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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Doug M: [QB] More facts from the history of North Africa, including another photo: A black Moroccan cavalryman: http://www.eljadida.ma/galerie_photo_el_jadida/image-recente-moussem-el-jadida-2.html History of some of the dynasties in Morocco and North Africa: http://www.mincom.gov.ma/english/generalities/history/history.html [QUOTE] Sanhaja, Masmoda, and Zenata are the three tribes constituting the Berbers . The Sanhaja, from which sprang the Almoravide dynasty (the founders of Marrakesh) were nomads who in the 11C conquered the desert and much of the region to the south of it for Islam; the Masmouda were quiet farming people who lived in the north and west and in the High and Anti Atlas mountains and it was they who gave rise (from out Tin Mal , S of Marrakesh to the Almohade Dynasty which displaced the Almoravides; the Zenata a sub-group of which the - Beni Marin- swept in from the empty region between the Tafilalet and Algeria to become the great Merinide dynasty, were tough, horse-riding nomads of the cold high plateaux of the interior. [/QUOTE]And, against this backdrop, note the history of Tlemcen and the Merinides: [QUOTE] In the immediate neighbourhood of the modern Tlemcen are numerous remains of the fortifications of Agadir (vide infra), and the minaret of the mosque, a beautiful tower dating Sidi from the 13th century, the lower part of which is built Medin. of large hewn stones from the Roman Pomaria. More noteworthy, however, are the ruins of Sidi Bu Medin and of Mansura. Sidi Bu Medin (more properly El Eubbad) is a little over a mile south-east of Tlemcen. It was founded A.D. 1 337 by Ali V., the first of the Beni-Marin (Marinide) sultans who ruled Tlemcen, and commonly called the Black Sultan. [/QUOTE]From: http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Tlemcen So, as we can see, even with the various names for the dynasties that began to crop up after Islam invaded North Africa, we can still see that black Africans played a major role. More photos(colorized): http://oasis.ziban.free.fr/galerie_photo.htm http://oasis.ziban.free.fr/907__R_COLTE_DE_DATTES.jpg http://oasis.ziban.free.fr/900_OASIS.jpg http://oasis.ziban.free.fr/885__MARCH__ARABE__TOUGGOUR.jpg http://oasis.ziban.free.fr/778_R_COLTE_DE_DATTES.jpg http://oasis.ziban.free.fr/765__UN_JEU_PRIMITIF.jpg http://oasis.ziban.free.fr/753_MARCH_.jpg (Note here that one of these men looks like a doctor with a stethescope. While it is probably my imagination, it is not fantasy to remember that for a long time Islamic medicine in North Africa was far superior to that of Europe. The Moors and other Islamic people in North Africa were practicing surgery, including brain surgery, long before Western Europe. Much of this advanced medicine was due to the knowledge found in Egypt especially, and elsewhere.) http://oasis.ziban.free.fr/624__ARRIV_E_DU_MESSAGER_NE.jpg http://oasis.ziban.free.fr/599__SPAHIS.jpg http://oasis.ziban.free.fr/572__CAVALIER_ARABE_EN_COST.jpg http://oasis.ziban.free.fr/553R_CAVALIER_DE_FANTASIA.jpg http://oasis.ziban.free.fr/539__SPAHIS_TRAVERSANT_L_OA.jpg Also note that during the colonial period many indigenous troops from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia served in the colonial European armies. These people also had different names depending on what country or region they were from and who they fought for. One such group is the Spahis, those from Algeria who fought for the French. Now to put all of this into context. Much of what became the golden age of Islam was predicated on the backs of the cultures Islam came to dominate. This included the ancient cultures of Africa, Asia and the Near East. In Africa, the spread of Islam incorporated many of the ancient traditions of culture and knowledge found in Egypt and other parts of NOrth Africa. These traditions sometimes became identified with Islam, even though the traditions were already ancient. For example, there was an already ancient network of trade throughout the Sahara into Egypt and other parts of Africa. These trade routes were dominated by the ancestors of the Tuaregs, Egyptians and many modern West Africans. As the Sahara dried up, some groups became nomadic and others became more settled. Those that settled produced cultures like that of ancient Egypt and its sister nations in Kush and Meroe. Those who chose nomadic lifestyles mainly continued their trade throughout the Sahara using donkey caravans and oasis agriculture. Even though these groups practiced different forms of living, there were many traits that were held in common amongst them all. The Egyptians built massive fortified walled cities along the Nile, as did other African groups further South. These fortified cities became responsible for the palace facade symbolism found in early Egyptian artwork. This same tradition continued throughout Egyptian dynastic history and was widespread throughout North Africa and elsewhere. This tradition of ancient fortifications can best be seen at places like Buhen in the South of Egypt. In many ways, these fortress structures were the predescessors of the architectural style that became synonymous with ancient Moorish architecture in North Africa and Spain: Square towers, fortified walls, houses with open courtyards, gardens and pools. All of these elements were already in Egypt and the Sudan 3000 years prior to the rise of Moorish civilization. Similar traditions of building fortified cities and towns could be found amongst the ancient ancestors of West Africans like the Nok and others. Likewise, many other traditions from elsewhwere in Africa became part of the spread of Islam. Just like the tradition of fortified cities was ancient in Egypt, so too was the practice of warfare. In fact, the reason many Africans were chosen as warriors in the service of Islam, is the long tradition of steel and iron weapons indigenous to Africa. As a result of trade and commerce, many African populations became wealthy by trading leathers, gold, cotton, iron, skins and other raw materials throughout Africa. Africans also traded in skills, as many Africans have traditions of handicrafts as blacksmiths, leatherworkers, weavers, farmers, woodworkers and so on that are part of a tradition within certain groups. These traditions allowed many black African groups to become wealthy and powerful along with the rise of Islam in Northern Africa, because of trade. It is this combination of factors, combined with the spread of Arabic as a linqua franca for commerce and education that led to the rise of Moorish civilization and culture. As I noted earlier, many of the elements of Moorish/Islamic culture in North Africa have purely African roots. The white gowns and cotton garments worn by African men (see "the Moorish Chief") are exact replicas of garments worn in ancient Egypt and elsewhere in Africa. Africans have a long history of warfare amongst themselves and this too gave rise to the militaristic traditions that also helped propel the Muslim advance into Spain. As a corollary to what I just said, the same factors that led to the growth of black African groups during the Islamic period also led to their downfall. Islamic peoples from elsewhere became aware of the wealth of Africa because of the amount of raw material and spices being traded by the Tuareg ancestors. They then began to use these caravan routes to venture into Africa and determine the source of this natural wealth. Many spies were sent from Europe into Africa posing as Arabs in the years leading up to the colonial period to gather information to be used in colonial conquest. Arabs, Turks and other Islamic powers began to tax the African traders heavily, if not outright taking over many of the trading cities and routes long held by Africans. Africans themselves began to fight and squabble among each other over land and wealth. The spread of arabic literature allowed the stories of wealth and splendor in North Africa to spread throughout the Islamic world, causing people like the Turks and others to begin to conquer the Islamic kingdoms of North Africa. At some point, the trade of spices and resources from south of the Sahara became a primary route for trading human cargo as slaves for Turkish and other Islamic caliphs. African mulsims became used to support these caliphs in their slave raiding activities. The Kingdoms of Mali and Timbuktu were destoroyed in order to keep the people from benefitting from the knowledge that had been written in books. Soon thereafter, the Europeans became wealthy and powerful in their own right and too wanted some of the power and wealth that they imagined in Africa due to the influence of the Moors. This caused Europeans to then become aware of the slave trade and the profit that could be made off the exploitation of the relatively weak Africans in Africa. Their memory of being "civilized by force" at the hands of Africans caused them to "return the favor" and start colonizing Africa in the name of bringing civilization to Africa. Trade routes overland began to be avoided in favor of sea routes. The Turks began to dominate this trade, by controlling the Barbary coast and the pirate ships there. However, after the demise of the Barbary coast pirates and navy, Europe began to dominate the trade routes by sea and follow them to Asia, cutting off sources of wealth for Islamic African kindoms. All this and other factors began to studily erode the position of black Africans within the realm that they helped to build in Africa. [/QB][/QUOTE]
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