al-Baranis (
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
: البرانس, ''Al-Barānis''), spelled sometimes as Barnès or Branes, are one of the two major groups to which
Berbers
, image = File:Berber_flag.svg
, caption = The Berber ethnic flag
, population = 36 million
, region1 = Morocco
, pop1 = 14 million to 18 million
, region2 = Algeria
, pop2 ...
were divided by medieval genealogists, the other being called al-Butr. Despite being mentioned by medieval Arabic chroniclers, awareness about this ancestral identity has gradually vanished over the ages and is not very well known or shared among contemporary Berbers. The Barānis are, according to
Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldun (; ar, أبو زيد عبد الرحمن بن محمد بن خلدون الحضرمي, ; 27 May 1332 – 17 March 1406, 732-808 AH) was an Arab
The Historical Muhammad', Irving M. Zeitlin, (Polity Press, 2007), p. 21; "It is, of ...
, further divided into following main groups: Awraba, ʿAd̲j̲īsa, Azdād̲j̲a,
Maṣmūda-
G̲h̲umāra.
Belonging of another three groups, such as
Kutāma-Zawāwa,
Ṣanhāja,
Hawwāra is controversial.
The name Barānis is a plural form of their eponymous forefather, Burnus, who is described as son of Māzīgh b. Can‘ān, a legendary Berber ancestor. The place of origin of the Baranis is unknown, the first area, where the groups of Baranis are historically located, is the massif of
Awrās in today’s Eastern
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
, from where they started to migrate across North Africa at the time of
Arab conquest
The spread of Islam spans about 1,400 years. Muslim conquests following Muhammad's death led to the creation of the caliphates, occupying a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted by Arab Muslim forces conquering vast territories ...
in the 7th century.
Ibn Khaldun considered the Baranis as sedentary people and the ancestors of sedentary Berbers, while the other group, the Butr, were considered the ancestors of nomadic Berbers.
History of Baranis' sub-groups
The Awraba migrated from Awrās to northern parts of today’s
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...
, where they supported the foundation of Idrisid rule. The Ghumara settled in the
Rif mountains, where they live to these days. The Azdadja have settled north of
Tlemcen
Tlemcen (; ar, تلمسان, translit=Tilimsān) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran, and capital of the Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the p ...
in today’s western Algeria and their chiefs controlled the area around the port of Wahran/
Oran
Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...
before the city was founded in the early 10th century.
The
Ṣanhāja were a large group, the sedentary part of them is later known to live in the area of today's north-eastern Algeria. From among them came the
Zirid dynasty
The Zirid dynasty ( ar, الزيريون, translit=az-zīriyyūn), Banu Ziri ( ar, بنو زيري, translit=banū zīrī), or the Zirid state ( ar, الدولة الزيرية, translit=ad-dawla az-zīriyya) was a Sanhaja Berber dynasty from m ...
, which ruled as governors of
Ifrikiya for
Fatimid caliphs, after the Fatimids moved their capital to Egypt. Another well-known dynasty of this branch of the Sanhaja were the Hammadids, who established their power as Zirid emirs, first in 987 in Ashir, and from 1007/1008 around
Qalaat Beni Hammad.
The Kutāma also lived in north-eastern Algeria and were the principal pillar of Fatimid military power, especially in the beginnings of their caliphate.
During medieval period the awareness or claims of Baranis ancestry diminished and were . In 1595-6, the Baranis are mentioned to revolt against the
Saadi Sultan of Morocco
Ahmad al-Mansūr, but were mercilessly crushed
Religiously, some of the Baranis were said to be Christian
during the Arab conquest of North Africa, but by the 10th century they converted to Islam.
References
{{reflist
Berber peoples and tribes
Origin myths