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Kabylia is a formidable mountainous region just east of Algiers. Its isolated mountains have provided safe haven for the local Berbers for centuries making it a difficult place for foreign occupiers to fully penetrate. Its cave rich landscape provides ideal cover from which to launch a guerrilla insurgency or to hold off an advancing army… More>>
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The famous Battle of Three Kings (aka Battle of Alcazar) was a hard fought affair won by the Moroccans due in large part to the military exploits of Ahmad al-Mansur. Three Kings were killed; Portugal’s Dom Sebastian, Morocco’s current ruler Abd al-Malik (al-Mansur’s brother) and deposed former ruler al-Mutawakkil (al-Mansur’s nephew who fought alongside Dom Sebastian). Ahmad al-Mansur was suddenly a national hero, the living representation of Morocco’s strength and pride. He is also believed to have been the model for Shakespeare’s prince of Morocco character in The Merchant of Venice–the work that gave us the famous line: “All that glitters is not gold.” … More>>
Posted in Africa, Essays, History, War
Tagged Africa, Ahmad al-Mansur, al-Mutawakkil, Libya, Moroccan people, Morocco, Portugal, Rabat
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Today’s Times has a story about the relative calm in Algeria during the recent political contagion sweeping North Africa and the Middle East. It’s a bit surprising considering Algeria’s violent history since the end of WWII…
Posted in Africa, Algeria, History, Politics, War
Tagged Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algeria, Algiers, Islamic terrorism, Middle East
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Parallel Narratives 