Miknasa

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Miknasa ( Moroccan Tamazight ⵉⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙⵏ ) are a Berber tribe in Morocco and western Algeria.

They originally came from Tripolitania and southern Tunisia , but still moved west in the pre-Islamic period and settled in western Algeria and central Morocco . There testifies u. a. the name of today's city of Meknes / Miknas their presence.

After submission by the Muslims, the Miknasa adopted Islam . As early as 711, members of this tribe took part in the conquest of the Visigoth Empire under Tariq ibn Ziyad . They settled north of Córdoba in Andalusia and founded the Aftasid dynasty in Badajoz in the 11th century .

Another group of Miknasa took part in the Maysara uprising (739-742), took over the Islam of the Kharijites and founded the Emirate of Sidschilmasa (771-980) on the northern edge of the Sahara . This achieved great economic prosperity as the end point of the western Trans-Saharan trade with Sudan . In alliance with the Caliphate of Cordoba, it was also able to repel attacks by the Fatimids . But when Prince al-Mutazz allied himself with the Fatimids, the Miknasa were driven out of Sidschilmasa by the Umayyad-loyal Magrawa in 980 . These ruled Sidschilmasa until 1054, before the city was destroyed by the Almoravids .

Another part of the Miknasa Berbers was a loyal ally of the Fatimids in the 10th century in the fight against the Umayyads and their allies in Morocco . In 912 they overthrew the Rustamids of Tahert and in 917 temporarily expelled the Salihids from northern Morocco. However, against the resistance of the Magrawa, they were unable to establish themselves permanently in northern Morocco. The Miknasa, weakened by the battles with the Magrawa, were conquered by the Almoravids in the 11th century .

literature

  • Ulrich Haarmann : History of the Arab World. Edited by Heinz Halm . 4th revised and expanded edition. CH Beck, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-47486-1 ( Beck's historical library ).
  • Stephan Ronart, Nandy Ronart: Lexicon of the Arab World. A historical-political reference work. Artemis Verlag, Zurich et al. 1972, ISBN 3-7608-0138-2 .