Amazigh Tribes and Their Subdivisions: A Study of the Manuscript Tasmiyat Baʿḍ Shuyūkh al-Wahbiyya

Abstract

This study examines the manuscript Tasmiyat Baʿḍ Shuyūkh al-Wahbiyya as an important source within the Ibadi manuscript heritage of the Maghreb. It seeks to highlight its contribution to preserving elements of Amazigh identity and heritage in North Africa, with particular attention to the names of Amazigh tribes, their subdivisions, and the names of individuals and places mentioned in the manuscript. The study provides a descriptive presentation of the manuscript and some of its extant copies, while also considering its probable chronological context and the author's distinctive method of organizing biographical material according to tribal affiliation. The manuscript contains a rich body of tribal names, subdivisions, nisbas, and place names, making it a valuable source for the study of tribal geography, genealogy, and toponymy. It also preserves numerous Amazigh personal names and information concerning scholarly figures and families, reflecting aspects of the linguistic and social environment of North Africa during the period in which the manuscript was composed. The study concludes that Tasmiyat Baʿḍ Shuyūkh al-Wahbiyya constitutes significant evidence of the presence of Amazigh elements in written heritage and calls for further comparative research using contemporary and related sources to verify tribal affiliations, geographical locations, and historical data.