Awlad Muhammad
African tribe
Awlad Muhammad (or Ouled Muhammed) was a tribe that ruled over the Fezzan region from 1550 to 1812. At their height, their domain extended from Sokna in the north to Murzuq in the south, as well as in the present-day territories of Chad and Niger
The Muhammad Awlad dynasty was a prominent family from a sharif from Morocco named Muhammad al-Fasi who formed and was credited as the founder of the Awlad dynasty, which governed the Fezzan region, located in present-day southwestern Libya, from the late 15th century until the early 19th century. Emerging amid the decline of previous tribal confederations, the dynasty established control over key oases and trade routes that connected sub-Saharan Africa to the Mediterranean Sea.
The Awlad Muhammad controlled the largest market in the Sahara trade between Bilad al-Sudan, and its richness in the Fezzan markets. Had attracted the Ottoman administration in Tripoli to take over integrate them as a part of its tributary system.
01First Ottoman period
In 1574 the Ottoman Tripolitania Empire, under Mahmut bey, invaded and occupied Fezzan, the Oasis, and a significant part of the Southern Sahara (present day niger and Chad), expelling the local ruler Sultan Bulālah Muḥammad, and overthrowing him out of power. Most African historians believe this occurred in the year 1577, the same year that Idris Alooma sent his diplomatic delegation to the Ottomans. Mahmut Bey also exerted great effort in transferring the Ottoman system to Central Africa. He descended from Murzuq (Libya) with 500 soldiers southward at a distance of 1950 km2 from the Mediterranean Sea; following a direct path, they reached the northern and southern parts of Lake Chad. The greater part of the Sahara forms significant portions of present-day Niger, all of which were annexed to the Fezzan district (later the vassal). King Idris Aluma, ruler of the Kanem-Bornu Sultanate, sent three ambassadors to Istanbul in 1577 and offered his allegiance. Firearms were sent from Tripoli by order of the Ottoman court, and the sultanate came under Ottoman rule Fezzan had been vassailized since 1574,
02Struggle against ottoman
In 1583 and 1585, Ottoman garrisons were slaughtered by the local rebels, leading to the Alwads return to power, under influence of Bornu and Tripoli. But still under the Ottoman Control, as Sultan Murad III consolidated and stabilized Ottoman rule over the city and extended its influence to the surrounding area.
03Second Ottoman Period
The awlads would continue their struggle against the Tripoli administration and Ottoman occupation. Where the Bornu would aid them military against the Ottoman annexation. Sulayman or Safar Day had demanded an annual tribute from the Awlad Muhammad to the authorities in Tripolitania, where they claimed it to pay back up amount of tribute from the years of Nasir's Independence, but in 1626 the occupying Turkish forces would withdrawn in return for the awlads to recognize ottoman influence where the ottomans would in exchange regonize the awlads hereditary authority, as long as they were under Ottoman influence. and ultimately the Tripoli Beylerbey granted Fezzan their autonomy in their own internal affairs on the condition that they regularly paid their taxes and accept ottoman rule. But this was short lived when Muhammad bin Juhaym returned to Murzuq, where he overthrew the Ottoman Bey in 1639, and assumed control. But the retaliated with an attack on the Fezzan which turned into a destructive fighting. Eventually the Turks and the Awlad Muhammad made peace. Where thy arranged that the Awlad Muhammad would pay the Turks each year in four thousand mithqals of gold, two thousand in gold dust and two thousand in slaves
04Kaeramanli Period
From 1711 to 1835, Fezzan and the most of Libya came under Karamanli dynasty's influence, After Yusuf expanded Karamanli influence, into the trans-Saharan trade routes by sending expeditions leading to Kanem-Bornu. İn 1807 he was able to force all the tribes of Cyrenaica and the Awlad Sulayman, to submit to him, he also brought the tribes of Fezzan under direct control.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Awlad Muhammad”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- 1829 Lapie Map of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Barbary states - David Rumsey Historical Map Collection - Barbarie-lapie-1829.jpg by Lapie, P. and Lapie, A. E., Atlas Universel de Geographie Ancienne et Moderne, (1829 first edition)., Public domain
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