Sources on the History of the Berber Tribal Confederation of Ṣanhāja in the Middle Ages

The Issue of Reliability

Bibliographic Data

ID22219964
AuthorsAnastasia Stepanova (0000-0002-7783-1246, National Research University Higher School of Economics, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume4
Issue4
Pages949-965
Publication date2021-11-29
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueOrientalistica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2618-7043 • E-ISSN: 2687-0738
PublisherInstitute of Oriental Studies Russian Academy of Sciences (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.31696/2618-7043-2021-4-4-949-965
OpenAlexW3215081555
LanguageEN
References cited5

The indigenous population of North Africa was represented by various Berber tribes, most of which belonged to three large genealogical confederations - Ṣanhāja, Zenāta and Maṣmūda. The question, which the author of the present research examines, is the origin of the Ṣanhāja tribe, its ethnicity and possible ties with Arab tribes that migrated from territories of modern Yemen in the early Islamic period. This work reveals a range of problems associated with the authenticity of sources, the availability of copies, authors, translations. The medieval history of the Maghreb and Berber tribes is a promising, however, still insufficiently studied field for research. Understanding a recon- struction of the historical process, its features, ambiguity, and methodology in the light of the undertaken research appears to provide a necessary basis for formation of a correct approach to the study of sources. This article discusses the issue of historical authenticity and the genealogy of Ṣanhāja confederation as well as the origin of this ethnonym

Ambiguity · Ancient history · Archaeology · Ethnic group · Ethnology · Genealogy · Geography · Indigenous · Islam · Linguistics · Population · Sociology · Tribe · African history and culture analysis · Anthropology · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Demography · History · Islamic Studies and History · Philosophy

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