Al-Kahina | |
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Queen of the Aurès | |
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Queen of the Aurès | |
Reign | c. 668 - 703? |
Predecessor | Iaudas |
Leader of the Berber | |
In office | c. 680s - 703? |
Predecessor | Kusaila |
Born | Early seventh century |
Died | 703? (in battle) Bir al-Kahina, Aurès[1] |
Father | Tabat[2] |
Al-Kahina (Arabic: الكاهنة, lit. 'the diviner'), also known as Dihya, was a Berber warrior-queen of the Aurès[1] and a religious and military leader who lived during the seventh century AD.
Her legacy has been retold through the oral tradition since her lifetime. There are various written accounts of her from precolonial and postcolonial perspectives. Generally, she is known to have united various Berber tribes under her leadership to fight against the ongoing Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, leading the indigenous North African defense of the region then known as Numidia. She fought in multiple battles, notably defeating Umayyad forces in the Battle of Meskiana. Afterwards, she became the uncontested ruler of the whole Maghreb region,[3][4][5][6] and remained so until being decisively defeated at the Battle of Tabarka.
Anthropologist Abdelmajid Hannoum wrote "though the story of the Kahina may vary from one informant to another, the pattern is the same: the Kahina is the Berber heroine who fought the Arabs for independence."[7] In modern times, Kahina is established as a popular North African folk heroine and role model for North African women. Feminist scholar Fatima Sadiqi has stated that "Kahina’s female leadership did not rely on institutionalized authority, but on recognized personal charismatic power".[8]
There are various accounts of the circumstances surrounding her death, but she is thought to have died in modern-day Algeria towards the end of the seventh century. She is considered one of the most famous figures of her era in the history of the Berber resistance to the Arab conquest.[1]
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