Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World

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Nagid
(2,370 words)

The Hebrew title nagid, derived from a biblical term meaning ruler (I Kings 1:35), was the designation in the Middle Ages of the head of a Jewish community, first in North Africa and later in al-Andalus, Egypt, and Yemen. In post-medieval and early modern North Africa, it became the standard title for a person recognized by the government as the secular head of a Jewish community, a position known in Arabic as muqaddam (Algeria), qāʾid (Tunisia), and shayk al-yahūd (Morocco and elsewhere).

1.  The First Nagids in the Maghreb

In the Maghreb, the term nagid first came into use in Ifrīqi…

Cite this page
Elinoar Bareket, “Nagid”, in: Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, Executive Editor Norman A. Stillman. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1878-9781_ejiw_COM_0016280>
First published online: 2010



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