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At the end of the Roman- Byzantine domination of Africa, a woman known as al-Kahina ruled with almost absolute power over many of the Berber tribes threatened once again by foreign conquests. After the fall of Carthage in 692-3 AD, she truly became the symbol of Berber resistance to Arab invaders. Her character may have been somewhat exaggerated but she was certainly one of the great figures of Tunisian history. Not much is known of her private life except that the term al-Kahina, “the priestess” or “the soothsayer” was a name given her by the Arabs because of her famous gift of prophecy. Various sources gave her the name of Dihya. Her father’s name was said to be Tatit or Matiya (Mathew) and her grandfather’s Tifan (Thesphanes). She is also thought to have married a Greek, her second husband, perhaps, and to have had two sons. Of the nomad tribe of the Jrawa, she was almost certainly a Christian..At the time of the Arab conquest, she was already very old and had ruled over most of the Berber tribes for over 35 years. Blessed with supernatural powers, it was said that she went into a trance, undid her long hair, struck her breast, and, in an ecstatic state, foretold the future. She died soon afterwards, after a last and violent battle, not far from a well which for a long time bore her name. A regal and courageous figure, full of authority, wisdom, and knowledge and entrusted with a divine mission, Dihya- al Kahina symbolized the love for her homeland and resistance until death to any form of servitude.

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