Sultanate of Tuggurt

The sultanate of Tuggurt extended over Tuggurt, the oases of the neighbouring region and the wadi Ghir valley between 1414 and 1881.[1] It was governed by sultans of the Beni Djellab dynasty.[2]

Sultanate of Tuggurt سلطنة تقرت (ar)
1414–1871
Flag of the Sultanate of Tuggurt of the Beni-Djellab dynasty Coat of arms
Location of the Sultanate of Touggourt in southern Algeria
Status	Beni-Djellab Dynasty
Capital	Tuggurt
Common languages	Tugurt language, Arabic
Religion	Islam
Government	Monarchy
Sultan
• N/A	N/A
• 1852–1854	Sulayman IV
History
• Sultanate of Tuggurt founded	1414
• Became Vassal of Regency of Algiers	1552
• Independence from Regency of Algiers	1812-1827
• Abolished by French colonial authority	1854
• Rebellion against French colonial authority	1871
Succeeded by French Algeria
Today part of	Algeria

History

The sultanate was founded by a certain Soliman el Djellabi in the fifteenth century. According to some he was a pilgrim of Maghrib al-Aksa, a descendant of the Marinids,[3][4] or a sharif. Another version asserts that, tired of rivalry, the local clans decreed that whoever first entered the town of Tuggurt would be recognized as chief; Soliman, a simple shepherd (in Arabic: djellab) was the first to set foot in the city.[5]

The region of Tuggurt was in a state of anarchy. Even the markets - traditionally places of trade and peaceful exchange - were places of confrontation between the members of the various oases and tribes. Soliman el Djellabi, knowing the local political dynamics and the resources of the region, called around him the most popular men of the country (marabouts, heads of oases, etc.) to establish order.

He felt secure enough to retain local political structures, including the djemaa (council) to which he could appoint members. He equipped at his own expense a deira of five hundred horsemen who became the nucleus of his army. He then patrolled the neighborhood chastising rebels, restoring peace and levying tax.[6] Sheikh Soliman came to terms with the Douaouda feudal family, who commanded the “Riah” - nomadic tribes controlling the plain from the Zibans to Ouargla, by marrying his daughter to the head of this family, Ben Sakheri, who bore the title of sheikh el Arab.[7]

As early as the sixteenth century, the Sultanate of Tuggurt had to face the hegemony of the regency of Algiers. Salah Raïs, beylerbey of Algiers, led an expedition against Tuggurt in 1552. The Ben Djellab surrendered in the face of enemy artillery; politically they became vassals of Algiers and paid it tribute.

List of rulers

The known Sultans (and one Sultana) were:[8]

• Ali II (N/A)
• Mabruk (Mubarak) (N/A)
• Ali III (N/A)
• Mustafa (N/A)
• Sulayman III (N/A)
• Ahmad II (1729-N/A)
• Muhammad I al-`Akhal (N/A)
• Ahmad IV (N/A)
• Farhat (N/A)
• Ibrahim (N/A)
• Abd al-Qadir I (1st time) + Ahmad V (N/A)
• Khalid (N/A)
• Abd al-Qadir I (2nd time) (N/A)
• Umar bin Bu-Kumetin (175.-1759)
• Muhammad II (1759–1765)
• Umar II bin Muhammad (1765–1766)
• Ahmad VI (1766–1778)
• Abd al-Qadir II (1778–1782)
• Farhat II (1782–1792)
• Ibrahim II (1792–1804)
• al-Khazan (1804)
• Muhammad III (1804–1822)
• `Amar (`Amir) II (1822–1830)
• Ibrahim III (1830–1831)
• `Ali IV bin al-Kabir (1831–1833)
• `Aisha (Aichouch)(female) (1833–1840)
• `Abd ar-Rahman (1840–1852)
• `Abd al-Qadir III (1852)
• Sulayman IV (1852–1854) (Last)

References

1. Pierre Mannoni, Les Français d'Algérie : vie, mœurs, mentalité de la conquête des Territoires du Sud à l'indépendance, p. 85
2. Charles Féraud, Histoire des sultans de Touggourt et du Sud Algérien, 2006, p. 162
3. Clancy-Smith, Julia. "Rebel and Saint Muslim Notables, Populist Protest, Colonial Encounters (Algeria and Tunisia, 1800–1904)". publishing.cdlib.org. University of California Press. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
4. René Pottier (1947). Histoire du Sahara. Nouvelles Editions Latines. pp. 97–. ISBN 978-2-7233-0859-5.
5. Féraud, op. cit, p. 168
6. Féraud, op. cit, p. 175-177
7. Féraud, op. cit, p. 175
8. worldstatesmen, Tuggurt (Touggourt), Sultans

See also

• List of Sunni Muslim dynasties
• History of Algeria