Zaynab an-Nafzāwiyyah (, in

Tamazight The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight, are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related but mostly mutually unintelligible languages spoken by Berber communities, who ar ...

: Zinb Tanefzawt) (d. 1072), was 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 ...

woman of influence in the early days of the Almoravid Berber empire which gained control 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 ...

, western-

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 ...

, modern-day

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

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 ...

. She was married to

Yusuf ibn Tashfin Yusuf ibn Tashfin, also Tashafin, Teshufin, (; reigned c. 1061 – 1106) was a Sanhaja leader of the Almoravid Empire. He cofounded the city of Marrakesh and led the Muslim forces in the Battle of Sagrajas. Yusuf ibn Tashfin came to al-And ...

(r. 1061-1107) and reportedly his de facto co-ruler. She was one of the wives of Berber kings given the title of '' malika'' (queen), which was not a given thing for the wives of Muslim monarchs, and called ''al-qa'ima bi mulkihi'' ('literally: the one in charge of her husband's mulk'), referring to her participation in the state affairs during the reign of her spouse.Mernissi, Fatima; Mary Jo Lakeland (2003). The forgotten queens of Islam. Oxford University Press. . Though the '' khutba'' was never issued in her name, she was recognized to share the power of her spouse.

Life

The earliest reference to her is in the anonymous 12th-century text ''Kitab al-Istibsar'', where it says "In her time there was none more beautiful or intelligent or witty ... she was married to

Yusuf Yusuf ( ') is a male name meaning " God increases" (in piety, power and influence).From the Hebrew יהוה להוסיף ''YHWH Lhosif'' meaning " YHWH will increase/add". It is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew name Yosef and the English na ...

, who built

Marrakech Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

for her". This work names her father as Ibrāhīm an-Nafzāwi, a merchant originally from

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� ...

. According to

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 ...

, she first became the concubine of Yusuf ibn Ali, chief of the Wurika and Aylana

tribes about Aghmat in

. She then married Luqūt al-Maghrāwi,

Emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

of Aghmat. In 1058, Luqūt was killed in Tadla in a battle against the invading Almoravids and his wealth was inherited by Zaynab, his widow. The most detailed information appears to be in the (unfortunately incomplete) early 14th-century text '' Al-bayan al-mughrib''. She is said to have had many offers of marriage from tribal chiefs from all over

, but always declined by saying she would marry no-one who did not wish to become ruler of the whole country. It is said she had supernatural powers, and conversed with

genie GEnie (General Electric Network for Information Exchange) was an online service provider, online service created by a General Electric business, GEIS (now GXS Inc., GXS), that ran from 1985 through the end of 1999. In 1994, GEnie claimed around ...

s. She married the Almoravid

, Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar in September 1068 and offered to put her immense wealth at his disposal. It is said she blindfolded Abu Bakr, then led him to a secret cavern. When she removed the blindfold, he saw around him an immense treasure of gold and silver, pearls and rubies. "All this is yours" she said before leading him out - again blindfolded. Abu Bakr began the construction of

in May 1070. Work had not progressed very far when a messenger arrived pleading for his help in suppressing a revolt against the Almoravids deep in the

Sahara Desert 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 ...

. Abu Bakr knew that his wife was not suited to the rigor of a desert life, therefore as was common among the Sanhaja tribes before extended military campaigns, Abu Bakr divorced Zaynab before he left, advising her to marry

if she needed protection.

, was left as Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar's deputy in the Almoravid northern territories. Abu Bakr departed for the Sahara in January 1071, and after the

Iddah In Islam, ’''iddah'' or ''iddat'' (; "period of waiting") is the period a woman must observe after the death of her husband or after a divorce, during which she may not marry another man. One of its main purposes is to remove any doubt as to ...

legal period of 3 months' separation had ended, Zaynab duly married Yusuf in May of that year. It says that Yusuf owed the conquest of 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 ...

(Morocco, Algeria and Spain) to her advice, and that she was so expert in conducting negotiations that she was nicknamed "The Magician". In 1072, Abu Bakr signaled his intention to return from the Sahara to take up his former position. Yusuf was understandably reluctant to yield, but did not know how to keep his position without triggering an internecine war with Abu Bakr. It is said that Zaynab, knowing of Abu Bakr's fondness for the desert life and his own reluctance to cause unwarranted bloodshed, advised Yusuf to confront Abu Bakr in a firm but courteous manner, and mollify him with luxurious presents. This Yusuf did, and the meeting passed without incident. Abu Bakr returned to the Sahara, but in a continuing homage to his former leader,

kept Abu-Bakr's name on the Almoravid coinage until his death some years later.

Issue

Zaynab is known to have had at least the following children by Yusuf: *

Ali ibn Yusuf Ali ibn Yusuf (also known as "Ali Ben Youssef") () (c. 1084 – 28 January 1143) was the 5th Almoravid emir. He reigned from 1106 to 1143. Early life Ali ibn Yusuf was born in 1084–1085 (477 AH) in Ceuta. He was the son of Yusuf ibn Tashf ...

* Tamima bint Yusuf *Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Aisa

Legacy

Her example and the fact that she assisted in creating the dynasty and its customs had great impact on the situation of women in Almoravid Morocco. In the tradition and example of her, women in Morocco had high status during the reign of the Almoravid dynasty; princesses were allowed to participate in state affairs; the education of women was accepted and normal, with notable women such as Hafsa Bint al-Hajj al-Rukuniyya holding courses for the women of the palace; at least two women known to have been doctors,Alison Baker, ''Voices of Resistance: Oral Histories of Moroccan Women'' and, finally, princess Fannu famously participated in the defense of the capital during the dynasty's downfall in 1147.

Notes

References

Ibn Idhari Abū al-ʽAbbās Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʽIḏārī al-Marrākushī () was a Maghrebi historian of the late-13th/early-14th century, and author of the famous '' Al-Bayan al-Mughrib'', an important medieval history of the Maghreb (Morocco, No ...

, '' Al-bayan al-mughrib'' Part III, annotated Spanish translation by A. Huici Miranda, Valencia, 1963. * N. Levtzion & J.F.P. Hopkins, ''Corpus of early Arabic sources for West African history'', Cambridge University Press, 1981, (reprint: Markus Wiener, Princeton, 2000, ). Contains English translations of extracts from medieval works dealing with the

Almoravids The Almoravid dynasty () was a Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus, starting in the 1050s and lasting until its fall to the Almo ...

; the selections cover some (but not all) of the information above. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zaynab An-Nafzawiyyat 11th-century Berber people 11th-century Moroccan people Almoravid dynasty Berber monarchs History of Marrakesh Moroccan women in politics People from Marrakesh Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Spouses of sultans People under the Almoravid dynasty