Narrations of the Banu Ziri nation (361-543 AH / 971-1148 AD) through the book (Nihayat al-Arb fi Fanun al-Adab, Al-Nuwayri)

Abstract

Al-Nuwairi mentioned in his book (Nihayat al-Arb fi Funun al-Adab) narrations related to the news of the Banu Ziri state (361-543 AH / 971-1148 AD), and these narrations are of great importance. Al-Nuwayri quoted it from one of the lost historical books that have not yet reached us, which is the book (Al-Jum’ Al-Bayan fi Akhbar Al-Kayrawan, by Ibn Shaddad Al-Zayri Al-Sanhaji). Due to the importance of these narratives, we shed light on them, as they showed the news of the Moroccan country during the Islamic era, and the conditions of the ruling family, mentioning its name, lineage, and the motives for their arrival. To the countries of the Maghreb, and then they handed over the powers of authority there, until the year of its fall and the end of its rule in the year (543 AH / 1148 AD).

The reader who is familiar with Shihab al-Din al-Nuwayri’s accounts of the Zirid state will find that he focused most of his attention on highlighting the historical roles of the princes of the Zirid state, while marginalizing the role of their opponents from the states that were contemporary with them, such as the Hammadid state (408-546 AH/1017-1151 AD), of which al-Nuwayri only mentioned a few accounts and a summary. This, of course, is due to al-Nuwayri’s reliance on Ibn Shaddad, who clearly could not write independently of his political inclinations and his bias towards members of his family.