Nafusa Mountains
History
History
-------

The area was a major population and cultural center of the [Libu](/wiki/Libu "Libu"), who repeatedly expanded west.

### Ibadi imamate

In the aftermath of the great [Berber Revolt](/wiki/Berber_Revolt "Berber Revolt") of the 8th century, [Ibadi](/wiki/Ibadi "Ibadi") missionaries that had fled from the [Umayyad Caliphate](/wiki/Umayyad_Caliphate "Umayyad Caliphate") took refuge in the Nafusa Mountains. Preachers converted and organized the native Nafusa people into a fighting force. Under the leadership of Imam Abu al\-Khattab al\-Ma'afari, the Nafusa descended from the mountains and proceeded to conquer all of the crumbling [Fihrid](/wiki/Fihrids "Fihrids") emirate of [Ifriqiya](/wiki/Ifriqiya "Ifriqiya") \- capturing [Tripoli](/wiki/Tripoli%2C_Libya "Tripoli, Libya") in 757 and [Kairouan](/wiki/Kairouan "Kairouan") in 758\.C.A. Julien, (1931\) *Histoire de l'Afrique du Nord, de la conquete Arabe à 1830*, vol. 2, 1961 edition, Paris: Payot. pp.31\-32 But the [Abbasid](/wiki/Abbasid_Caliphate "Abbasid Caliphate") Arab governor of Egypt invaded Ifriqya, defeated the Nafusa in a battle at [Tawergha](/wiki/Tawergha "Tawergha") in 761 (his third attempt \- his first two armies had been repulsed) and put an end to their putative new state. However, the Nafusa mountains themselves remained unconquered. Throughout the 9th century, while the [Aghlabids](/wiki/Aghlabids "Aghlabids") ruled in Ifriqiya, the Ibadi maintained an independent puritan republic in the Nafusa mountains. The Imamate of Nafusa was in close alliance with the other Ibadi remnant, the [Rustamid dynasty](/wiki/Rustamid_dynasty "Rustamid dynasty") in [Tiaret](/wiki/Tiaret "Tiaret"), both constant thorns on either side of the Aghlabids, in communication with each other across the back highlands of North Africa.

In 879, the [Tulunids](/wiki/Tulunids "Tulunids") of Egypt invaded Aghlabid Ifriqya and captured Tripoli. But the Nafusa challenged and destroyed the Egyptian army in 880\. Again the Nafusa victory was short\-lived. In 896\-97, the Aghlabid emir [Ibrahim II of Ifriqiya](/wiki/Ibrahim_II_of_Ifriqiya "Ibrahim II of Ifriqiya") recovered Tripolitana and defeated the Nafusa in a great battle at Manu (south of [Gabès](/wiki/Gab%C3%A8s "Gabès")). In the aftermath, citing them as heretics, Ibrahim II executed all the Nafusa prisoners and put an end to their independent imamate (Tahert fell shortly after, in 911\). Despite the destruction of their states, Ibadi Islam remained a strong (if clandestine) faith among the Berbers of the Nafusa mountains for centuries after, down to the modern day.Julien (1931: p.39\) The lingering heterodoxy of the Nafusa people has placed them frequently at odds, or under suspicion, by the largely orthodox [Sunni](/wiki/Sunni_Islam "Sunni Islam") population of the rest of Libya.

### 2011 Libyan civil war

This distinct culture, suppressed and oppressed by the Libyan regime, has risen to new prominence in the course of the [Libyan Civil War (2011\)](/wiki/Libyan_Civil_War_%282011%29 "Libyan Civil War (2011)"), when their initiatives led to the Nafusa Mountains becoming a major front in that war. The terrain and topography of the region are critical strategic factors, constraining mechanised advances from the flat plain and plateau, and favouring guerrilla tactics based on close local knowledge and the advantage of high ground. By the end of June 2011 the Nafusi people had almost succeeded in liberating themselves completely from the control of the regime.


How does the history of the Libu people compare to other groups in North Africa?