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The arrival of a boat from Ifrīqīyah in Sicily, from a mural in Mazara |
Summary: This book is written by Nardo Chiarelli, the author of The History of Muslim Sicily and expands on the work in the books about the Ibadis. The Ibadi sect of Islam makes for the third largest group of Muslims, and their origins, like Shias and Sunnis, go all the way back to the the first years of the establishment of Islam when many of the divisions that currently exist began. Today, Ibadi Muslims make up a large part of Oman, on the Arabian Peninsula. But, historically, the Amazigh (described by the older term, Berbers in the article) of North Africa had historically embraced Ibadism at times and among certain tribes. This article explains the evidence that suggests a connection between Ibadi Berbers and migration to Sicily in the form of names of towns and people, archaeological evidence, and historical accounts.
Key Quotes, Information, or Chapter:
- Members of the invading army of Arabs, Persians (Khurasānī), Andalusians and Berbers settled there. The largest group to settle in Sicily was the indigenous population of North Africa, known in the Middle Ages and today as the Berbers.
- The island’s fertility was well known, and since its soil excelled in the production of the same crops (especially wheat, barley, olives, grapes and figs) grown in North Africa, immigrants moved there in substantial numbers.
- In addition, land was available for settlement because the previous century saw economic and demographic instability most likely due to the series of plagues from 541 to 135/752. It is estimated that the population within the Byzantine Empire may have declined by as much as 30%.
- Some urban centers, such as Gela, Selinunte, Segesta and other ancient settlements, had been abandoned. Depopulation and demographic decline is also confirmed in contemporary Greek sources and archeological findings. Some Arabic sources also mention that the island was sparsely populated when the Muslims arrive.
- The Arabs were the other group to colonize the island. These settlers, who originally came from Andalus, Arabia, Syria and Yemen, were not as numerous as the Berbers, but represented the dominant religious, military and ruling elite. They were represented by members of both the Muḍar and Qaḥṭān groups, such as the Azd, Kināna, Lakhm, Sha‘rān, Tamīm, and others.
- According to the legal scholar al-Dāwūdī there was a steady flow of people from
Ifrīqīya to Sicily during the 4th/10th century. A major movement from North Africa is recorded during the great famine of 395/1004 -1005, when rich and poor, urban and rural folk, as well as Bedouins fled to the island. Another migration from Ifrīqīyah occurred in 451/1059, that is, after the Normans controlled most of the island.
- The first group of Ibāḍīs to settle in Sicily were those of the invading military forces and those auxiliary groups that sustained them. A major part of the invading army was composed of members of the Hawwāra tribe, one of the largest and most influential Ibāḍī Berber groups in North Africa during the 2nd/8th to the 5th/11th century
- One of the leading commanders of the conquering army was Zawāwa Ibn Ni’mah al-Khalaf, a member of the Hawwāra tribe.
- It appears that these early settlers were mostly concentrated in the north and west of the island, that is, where the Muslim army first took control and established its administrative apparatus. Evidence on the presence of Berber tribes adhering to Ibāḍīsm in this northern region is revealed in the toponyms of the hamlets, towns and villages of this period that show that a large number of the settlements derive their names from individual members of Berber tribes, or to the names of Berber tribes themselves.
- We see a Berber tribe giving its name to two settlements. One in the north, near Palermo and one in the south, such as the Ibāḍī Berber tribe of Faṭanāsa (also Fuṭṭanāsa). One village, Raḥl Fuṭṭāsina, was located in the north near the present village of Corleone; the other, Fetanasino in Norman documents, lay between Ragusa and Enna. This tribal name evokes the Ibāḍite Berber tribe of Faṭanāsa or Fuṭṭanāsa, a branch of the Mazāta that in the medieval period inhabited the town of Faṭanāsa located inthe Jarīd region between Tozeur and Qabīlī on the trade route going to Qābis
- Not far from the present town of Monreale was the medieval village of Raḥl Maghāghī, a settlement named after the Lawāta sub-tribe of Maghāgha.
- The nisba (an adjectival appellation, which maybe formed from a town, tribe or profession) of people such as al-Rīghī; al-Maklātī; al-Masallātī; al-Misrātī, and Waddānī, (40) are found along with the many Hawwārī, Zanātī, Lawātī, Nafzāwī, (41) the mainstay tribes of the Ibāḍī Rustumid state.
- The capital city of Sicily, Palermo, also appears to have had an Ibāḍī presence. Ibn Ḥawqal reports that a large number of the inhabitants of the capital city were Barqajāna Berbers.
- From the region of Enna south to Ragusa, Modica, Scicli and Noto we find settlements and toponyms as well as archaeological finds that strongly hint of an Ibāḍī presence.
- A stronger example is found in Angevin records of the 8th/14th century where mention is made of the town of Tahartina in the region of Noto. (61) In 535/1140 it was part of four hamlets, and today it is located in the contrada San Marco, some 10 kms north of Noto Antica. Adjacent to this site is the cave complex and stream known today as Manghisi. This appears to be the name of the Ibāḍī tribe and town of Manjisa, which was part of the district of Tahert in Algeria.
- Studies on cave dwellings (troglodytic houses) found in western and southern Sicily - especially in the areas of Enna, Modica, Noto, Ragusa, and Scicli - indicate that their design and plan are the same as those found in the troglodytic settlements of southern Tunisia and Jabal Nafūsa, that is, the region where Ibāḍī Berber tribes predominated. In some cases these cave dwellings have been shown to be used as mosques, since they clearly show a qiblah and miḥrāb.
- The most compelling evidence, however, comes from the 5th/11th century Ibāḍī scholar Sulaymān al-Wisyānī who sheds light on Sicily’s confessional ties to the Ibāḍī spiritual center at Jerba. He reports in his work Kitāb al-Siyar that one of the Ibāḍī communities in Sicily sought guidance on some legal questions.
- [This] points to Sicily’s multi-sectarian religious heritage and the recognition that Muslim Sicily reflected the religious diversity found in the rest of the Islamic North Africa.
- The presence of Ibāḍī tribes in Palermo and other areas of Sicily indicates that during the period of Islamic rule Sicily was part of the Ibāḍī trade network, which was organized on “confessional” as well as a tribal lines, and monopolized trade between the sub-Sahara and the Mediterranean coast.
Reflections of il Moro: Chiarelli summarizes clearly the ideas introduced in his book, The Muslim History of Sicily, by showing the clear throughline of evidence that shows the presence of Ibadi Amazigh (referred to as Berbers in the article) in Sicily. He begins by establishing evidence of large scale migration from Ifrīqīyah (Tunisia) during the time of Muslim colonization. Many parts of Sicily were depopulated or abandoned, and there was large amounts of land available. Although Muslims from many regions came to Sicily during this time, the majority are believed to have been Berbers, originally as part of the military. Given that the flow of people came primarily through Ifrīqīyah, this should not be surprising. Members of the Hawwāra tribe led the military, and there is strong evidence that they kept in contact with Djerba, in southern Tunisia. Ibn Ḥawqal, the famous Muslim traveler, also wrote that many people in Palermo were Barqajāna Berbers. One of the most surprising pieces of evidence came from the Southeast region of Sicily the design and plan of cave dwellings (which were used into the 20th century) are the same as those found in the settlements of southern Tunisia and Jabal Nafūsa, where Ibāḍī Berber tribes were common. Chiarelli says that, “ In some cases these cave dwellings have been shown to be used as mosques, since they clearly show a qiblah and miḥrāb.” Chiarelli argues that she shows the diversity of Muslim presence in Sicily. And I would take it a step further, and say that it shows the continued legacy in the form of place names, family names, and undoubtedly ways of living.
Link to the full research article
