Muslim Conquest of the Maghreb

In this episode, we examine the 7th-century Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, tracing the region’s transition from Byzantine and Berber rule to Islamic governance. We explore the resistance led by the Berber leader Kusaila, the shifting alliances and battles that slowed Umayyad expansion, and the challenges historians face when comparing medieval Arabic chronicles with Byzantine, Latin, archaeological, and modern critical sources. The episode also considers how colonial-era scholarship and contemporary Arab historians have shaped competing interpretations of conquest, conversion, and identity, revealing the early Islamic Maghreb as a complex and contested chapter in Late Antiquity and medieval history.