Barghawata Confederacy | ||||||||||
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Barghawata Confederacy (blue).
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Capital | Not specified | |||||||||
Languages | Berber languages | |||||||||
Religion |
Official : Islam-influenced traditional (adopted by 12 tribes) Other : Islam (Khariji)(adopted by 17 tribes) |
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Government |
Monarchy Tribal confederacy (29 tribes) |
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King | ||||||||||
• | 744 | Tarif al-Matghari | ||||||||
Historical era | Middle Ages | |||||||||
• | Established | 744 | ||||||||
• | Disestablished | 1058 | ||||||||
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The Barghawatas (also Barghwata or Berghouata) were a group of Berber tribes on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, belonging to the Masmuda confederacy. After allying with the Sufri Kharijite rebellion in Morocco against the Umayyad Caliphate, they established an independent state (CE 744 - 1058) in the area of Tamesna on the Atlantic coast between Safi and Salé under the leadership of Tarif al-Matghari.
Some historians believe that the term Barghawata is a phonetic deformation of the term Barbati, a nickname which Tarif carried. It is thought that he was born in the area of Barbate, near Cádiz in Spain. However, Jérôme Carcopino and other historians think the name is much older and the tribe is the same as that which the Romans called Baquates, who up until the 7th century lived near Volubilis.
Few details are known about Barghawata. Most of the historical sources are largely posterior to their rule and often present a contradictory and confused historical context. However, one tradition appears more interesting. It comes from Córdoba in Spain and its author is the Large Prior of Barghawata and the Barghawata ambassador to Córdoba Abu Salih Zammur, around the middle of the 10th century. This tradition is regarded as most detailed concerning Barghwata. It was reported by Al Bakri, Ibn Hazm and Ibn Khaldun, although their interpretations comprise some divergent points of view.