The Barghawatas (or Barghwata, Berghouata) were a

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

tribal confederation and religious movement that ruled a region of the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

coast in present-day

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

between the 8th and 11th centuries. They belonged to the

Masmuda The Masmuda (, Berber: ⵉⵎⵙⵎⵓⴷⵏ) is a Berber tribal confederation , one of the largest in the Maghreb, along with the Zenata and the Sanhaja. Today, the Masmuda confederacy largely corresponds to the speakers of the Tashelhit lan ...

confederacy. After allying with the

Sufri The Sufris ( ''aṣ-Ṣufriyya'') were Khariji Muslims in the seventh and eighth centuries. They established the Midrarid state at Sijilmassa, now in Morocco. In Tlemcen, Algeria, the Banu Ifran were Sufri Berbers who opposed rule by the Uma ...

rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

against the

Umayyad Caliphate The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a member o ...

, they established an independent state (AD744-1058) in the area of Tamesna on the Atlantic coast between Safi and

Salé Salé (, ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, opposite the national capital Rabat, for which it serves as a commuter town. Along with some smaller nearby towns, Rabat and Salé form together a single m ...

under the leadership of

Tarif al-Matghari Tarif al-Matghari (, ) (b. ? -744) was the founder of the Berber Barghawata dynasty in the Tamesna region in what is today Morocco. He was the father of the self-proclaimed prophet and king Salih ibn Tarif. It is believed that he was born in the a ...

Etymology

Some historians believe that the term ''Barghawata'' is a phonetic deformation of the term ''Barbati'', a nickname which Tarif carried. It is thought that he was born in the area of

Barbate Barbate is a municipalities of Spain, Spanish municipality in the Province of Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is a coastal town located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, close to the Strait of Gibraltar. Covering a total ar ...

, near

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

in Spain. However,

Jérôme Carcopino Jérôme Carcopino (27 June 1881 – 17 March 1970) was a French historian, author, and Nazi collaborator. He was the fifteenth member elected to occupy seat 3 of the Académie française, in 1955. Biography Carcopino was born at Verneuil-sur-A ...

and other historians think the name is much older and the tribe is the same as that which the Romans called ''

Baquates The Baquates were a people living in Mauretania Tingitana under the Roman Empire. They are known from Greek and Latin literary sources and inscriptions of the second through fourth centuries AD. Jehan Desanges"Baquates" '' Encyclopédie berbère ...

'', who up until the 7th century lived near

Volubilis Volubilis (; ; ) is a partly excavated Berber-Roman city in Morocco, situated near the city of Meknes, that may have been the capital of the Kingdom of Mauretania, at least from the time of King Juba II. Before Volubilis, the capital of the kin ...

History

Few details are known about Barghawata. Most of the historical sources are largely posterior to their rule and often present a contradictory and confused historical context. However, one tradition appears more interesting. It comes from Córdoba in Spain and its author is the Large Prior of Barghawata and the Barghawata ambassador to Córdoba Abu Salih Zammur, around the middle of the 10th century. This tradition is regarded as most detailed concerning Barghwata. It was reported by Al Bakri,

Ibn Hazm Ibn Hazm (; November 994 – 15 August 1064) was an Andalusian Muslim polymath, historian, traditionist, jurist, philosopher, and theologian, born in the Córdoban Caliphate, present-day Spain. Described as one of the strictest hadith interpre ...

and

Ibn Khaldun Ibn Khaldun (27 May 1332 – 17 March 1406, 732–808 Hijri year, AH) was an Arabs, Arab Islamic scholar, historian, philosopher and sociologist. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest social scientists of the Middle Ages, and cons ...

, although their interpretations comprise some divergent points of view. The Barghawatas, along with the Ghomara and the

Miknasa The Miknasa (Berber: ''Imeknasen'') was a Zenata Berber tribe of the Maghreb. History 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 m ...

, launched the

Berber Revolt The Berber Revolt or the Kharijite Revolt of 740–743 AD (122–125 AH in the Islamic calendar) took place during the reign of the Umayyad Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik and marked the first successful secession from the Arab caliphate (ruled ...

of 739 or 740. They were fired up by

Kharijite The Kharijites (, singular ) were an Islamic sect which emerged during the First Fitna (656–661). The first Kharijites were supporters of Ali who rebelled against his acceptance of arbitration talks to settle the conflict with his challeng ...

preachers, a Muslim sect that embraced a doctrine representing total

egalitarianism Egalitarianism (; also equalitarianism) is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds on the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all hum ...

in opposition to the aristocracy of the

Quraysh The Quraysh () are an Tribes of Arabia, Arab tribe who controlled Mecca before the rise of Islam. Their members were divided into ten main clans, most notably including the Banu Hashim, into which Islam's founding prophet Muhammad was born. By ...

which had grown more pronounced under the

. The rebels elected Maysara al-Matghari to lead their revolt, and successfully seized control of nearly all of what is now

, inspiring further rebellions in the

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...

and

al-Andalus Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...

. At the Battle of Bagdoura, the rebels annihilated a particularly strong army dispatched by the Umayyad caliph from Syria. But the rebels army itself was eventually defeated in the outskirts

Kairouan Kairouan (, ), also spelled El Qayrawān or Kairwan ( , ), is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by the Umayyads around 670, in the period of Caliph Mu'awiya (reigned 661� ...

Ifriqiya Ifriqiya ( '), also known as al-Maghrib al-Adna (), was a medieval historical region comprising today's Tunisia, eastern Algeria, and Tripolitania (roughly western Libya). It included all of what had previously been the Byzantine province of ...

in 741. In the aftermath, the rebel alliance dissolved. Even before this denouement, the Barghawatas, as founders of the revolt, had grown resentful of the attempt by later adherents, notably the

Zenata 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. Society The 14th-century historiographer Ibn Khaldun repo ...

chieftains, in alliance with the increasingly authoritarian Sufri commissars, to take control of the leadership of the rebellion. As their primary objective – the liberation of their people from Umayyad rule – had already been achieved, and there was little prospect of it ever being re-imposed, the Barghwata saw little point in continued military campaigns. In 742 or 743, the Barghwata removed themselves from the rebel alliance, and retreated to the Tamesna region, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, where they founded their new independent state and abandoned their Sufri Kharijitism. The Barghawatas ruled in the Tamesna region for more than three centuries (744–1058). Under the successors of Salih ibn Tarif, Ilyas ibn Salih (792-842); Yunus (842-888) and Abu Ghufail (888–913) the tribal kingdom was consolidated, and missions sent to neighbouring tribes. After initially good relations with the Umayyad Caliphate of Cordoba there was a break at the end of the 10th century. Two Umayyad incursions, as well as attacks by the

Fatimids The Fatimid Caliphate (; ), also known as the Fatimid Empire, was a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries CE under the rule of the Fatimid dynasty, Fatimids, an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area of North Africa ...

were fought off by the Barghawata. From the 11th century there was an intensive

guerrilla war Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrorism ...

with the

Banu Ifran The Banu Ifran (, ''Banu Yafran'') or Ifranids, were a Zenata Berber people, Berber tribe prominent in the history of pre-Islamic and early Islamic North Africa. In the 8th century, they established a Emirate of Tlemcen, kingdom in the central Ma ...

. Even though the Barghawata were subsequently much weakened, they were still able to fend off Almoravid attacks—the spiritual leader of the Almoravids, Abdallah ibn Yasin, fell in battle against them on 7 July 1058. Only in 1149 were the Barghawata eliminated by the

Almohads The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa (the Maghreb). The Almohad ...

as a political and religious group.

Religion

It is possible that the Barghawata had a Judeo-Berber background, though accounts of entire Berber tribes practicing Judaism appear later and are unreliable. After the conversion to Islam at the beginning of the 8th century and the Maysara uprising (739-742), the Barghawata Berbers formed their own state on the Atlantic coast between Safi and

. The Barghawata kingdom practiced a distinctive form of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

that blended elements from

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Shi'a Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor ( caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community ( imam). However, his right is understoo ...

, and

traditions, combined with aspects of traditional Berber beliefs and customs. This syncretic religion included practices such as specific taboos, like abstaining from consuming eggs and chickens, and the belief in the baraka (blessing or spiritual power) of Ṣāliḥ ibn Ṭarīf and his family, whose saliva was regarded as sacred.

Tribes

The Barghawata confederacy was made of 29 tribes. 12 of these tribes adopted the Barghawata religion while 17 adhered to Islam. Barghawata religion (syncretic with Islam) tribes * Gerawa * Zouagha * Branès * Banu Abi Nacer * Menjasa * Banu Abi Nuh * Banu Waghmar * Matghara * Banu Borgh * Banu Derr * Matmata * Banu Zaksent Khariji Muslim tribes * Zenata-Jbal * Banu Bellit * Nemala * Ounsent * Banu Ifren * Banu Naghit * Banu Nuaman * Banu Fallusa * Banu Kuna * Banu Sebker * Assada * Regana * Azmin * Manada * Masina * Resana * Trara Some constituent tribes, such as Branès, Matmata, Ifren and Trara, were fractions of much larger tribal groups, and only the Tamesna-based fractions joined the Barghawata Confederacy.

Barghawata rulers

* Ṣāliḥ ibn Tarīf (744-?), who declared himself prophet in 744 and went away at the age of 47, promising to return. *Ilyas ibn Salih (?792-842),Dates with question marks are calculated on the basis of a secondary sourc

Other info is from

. who is said to have professed Islām publicly but Ṣāliḥ's religion secretly, and died in the 50th year of his reign. *Yunus ibn Ilyas (?842-888), who made Ṣāliḥ's religion official and fought those who would not convert (killing 7770 people, according to

's sources, some at a place called Tamlukeft). Curiously enough, he is also said to have performed the

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

. He died in the 44th year of his reign. *Abu-Ghufayl Muhammad (?888-917), who may also have been called a prophet (according to a poem Ibn-Khaldun cites) and who had 44 wives and more sons. He died in the 29th year of his reign. *Abu al-Ansar Abdullah (?917-961), buried at Ameslakht. He died in the 44th year of his reign. *Abu Mansur Isa (?961-?), who was 22 when he became king.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Ulrich Haarmann, ''Geschichte der Arabischen Welt''. C.H. Beck München, 2001. * John Iskander, Devout Heretics: The Barghawata in Maghribi Historiography, in ''The Journal of North African Studies'' Volume 12, 2007, pages 37–53. * Stephan und Nandy Ronart, ''Lexikon der Arabischen Welt''. Artemis Verlag, 1972. * Mohammed Talbi, ''Hérésie, acculturation et nationalisme des berbères Bargawata'', in ''Premier congrès des cultures Méditerranéennes d'influence arabo-berbère'', Alger 1973,217-233. * * * {{Muslim dynasties in Maghreb region 744 establishments 1058 disestablishments Berber dynasties Berber peoples and tribes 740s in the Umayyad Caliphate Masmuda Medieval history of Morocco States and territories established in the 740s 8th-century establishments in Africa Kharijites Tribal confederacies States and territories disestablished in 1058