Petite Kabylie

Petite Kabylie or Petite Kabylia (Berber: Tamurt n Wadda, Arabic: al-Qabā'il as-Saghra, القبائل الصغرى, Maghrebi Arabic: Qbayel es-Sghira) is a natural region in the mountainous area of Northern Algeria. The Petite Kabylie is part of the greater Kabylie region

Geography

The Petite Kabylie is located in the mountainous area of the Bibans and the Babor Range, subranges of the Tell Atlas range bordering the Mediterranean. The Petite Kabylie is separated from the Grande Kabylie by the Soummam Valley.

The Petite Kabylie spreads over several administrative divisions of Algeria: Béjaïa Province, part of Setif Province (Ath Yaala, Ath Ourtilan, Alma-Ouklan, Amoucha, Bouandas, Babor and Bougaâ), part of Bordj Bou Arréridj Province (Ath Laalam, El Main, El Mehir, Ath Djafar, Ath Khelifa, Ath Sidi Brahim, Medjana, Mensourah, Rabiâa, Tizi El Khemis, Tizi Ikachouchan, Tassamert, Bordj town and Zemoura) and the part of Bouira Province bordering the provinces of Béjaïa and Bordj Bou Arreridj.

Kabylie

Kabylia (Berber: ⵜⴰⵎⵓⵔⵜ ⵏ ⵍⴻⴽⴱⴰⵢⴻⵍ, Tamurt n Iqbayliyen), is a natural and historical region in the north of Algeria.

It is part of the Tell Atlas mountains and is located at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Kabylia covers several provinces of Algeria: the whole of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia (Vgayet), most of Bouira (Tubirett) and parts of the wilayas of Boumerdes, Setif, Bordj Bou Arreridj and Jijel. Gouraya National Park and Djurdjura National Park are also located in Kabylia.

History

Antiquity

Kabylia was a part of the Kingdom of Numidia (202 BC – 46 BC). It was later taken over by the Roman Empire, and became split between the provinces of Africa and Mauretania Caesariensis. In AD 289, the Quinquegentiani, a Berber tribe from Kabylia, rebelled against Roman rule; the rebels were defeated in a year-long Roman offensive in the years 297-298, in which the Quinquegentiani were driven from their homeland in Kabylia, into the Sahara.

Middle Ages

The Kabyle country remained as unconquerable as it was inaccessible to the Ottoman deys. They generally established a few coastal military settlements and some in valleys, where they imposed the rule of the Islamic Ottoman Empire. The mountainous core land, however, remained independent. Islam was gradually adopted through peaceful means, namely the Marabout movement. Some scholars argue that this is the reason of the Kabyles' indifference towards Islam. The Ottoman threat disappeared with the arrival of the European and American navies to conquer North Africa.