Banu Ma'qil بَنُو مَعقِل | |
---|---|
Madhhaji Arab tribe | |
Ethnicity | Arab |
Nisba | al-Ma'qili المعقلي |
Location | Yemen, Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria, Western Sahara |
Parent tribe | Banu Madhhaj |
Branches | |
Language | Arabic |
Religion | Sunni Islam |
The Banu Ma'qil (Arabic: بنو معقل) is an Arab nomadic tribe that originated in South Arabia.[1] The tribe emigrated to the Maghreb region of North Africa with the Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym tribes in the 11th century. They mainly settled in and around the Saharan wolds and oases of Morocco; in Tafilalt, Wad Nun (near Guelmim), Draa and Taourirt. With the Ma'qil being a Bedouin tribe that originated in the Arabian Peninsula, like Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym, they adapted perfectly to the climatic desert conditions of the Maghreb, discovering the same way of life as in the Arabian Peninsula.[1] The Ma'qil branch of Beni Hassan which came to dominate all of Mauritania, Western Sahara, south Morocco, and south-west Algeria, spread the Hassaniya Arabic dialect,[2] which is very close to classical Arabic.[1]