Berber Revolt in the context of "Ceuta"

Much of the history of Algeria has taken place on the fertile coastal plain of North Africa, which is often called the Maghreb. North Africa served as a transit region for people moving towards Europe or the Middle East, thus, the region's inhabitants have been influenced by populations from other areas, including the Carthaginians, Romans, and Vandals. The region was conquered by the Muslims in the early 8th century AD, but broke off from the Umayyad Caliphate after the Berber Revolt of 740. During the Ottoman period, Algeria became an important state in the Mediterranean sea which led to many naval conflicts. The last significant events in the country's recent history have been the Algerian War and Algerian Civil War.

The Battle of Bagdoura or Battle of Baqdura was a decisive confrontation in the Berber Revolt in late 741 CE. It was a follow-up to the Battle of the Nobles the previous year, and resulted in a major Berber victory over the Arabs by the Sebou River (near modern Fes). The battle would permanently break the hold of the Umayyad Caliphate over the far western Maghreb (Modern day Morocco), and the resulting retreat of elite Syrian forces into Spain would have implications for the stability of al-Andalus.

The Battle of the Nobles (Arabic: غزوة الأشراف, romanized: Ghazwat al-Ashrāf) was an important confrontation in the Berber Revolt in c. 740 AD. It resulted in a major Berber victory over the Arabs in banks of the Chelif River, near Chlef (Algeria). During the battle, numerous Arab aristocrats were slaughtered, which led to the conflict being called the "Battle of the Nobles". Zenata Berber chieftain Khalid ibn Hamid al-Zanati led the revolting Berber soldiers.

Umayyad rule in North Africa or Umayyad Ifriqiya was a province of the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750) during the historical period in which it ruled the Maghreb region of North Africa (excluding Egypt), from its conquest of the Maghreb starting in 661 to the Kharijite Berber Revolt ending in 743, which led to the end of its rule in the western and central Maghreb. Following this period, the Umayyads retained their rule over Ifriqiya (later fell to the Abbasid Caliphate) while the rest of the Maghreb fell to successive Islamic dynasties of Arab, Berber and Persian descent.

The Barghawatas (or Barghwata, Berghouata) were a Berber tribal confederation and religious movement that ruled a region of the Atlantic coast in present-day Morocco between the 8th and 11th centuries. They belonged to the Masmuda confederacy.

After allying with the Sufri rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate, they established an independent state (AD 744-1058) in the area of Tamesna on the Atlantic coast between Safi and Salé under the leadership of Tarif al-Matghari.

Khalid ibn Hamid al-Zanati (Arabic: خالد بن حامد الزناتي) was a Zenata Berber chieftain and military commander during the Berber Revolt of the 740s against the Umayyads in the Maghreb.

For reasons which are still obscure (possibly cowardice), Maysara al-Matghari, the original leader of the Berber Revolt and self-proclaimed caliph, was deposed and executed by fellow Berber rebels in the Summer or Fall of 740. Khalid ibn Hamid was elected to take his place.