Banu Kanz
| Banu Kanz بنو كنز | |
|---|---|
| Parent family | Mamluks to combat the Banu Kanz. Their modern-day descendants are a Sudanese tribe known as the "Kunuz", who live in the far north of the country.
HistoryOriginsThe origins of the Banu al-Kanz lay in the Kingdom of Makuria ("al-Maqurra" in Arabic).[6] Al-Umari was driven back north to Wadi Allaqi and Aswan by the Nubians of Muqurra in the late 9th century.[3] Thereafter, he gained recognition from the Juhayna, Rabi'ah and Qays 'Aylan as their collective leader.[3] Al-Umari oversaw a huge gold mining enterprise in the region, and the industry financed his own virtual independence in Wadi Allaqi and Aswan.[3] Although he twice defeated the Egyptian army of Ahmad ibn Tulun, the governor of Egypt (r. 868–884), and forced the latter to cease attempts to subjugate him, al-Umari assassinated by Mudhar tribesmen after suppressing a revolt by Rabi'ah.[3] Following his fall, Arab tribal activity continued to increase in the Eastern Desert region.[3]
The Rabi'ah emerged as the strongest of the Arab tribes inhabiting the Egyptian-Nubian frontier region. Kanz al-Dawla and integration into the Fatimid stateIn 1006, Abu Yazid's son and successor, Abu al-Makarim Hibatallah, was given the title of Kanz al-Dawla (Treasure of the State) by Fatimid caliph Aydhab and the trade between Nubia and Egypt.[7] Altogether, this enabled the Banu Kanz to derive substantial wealth and influence.[7]
Despite their power, the Banu Kanz were not independent from the Fatimid state and the Kanz al-Dawla, who reported to the Fatimid governor of Maris-based Nubian counterparts of the Kanz al-Dawla played a similar role and also belonged to a minor branch of the Rabi'ah-Hadariba confederation.[9]
Conflict with the AyyubidsIn 1168, the Banu Kanz provided safe haven to the disbanded black African regiments of the Fatimid army by the influential aides of Caliph iqta (fiefs) and official privileges were threatened by the new Ayyubid order.[10] When Saladin transferred the iqta of the Banu Kanz to an Ayyubid emir (a brother of senior Ayyubid emir Abu al-Hayja al-Samin), the Banu Kanz killed the emir and his retinue.[10] In 1174, Ibn al-Mutawwaj, the Kanz al-Dawla, launched an insurrection against the Ayyubids to restore the Fatimids. He gained the support of other Arab tribes in the region and the African regiments and sought to join the revolt of Abbas ibn Shadi, the leader of the Arab tribes in Middle Egypt.[10] Before the Banu Kanz could link with Abbas, Saladin's forces under Abu al-Hayja's command defeated and killed Abbas.[13] The Ayyubid army proceeded to confront the Banu Kanz, who were defeated after major clashes in Aswan. Ibn al-Mutawwaj was eventually captured and executed in the aftermath of his army's defeat.[13]
The expulsion of the Banu Kanz from the frontier zone around Aswan caused the area's neglect, including the greatly reduced exploitation of the mines and the increased vulnerability of travelers and caravans to Bedouin raids, due to the absence of the Banu Kanz, the region's traditional guardians.[14] With the loss of their capital, the Banu Kanz migrated south to occupy Maris, where Nubian control of the region had been significantly diminished due to the Ayyubid punitive expedition in 1172.[14] While the Banu Kanz assimilated into the Nubian culture and language, their way of life remained Islamic.[15] The presence of the Banu Kanz in Maris significantly contributed to the spread of Islam and the Arabic language in Nubia.[14][15] Domination of Makuria and relations with the MamluksIn 1317, the an-Nasir Muhammad (the Mamluks succeeded the Ayyubids in Egypt in 1250) maneuvered to install a puppet Muslim pretender, Barshanbu, as king of Christian Makuria, to replace King Karanbas.[16] The latter sought to avoid his deposition by sending an-Nasir Muhammad the Kanz al-Dawla, who was a nephew of Karanbas, as a potential Muslim replacement instead of Barshanbu.[16] Karanbas viewed the Kanz al-Dawla as more tolerable and potentially cooperative than Barshanbu.[16] However, the Kanz al-Dawla was arrested by the Mamluks upon his arrival to Cairo and the Mamluks successfully installed Barshanbu as king.[16] The latter subsequently made Islam the religion of Makuria.[16] The Kanz al-Dawla was released shortly thereafter and usurped the throne, prompting an-Nasir Muhammad to launch two unsuccessful expeditions against the Banu Kanz (the last occurring in 1324), and the Kanz al-Dawla held onto the Makurian throne.[16]
During the reign of Sultan al-Ashraf Sha'ban and regent Yalbugha al-Umari, the Banu Kanz and their Arab ally, the Banu Ikrima, were in control of the region between the Red Sea ports of Aydhab and Suakin in the east and the Nile River banks to the west.[16] The Mamluks sent an expedition against the Banu Kanz and Banu Ikrima after Dongola was captured by the tribesmen and its king killed.[17] The Kanz al-Dawla and other Banu Kanz chiefs surrendered to the Mamluk governor of Qus in December 1365.[17] In 1366, the Banu Kanz attacked Aswan and in 1370 they attacked and burned the city again.[18] They were defeated in a military expedition by Ibn Hassan, the governor of Aswan, in 1378.[18] During the reign of Sultan Barquq, the latter dispatched the Berber tribesmen of the Hawwara confederation to Upper Egypt and the frontier region to counter the Banu Kanz.[19] The Hawwara gradually replaced the Banu Kanz as the dominant force in the region.[19] The modern tribal descendants of the Banu Kanz are known as the "Kunuz" and they inhabit the northern reaches of Sudan.[20] References
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