Dihya the Berber Queen (Al-Kaahina): Difference between revisions

Dahlia was a Berber queen who led her people in resisting the Islamic conquest of her home in North Africa. She is better known as Kahina or al-Kahina, a title given to her by the Arab Muslims, which means "the witch" or "the sorceresses."  

The Roman North Africa of Dahlia's youth was a melting pot, in which peoples of different races and religions openly intermixed, including Romans, Berbers, Vandal and Visigoth settlers, and tribes of black Numidians. There were [[Christians]] of various denominations - Catholics, Arians, Donatists (who rejected the ecclesiastic authority of the patriarchs) - and also numerous [[Jews]] and [[Paganism|pagans]]. All these groups lived mostly in peace, marred occasionally by outbreaks of persecution against the Jews and Donatists, and other conflicts.  

Very little is known about the private life of Dahlia. It is hard to distinguish fact from fiction in the numerous legends which surround her. Dahlia was born the daughter of Tabat, a chieftain of the Jrawa tribe, who lived in the region of the Aures mountains. Some (mostly Jewish) historians claim that Dahlia professed Judaism. These point out that her Arab title, "al-Kahina", may be a corruption of the Hebrew word Kohen, which means "a person of the priest class". The surname Cohen derives from the same word.  

Additionally one Arabic chronicle, by Ibn Khaldoun, written centuries after her death, calls Dahlia "a Jewess". It is possible that the Berber Queen followed the Jewish religion, but there is no solid proof for this. Indeed, many Berber tribes professed Judaism at this time, but others also held Christian or traditional beliefs.  

The legends preserve some details of Dahlia's appearance. She had very long black hair, and had large dark eyes. She was extremely tall for a woman of the time. She was said to be charismatic, and authors attribute to her the gift of foresight - most likely a reminiscence of her great intelligence and wisdom.  

When she was a young woman, a chieftain who demanded to possess her as his bride terrorized her tribe. Dahlia went into hiding for some time. Finally she agreed to the marriage. On the wedding night, she slew her new husband by smashing his skull with a nail. Although possibly apocryphal, like much else in her biography, the story points to her fierce will and determination.

The siege of Carthage, however, had given Dahlia the extra time to prepare. Soon a new power in Africa was born. One consequence of the Byzantine defeat was that the Romans had lost their interest Africa. From this point onward, only Muslim sources from far after the fact are available, and these tend to take a dim view of Dahlia.  

During the siege of Carthage, Dahlia completed her lifetime's achievement. She consolidated all the major Berber tribes under a common purpose - driving out the invaders. Beginning with guerrilla warfare, she soon graduated to launching full-scale invasion against the Muslims. She was joined in this by the survivors of the Byzantine army, as well as the remnants of the local Visigoths.  

Dahlia attacked the main Muslim army, completely defeating it and pushing the invaders back to Egypt. She even reclaimed the ruins of Carthage. At that point, she was the unquestioned heroine and leader of all of Africa’s population – both nomads, Berbers and Romans. All the ethnic and religious groups united under her banner. She was also joined by some deserters from the Muslim army. One of them, most likely an [[Islam and Apostasy|apostate]], became her lieutenant and adopted son. This was also the time when she gained her famous Arabic nickname.  

Dahlia seemed close to creating an independent state. She ruled with an iron fist. She quickly transformed the anarchic Berber tribes into a disciplined army. She showed great military and administrative skills. She managed to hold Muslims at bay for a long time, perhaps as long as for three years. She also established an administration capable of maintaining a large standing army for this time. Dahlia prepared for the Arabs' return.  

One of the most bizarre episodes of Dahlia’s struggle against the Muslims was the defection of her three natural sons. These joined the Muslims and [[Converts|converted]] to Islam according to the traditional sources, claiming that they did it on a peremptory order given by their mother. Some speculate that Dahlia knew that in the long perspective she had no chance to stop the Muslims, and decided that it was the only way to save her beloved sons’ lives. Other authors suspect that her sons came to conduct espionage and sabotage.  

Even if this second option is true, Dahlia had no chance to make use of her sons’ skills. The exact cause of her downfall, and the date when this happened, is not certain.  

Muslim chroniclers accuse Dahlia of maintaining a "scorched earth policy" in the hope that this would make the Muslims abandon their invasion plans. For this reason they say she ordered her men to burn cities, to kill livestock and destroy all the fields. Africa, according to Islamic chronicles, turned into a desert on her orders. Muslims say these actions caused her to lose the support of the settled population, who were terrified by the destruction. Farmers and city dwellers became, from this time onwards, passive observers in the conflict. Chroniclers say proudly that such destruction could never stop them, since the main reason for Islamic conquests was enacting the rule of Allah.  

Dahlia soon found herself the only enemy of the Arab caliphate on the African continent. The Caliphate sent considerable forces and finally defeated her Berber warriors. Sources differ on how she died. Some say that she died a soldier’s death – with a sword in her hand. Others maintain that she poisoned herself when all was lost and defeat was near. Even the exact date of her death is unknown. It happened between the years 702 and 705. Dahlia's head was mummified and sent to the [[Caliph]], who ordered that it be nailed to the entrance of his favorite [[mosque]].

After Dahlia’s death, the fate of Africa was sealed. All large-scale organized resistance ceased to exist, though some Berber tribes continued the open fight for some time. In all treaties with the Berbers, the Muslims demanded conversion to Islam. Facing the threat of complete destruction, most of the tribes agreed to abandon their old beliefs. Those who did not accept the new religion were killed. Many Berber women were said to have committed [[suicide]].  

Despite her role in resisting the Arab conquests, modern Islamic and Arab authors refer to Dahlia/Kahina as an example a strong, independent woman in [[Islam and Women|women in Islamic societies]].

==Appendix: Dahlia in Fiction==

#Dahlia appears as the titular character in Cahena: a Dream of the Past, a historical fantasy written by Manly Wade Wellman. The main protagonist is named Wulff, a Saxon from the Byzantine army who survived the massacre of Carthage. Wulff joins the ranks of Dahlia’s army and becomes her loyal retainer and subsequently a lover. The Queen herself is described as a mighty sorceress able to use magic.  

#Completely fictionalized Dahlia appears in one episode of Xena: Warrior Princess.  

#Featured in the Canadian TV series Relic Hunter (episode 64). The relic hunters recover an artifact that had belonged to Dahlia. She is seen in flashback scenes.

#A fictional female character loosely based on Dahlia is the main protagonist of a Moroccan comic book titled Tagllidt N Ayt Ufella (Queen of the heights). The Queen fights an evil [[Jinn]] (Genie).

{{page_title|The Story of Dahlia, Queen of the Berbers}}