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Dahia al-Kahina of Mauritania
was especially active in the North African resistance to the Arab invasions that occurred at the end of the seventh century.
About 690 A.D. she assumed personal command of the African forces, and under her aggressive leadership the Arabs were briefly forced to retreat. The Arab invaders of Africa were relentless, however, and as the African plight deteriorated, the dauntless Kahina ordered a scorched earth policy. The effects of the devastation can still be seen in the North African countryside. According to tradition, Kahina eventually took her own life rather than admit defeat to the Arabs. With her death ended a magnificent attempt to preserve Africa for the Africans.
