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Al-Guani (Gani/Gueni/Gana) Family

Al Gana or Al-Guani are a family originated from Hejaz, Saudi Arabia, coming directly from Ali ibn Abu Talib ( Arabic :  علي بن أبو طالب ‎; 21 March 599 or 600, Mecca – 28 January 661, Kufa ) and his wife Fatima, daugher of the prophet Muhammad Founder of Islam.

Parent house	Al Hashimi
Country	North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco)
Origins	Saudi arabia
Titles	Sheikh; Bash-Agha; Agha; Prince
Religion	Islam

Origins and Family Tree

The origins of the family go back to the family of Al Hashimi children of Prophet Samuel son of Prophet Abraham who lived for centuries in Hejaz in Saudi Arabia up until the founder of Islam and grandson of Abraham, the Prophet Muhammad founded Islam in 610 CE. After his death, his grandchildren were a part of the movement known as Al-Fath al-Islami that helped spreading Islam all over Asia, Africa and Europe.

Al Gani Family comes from Al Hasan ibn Ali and Fatima, grandson of the prophet Muhammad. Their full name (until their last prince in Béjeya Sheikh Ahmad Al Gana) is Ahmad son of Bouaziz son of Hajj Gana son of Ali son of Suleiman son of Abd Aziz son of Muhammad son of Omar son of Khaled son of Yunus son of Ibrahim son of Mansour Al-makne son of Gana son of Muhammad son of Abd Al-Malik son of Al-Abed son of Al-Habib son Ahmad son of Aissa son of Yusuf son of Adnan son Yusuf son of Muhammad son Daoud son Abd Al-Ghaffar son of Aissa son Abd Allah son of Ibrahim son of Abd Allah son of Ali son of Aissa son of Daoud son of Mahdi son of Massoued son of Musa son of Azouz son of Abd Aziz son of Jabbar son of Omran son of Salem son of Abd Allah son of Ahmad son of Idriss Al-Akbar son of َAbd Allah Al kamel son of Hasan Al-Mathna son of Hasan son of Ali and Fatima daughter of Muhammad.

Early History

Following the death of his father, Al-Hasan Al-Muthanna, Abd Allah Al-Kamil departed from the lands of Saudi Arabia to join the movement of Al-Fath al-Islami (Islamic Conquest), which aimed to spread Islam across North Africa. The Islamic armies successfully dismantled the power of the Roman Empire in the region, conquering North Africa beginning with Tunisia, then known as Ifriqiya—the name from which the term "Africa" was later derived.

Abd Allah Al kamel’s seven sons continued their father’s legacy, serving as senior officers in the Umayyad dynasty’s army. However, his two most renowned sons were the eldest, Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, and the youngest, Idriss al-Akbar. Their prominence stems from the fact that several royal families across North Africa, Levant, and Andalusia trace their lineage back to them.

The first royal dynasty to emerge from these two brothers was the Idrisid dynasty, founded by Idriss al-Akbar in 788 CE in Morocco. This occurred after the decline of the Umayyad Caliphate and the rise of the Abbasid Caliphate, which Idriss al-Akbar and his family viewed as unworthy of holding such authority. This conviction led Idriss al-Akbar to establish a new kingdom in Morocco. The local population, deeply influenced by his reputation as a wise and modest descendant of the Prophet Muhammad’s household, readily supported his rule, solidifying the Idrisid dynasty’s foundation.

During the time when all the brothers were thriving into power and authority, Omran son of Salem, one of the grandsons of Idriss al-Akbar decided to leave the lands of his family and move to Andalusia to live as a scientist and business man away from the political life, his life was quiet and silent, he spent most of it studying astronomy and religion while working as gold and satin seller, which made his family one of the wealthiest families in Andalusia, this family business kept growing up until the fall of the Islamic dynasty in Andalusia known as the Reconquista in 1492.

In 1492, Adnan Gana departed from his home and business in Granada, joining the exodus of millions of Muslims to North Africa. He eventually settled in Béjaya, located in eastern Algeria. Although Adnan was engaged in the gold trade, both he and his sons were renowned throughout their lives as Islamic scholars. This reputation earned their family the name "Gana," derived from their habitual practice of narrating stories from the early days of Islam, often beginning their tales with the Arabic word "Kana" (meaning "once upon a time" in arabic). Since the local population was not fluent in Arabic, they substituted the "K" with a "G" resulting in the name "Al-Gana" signifying the family of Gana.

Princes of Eastern Algeria

The family of Gana or Guani, were able to establish a strong family business, based on gold trading and agriculture, in the eastern region of Algeria which led them to becoming one of the Aristocrats of the north african region.

This money power led the Ottoman empire to give the sons of this family the title of Bash-Agha after they were known as Sheikhs (Sheikh; Prince), which gave them political authority in the region, this movement was made to limit the power of Al Thawawida that was trying to influence the locals and become their leaders.

Later on, the prince of Béjeya Ali Al-qali got married to the daughter of his friend Ruqaya Al Gana, who later gave birth to Ahmad Bey, the king and leader of Constantine.

Starting from 1710, Al-Gana were no longer just Aristocrats, but became a royal family by the order of the ottoman empire and had govermental positions as ministers and leaders. This title will remain existing even after the 14th of june 1830, when the french occupation officially took over Algeria and made it a part of the french empire.

After the Conquest of Algeria, many royal families lost their royal titles all along a part of their fortunes, but this was not the case for the Gani family who was able to make a deal with the french government, this deal consisted of them keeping all of their fortune and authority; and in return their loyalty will be to the french occupation and they will be their eyes and protector in the Eastern region of Algeria.

Western region of Tunisia

Of course this deal was not accepted by some members of the family, especially by Mansour son of Ali Al Gana, who left Constantine and moved to Al-Kaf in Tunisia that was under the Ottoman empire in 1831, where he bought many mountains between Nebeur, Borj El Aïfa and Eddir, those mountains were a part of the Atlas mountains and they were full of gold and diamonds, and they also had a very good agricultural potential.

Due to his loyalty to the Islamic empire, the Ottoman empire made sure that the title of Bash-Agha remains given to Mansour Al-Gana and his sons, and despite having no political power, they were seen as scholars and respected aristocrats in Tunisia until the french occupation in 1881.

At that Time, Bash-Agha Muhammad Al Gana was the leader of his family, and he decided to stay away from all political matters going on in the country, protecting his family's business and ensuring their safety, and for that the french occupation decided to let him keep his royal title.

In 1914, Ibrahim Al-Gana, who was the one that gave the name of "mountains of Awlad (sons of) Gana" to the mountains that were bought by his grandfather, was in charge of the family business, this aristocraat was known for partying a lot, and despite being one of the most powerful men in the west of Tunisia in his lifetime, he was the reason his family lost half of their wealth or even more due to his consistent partying, some historians mentioned that he used to give diamonds as gifts to the dancers that were sent to him every night. After his death, his wealth was devided between his five sons, but the biggest amount of wealth was given to his eldest son Ahmad that was known as Agha until the end of the Tunisian kingdom in 1957 and the start of the age of the Tunisian government that took the royal titles of Agha and Bey from all the aristocrat families in the country.

The Surname Al-Guani or Al-Gani (Gueni; in french)

During this period, the history of the family and their relationship with the new government in Tunisia remains unclear. What is widely acknowledged, however, is that the government altered the family’s name from *Al-Gana* to *Guani* or *Gani*. This change was motivated by the association of the prefix *Al*—meaning "family" in Arabic—with royal families in the Gulf region, many of whom held princely titles. The renaming was part of broader governmental measures aimed at consolidating authority during a time when several prominent Berber and Arab families in the western part of the country opposed the transition from a monarchy to a republic or were critical of the ruling party itself.

As a result of these developments, the name *Al-Gana* in Tunisia became *Gani* (or *Guani* and *Gueni* in French). Nevertheless, the original name, *Al-Gana*, has persisted in Algeria and continues to be used there to this day.

Important Notes

Throughout their presence in Tunisia and Algeria, the Al-Gana family has also established roots in Morocco, where they continue to reside to this day. However, their history in Morocco remains shrouded in uncertainty. Some speculate that they are descendants of the Idrisid dynasty in the region but altered their surname following the prominence of the Al-Gana name in Algeria. Others suggest that they migrated from Tunisia during the last century.

These claims, however, remain unverified due to the absence of concrete historical evidence documenting their origins and movements in Morocco.

Relatives

One of the families most closely related to the Al-Gana in modern times is the Alawi dynasty, which traces its lineage back to Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya, the brother of Idriss al-Akbar, both being sons of Abd Allah Al kamel. This ancestral connection makes the two families direct cousins.

Similarly, the Hashemites of Jordan also share a familial bond with the Al-Gana, as their lineage descends from Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the uncle of Ali ibn Abi Talib and the Prophet Muhammad. This historical kinship further cements their relationship as distant cousins.

References

1. The Role of Bouaziz Bin Qana in Supporting the French Occupation in the Ziban Region through the Arab Bureau 1844-1864. مجلة المقدمة للدراسات إلانسانية والاجتماعية المجلد)8(، العدد )2(، )ديسمبر 2023-(، ص 196-179
2. Alfred Martin. 1893. L'action Française dans Le Sahara .revue Africaine.(208)
3. BEN-GANA. (1879). LES BEN-GANA,depuisLla Conquète Française. paris: libraire-éditeur.
4. Bourseul, C. (1851). Souvounirs de La Gerre dAfrique,Insurection des Ziban,Zaatcha. paris: imprimerie militaire de verronnais.
5. FERAUD, C. (1873). Documents pour servir a lhistoir de Bone. Revue Africaine (97).
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8. Germain Roger .(1955) .La politique Indigène de Bugeaud .paris: edition larose
9. Germain, S. (1848-1850). Méridional,note sur Le Sahara. revue de Lorient de Lalgérie et Colonies, tome4.
10. M Guyon .(1852) .Voyage Dalger au Ziban,Lancien Zebe en1847 . Alger: aimprimaire du gouvernement.
11. Napoleon Ney. (1871-1829) .Les Relation de La France avec Léxtrème Sud de Lalgerie .revue des deux monde ، v8( N3).
12. Roger, B. (2016-2017). Biskra, Sortilèges Dun Oasis. exposition à Linstitut du monde arabe . paris.
13. Xavier Yacono .(1882) .Les Bureaux Arabes .،encyclopédie,berbèr.
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Sources

1. History of Al Gana in Algeria during the french occupation https://www.maghrebvoices.com/flash-back/2023/06/24/%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B7%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A2%D8%B0%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%B9%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%A9-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%AC%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AA%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%AE%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A
2. Last prince of Al Gana http://ar.wiki.x.io/wiki/%D9%85%D9%84%D9%81:%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AC_%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B2_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A9_.jpg
3. 1959-1956دور بعض أفراد أسرة بن قانة في الثورة التحريرية من خلال الوثائق الأرشيفية والشهادات Role of Al Ganain the Algerian revolution 1956-1959 https://asjp.cerist.dz/en/article/98918
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9. Umayyad dynasty Umayyad dynasty
10. Alawi dynasty Alawi dynasty
11. Idrisid dynasty Idrisid dynasty
12. عبد الله الكامل ملتقى نسب الدولتين: الإدريسية والعلوية، وشيخ إمام دار الهجرة مالك بن أنس Abdallah Al-Kamel https://www.habous.gov.ma/daouat-alhaq/item/8146
13. المصاهرات في الجزائر أثناء العهد العثماني History of marriage in Algeria during Ottoman Empire http://moodle.univ-dbkm.dz/pluginfile.php/62002/mod_resource/content/1/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%B6%D8%B1%D8%A9%20%D8%B1%D9%82%D9%85%205.pdf
14. Hasan ibn Hasan Hasan ibn Hasan
15. Abbasid Caliphate Abbasid Caliphate
16. Idris I of Morocco Idris I of Morocco
17. Reconquista Reconquista
18. Ahmed Bey ben Mohamed Chérif Ahmed Bey ben Mohamed Chérif
19. Hashemites Hashemites
20. Ottoman Tunisia Ottoman Tunisia
21. Al Thawawida Al Thawawida
22. Insurrection and Accommodation: Indigenous Leadership in Eastern Algeria, 1840-1900 https://www.jstor.org/stable/162107