History of North Africa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
North Africa, also known as the ‘Maghrib,’ is a relatively thin strip of land between the Sahara and the Mediterranean stretching from Egypt to the Atlantic. The region comprises the modern countries of Morroco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya[1]. The history of the region is a mix of influences. The development of sea travel firmly brought the region into the Mediterranean world, especially during the classical period. In the first millennium AD the Sahara became an equally important area for trade as the camel caravans brought goods and people from the south. The region also has a small, but crucial land link to the Middle East and that area has also played a central role in the history of North Africa.
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[edit] Early history
The earliest known hominids in North Africa arrived around 200,000 BC. Through most of the Stone Age the climate in the region was very different than today, the Sahara being far more moist and savanna like. Home to herds of large mammals, this area could support a large hunter-gatherer population and the Aterian culture that developed was one of the most advanced paleolithic societies.
In the Mesolithic, the Capsian culture dominated the region with Neolithic farmers becoming predominant by 6000 BC. Over this period, the Sahara region was steadily drying, creating a barrier between North Africa and the rest of the African continent. Eventually North Africa became culturally and ethnically quite distinct from the rest of the continent.
The Nile Valley on the Eastern edge of North Africa is one of the richest agricultural areas in the world. The desiccation of the Sahara is believed to have increased the population density in the Nile Valley and large cities developed. Eventually Ancient Egypt unified in one of the world's first civilizations.
[edit] Classical period
The expanse of the Libyan Desert cut Egypt off from the rest of North Africa. Egyptian boats, while well suited to the Nile, were not usable in the open Mediterranean. Moreover the small Egyptian merchant had far more prosperous destinations on Crete, Cyprus and the Levant.
Greeks from Europe and the Phoenicians from Asia also settled along the coast of Northern Africa. Both societies drew their prosperity from the sea and from ocean-born trade. They found only limited trading opportunities with the native inhabitants, and instead turned to colonization. The Greek trade was based mainly in the Aegean, Adriatic, Black, and Red Seas and they only established major cities in Cyrenaica, directly to the south of Greece. In 332 BC, Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and for the next three centuries it was ruled by the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty.
The Phoenecians developed an even larger presence in North Africa with colonies from Tripoli to the Atlantic. One of the most important Phoenician cities was Carthage, which grew into one of the greatest powers in the region. At the height of its power, Carthage controlled the Western Mediterranean and most of North Africa outside of Egypt. However, Rome, Carthage's major rival to the north, defeated it in a series of wars known as the Punic Wars, resulting in Carthage's destruction in 146 BC and the annexation of its empire by the Romans. In 30 BC, Roman Emperor Octavian conquered Egypt, officially annexing it to the Empire and, for the first time, unifying the North African coast under a single ruler.
The Carthaginian power had penetrated deep into the Sahara ensuring the quiescence of the nomadic tribes in the region. The Roman Empire was more confined to the coast, yet routinely expropriated Berber land for Roman farmers. They thus faced a constant threat from the south. A network of forts and walls were established on the southern frontier, eventually securing the region well enough for local garrisons to control it without broader Imperial support.
When the Roman Empire began to collapse, North Africa was spared much of the disruption until the Vandal invasion of 429 AD. Egypt remained under Byzantine control, but the Byzantines failed to gain control of the rest of North Africa. West of Egypt, the region became divded into a number of small Berber principalities.
[edit] Arrival of Islam
- See also History of Arab Egypt, Rise of Islam in Algeria, Berbers and Islam,Muslim History,Islam in Africa
[edit] The Arab Conquest
The Arab conquest of the Maghrib began in 642 AD when Amr ibn al-As, the governor of Egypt, invaded Cyrenaica, advancing as far as the city of Tripoli by 645 AD.
[edit] Rustamids
- See also: Rustamid
[edit] Banu Hidrar (Banu Midrar)
[edit] Aghlabids
- See also: Aghlabid
[edit] Abbasidds
- See also: Abbasid
[edit] Idrisids
- See also: Idrisid Dynasty
[edit] Fatimids
- See also: Fatimid
[edit] Zirids
- See also: Zirid
[edit] The Berber Dynasties
[edit] Almoravids
- See also: Almoravid dynasty
[edit] Almohads
- See also: Almohad Dynasty
[edit] Marinids
- See also: Marinid Dynasty
[edit] Hasfids
[edit] Zayyanids
- See also: Zayyanid
[edit] Wattasids
- See also: Wattasid Dynasty
[edit] Ottoman rule
- See also History of Ottoman Egypt
After the Middle Ages, Northern Africa was loosely under the control of the Ottoman Empire, except for the region of Morocco. Ottoman rule was centered on the cities of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli.
[edit] European colonization
- See also French rule in Algeria
During the 18th and 19th century, North Africa was colonized by France, the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy. During the 1950s and '60s, and into the 1970s, all of the North African states gained independence from their colonial European rulers, except for a few small Spanish colonies on the far northern tip of Morocco, and the Western Sahara, which went from Spanish to Moroccan rule.
In modern times the Suez canal in Egypt has caused a great deal of controversy. The Convention of Constantinople in 1888 declared the canal a neutral zone under the protection of the British, after British troops had moved in to protect it in 1882. Under the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936, the United Kingdom insisted on retaining control over the canal. In 1951 Egypt repudiated the treaty, and by 1954 Great Britain had agreed to pull out.
After the United Kingdom and the United States withdrew their pledge to support the construction of the Aswan Dam, president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal, which caused Britain, France and Israel to invade in the week-long Suez War. As a result of damage and sunken ships, the canal was closed until April, 1957, after it had been cleaned up with UN assistance. A United Nations force (UNEF) was established to maintain the neutrality of the canal and the Sinai Peninsula.
[edit] See also
- History of Algeria
- History of Egypt
- History of Libya
- History of Mauritania
- History of Morocco
- History of Tunisia
- History of Western Sahara
[edit] Notes
- ^ A History of the Maghrib in the Islamic Period, Cambridge University Press, 1987.
[edit] References
- Abum-Nasr, Jamil M. (1987). A History of the Maghrib in the Islamic Period.
