Kingdom of Ait Abbas

Sultanate of Ait Abbas
Tagelda n Ait Abbas
Kingdom Tribal confederation
1510–1872
Map of kingdom of Ait Abbas (yellow), kingdom of Koukou and the Regency of Algiers in 17th century and 18th century.
Capital		Kalâa of Ait Abbas
Languages		Berber languages
Religion		Sunni Islam
Political structure		Kingdom Tribal confederation
Sultan
•	1510–1559	Abdelaziz Labbes
History
•	Established	1510
•	Disestablished	1872
Today part of		Algeria

The Kingdom of Ait Abbas was a Kabyle kingdom founded in 1520 which ruled over much of lesser kabylia and the Soummam Valley, extending into the Sahara. It was one of 3 major Kabyle kingdoms, the others being the Kingdom of Kuku and the principality of Beni Jubar. It remain independent until the French conquest.

After the decay of the Hafsid state, several independent tribes and cities emerged. According to the First Encyclopaedia of Islam, the kingdom was founded by in the early XVIth by Sidi Abd-al-Rahman, a marabout with Idrisid or Hammadid origins, after being leader of the tribe of the Ait Abbas. The title of Sultan came with his son, Ahmad, who proclaimed it, he ruled between Hodna and the sea.

Initially, the Regency of Algiers and the Ait Abbas were allied under Abd-al-Aziz, mostly against common enemies such as the berber Kingdom of Kuku and Morocco, they also conquered Toggurt and Wargla in a common expedition. Several years later, however, many battles and failed attempts to conquer the Kaala from the Ottoman Regency of Algiers happened several times (1553, 1559, 1590, 1595), the Kalaa always remained unconquered. There was a Spanish support to the Ait Abbas, like the 1,000 troops in 1559, equipped with firearms.