Silent...But Deadly

Hello All! For the start of the Rongar Committee articles, I thought I would give some information on the history of the Moors. Lots of good stuff here, all taken from the arab.net information pages. So sit back and enjoy!

Moors, mixture of people, mostly derived from Arabs and Berbers inhabiting northern Africa. Following the Arab conquest of the Berbers in the 7th century AD, mixture and intermarriage were prevalent between the two groups. Some authorities consider the Moors equivalent to the Berbers; others restrict the name to an admixture of Arab ancestry. (Because of this, most of the information obtained is on the Berbers and/or Bedouins, all of which are classified as Moors).

History

The native people of Morocco are the Berbers, an ancient race who, throughout history, have seen their country invaded by a succession of foreign powers.

In the 12th century BC the first of these foreign invaders were the Phoenicians, who established trading posts at several points along the North African coast. The Carthaginians later took over these Phoenician colonies and expanded them as part of the mighty Carthaginian Empire.

When the city of Carthage fell to Rome in the second century BC, the African Mediterranean coast was under Roman dominance for almost six hundred years.

When the Roman Empire in turn fell into decline, the area was invaded first by the Vandals in AD429 and later by Byzantium in AD533. An Arab invasion of Morocco in AD682 marked the end of Byzantine dominance, and the first Arab rulers, the Idrisid dynasty, ruled for 150 years. Christian and pagan inhabitants of the land converted to Islam during this period.

Arab and Berber dynasties succeeded the Idrisids; notably the Almoravids (1062-1147) and the Almohads (1147-1258). The Almohad Empire declined after the defeat of the Moroccans by the Spanish at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212. By 1250 its power had completely collapsed and the country was plunged into bitter civil war between Arab and Berber factions, each of whom struggled for brief periods of supremacy.

The reign of Ahmed I al-Man-sur in the first Sharifian dynasty stabilised and unified the country between 1579 and 1603. Moors and Jews expelled from Spain settled in Morocco during this time and the country flourished and prospered. It became a center for the arts and this period was known as Morocco's golden age.

People

About 75% of Mauritanians are Moors who speak an Arabic dialect called Hassaniyah. They are a traditional nomadic people of the desert and savannah areas, but a prolonged drought in the 1970s caused a massive movement into cities such as Nouakchott.

The nomadic population -- some 83% of the total in 1963 -- was reduced to only 25% by 1986.

Moors have a mixture of Berber, Arab and African ancestry.

The two principal African tribes in the south are the Pular (who are directly related to the widely dispersed Fulani people), and the Sarakole (also called the Soininke). Three other minority tribes, the Wolof, the Tukulor and Bambara, make up the multiracial nature of the country.

Language

French and Arabic are widely spoken. Moors in the south speak a dialect of Arabic, Hassaniyyah, while several other African languages are spoken including those of the Pulaar, Soininke and Wolof peoples.

After independence there was a long dispute between the Moors and the Africans over retaining French as an official language; in 1991, Arabic became the sole official language.

Traditions

Clans of priest-teachers called marabouts preserve and hand down the Arab-Islamic culture.

The best-developed crafts among the Moors are goldsmithing and jewellery making.

Drought has caused the disbanding of many clans and the decline of traditional nomadic culture.

Well. That's it for this month. I am hopeful that the other members of the Rongar Committee will also be able to come up with more information on our Silent…but Deadly member of the Nomad crew. Until next month!!!!

Lady Susanna
Chair of the Rongar Committee