Battle of Meskiana explained

Conflict:Battle of Meskiana
Partof:the Muslim conquest of North Africa
Date:698
Place:Meskiana river
Result:Berber victory
Territory:Dihya becomes the uncontested ruler of the entire Maghreb[1] [2] [3] [4]
Combatant1:Umayyad Caliphate
Combatant2:Berber tribes
Commander1:Hasan ibn al-Nu'man
Commander2:Dihya
Strength1:Unknown
Strength2:Unknown
Casualties1:Heavy losses
A number of Arab soldiers captured
Casualties2:Unknown

The Battle of Meskiana occurred in North Africa in 698 between the Umayyad forces of Hassan ibn al-Nu'man and Queen Dihya.

According to the historian Ibn Idhari after destroying Carthage, Hassan ibn al-Nu'man inquired about the most powerful chief in all of Africa. He was told that it was Queen Dihya whom all the Berbers obeyed and that if he defeated her he would succeed in submitting the entire Maghreb.

In 698, Hassan ibn al-Nu'man attempted to seize the Aurès but he was defeated by Dihya and forced to retreat to Libya.[5] The Umayyad army suffered heavy losses and a number of Arab soldiers were captured.[5] Following this victory Queen Dihya became the uncontested ruler of the entire Maghreb for around five years.

Notes and References

  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=3kINwT_56U8C&pg=PA14 The History of Anti-Semitism, Volume 2: From Mohammed to the Marranos
  2. https://books.google.com/books?id=bpcvAQAAIAAJ&q=kahina+maghreb Remarkable Jewish Women: Rebels, Rabbis, and Other Women from Biblical Times to the Present
  3. https://books.google.com/books?id=xtEZAAAAMAAJ&q=maghrib+kahina History of North Africa: Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco: From the Arab Conquest to 1830
  4. https://books.google.com/books?id=9txi3xuuENcC&pg=PA23 The Jews of North Africa: From Dido to De Gaulle
  5. https://books.google.com/books?id=-XIPAQAAMAAJ&q=688 Présence berbère et nostalgie païenne: dans la littérature maghrébine de langue française