The densely settled ridges of the Djurdjura between the Sebaou, the Soummam and the sea are the country of the Zwawa, hill farmers in stone villages governed by their councils of elders.
No ruler of the plains has held them by garrison; the Almohads, like the Hammadids before them, take tribute and recruits when they can. Their villages, olive groves and markets form a world of their own beside the Almohad ports of Dellys and Bougie.
Who holds it
- Title
- Village and tribal councils (jama'a) under their elders (amghar)
- Family
- The Zwawa (Igawawen), a Berber people of the Djurdjura, counted by Ibn Khaldun among the Kutama's kin
- Confidence
- low
Ibn Khaldun vol. 1
Overlord
The Almohad governor of Bougie claims them; they pay what tribute they must and govern themselves
What it holds
- The ridges and valleys of the Djurdjura and the Sebaou
How things stand that morning
Self-governing under nominal Almohad overlordship.
Wealth
Olives, figs, oil, weaving, metalwork
Military
Village levies, defensible ridges
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The Zwawa are attested; their institutions in 1200 are inferred from later practice.
On the map: Approximate.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.