBarghawataby the Almohads.[15]The migration and presence of Arab nomads led to further Arabic influence and added an important element to the local power equation, of which when one of the Marinid sultans went in public procession, he was escorted by aZenataon one side and an Arab on the other.[15]

Evolution under the Zayyanids and Marinids

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The Kharaj of Banu Ubayd Allah initially opposed theZayyanids,[6]but later allied with them after they were defeated in a battle with the sultan,Ibn Zyan,[6][7]When the Marinids replaced the Zayyanids, the Kharaj remained faithful to the Zayyanids since they had given them tax collection privileges.[7]The Marinid Sultan,Abu al-Hassanthen stripped them of these acquired advantages and gave them instead to theBeni Iznassentribe,[7]which resulted in a rebellion by the Kharaj which killed the Marinid governor of the SaharanKsours,Yahya ibn Al-iz.[7][16]

As the Arabs expanded their domains in Morocco andArabizedmany Berbers,Arabicbecame the common language, which the Marinids made the official language.[17]Arabs also increased their influence and power in Morocco, and no one could have ruled there without their co-operation.[17]When riding in state, the Marinid sultan was flanked on either side by an Arab and a Zenata chief as a symbol of the dual character of theMakhzen.[17]

Migration to Mauritania

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In the 14th and 15th centuries, the nomadic Arab tribes of Banu Ma'qil moved intoMauritaniaand were over time able to establish complete dominance over the Berbers[18]after defeating both Berbers and Black Africans in the region and pushing them to theSenegal river.[19] An extensiveArabizationof Mauritania started following the Arab victory in theChar Bouba warin 1677.

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdeSabatier, Diane Himpan; Himpan, Brigitte (2019-03-31).Nomads of Mauritania.Vernon Press. pp. 110–111.ISBN978-1-62273-410-8.
  2. ^Ould-Mey, Mohameden (1996).Global Restructuring and Peripheral States: The Carrot and the Stick in Mauritania.Rowman & Littlefield.ISBN978-0-8226-3051-7.
  3. ^abcdefghiIbn Khaldun, Abderahman(1377).تاريخ ابن خلدون: ديوان المبتدأ و الخبر في تاريخ العرب و البربر و من عاصرهم من ذوي الشأن الأكبر.Vol. 6. دار الفكر. p. 78.
  4. ^abcdIbn Khaldun, Abderahman(1377).تاريخ ابن خلدون: ديوان المبتدأ و الخبر في تاريخ العرب و البربر و من عاصرهم من ذوي الشأن الأكبر.Vol. 6. دار الفكر. p. 79.
  5. ^Khaldûn, Ibn (2015-04-27).The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History - Abridged Edition.Princeton University Press.ISBN978-0-691-16628-5.
  6. ^abcdIbn Khaldun, Abderahman(1377).تاريخ ابن خلدون: ديوان المبتدأ و الخبر في تاريخ العرب و البربر و من عاصرهم من ذوي الشأن الأكبر.Vol. 6. دار الفكر. p. 80.
  7. ^abcdeIbn Khaldun, Abderahman(1377).تاريخ ابن خلدون: ديوان المبتدأ و الخبر في تاريخ العرب و البربر و من عاصرهم من ذوي الشأن الأكبر.Vol. 6. دار الفكر. p. 81.
  8. ^abIbn Khaldun, Abderahman(1377).تاريخ ابن خلدون: ديوان المبتدأ و الخبر في تاريخ العرب و البربر و من عاصرهم من ذوي الشأن الأكبر.Vol. 6. دار الفكر. p. 87.
  9. ^abcdefghIbn Khaldun, Abderahman(1377).تاريخ ابن خلدون: ديوان المبتدأ و الخبر في تاريخ العرب و البربر و من عاصرهم من ذوي الشأن الأكبر.Vol. 6. دار الفكر. p. 77.
  10. ^abcIbn Khaldun, Abderahman(1377).تاريخ ابن خلدون: ديوان المبتدأ و الخبر في تاريخ العرب و البربر و من عاصرهم من ذوي الشأن الأكبر.Vol. 6. دار الفكر. p. 91.
  11. ^بن عتو, حمدون (2017-03-20)."الثعالبة في الجزائر من خلال المصادر المحلية د. حمدون بن عتو".الحوار المتوسطي(in Arabic).8(1): 437–445.ISSN2571-9742.
  12. ^Robinson, David (2010).Les sociétés Musulmanes Africains.p. 140.
  13. ^Ould-Mey, Mohameden (1996).Global Restructuring and Peripheral States: The Carrot and the Stick in Mauritania.Rowman & Littlefield. p. 69.ISBN978-0-8226-3051-7.
  14. ^Ibn Khaldun, Abderahman(1377).تاريخ ابن خلدون: ديوان المبتدأ و الخبر في تاريخ العرب و البربر و من عاصرهم من ذوي الشأن الأكبر.Vol. 6. دار الفكر. p. 92.
  15. ^abIsichei, Elizabeth (1997-04-13).A History of African Societies to 1870.Cambridge University Press. p. 190.ISBN978-0-521-45599-2.
  16. ^Ibn Khaldun, Abderahman(1377).تاريخ ابن خلدون: ديوان المبتدأ و الخبر في تاريخ العرب و البربر و من عاصرهم من ذوي الشأن الأكبر.Vol. 6. دار الفكر. p. 82.
  17. ^abcFage, J. D.; Oliver, Roland Anthony (1975).The Cambridge History of Africa: From c. 500 B.C. to A.D. 1050.Cambridge University Press. p. 360.ISBN978-0-521-20981-6.
  18. ^Gall, Timothy L. (November 2006).Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations.Thomson Gale.ISBN978-1-4144-1089-0.
  19. ^Lombardo, Jennifer (2021-12-15).Mauritania.Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC. p. 27.ISBN978-1-5026-6305-4.
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