A Traveller's History of North Africa

by Barnaby Rogerson

This volume covers the countries of Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Algeria and is written by an expert on the area. It provides a concise and readable history of the region's journey from its earliest beginnings right up to the politics and life of the present day.

Genres: History, Travel, Africa

408 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Barnaby Rogerson (1960-) is a British author, television presenter and publisher. He has written extensively about the Muslim world, including a biography of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and numerous travel guides. Rogerson was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, and studied Medieval History at St Andrews University

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read two other books in this series (Italy and Venice), which has several different authors, and been consistently impressed. Broad histories are very difficult to do well (I'm looking at you, Samurai Warriors.) The Traveller's History books are exceptionally well organized. They cover sweeps of history, giving just enough detail for you get a feel for the various people and events without getting bogged down in an endless parade of names, each of whom get a paragraph. Do I remember most of the names thrown at me? No, of course not. But what these books do well is map out the trends and the reasons for those trends and then dart in here and there to add an embellishing detail--an amusing anecdote, an architectural note, a paragraph about the kind of food eaten by the common people at this time--that brings the history to life.

I particularly liked this one because the author had both a sense of humor and of sympathy for his subjects. He writes from their point of view, which reverses many of our ideas of the "good" and "bad" people of history. (This is particularly fascinating having read the series book on Italy. The Punic Wars are a very different thing from the Carthaginian perspective versus the Roman perspective, and Italy's attack on Libya is a strange repeat of history.) Germany's Afrikacorps in WWII, for example, arguably led to a decrease in human rights violations in the French colonies and the liberation of France was a disaster that led directly to a massive upswing in oppression and slaughter of innocents.

That's not to say that this is a white-washed noble savage narrative, though. The native Africans are portrayed as individuals--wise, foolish, bloodthirsty, betrayed, cruel, humane, ignorant, and cultured, as waves of civilization wash and retreat, just as in Europe. What's fascinating to remember is that, while Europe and Africa are seen somewhat as two monolithic entities right now, they have each conquered and colonized and intermixed with each other all the way down through the ages. The Moors ruled Spain for generations, while St. Augustine and Albert Camus both hail from Algeria. Today's North Africa is mostly a mess, largely because the countries unluckily lacked the particular correct natural resources (gold, iron, and coal) during the age of colonization and so fell to countries better naturally equipped for the Industrial Revolution. When the next technological revolution came around, requiring the phosphates and oil North Africa had in abundance, the Europeans were in position to exploit them. But North Africa has been subject to European exploitation before, such as in Roman times. It has suffered internal convulsions before as well. And ages of cultured, enlightened leadership and prosperity have arisen before from those times and hopefully will again.

[Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent concise history of the Maghreb--Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania and Libya. Charming illustrations, useful maps and a well organized and remarkably lively text. The sections on Carthage and the Punic Wars were particularly interesting and I wish I could visit some of the region's Roman ruins. The history of early Christianity and spread of Byzantine rule in North Africa was completely new information to me and made the perfect complement to William Dalrymple's travelog From the Holy Mountain: A Journey among the Christians of the Middle East.

Current developments from the independence movements through the late 1980s are covered, but only superficially.

I'll be checking out other books in this 'Traveller's History' series.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have the perhaps old-fashioned belief that in order to get to know a place and its people, you need to know something of the history of that place. So for my visit to Morocco, this book seemed like it would fit the bill, and it did. Contemporary Morocco, with its vibrant tourism and entertainment scenes, is different from the cultures portrayed in this book, but not in all ways. For example, despite the liberal vibes, the country is still ruled by a king, who is no mere figurehead. This was a good read, and gave me a lot of insight into a part of the world that Americans rarely learn anything about or have much awareness of.

I would like to give it another star since it was a valuable learning experience, but this book is not much more than a standard historical survey. I don't have anything to compare it to, but it goes over the history of the Maghreb from biblical times up until 1998, when it was published. Of necessity most likely, much was glossed over and described quickly and, as is true of most cultures, little survives from the ancient times other than stories of battles, rulers, struggles for power, and religions. This part of the world has seen a good number of states and mini-empires. The nations of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya that make up modern North Africa are mostly creations of the 20th century.

Some of the sections that stay in my memory are: the horrible destruction of Carthage by the Romans along with the continued influence of Punic culture in the region, the spread of Christianity to the area (up until the rise of Islam, which has been by far the dominant faith ever since), the era of Roman rule (which features an unforgettable description of the gladiator games), the Sufis and their zaouias, the successful, but very painful struggle of Algeria to free itself from French colonialism, and the aggressive, loony leadership of the notorious Qadaffi in Libya. It would have been nice if there were a little more about the Maghreb's cultures, the natural world, and the folkways of the people. I was able to learn more during my visit there; Moroccans will talk with you about such things (language skills permitting).

I whole-heartedly recommend this if you are planning a visit to the region.

[Salman Ahsan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the pre-internet days when this book was published, it would have been a highly useful reference to take along on a visit to North Africa. But we now have Wikipedia (and increasing LLM based AI chats) to play that role. So, for the next edition, Rogerson should use his considerable talents to turn this book into a narrative of interconnected events around the region affecting North Africa, threaded together by a cascade of cause and effect. He won't be able to cover as much, but the book will be far more memorable.

[Faheem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's my take:North Africa: A History from the Mediterranean Shore to the Sahara – by Barnaby Rogerson – Book Review

'From ancient Carthage to modern day Casablanca, and covering nearly 3000 years, North Africa: A History from the Mediterranean Shore to the Sahara covers the history of the whole of North Africa, of what is now present day Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Algeria. Formerly of the The Traveller’s History series, it’s aimed at the traveller who wants a more historical background to their travels. The author, Barnaby Rogerson, is a writer of numerous travel guides, and familiar to some readers for his readable biography on Muhammad. He proves himself a warm and sympathetic guide to what is an immensely enjoyable history.

...'

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-researched and detailed history of (surprise surprise) North Africa. A bit dry, but so informative it should be a reference book. Plus he sourced "Lords of the Atlas" on of my favorites about the Moroccan Berbers of the late 1800s and early 1900s.

[Dylan CC · Rating 4 out of 5]

again, not tons of detail, but enough to get your feet wet. well enough written.

[Lisette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concise and clear. It's a good start for a general knowledge of the region's history which is amazingly rich and surprising.