BARBARY, an extensive region in northern Africa, comprising the countries known in modem dines tinder the names of Barca, Tripoli proper, Fezzan, Tunis, Algeria, and Morocco. together with the half-independent province of Sus; and in ancient times, under those of Mauritania, Africa Propria, and Cyrenaica. It stretches from Egypt to the Atlantic ocean. and from the Mediterranean to the desert of Sahara, or between long. 10 w. and 25' e., and lat. 23 to 37° n. The n.w. of this region is divided by the As mountains into two parts: the northern comprising Morocco, Algeria, and Tunis; the southern, a half-desert region, called Belud-el-.Jerid, the country of dates. Though pertaining geographically to Africa, B. is not specially African in any of its characteristics; but in climate, flora, fauna, and geological configuration, belongs to that great region which forms the basin of the Mediterranean. It is watered by many small streams, which either flow into the Mediterranean or into the salt-lakes on the edge of the desert, accord ing as they rise on the northern or southern slopes of the Atlas mountains. A large portion of the country is capable of cultivation, and sandy or rocky tracts are rare, except on the southern margin. During the times of the Carthaginians, Greeks, and Romans. it was richly fertile, and all the natural conditions of its ancient productiveness still remain.—For an account of the climate, geology, productions, etc., see the various countries.
Among the people, besides the French and other Europeans, seven distinct races may be enumerated: Berbers (or Kabyles), Moors, Bedouins, Jews, Turks, Kuluglis, and Negroes. The Berbers and Beduins inhabit the open country, while the Moors, on the other hand, reside in the towns. Most of the Berber tribes are either wholly free, or subject to the mere nominal jurisdiction of native chiefs, kakis, judges, etc. The Beduins luxuriate in equal liberty. Jews had settled here in ancient times, but the greater number of that race immigrated when the Moors were expelled from 'Spain. The Turks entered B. in the 10th century. They form the dominant race in Tripoli and Tunis, but never established themselves permanently in Morocco. Their sway in Algeria was brought to an end by the French. The Kulughs (the children of Turks by native mothers) are excluded from the possession of all the paternal rights and privileges. The negroes are not, natives of 13., but are brought thither as shives, principally from Sudan and Guinea. They are for the most part domestic slaves. The population, exclusive of Jews and Christians, is about 11.000,000, all Mohammedans. Arabic is the language of commerce and intercourse, and in Morocco, the language of government, and the mother-tongue of Beduins, Moors, and even Jews; but in Tunis and Tripoli, 'a here, as we have said, the Turks are still dominant, the language of government is Turkish. The Berbers proper, or Kabyles, especially in the highlands, to which they have been driven by foreign conquerors, use a peculiar speech among themselves.
In the oldest historical times, we find the Mama (the ancestors of the modern Moors) mentioned as residing in the n.w. of B., the Numidians in the interior and eastern parts, and the Phenician colonies on the coasts. These last people formed settlements and founded cities—among them Utica, Hippo, Hadrumetum, Leptis, and afterwards Carthage, about 1000 B.C. It does nut appear that they ever penetrated far into the interior. Con fining themselves to the coast between the Great Syrtis and the straits of Gibraltar, they maintained commerce with the people of the interior and the seaports of the Medi terranean. In the 7th c. n.c., the Greeks founded Cyrene, considerably to the c. of Car thage, and colonized the plateau of Berea, now styled Jebel-el-Aelidar by the Arabs. While the Phenician colonies held sway on the coast, the Mann and the Numidians were divided into several independent tribes, and like their neighbors the (betuli, were wholly uncivilized. After the second Punic war, the Romans extended their sway over Carthaginian Africa, which became a Roman province at the close of the third Punic war, when the city of Carthage was sacked and destroyed. Numidia was " annexed" after the victory over Jugurtha, and, Mauritania after the defeat of king Juba, the ally of Pompey's party. The son of Juba, bearing the same name, was allowed to reign as a nominal sovereign by Augustus, but Mauritania was, in fact a Roman ince. Thus, the Romans had acquired a territory in Africa extending from the Great Syrtis to the Atlantic (corresponding to the modern states of B.), which formed some of the largest and most flourishing provinces of their vast empire. Everywhere they built
large towns, whose extensive ruins are still to be seen scattered over the whole land, even to the verge of the desert; as, for instance. those at El-Ilaman, in the regency of Tunis, at Sava, Slusulupium, and especially the splendid city of ruins, Lambasa, not far front the desert of Sahara. The Romans had, in general, only two legions, numbering 24.000 men, in their African provinces; nevertheless, their authority was uncontested. and they were enabled to undertake important works, such as the cisterns and aqueducts at Rusicada, Hippo, and Cirta, and the temples and amphitheatres of Calama and Anuna, which clearly show that the inhabitants enjoyed the benefits of a safe and powerful civ ilization. Under Constantine, North Africa was divided into the several provinces, Mauritania, Tingitana, 3Iauritania-Ciesariensis (on the e. of the former), Manritania-Sitifensis, Nu midia, Zeugitania, Byzaeinm, Cyrenaica, and the Regio Syrtica. At the division of the empire, the whole of these provinces, with the exception of the last, fell to the share of the Western empire. About this time, Christianity was promulgated in Africa, and with such success, that in the three Mauritanias there were more than 160 dioceses. As Roman power declined in Europe, the consequences were severely felt in the African provinces. Religious disturbances, native revolts, and the ambitious aspirations of the Roman governors after independence, loosened the political bands which hound the provinces together, and made them an easy prey to the Vandals, who landed in Africa. in 429 a.o., under the ferocious Genserie, andiman-incredibly short apace of time over ran the country, which they savagely misgoverned until 533, when they were defeated by Justinian's great general, Belisarins. Meanwhile the Numidians and the Mauri had made themselves masters of the interior and of the coast of Mauritania-Tingitium, and the Greek-Roman territories were restricted to the neighborhood of Carthage and some points on the coast. The whole country of B. was thus made an easy prey for the Arabs, and in 647, Abdallah-ben-Said, with 40,000 fanatical Mohammedans from Egypt, defeated and slew the Greek prefect, Gregorius, at Tripoli. Ile did not, however, follow up his victories; but in 665-670 A.D., the Arabian general, Akbah, conquered the coast towns of Tripoli, founded Cairo, and extended his sway almost to the desert. Ilassan, the general of the calif Abd-el-Malek, in 692, stormed, plundered, and destroyed the new Carthage, and, in fact, annihilated the Greek-Roman dominion in Africa. In the course of less than a century, the greater part of the native tribes were converted forcibly to the faith of Islam. In 789, the western provinces separated themselves from the others, and Edris-ben-Abdallah founded there the dynasty of the Edrisites. After 800, when the governor, Ibrahim-ben-Aglab, declared himself independent, and founded the dynasty of the Aglabites, Africa was lost to the califs. From this time down to 1269, the changes of dynasty in B. were so frequent, that we cannot here describe them in detail. The results were, that independent states arose in Algeria, Oran, Bugia, Tenez, etc. About this time, also, began the reaction of the Christian world against Moham medanism in North Africa and Spain. St. Louis undertook an expedition against Tunis. The Moors were, by and by, expelled from Spain, and settled themselves on the coast of northern Africa, there to begin that course of piracy by which they became odious to Europe, first as a fierce retaliation against their Christian persecutors, but ultimately as barbarous profession. As early as the time of Ferdinand the Catholic, the Spaniards sought to check their insolent ravages, and landed in Africa on several oCUIsioDs, 'cap turing the ports of Ceuta, Melilla, Oran, Bugia, the island before Algiers, and Tripoli. The Portuguese landed on the coast of Morocco, where at first they had great success; but they were ultimately compelled to leave the country. After various changes of for tune, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli were brought under the government of the sultan. Since 1830, however, the first of these (see ALGERIA) has been under French sway, while for many years the other two have been only nominally dependent on the Turkish ruler. A. similar fate, at a much earlier period, befell the western part of B., where the successors of the Arabiah sherif, Mula-Mellemed, overthrew the kings of Morocco and Fez, and established the Sherif dynasty, which rules to the pr, sent day over these lands.—Shaw's Travels and Mservations relative to several Parts of B.; Mauroy, Du Com merce des Peuples de l'Afrique Septentrionale (Par. 1845).