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Algeria
Marabouts
The successor dynasties in the Maghrib--Merinids, Zayanids, and
Hasfids--did not base their power on a program of religious reform
as their predecessors had done. Of necessity they compromised
with rural cults that had survived the triumph of puritanical
orthodoxy in the twelfth century despite the efforts of the Almoravids
and Almohads to stamp them out.
The aridity of official Islam had little appeal outside the mosques
and schools of the cities. In the countryside, wandering marabouts,
or holy people, drew a large and devoted following. These men
and women were believed to possess divine grace (baraka)
or to be able to channel it to others. In life, the marabouts
offered spiritual guidance, arbitrated disputes, and often wielded
political power. After death, their cults--some local, others
widespread--erected domed tombs that became sites of pilgrimage.
Many tribes claimed descent from marabouts. In addition, small,
autonomous republics led by holy men became a common form of government
in the Maghrib. In Algeria, the influence of the marabouts continued
through much of the Ottoman period, when the authorities would
grant political and financial favors to these leaders to prevent
tribal uprisings.
Data as of December 1993
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