ABDEL KRIM ), Mohammed ben Abdel Krim el-Khatabe, a Moroccan chieftain, son of a caid of the Beni Uriaghel tribe in the mountainous country that extends inland from Alhucemas bay on the Rif coast of Morocco. His father was a person of no particular importance or family, but, being a man of progressive ideas and in contact with the Spaniards at Melilla, he gave his two sons an education' to which few of the Riffian tribesmen aspire. While Mohammed, the future Riffian leader, was taught Spanish and a smattering of European knowl edge, his brother, Mohammed, was sent to Spain and educated as a mining engineer. (It is customary among the peoples of northern Africa and Egypt to give brothers the same name if it is an illustrious one.) Abdel Krim was employed in the office of native affairs at Melilla, while his brother worked in the interests of certain mining groups.
In 1919 a quarrel between Abdel Krim and General Silvestre, of the Spanish army, led to the former's flight from Melilla. He took to the mountains of his tribe, where his brother joined him. Both swore revenge, and instituted a fierce resistance to the occupation of the Rif by the Spaniards. In 1921 Abdel Krim avenged himself of the slight he had received from Silvestre. With only a few hundred tribesmen, he attacked the Spanish advanced post of Anual and captured it. Silvestre was killed, or committed suicide. The fall of Anual spread panic through the Spanish army of 19,000 men. The Spanish posts were deserted, and the troops fled in disorderly retreat. Before the fighting was ended 16,000 of the 19,000 men had been massacred. The remainder mostly crossed into the French zone. The Riffian tribesmen were guilty of every kind of treachery and atrocity, their revenge for acts of which they accused the Spaniards, more especially that of forcible interference with their women, an unpardonable offence in their eyes. The Rifi reached the walls of Melilla, and, had they chosen, they could have captured the town and massacred its population of But glutted with bloodshed and loaded with loot, they desisted.
This signal defeat of the Spaniards vastly increased Abdel Krim's reputation amongst the tribes. The Jabala, inhabiting the western portion of the Spanish zone, joined his cause and in 1924 the Spaniards were obliged to abandon all their inland positions and retreat on Tetuan and the sea, suffering heavy losses in the retirement. By the end of that year Abdel Krim, having rid himself by capture of his only rival, Raisuli, was master of the situation, and set to work to prepare a fresh campaign against the Spaniards. But a new danger threatened him from the south. The French, gradually occupying the zone to which they laid claim under existing treaties, were advancing northward, and Abdel Krim was forced to go to the aid of the threatened tribes. His army and the revolted tribesmen invaded the French protectorate, and by June 1925 threatened Fez.
French reinforcements were hurriedly dispatched from France and Algeria, and by October the French protectorate territory was clear of the enemy, and a French army of 16o,000 men, under Marshal Petain, was on the borders of the Rif. In September the Spaniards had successfully disembarked a force in Alhucemas bay and Ajdir had been taken. By Nov. 1, 1925 the French and Spanish armies had been obliged by the weather to abandon an active campaign, and were digging themselves into winter quarters, but Abdel Krim, though weakened and threat ened, was by no means beaten. This man of great ability and astounding energy fortified his mountain fastnesses and collected new forces to continue his campaign against two European armies, but in vain. He surrendered to France in May 1926, and was exiled to the island of Reunion. See MOROCCO, HISTORY.
(W. B. H.) ABDERA, ancient town, coast of Thrace, near the mouth of the Nestos, almost opposite Thasos. Its mythical foundation was attributed to Heracles; historically it was a colony from Clazo menae in the 7th century B.C. But its prosperity dates from 544 B.C., when the majority of the people of Teos migrated to Ab dera to escape Persian oppression (Herod. i. 168). The town seems to have declined in importance after the middle of the 4th century. The air of Abdera was proverbial as causing stupidity; but among its citizens was the philosopher Democritus. The ruins on Cape Balastra cover seven small hills, and extend from an east to a west harbour; on the south-west hills are remains of the mediaeval settlement of Polystylon.
See Mittheil. d. deutsch. Inst. Athens, xii. (1887), p. 161 (Regel) ; Mem. de l'Acad. des Inscriptions, xxxix. 211 ; K. F. Hermann, Ges. Abh. 9o-111, 37o ff.; S. Casson, Macedon, Thrace and Illyria (1926) ; Pauly-Wissowa, s.v.