The Banu Ma'qil () is an
Arab
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
nomadic tribe that originated in
South Arabia
South Arabia (), or Greater Yemen, is a historical region that consists of the southern region of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia, mainly centered in what is now the Republic of Yemen, yet it has also historically included Najran, Jazan, ...
.
The tribe emigrated to 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 ...
region of
North Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
with the
Banu Hilal and
Banu Sulaym
The Banu Sulaym () is an Arab tribe that dominated part of the Hejaz in the pre-Islamic era. They maintained close ties with the Quraysh of Mecca and the inhabitants of Medina, and fought in a number of battles against the Islamic prophet Muha ...
tribes in the 11th century. They mainly settled in and around the
Sahara
The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...
n wolds and oases of
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 ...
; in
Tafilalt,
Wad Nun (near
Guelmim
Guelmim is a city in southern Morocco, often called ''Gateway to the Desert''. It is the capital of the Guelmim-Oued Noun region which includes southern Morocco (south of the Souss-Massa region) and the northeastern corner of Western Sahara. The p ...
),
Draa and
Taourirt. With the Ma'qil being a
Bedouin
The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...
tribe that originated in the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.
Geographically, the ...
, 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.
The Ma'qil branch of
Beni Hassan which came to dominate all of
Mauritania
Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...
,
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a territorial dispute, disputed territory in Maghreb, North-western Africa. It has a surface area of . Approximately 30% of the territory () is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); the remaining 70% is ...
, south
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 ...
, and south-west
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
, spread the
Hassaniya Arabic dialect, which is very close to
classical Arabic
Classical Arabic or Quranic Arabic () is the standardized literary form of Arabic used from the 7th century and throughout the Middle Ages, most notably in Umayyad Caliphate, Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphate, Abbasid literary texts such as poetry, e ...
.
Origins
The exact origin of the Ma'qil tribe is unknown,
although it has been established that they most likely originated in
South Arabia
South Arabia (), or Greater Yemen, is a historical region that consists of the southern region of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia, mainly centered in what is now the Republic of Yemen, yet it has also historically included Najran, Jazan, ...
(
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
).
They claimed for themselves a prestigious
Hashemite
The Hashemites (), also House of Hashim, are the Dynasty, royal family of Jordan, which they have ruled since 1921, and were the royal family of the kingdoms of Kingdom of Hejaz, Hejaz (1916–1925), Arab Kingdom of Syria, Syria (1920), and Kingd ...
descent from
Ja'far ibn Abu Talib, son of
Abu Talib and brother of
Ali ibn Abu Talib. Some Arabian genealogists categorized them as
Hilalians.
[ ]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 ...
hypothesized that both of these versions are false, since the Hashemites lived in urban cities and weren't nomadic nor ever wandered in the desert.[ He added that the Ma'qil is a name only found in Yemen.][ Ibn Khaldun said that they were likely an Arab nomadic group from Yemen, and this is supported by Ibn al-Kalbi and Ibn Said.] Ibn Khaldun noted "the origin of the Ma'qil tribe is from the Arabs 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 bin Madhhij bin Adad bin Zayd bin Kahlan
Kahlan () was one of the main tribal confederations of Sabaeans, Saba' in Ancient history of Yemen, Ancient Yemen. They are descended from Kahlan bin Saba bin Yishjab bin Yarub bin Qahtan.
Conflict with Himyar
By the 2nd century BC Saba' was decl ...
".
Sub-tribes
Beni Ubayd Allah
The Banu Ubayd Allah descended from Ubayd Allah bin Sahir (or Saqil), son of the Ma'qil forefather.[ They were the biggest sub-group of the Ma'qil and lived as nomads in the southern hills between ]Tlemcen
Tlemcen (; ) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran and is the capital of Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the port of Rachgoun. It had a population of ...
and Taourirt. In their nomadic travel they reached as far as the Melwiya river in the north and Tuat in the south.[ The Beni Ubayd Allah later divided into two sub-tribes: The Haraj and The Kharaj.]
Beni Mansur
The Banu Mansur descended from Mansour bin Mohammed, the second son of the Ma'qil forefather.[ They lived as nomads between Taourirt and the Draa valley.] At one time they controlled the area between the Moulouya river and Sijilmasa, in addition to Taza
Taza () is a city in northern Morocco occupying the corridor between the Rif mountains and Middle Atlas mountains, about 120 km east of Fez and 150 km south of Al Hoceima. It recorded a population of 148,406 in the 2019 Moroccan ...
and Tadla.[ They were the second most numerous Ma'qil sub-tribe after the Beni Ubayd Allah.][
]
Beni Hassan
The Banu Hassan descended from Hassan bin Mokhtar bin Mohamed, the second son of the Ma'qil forefather.[ 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.] They wandered in the Sous and the extreme- Sous (present-day southern Morocco)[ but they had originally lived as nomads near the Melwiya river neighboring their relatives; the Banu Ubayd Allah and Banu Mansour.][ Their coming to the Sous was a result of the Almohad governor of this region who invited them to fight for him when a rebellion broke out.][
]
Thaaliba
The Thaaliba were 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 to Algiers
Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
, the Mitidja plain. They came to rule Algiers
Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
from 1204 to 1516 until the Ottomans
Ottoman may refer to:
* Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire
* Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II"
* Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...
took over control from Salim al-Tumi in the capture of Algiers.
Emigration to the Maghreb
The Ma'qils entered the Maghreb during the wave of emigration of the Arabian tribes ( Banu Hilal, Banu Sulaym
The Banu Sulaym () is an Arab tribe that dominated part of the Hejaz in the pre-Islamic era. They maintained close ties with the Quraysh of Mecca and the inhabitants of Medina, and fought in a number of battles against the Islamic prophet Muha ...
, etc.) in the 11th century. They adapted to the climatic desert conditions of the Maghreb, discovering the same way of life as in the Arabian Peninsula. The Banu Sulaym
The Banu Sulaym () is an Arab tribe that dominated part of the Hejaz in the pre-Islamic era. They maintained close ties with the Quraysh of Mecca and the inhabitants of Medina, and fought in a number of battles against the Islamic prophet Muha ...
opposed their arrival and fought them off. They later allied with the Banu Hilal and entered under their protection, which enabled them to wander in the Moroccan Sahara between the Moulouya River and Tafilalet oases. A tiny group of them however stayed in 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 ...
, during their westward transit 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 briefly worked as viziers of the victorious Hilalians and Banu Sulaym
The Banu Sulaym () is an Arab tribe that dominated part of the Hejaz in the pre-Islamic era. They maintained close ties with the Quraysh of Mecca and the inhabitants of Medina, and fought in a number of battles against the Islamic prophet Muha ...
, who had recently defeated the powerful 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 ...
Zirid Empire.[
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".
The Ma'qils quickly grew in numbers, this is due to the fact that parts of many other Arabian tribes joined them, which included:]
* Fezara of Asheja
*Chetha of Kurfa
*Mehaya of Iyad
*Shuara of Hassin
*Sabah of al-Akhdar
*Some of Banu Sulaym
The Banu Sulaym () is an Arab tribe that dominated part of the Hejaz in the pre-Islamic era. They maintained close ties with the Quraysh of Mecca and the inhabitants of Medina, and fought in a number of battles against the Islamic prophet Muha ...
Once in Morocco, they allied with the Zenata nomadic groups that neighbored them in the wolds. After the decline of Almohad authority, the Ma'qil took advantage of the civil war between the different Zenata groups and seized control of various Ksours and oases in the Sous, Draa, Tuat and Taourirt upon which they imposed taxes, while giving a certain amount of the collected money to the local competing Zenata kings.
Evolution under the Almohads
During the Almohad era, the Ma'qils stayed loyal, paid taxes and neither looted nor attacked any villages, Ksours or passing trading Caravans.[ 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 many Ksours around Tafilalet, the Draa Valley and Tawrirt.]
Almohad caliph Abd al-Mu'min
Abd al-Mu'min (c. 1094–1163) (; full name: ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAlwī ibn Yaʿlā al-Kūmī Abū Muḥammad) was a prominent member of the Almohad movement. Although the Almohad movement itself was founded by Ibn Tumart, Abd al-Mu' ...
encouraged the settlement of Banu Ma'qil and other Arabian tribes in coastal Morocco, an area which was largely depopulated by the conquest of the Barghawata
The Barghawatas (or Barghwata, Berghouata) were a Berbers, Berber tribal confederation and religious movement that ruled a region of the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast in present-day Morocco between the 8th and 11th centuries. They belonged to the ...
by the Almohads. 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 a Zenata on one side and an Arab on the other.
Evolution under the Zayyanids and Marinids
The Kharaj of Banu Ubayd Allah initially opposed the Zayyanids, but later allied with them after they were defeated in a battle with the sultan, Ibn Zyan, When the Marinids replaced the Zayyanids, the Kharaj remained faithful to the Zayyanids since they had given them tax collection privileges. The Marinid Sultan, Abu al-Hassan then stripped them of these acquired advantages and gave them instead to the Beni Iznassen tribe, which resulted in a rebellion by the Kharaj which killed the Marinid governor of the Saharan Ksours, Yahya ibn Al-iz.
As the Arabs expanded their domains in Morocco and Arabized many Berbers, Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
became the common language, which the Marinids made the official language. Arabs also increased their influence and power in Morocco, and no one could have ruled there without their co-operation. 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 the Makhzen.
Migration to Mauritania
In the 14th and 15th centuries, the nomadic Arab tribes of Banu Ma'qil moved into Mauritania
Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...
and were over time able to establish complete dominance over the Berbers after defeating both Berbers and Black Africans in the region and pushing them to the Senegal river.
An extensive Arabization
Arabization or Arabicization () is a sociology, sociological process of cultural change in which a non-Arab society becomes Arabs, Arab, meaning it either directly adopts or becomes strongly influenced by the Arabic, Arabic language, Arab cultu ...
of Mauritania started following the Arab victory in the Char Bouba war in 1677.
See also
* Banu Hilal
* Banu Sulaym
The Banu Sulaym () is an Arab tribe that dominated part of the Hejaz in the pre-Islamic era. They maintained close ties with the Quraysh of Mecca and the inhabitants of Medina, and fought in a number of battles against the Islamic prophet Muha ...
* Beni Hassan
*Guelmim
Guelmim is a city in southern Morocco, often called ''Gateway to the Desert''. It is the capital of the Guelmim-Oued Noun region which includes southern Morocco (south of the Souss-Massa region) and the northeastern corner of Western Sahara. The p ...
References
{{Historical Arab tribes
Arab tribes in Morocco
Yemeni tribes
Moroccan people of Yemeni descent
Qahtanites
Hashemite people