Arab migrations to the Maghreb

Arab migrations to the Maghreb
	Map depicting the routes Umayyad armies took during the Arab conquest of the Maghreb in the 7th century
Date	c. 7th century — 17th century
Location	Maghreb, North Africa
Cause	See §Causes
Participants	Total unknown: 150,000 (7th century); 1,000,000 (11th century);
Outcome	Arabs become the predominant demographic group; Arabic becomes the lingua franca and dominant language; Near-complete Arabization and displacement of the indigenous populations; Regional culture transformed into Arab culture; Total conversion to Islam;

The Arab migrations to the Maghreb involved successive waves of migration and settlement by Arab people in the Maghreb region of Africa, encompassing modern-day Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. The process took place over several centuries, lasting from the early 7th century to the 17th century. The Arab migrants hailed from the Middle East, particularly the Arabian Peninsula, with later groups arriving from the Levant and Iraq.

The influx of Arabs to the Maghreb began in the 7th century with the Arab conquest of the Maghreb, when Arab armies conquered the region as part of the early Muslim conquests. This initial wave of Arab migration was followed by subsequent periods of migration and settlement, notably during the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates and later Arab dynasties. However, the most significant wave of Arab migration occurred in the 11th century with the arrival of more Bedouin tribes from the Arabian Peninsula, such as Banu Hilal, Banu Sulaym, and Maqil. The last significant wave of Arab migration to the Maghreb was from Al-Andalus in the 17th century as a result of the Reconquista. These migrants established numerous Arab empires and dynasties in the Maghreb, such as the Aghlabids, Idrisids, Sulaymanids, Salihids, Fatimids, Saadians and 'Alawites.

The Arab migrations to the Maghreb had a profound impact on the demographics and culture of the Maghreb. It resulted in the population of the Maghreb becoming predominantly Arab, the displacement and Arabization of the Berber and Punic populations, and the spread of the Arabic language and Arab culture throughout the region. The Arab migrants essentially transformed the pre-Islamic culture of the Maghreb into Arab culture and spread the Bedouin way of life. The descendants of the Arab settlers in the Maghreb are known as Maghrebi Arabs. Historians have characterized the Arab migrations, particularly those of the Hilalians, as the most significant event in the medieval history of the Maghreb.