Abda (Morocco)

Abda (Arabic: عبدة) is an Arab tribal confederation in Morocco, descended from Banu Ma'qil. They settled in the coastal plains of western Morocco in the 12th century during the rule of the Almohad Caliphate, where they have been established since the end of the Marinid era.^[1] The Abda tribal confederation is made up of 3 tribes: Bhatra, Rabi'a, and 'Amer.^[1][2][3]

Abda عبدة
Ma'qili Arab tribe
Abda tribes in red
Ethnicity	Arab
Location	Western Morocco
Parent tribe	Banu Ma'qil
Branches	Bhatra Rabi'a 'Amer
Language	Arabic
Religion	Sunni Islam

19th-century French diplomat Eugène Aubin noted that "the Abda are a powerful tribe, thirty-five-thousand fires strong, of pure Arab race, they occupy a fertile territory, rich in horses and cattle. It is one of five quasi-Makhzen tribes of Morocco."^[1][4]

See also

• Beni Hassan
• Banu Hud
• Jebala people
• North African Arabs

References

1. Tribus de maroc. Abda tribe.http://tribusdumaroc.free.fr/abda.php.
2. Riley, James (1818). An Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce, Wrecked on the Western Coast of Africa, in the Month of August, 1815: With an Account of the Sufferings of Her Surviving Officers and Crew, who Were Enslaved by the Wandering Arabs on the Great African Desert, Or Zahahrah : and Observations Historical, Geographical, &c., Made During the Travels of the Author, While a Slave to the Arabs, and in the Empire of Morocco. author.
3. L'Année géographique: revue annuelle des voyages de terre et de mer ainsi que des explorations, missions, relations et publications diverses relatives aux sciences géographiques et ethnographiques (in French). L. Hachette et Cie. 1878.
4. "Les Abda constituent une tribu puissante, forte de trente-cind mille feux, de race purement arabe, ils occupent un territoire fertile, riche en chevaux et en bétail. C'est une des cinq tribus quasi-makhzen du Maroc." Le Maroc dans la tourmente: 1902-1903 : [il y a cent ans--] Par Eugène Aubin.