Black Guard

'Abid al-Bukhari
'Abid al-Bukhari
عبيد البخاري (Arabic)
	The sultan of Morocco with the Black Guard, 1862 painting by Eugène Delacroix
Active	1699–1912
Country	Morocco
Allegiance	Sultan of Morocco
Branch	Army
Type	Infantry
Size	150,000 (peak)
Garrison/HQ	Meknes
Nickname(s)	Black Guard

The Black Guard or ‘Abid al-Bukhari (Arabic: عبيد البخاري, lit. 'Slaves of al-Būkhārī'; also known as ‘Abīd al-Dīwān "slaves of the diwan", Jaysh al-‘Abīd "the slave army", and ‘Abid al-Sultan "the sultan’s slaves")^[1] were the corps of black-African slaves and Haratin slave-soldiers assembled by the 'Alawi sultan of Morocco, Isma‘il ibn Sharif (reigned 1672–1727).^[2] They were called the "Slaves of Bukhari" because Sultan Isma‘il emphasized the importance of the teachings of the famous imam Muhammad al-Bukhari, going so far as to give the leaders of the army copies of his book.^[3] This military corps, which was loyal only to the sultan, was one of the pillars of Isma'il's power as he sought to establish a more stable and more absolute authority over Morocco.^[4]^{: 230–231}

After Isma'il's death, the Black Guard became one of the most powerful factions in Moroccan politics and played the role of kingmakers during the period of turmoil that followed. Over the course of the later 18th century and the 19th century their role in the military was progressively reduced and their political status varied between privilege and marginalization. Their descendants eventually regained their freedom and resettled across the country. While black Africans lived in the region long before Isma'il's reign, a long-term consequence of his policies was the introduction and eventual dispersal of a substantial new black population in Morocco.^[5]^{: 238–240}

^ El Hamel, Chouki (2013). Black Morocco: A History of Slavery, Race, and Islam. Cambridge University Press. pp. 162–163. ISBN 978-1-107-02577-6.
^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ El Hamel, Chouki (2010). "The Register of the Slaves of Sultan Mawlay Isma'il of Morocco at the Turn of the Eighteenth Century". Journal of African History. 51: 89–98. doi:10.1017/s0021853710000186. S2CID 44360063 – via Cambridge University Press.
^ Cite error: The named reference :20 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ El Hamel, Chouki (2013). Black Morocco: A History of Slavery, Race, and Islam. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-02577-6.

[1] El Hamel, Chouki (2013). Black Morocco: A History of Slavery, Race, and Islam. Cambridge University Press. pp. 162–163. ISBN 978-1-107-02577-6.

[:0-2] Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[3] El Hamel, Chouki (2010). "The Register of the Slaves of Sultan Mawlay Isma'il of Morocco at the Turn of the Eighteenth Century". Journal of African History. 51: 89–98. doi:10.1017/s0021853710000186. S2CID 44360063 – via Cambridge University Press.

[:20-4] Cite error: The named reference :20 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[:33-5] El Hamel, Chouki (2013). Black Morocco: A History of Slavery, Race, and Islam. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-02577-6.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]