The Meghrawa, a tribe of Zenata Berbers,…

The Meghrawa, a tribe of Zenata Berbers, had been one of the first Berber tribes to submit to Islam in the seventh century.

They supported Uqba ibn Nafi in his campaign to the Atlantic in 683.

They had defected from Sunni Islam and became Kharijite Muslims from the eighth century, and allied first with the Shia Muslim Idrisids, and, from the tenth century, with the Andalusian Umayyads of Córdoba.

As a result, they had been caught up in the Umayyad-Fatimid conflict in Morocco and Algeria.

Although they had won a victory over the allies of the Fatimids in 924, they soon became allied with them themselves.

When they switched back to the side of Córdoba, they had been driven out of central Morocco by the Zirids, who ruled on behalf of the Fatimids.

In 980, however, they had been able to drive the Miknasa Berbers out of Sijilmasa.

Under Ziri ibn Atiyya (to 1001), the Meghrawa had achieved supremacy in Fez under Umayyad suzerainty and expanded their territory at the expense of the Banu Ifran.

A revolt against the Andalusian Umayyads had been put down by Al-Mansur (Abi Amir), although the Meghrawa had been able to regain power in Fez.

Under the succeeding rulers al-Muizz (1001-1026), Hamman (1026-1039) and Dunas (1039) they had consolidated their rule in northern and central Morocco.

However, internal power struggles after 1060 enable the Almoravids to conquer them in 1070 and put an end to their rule.