أقليم الزاب في المغرب الإسلامي دراسة في الاحوال العامة حتى نهاية القرن السابع الهجري

The Zab region in the Islamic Maghreb: A study of general conditions until the end of the seventh century AH

Due to its central location in the Maghreb, which connects it to the entire region and serves as a hub for many political and economic events, the Zab region has historically had a significant impact on the Islamic Maghreb, particularly the Central Maghreb. In this context, important occasions and significant milestones were also experienced in its cities. History, and it suffices to say that it served as the foundation for many of the governments, like the Aghlabid, Fatimid, Zirid, and Hammadid states, who were successful in controlling Africa during the Middle Ages.
The historical occurrences in this area are what led to the selection of this topic, particularly because academic studies in Iraqi institutions did not discuss it separately from the history of the Central Maghreb and did not draw attention to many significant elements of its history.
The study was broken down into three chapters, an introduction, and a conclusion. The origin of the Zab’s name, the country’s physical range, and the perspectives of geographers, travelers, and historians regarding the Zab’s limits were all topics covered in the introduction.
The first chapter, which was divided into three parts, focused on the military activities that took place in the Zab and began with the Islamic conquest of the Maghreb in general and the Zab in particular. The Umayyad era, the age of the governors, the Abbasid era, and the founding of the Aghlabid state and the Rustamid state were then covered. Almoravid, Almohad, and the Fatimid state.
The second chapter, which was broken up into three parts, was on the social, religious, and sectarian circumstances of the Zab nation. The country of the Zab’s population factors, national and tribal divisions, and the effects of migration on the demographic structure were all covered in the first section. The second segment addressed the societal circumstances affecting the inhabitants of the Zab nation’s customs, traditions, and social activities. The third is the Zab region’s religious life as it relates to its various religious groups, which include Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.
Then it deals with sectarian divisions such as Maliki, Hanafi, Kharijite, and Ismaili, their emergence in the region, the extent of their spread among the population, and the factors of spread and decline.
As for the third chapter, it is also divided into three sections. The first section dealt with the economic aspects in the country of the Zab, such as agriculture, industry and trade, indicating the most important agricultural crops that have spread in the country of the Zab. Then, it reviewed secondly the industry in the region, especially the industry that relied on the agricultural and animal production of the region, such as the olive oil industry. And the manufacture of cotton and woolen textiles and other industries. Thirdly, the study dealt with the subject of trade, its broad activity, and the extent of the population’s interest in it as a major profession. It also dealt with the commercial routes that pass through the region and the most prominent cities that have turned into important commercial centers.
The second section dealt with the scientific activity of the Al-Zab region, explaining the most important scientific figures and their scientific output, along with an explanation of the most important scientific centers in the region. As for the third section, it dealt with the urban activity in the region and the building materials that were used in those buildings, focusing on some urban models in the region, such as castles, palaces, and mosques.