Kusaila (? - 690 (also spelled
Kusayla,
Kosaila,
Koceila in French spelling) or
Kasila (the preferred pronunciation by modern researchers) in
tifinaghTifinagh is an alphabetic script used by some Berber peoples, notably the Tuareg, to write their language. The Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. It is not in widespread use as a means of daily communication, but often serves to politically and...
:
ⴰⴽⵙⴻⵍ) was a 7th century chief of the Awraba tribe of the
Berber peopleBerbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are discontinuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke various Berber languages, which together form a branch of the...
and head of the Sanhadja confederation. He is known for prosecuting effective Romano-Berber resistance to the Muslim Arab expansion into North Africa in the 680s.
His homeland was
TlemcenTlemcen is a town in Northwestern Algeria, and the capital of the the province of the same name. Its population is 132,341 as of the 1998 census. Located inland, it is located in the center of a region known for its olive plantations and vineyards. The city has developed leather, carpet, and...
in modern
AlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country on the Mediterranean sea, the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area.It is bordered by Tunisia in...
, according to
Ibn KhaldunIbn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun (full name, , , (May 27, 1332 AD/732 AH – March 19, 1406 AD/808 AH) was a North African polymath — an astronomer, economist, historian, Islamic scholar, Islamic theologian, hafiz, jurist, lawyer,...
. However, this account dates from the 14th century, some 700 years later; other sources closer to Kusaila's time (9th century are the earliest available) associate him only with the
Aurès areaThe Aurès , or Aurea, refers to an Amazigh language-speaking region in East Algeria, as well as an extension of the Atlas mountain range that lies to the east of the Saharan Atlas in eastern Algeria and northwestern Tunisia...
. Kusaila grew up during the time of the
ByzantineThe Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...
exarchate in North Africa and was probably educated in Romano-Byzantine ways.
According to late accounts (11th century through to
Ibn KhaldunIbn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun (full name, , , (May 27, 1332 AD/732 AH – March 19, 1406 AD/808 AH) was a North African polymath — an astronomer, economist, historian, Islamic scholar, Islamic theologian, hafiz, jurist, lawyer,...
in the 14th century) the amir of the invading Arabs, who was then a freed slave called
Abu al-Muhajir DinarAbu al-Muhajir Dinar , amir of Ifriqiya under the Umayyads.His biography is complicated by the existence of two versions of the history of the Umayyad conquest of North Africa....
, surprisingly invited Kusaila to meet with him in his camp.
Abu al-MuhajirAbu al-Muhajir Dinar , amir of Ifriqiya under the Umayyads.His biography is complicated by the existence of two versions of the history of the Umayyad conquest of North Africa....
convinced him to accept
IslamIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
and join his army with a promise of full equality with the Arabs (678). The reason why
Abu al-MuhajirAbu al-Muhajir Dinar , amir of Ifriqiya under the Umayyads.His biography is complicated by the existence of two versions of the history of the Umayyad conquest of North Africa....
was successful in converting Kusaila to Islam was that he himself was not an Arab but also a convert to the religion, thereby dissolving any prejudice Kusaila might have had that Islam was only an Arab religion.
Abu al-MuhajirAbu al-Muhajir Dinar , amir of Ifriqiya under the Umayyads.His biography is complicated by the existence of two versions of the history of the Umayyad conquest of North Africa....
was a master in diplomacy and thoroughly impressed Kusaila with not only his piety but with his high sense of respect and etiquette. Kusaila incorporated the Awraba-Sanhajda into the conquering Arab force and participated in their uniformly successful campaigns under
Abu al-MuhajirAbu al-Muhajir Dinar , amir of Ifriqiya under the Umayyads.His biography is complicated by the existence of two versions of the history of the Umayyad conquest of North Africa....
. This amir was then forcibly replaced by
Uqba ibn NafiUqba ibn Nafi was an Arab general under the Umayyad dynasty,in Amir Muavia and Yazid periods, who began the Islamic conquest of the Maghreb, including present-day western Algeria and Morocco in North Africa...
who treated Kusaila and his men with contempt. Eventually Uqba's disrespect enraged Kusayla and provoked a plot of revenge. On the army's return from Morocco, Uqba allowed his troops to break up and go home. The remainder, about 5,000, was vulnerable and exhausted. On the return march to
KairowanKairouan Kairouan (Arabic القيروان) Kairouan (Arabic القيروان) (also known as Kirwan, Al Qayrawan, it is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia. It was founded by the Arabs in around 670 in the period of Caliph Mu'awiya and the original name was derived from Arabic kairuwân, from...
, Kusaila joined with the
ByzantineThe Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...
forces and organised an ambush. The Christian-Berber force, about 50,000 strong, defeated the Arabs and felled Uqba at Tahudha near
BiskraBiskra is the capital city of Biskra province, Algeria. In 2007, its population was recorded as 207,987.As of 1935, Biskra was an inland town, the principal settlement of a Saharan oasis watered by the intermittent Oued Biskra. It is in the southern part of the Algerian rail system, and a...
(683). Kusaila now held undisputed mastery over North Africa and marched to Kairowan in triumph.
It should be noted that the above account is disputed by some historians, who prefer the earlier 9th-century sources. According to these,
Abu al-MuhajirAbu al-Muhajir Dinar , amir of Ifriqiya under the Umayyads.His biography is complicated by the existence of two versions of the history of the Umayyad conquest of North Africa....
had no connection with Kusaila, nor did
Uqba ibn NafiUqba ibn Nafi was an Arab general under the Umayyad dynasty,in Amir Muavia and Yazid periods, who began the Islamic conquest of the Maghreb, including present-day western Algeria and Morocco in North Africa...
until he was ambushed at Tahudha. These earlier sources also describe Kusaila as a Christian, not a Muslim convert. They do agree, however, that he led a combined Byzantine-Berber force when he defeated Uqba.
In 688 Arab reinforcements arrived under Zuhair ibn Kays. Kusaila met them in 690 at the Battle of Mamma. Vastly outnumbered, the Awraba were defeated and Kusaila was killed. It was not the last instance of Berber resistance, however (see al-Kahina).
Sources
- Benabbès, A. Les premiers raids arabes en Numidie Byzantine: questions toponymiques. In Identités et Cultures dans l'Algérie Antique, University of Rouen, 2005 (ISBN 2-87775-391-3)
- Hrbek, I., ed. General History of Africa III: Africa From the Seventh to the Eleventh Century.
- Modéran, Y. Kusayla, l'Afrique et les Arabes. In Identités et Cultures dans l'Algérie Antique, University of Rouen, 2005 (ISBN 2-87775-391-3).