Lecture | Leiden Lectures on Arabic Language & Culture
Expressions of "war" and "peace" in medieval Arabic North African conquest narratives
- Date
- Thursday 12 February 2026
- Time
- Explanation
- The lecture starts at 17:00 hours and is followed by a drinks reception
- Address
- Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
Rapenburg 28
Leiden - Room
- Tempelzaal
Abstract
The Muslim expansion into North Africa was not achieved solely through warfare. Military campaigns were interspersed with diplomatic negotiations and truces. While medieval Arabic conquest narratives did not preserve the full texts of treaties—as is the case for other regions such as Palestine, Egypt, or Spain—certain terms used by these authors suggest that peaceful settlements may have been as frequent as battles. In this presentation, I will explore this vocabulary of war and peace as it appears in the historical narratives of the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb.
Biography
Mohamed Benabbès, born in 1971 in Sfax (Tunisia), holds a Ph.D. in History (2004) from the University of Paris-Ouest Nanterre. Since 2005, he has been a Professor of Ancient and Medieval History at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Tunis.
A specialist in the history and archaeology of North Africa during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, he was awarded the Accreditation to Direct Research (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches – HDR) by the University of Tunis in 2024.
He currently serves as Head of the History Department at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Tunis.