Aït Daoud (Aurès)

Aït Daoud
Berber tribe
Oued Abiod territory of Aït Daoud near Ghoufi
Location	Aures
Religion	Sunni Islam

The Aït Daoud are one of the three largest Berber hirfiqin (faction, tribe) of Aures Mountain which are respectively Ait Daoud, Ait Si Mhand and Ait Si Ali Moussa.

Oued-Abdi (in Berber: ighzer n abdi) and Oued el-Abiod (in Berber: ighzer amellal) are populated respectively by two main tribes of the Aurès and among the most important in number: the Aït Abdi and the Aït-Daoud. The different versions of the legend of the old Bourek who would have married Aïcha the mad and Touba are the origin advanced by the Chaouïa of these tribes. This legend has a more symbolic and ethnological value than historical. These two tribes originally settled in the Azreg the Aït-Daoud (or Touaba), settled in their valley thereafter. These – who had seen the Aït Sidi Belkheir (whose branches are the Labloub and the Smaïl) and the Iheddaden join them – had driven out the Aït Oudjana twice to finally extend their territory over a North East – South West strip of 70 km by 20 including the upper Oued el Abiod (from Tighanimine at the foot of the Ichmoul) to the plains of Medina and Takamamt.

The Turkish presence was ultimately very limited and their loose authority left no memory because the Aït Daoud refused them access to their valley. The Turks were content to impose the Aurasians at the foot of the massif during the harvests. The Bey Ahmed of Constantine as well as the secretary of Abd el-Kader, Mohamed Segbir, had taken refuge in the massif. After the founding of Batna and the capture of Biskra, the conquest began in 1845 (Bedeau campaign). The Aït Daoud did not fight to avoid pillage, the Aït Abdi went back on their submission to the Aït Oudjana and were beaten and raided. In 1848, Canrobert intimidated the rebellious Oudjana and Ahmed Bey surrendered to the commander of Saint-Germain. The following two years, Nara was destroyed by Carbuccia and then, after the terrible siege of the oasis of Zâatcha, by Canrobert with great cruelty. Saint-Arnaud completed the confirmation of French domination by a tour throughout the massif. A series of revolts followed, directed mainly against the hated intermediaries employed by the administration. The first saw Desveaux crush the insurrection led by Si Saddock el Hadj in 1859. In 1879, the Lehala faction of the Aït Daoud, led by Mohamed Ameziane, was at the origin of serious unrest but it ended up perishing in its flight across the desert and the tribes were heavily fined. In 1880, the Derdour monks of Oued Abdi were interned, then in 1916, conscription pushed the Chaouïs of Belezma to revolt and those of Aurès to desertion. It was in 1886 that the two main tribes of Ait Daoud and Ait Abdi were established in the Mixed Commune of Aurès.