The Islamic Conquest Of The Central Maghreb (21-95 Ah / 642-714 Ad): A Comparative Study

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to show that the Islamic conquests in the Central Maghreb were a conquest of the hearts of its inhabitants before they were a conquest of territory. The essence of the civilisational and cultural message carried by the Mashriqis found its identity and political unity in the Maghreb, in terms of cultural and civilisational dimensions, in comparison with other peoples.

The people of the Maghreb found in Islam a cultural legitimacy that was not in conflict with the ancient cultural heritage of the Central Maghreb and that forced them to belong culturally to the Mashriq, without extinguishing their desire to develop on the basis of their cultural heritage. The Central Maghreb, while adopting Islam as a theoretical and fundamental reference for legitimacy, entered the house of Islam, which historically witnessed significant progress in the expansion of its cultural and social space through what has been referred to in historical writings as the "Islamic conquests".