A brief outline of presentation on February 12, 2011 for Public School Teachers:
World Civilizations for Grades 9-12
North Africa: The Amazighs (Berbers), The Arabs, and The Privateers (Pirates), with a focus on Morocco
A. After students complete this study of North Africa, they will be able to: Explain the importance of the Mediterranean Sea in the development of North African, European and Global Trade.
a. Explain how revolution and social change have been major contributors for transition in North Africa from ancient to modern times.
b. Explain how these social changes affected Berber and Women’s Rights in Morocco.
c. Evaluate the impact of Western influence on political structures in North Africa, with a focus on Morocco.
d. Describe one difference between Muslims, Moroccans, Arabs, and Berbers individual identities.
e. Identify three groups that benefited from Piracy.
f. Explain one way the USA war and treaty approach differed from the war and colonialism approach to North Africa in the 19th and 20th Centuries..
B. Materials Required: Map of Mediterranean Sea and Bordering Countries
C. Resources Materials and Background Notes:
a. Read the following information on the Morocco Web Site:
http://www.maroc.ma/PortailInst/An/Divers/Plan%20du%20site
a) History
b) Languages
c) The Monarchy
d) Parliament
b. Read assigned pages of Sir Henry Mainwaring’s Journal
PDF of Journal – Volume II
c. Read articles on North African history
d. Read the articles by Professor Sadiqi on Berbers and women in Morocco.
a) Fishman Paper
b) Native Language and Women
c) For the Encyclopedia
d) Language, Nationalism, and Gender
e. Twenty-one modern states have a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea
a) Europe (from west to east): Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, and Turkey (East Thrace)
b) Asia (from north to south): Turkey (Anatolia), Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt (the Sinai Peninsula)
c) Africa (from east to west): Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.
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Background Outline and Notes
1) Amazighs (Berbers) and North Africa (5,000 BC – 332 BC)
a) The Creation of the Amazighs (Berbers)Identity
i) 5000 BC: “Settlers” from Near Eastern countries “intermix” with the original inhabitants of North Africa to form a “Berber identity.”
ii) 1550 – 332 BC: The Phoenician Mediterranean Sea identity merges with the North African “Berber identity”.
iii) Which is Correct, “Berbers” or “Amazighs”? Both are correct.
(1) “Berber” is Greek for “can’t understand” [what you are saying].
(2) “Amazigh” means “Free People”
(3) “Amazigh” is preferred, but both name.
2) Phoenicians & Mediterranean Sea Trade (1550 BC – 332 BC)
a) Phoenicia included: Lebanon, Syria, & Northern Israel
i) Some of the key Phoenician Trading Ports were:
(1) Tripoli, Libya
(2) Carthage, Tunisia (largest port in Phoenician period)
(3) Tunis, Tunisia
(4) Algiers, Algeria
(5) Tangiers, Morocco
(6) Tétouan, Morocco
(7) Gibraltar
ii) Phoenicia was conquered by Cyrus of Persia in 539 BC and destroyed by Alexander the Great (Greece) in 332 BC.
b) The Carthaginian (Phoenician)Port Gibraltar (10th Century BC – 3rd Century BC)
i) Port Gibraltar was north of the Strait of Gibraltar
ii) Tétouan and Tangiers, Morocco were south of the Strait of Gibraltar.
iii) The control of Gibraltar in the north and Tétouan and Tangiers in the South determined who could trade in the Mediterranean.
iv) The Strait of Gibraltar is only 8.9 miles wide.
c) Carthage and Rome (146 BC – 439 AD)
i) Both the City/States had money and power
ii) Carthage had a stronger Navy than Rome
iii) Rome had a stronger Army than Carthage
iv) Rome and Carthage fought the three Punic Wars for control of Carthage, Sicily, Iberia, and the Mediterranean Sea. Rome won all three Punic Wars
(1) After the third Punic War Rome destroyed Carthage, but they rebuilt it and made it the second largest Port of Rome.
d) Tangiers, Morocco (42 – 682 AD)
i) 42 – 429 AD: Rome makes Tangiers, Capital of Northern Morocco
ii) 429 – 533 AD: Vandals from Eastern Europe expel Rome
iii) 533 – 682 AD: Byzantines from Eastern Greece expel Vandals
e) Berbers, Arab Muslims, and Moroccans (622 AD – 1055 AD)
i) Basic Beliefs of Muslims
(1) There one God and Muhammad is his messenger.
(2) Pray 5 times a day.
(3) Go to Mecca one time in your life if possible.
(4) Fast from sun up to sun down during Ramadan.
(5) Give alms to the poor.
ii) 711: Tariq ibn Zyad, a Berber General, conquered North Africa (from Carthage) & Gibraltar, and S. Spain (Gibraltar is Arabic for (mountain or rock of al-Tariq)
iii) 788 – 1055 Indrissids Dynasty:
(1) Idriss I was a descendant of Ali who conquered Morocco and founded Fez.
iv) 1040 – 1143 AD Almoravid Dynasty:
(1) Berber Dynasty (NW Africa)
(2) Andalusian (Spanish) culture spread in the Maghreb
v) 1121 - 1269 AD Almohad Dynasty:
(1) Berber Dynasty (NW Africa)
(2) Covered Northwest Africa and Southern Spain
(3) Spain was lost in the later part of the Dynasty
vi) 1215 - 1465 AD Merinid Dynasty:
(1) Berber Dynasty (NW Africa)
(2) Tunisia, Algeria and Middle and Southern Morocco
(a) Spain controlled Northern Morocco
vii) 1509 - 1659 AD Saadians Dynasty:
(1) Arab Dynasty (Descendant of Muhammad???)
(2) Ruled most of Morocco
(3) Defeated the Ottoman’s when they attempted to Conqueror Morocco
viii) 1640 – Present Alaouite Dynasty (Ruling Family):
(1) 1631: Moulay Ali Cherif, an Arab “descendant of Ali” and Muhammad. Founded the Alaouite Dynasty.
(2) 1756 – 1790: Sidi Muhammad Ibn Abdellah (Muhammad III) was the first foreign ruler to recognize America’s independence and sign a treaty against Piracy with the USA.
(3) 1759 – 1894: Muhammad IV (1859-1873) and Hassan I (1873-94) Trade was fostered between Morocco.
viii) Present: His Majesty King Mohammed VI
(1) The Royal Family has survived 371 years of Wars, Pirates, “Protectorate”, and independent rulers
(2) Article 20 of Constitution - King is passed father to son
3) Moroccans and Berbers of North Africa (2011) – Professor Sadiqi
a) Professor Sadiqi is a Berber and one of the founders of many Berber activities in Morocco. She stated that she, “was appointed by our king as a member of the Royal Institute of Amazigh (Berber) Culture Board.” She helped create the written Berber language.
b) Number of Berber Speakers by Country
i) Morocco – 10 million
ii) Algeria – 6 million
iii) Mali, Niger, and Libya – 1 million
iv) Egypt, Tunisia, and Mauritania – 140,000
c) The Amazigh (Berber) language is “the mother tongue of the first inhabitants of North Africa.” “It is spoken in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, and Chad.“
d) The Berber Identity
i) “I would say that language is the strongest icon of Berber identity. I believe that identity is complex, multi-layered and flexible (moving): I feel I am at the same time Berber, Muslim, a bit Arab, and universal. There are times when one of my "identities" is in the foreground and times when it is in the background. This depends on many variables: place, time, audience, etc. For example. I feel more Berber in my village than in Fes, I felt universal during my year in Boston, I feel Arab and Muslim when I use Standard Arabic, I felt very Arab and Muslim when visited Jerusalem and entered the Great Mosque. I like all these identities; Berber is my mother tongue, Standard Arabic and French were imposed on me at school, but English is a language I chose. I am enriched by all this. Identity is a tricky issue.”
ii) The Amazigh (Berber) language has been "largely associated with home, the street, and popular media“. This started to change slowly after Oct. 17, 2001, when King Mohamed VI stated that “promoting Berber is a national responsibility”. He also announced the creation of the Royal institute of Berber culture. “Currently, Berber is taught at school and there is a growing Berber media, blogs, etc.” In Morocco the Berber language and culture has been revived as a “Shield” at a “time when Islamic extremism started to gain space in the Moroccan political landscape. “
iii) There are three social movements in Morocco: the Amazighs, the Islamists, and women. These movements do not seek to obtain state power, but to influence the state. Professor Sadiqi added, "My main message is that globalization offers the right context for Berber language and culture, . . , and Moroccan women's rights.” These two programs provided “Moroccan feminism with a new framework: a larger-than-Islam [or Islamic extremist] framework of refection . . . while encompassing Islam does not deny its impact."
iv) Berber villages are different in the East than in the West of North Africa. One village in the East of North Africa has a village, where they speak Berber and they only marry descendants of the five original families. In Morocco, the number of Berbers is so strong, that Professor Sadiqi stated “If you scratch a Moroccan, you get Berber.”
4) Pirates (Privateers) in North Africa
a) Privateers/Corsairs/Pirates (~1492 to ~1914)
i) Privateer: A British word for, “a privately owned warship that had official sanctions to attack enemy ships and take possession of their cargo” and also the “name given to an officer or member of the crew. . . .”
ii) Corsair: A French word for Privateer
iii) Pirates: Pirate is the “Old French” word “pirate”, from the Latin word “pirata . . .sailor, sea robber." (On Line Etymology Dictionary).
b) Who Benefited from Piracy?
i) Ottomans: Calphs, Beys, Deys, and Janissary
ii) Ottoman Port cities
iii) The Ottoman and European Pirates
iv) The European town leaders, and Port Cities in Europe when the Pirate ships were permitted to dock.
c) Khair ad-Din Barbarossa (1470 – 1546 AD)
i) The Barbarossa Family
ii) There were four Barbarossa brothers: Khair ad Din (Khizer /خضر), Ishaq (اسحاق), Aruj (عروج), Ilyas (الیاس
iii) Father was Turkish Muslim. Mother was Greek.
iv) Khair ad-Din and his older brother Aruj state they became pirates after the Knights of St. John attached their father’s trading ship, killed their brother Ilyas, and made Aruj a “galley slave “ for three years
(1)Their first Piracy acts were to attack ships of the Knights for St. John, the Italians, and the Spanish.
(2)Aruj was killed while privateering
(3)Khair ad-Din gained support from Ottoman Sultan Selim I (1512 to 1520 AD), who sent 6,000 troops
(4)Khair ad-Din Barbarossa and Ottoman Sultans (1512 – 1546 AD)
(a) Selim I (1512 to 1520) appointed Khair ad-Din governor of Algiers after Khair ad-Din offered him:
(i) Land to extend Islam beyond Egypt
(ii) To decrease economic might of Christians by disrupting their trade, intimidating their coastal settlements, and fighting their merchants. This he did and much more!
(b) Suleiman (1520–1566) appointed Khair ad-Din Admiral of Ottoman navy & chief governor of North Africa.”
(i) The Ottomans and its Navy controlled the Strait of Gibraltar and caused Spain to seek new “silk routes.”
(5)Khair ad-Din retired in Istanbul and died in 1546.
d) European Privateers/Pirates according to Sir Henry Mainwaring
i) There were numerous European Pirates, but this review will focus on a British Pirate Sir Henry Mainwaring, because he wrote a Journal on his adventures. See PDF, “The Life and Works of Sir Henry Mainwaring Vol. II”
(1)See Pages: VIII, IX, X, XXI, XXII, 9, 13, etc.
ii) Some of the reasons Piracy was practiced in Kingdom of Britain was:
(1)Ports have no military protection
(2)Ships had sails up and no guards
(3)These factors along with low pay and poor living conditions for seamen, made it easy for someone to steal a ship, hire seamen, and become a pirate.
iii) The conditions that encourage men to be Pirates
(1)Often no punishment - although Sir Henry was pardoned and rewarded, he suggested service for captured pirates.
(2)Port Cities in North Africa and Europe benefitted
(3)“Perforst-men” claimed they were pirates against their will. Sir Henry “gave them a note” confirming this so they weren’t hung for Piracy, kept stolen goods and received pay.
iv) How Pirates work at sea.
(1)Take in their sails to see ships near them
(2)If ships are near, they use sails or drags to slow their ship to look in distress to attract the ship
(3) When a ship was near, changes were made to make for a fast ship, which permitted them to capture and board the ship without firing a shot.
v) Where they fixed their ships, sold their stolen goods, and acquired supplies:
(1)No place “in Strait”
(2)Tunis and Algiers OK
(3)Tetuan, Morocco was the first place after Strait
(4)Rhodes and Cyprus were OK, but required a letter of introduction from Tunis.
(5)Algiers was more dangerous than Tunis, because ships were stolen for the “Turks”
(6)Many places outside Strait – even in the UK
vi) Sir Henry’s Suggestion on preventing pirates
(1) Create an “Order” (Navy), with seamen and even former pirates.
(2)Improve the living condition and pay for seamen.
(3)“Never” grant pardons to pirates (even though Sir Henry had been pardoned).
(4)Increase ship quality
(5)Increase port protection for ships
vii)Sir Henry’s Seaman Dictionary listed the terms used by seaman and gave examples. The following is his definition of the seaman word, “Anchor:”
(1)Anchor: “The form and general use of an anchor is commonly known, but the several parts, proportions, distinctions, and appellations are understood by very few but practised and experi- enced seamen. The anchor doth consist of these several parts: the Ring, the Eye, the Head, the Nut, the Beam or Arm, the Shank, the Fluke, [to which belongeth a Stock, by which it is made to take hold of the ground].”
e) Selected Events & End of Mediterranean Piracy (1612 to 1914)
i. Ottomans: Decrease in Military Power in North Africa
ii. England:
(1) 1612: General Pardon of King James
(2) 1816: Treaty with Algiers after major Battle
(3) 1914 – 1954: Egypt Protectorate or managing presence
iii. Spain:
(1) 1913 - 1956: Northern Morocco Protectorate
iv. France (Colonies, Occupations, and Protectorates)
(1) Tunisia (1818-1956), Algeria (1830–1962), Morocco (1912–1956)
v. Italy (Protectorate)
(1)Libya (1910 – 1947)
vi. USA
(1) 1786: Morocco was first to sign treaty with USA
(2) 1805: First Barbary War: Navy & Marines capture Derna, Libya
(3) 1815: Second Barbary War: More Treaties were added to previous treaties: Algiers (1795), Tripoli (1797) & Tunis (1797)
(4) USA and Explanation by Collin Powell of difference between US and country that wins a battle and takes land: When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush. He answered by saying that, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.“ It became very quiet.
f) The End of Piracy and the beginning of Global Trade with the Mediterranean Sea and Bordering Countries
