From the Arrival of Islam to the Ottomans

Islam arrived in Algeria with the conquering Arab armies of the 7th century. Local Berber tribes, many of whom had adopted Christianity during the prior centuries, converted to Islam, although significant numbers of Christians and Jews remained. Initially governed by the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, rulers in the region attained effective independence by the end of the 9th century. During this period, religion played a significant part in local unrest, as first Kharijite and later Shia Muslims gained converts and challenged the Sunni Caliphs. By the 10th century, the Shia Fatimid Dynasty, based in neighboring Tunisia, had become the dominant power in the Arab world, conquering much of North-West Africa and then sending armies east to conquer Egypt and Syria. As the Fatimids shifted their attention to the east, new local dynasties took their place. Many of these, such as the Almoravids and Almohads, linked religious and political reform. In the late 15th century, many Jewish and Muslim refugees from religious persecution in Catholic Spain settled in Algeria. The establishment of European hegemony in the Mediterranean and the exclusion of Muslim merchants from European ports led to the growth of privateering as a major source of revenue. The port city of Algiers became the center for this activity, and in the early 16th century, an alliance between privateer Khair ad-Din and the Ottoman Sultan led to its incorporation into the Ottoman Empire. Formally, Algeria remained a part of the Empire until 1830, though local rulers attained virtual independence by the early 18th century. In general, the state was weak prior to French colonial rule. State power was challenged by kinship-based groups, sometimes under Sufi leadership. Sufi expressions of Islam frequently included communal and political organizations led by the authority of Sufi masters.