The Berghouata were a medieval Berber tribe of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, belonging to the Masmuda group of tribes. After allying with a failed Sufri Kharijite rebellion in Morocco against the Abbasids, they established a kingdom in the area of Tamesna between 744 and 1058, when the Almoravids conquered them. The Berghouata kingdom followed a syncretic religion inspired by Islam featuring the second ruler of the dynasty, Salih ibn Tarif, as the final prophet.
Their first seven kings were:
- Tarīf al-Matghari
- Sālih son of Tarīf, who declared himself prophet in 744, and went away at the age of 47, promising to return
- Ilyās son of Sālih (?792-842), who is said to have professed Islam publicly but Salih's religion secretly, and died in the 50th year of his reign.
- Yūnus son of Ilyās (?842-888), who made Salih's religion official and killed all those who would not convert (killing 7,770 people, according to Ibn Khaldun's sources, some at a place called Tamlukeft). Curiously enough, he is also said to have performed the hajj. He died in the 44th year of his reign.
- Abū Ghafīr Muhammad son of Ma`ād son of Ilyasa` son of Sālih (?888-917), who may also have been called a prophet (according to a poem Ibn Khaldun cites), and who had 44 wives and more sons. He died in the 29th year of his reign.
- Abu'l-`Ansār Abdallah son of Abī Ghafīr (?917-961), buried at Ameslakht. He died in the 44th year of his reign.
- Abū Mansūr `Īsā (?961-?), who was 22 when he became king.
Dates with question marks are calculated on the basis of a secondary source[1]. Other info is from Ibn Khaldun.
