Zaynab an-Nafzawiyyat

Zaynab an-Nafzawiyyah
An imaginary drawing of Zaynab an-Nafzawiyyah
Born	Nafzawa tribe
Died	traditionally 1071; realistically after 1075
Spouse	Yusuf ibn Ali, Luqūt al-Maghrāwi, Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar and Yusuf ibn Tashfin
Religion	Muslim

Zaynab an-Nafzāwiyyah (Berber: Zineb Tanefzawt, Arabic: زينب النفزاوية‎‎) (fl. 1075), was a Berber woman of influence in the early days of the Almoravid Berber empire which gained control of Morocco, Algeria, and parts of Spain.

She was married to Yusuf ibn Tashfin (r. 1061-1107) and reportedly his de facto co-ruler. She was one of the wives of Berber kings given the title of malika (queen), which was not a given thing for the wives of Muslim monarchs, and called al-qa'ima bi mulkihi ('literally: the one in charge of her husband's mulk'), referring to her participation in the state affairs during the reign of her spouse. Though the khutba was never issued in her name, she was recognized to share the power of her spouse.

The earliest reference to her is in the anonymous 12th-century text Kitab al-Istibsar, where it says "In her time there was none more beautiful or intelligent or witty ... she was married to Yusuf, who built Marrakech for her". This work names her father as Ibrāhīm an-Nafzāwi, a merchant originally from Kairouan.

According to Ibn Khaldun, she first became the concubine of Yusuf ibn Ali, chief of the Wurika and Aylana Berber tribes about Aghmat in Morocco. She then married Luqūt al-Maghrāwi, amir of Aghmat. Luqūt was killed in a battle against the invading Almoravids and his wealth was inherited by Zaynab.