kingdom · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan
Kingdom of Altava
Origins
After the death of Garmul of the Kingdom of the Moors and Romans in 578, Berber rulers continued to hold the region of Altava and the plains of western Algeria. By the 7th century the dominant group was the Awraba, a Berber confederation whose leader Kusaila (Kasila) was Christian.
Rule and society
Almost nothing is known of the kingdom between 578 and the 680s. Arab writers say Kusaila was captured by the commander Abu al-Muhajir, converted to Islam and accompanied the Arab army, but was humiliated by Uqba ibn Nafi. In 682 or 683 he ambushed and killed Uqba at Tahuda near Biskra, then took Kairouan and ruled Ifriqiya for several years.
Decline and legacy
Kusaila was killed around 688 to 690 in battle against Zuhayr ibn Qays, and the Umayyad Caliphate subdued the region by 708. The Awraba converted to Islam and later welcomed Idris I at Volubilis, helping found the Idrisid dynasty.
Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Kingdom of Altava was conquered by Umayyad Caliphate708 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Altava. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-altava
- MLA
- “Kingdom of Altava.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-altava. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Altava.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-altava.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Altava’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-altava (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻