[8] Ibn Hawqal in the 10th century, was the first Muslim traveler and geographer to mention the name in his book, ZwawaKitab al-Masâlik wa l-Mamâlik,[9] but without giving substantial information about them.

Adolphe Hanoteau [fr], a 19th-century French general, thought that the word Zwawa might be an alteration of "Ath Wawa", the regular plural of Agawa (son of Awa), used to designate a man from the Igawawen, by replacing the Kabyle "th" with "z".

[11] The various factions of the Titteri tribes provided a certain number of infantrymen who at times guarded Algiers and especially the surrounding bordjs (plural of fortress).

Of all the Berber tribes, their closest relatives are the Zenata, since Djana, the ancestor of this people, was Semgan's brother and Yahya's (Yedder's) son.

The proximity of the Zwawa territory to that of the Kutama, and their cooperation with them to support Ubayd-Allah, founder of the Fatimid dynasty, is strong evidence in favor of this opinion.

In the tenth century, the tribes of the Baranis group of modern central Algeria, such as the Sanhaja, the Kutama, and the Zwawa, played a fundamental role in the creation of the Fatimid Caliphate by constituting the Army of the empire that had conquered most of the Maghreb, Sicily, Egypt, the Levant, and the Hejaz.

[15] In the year 972, the Zwawa came under the control of the Zirids, Sanhaja Berbers whose ancestor was Ziri Ibn Menad al-Sanhaji, who ruled over "Al-Maghrib al-Awsat" (central Maghreb, modern Algeria) and Ifriqya, also called "Al-Maghrib al-Adna" ("he closest Maghreb" to the East, modern day Tunisia), in the name of the Fatimids after their departure for Cairo.

[16] Bejaia was conquered by the Masmudi and Zenati Almohad Berbers, who succeeded in unifying the Maghreb under the great Caliph, Abd al-Mumin Ibn Ali, in 1159.

Ibn Khaldun, who was the only historian of the Middle Ages to give important information about the Zwawa, lived in this period, and precisely in the 14th century.

This last mountain is one of their most difficult retreats to tackle and the easiest to defend; from there they brave the power of the government (of Bejaia), and they pay tax only when it suits them.

"[4] In the 14th century, the Marinid Berbers launched an expedition into the territory of the Abdelwadids of Tlemcen and the Hafsids of Tunis with the aim of unifying the Maghreb, as their predecessors, the Almohads, did.

In the year 1338 (or 1339), the 10th Marinid Sultan, Abu al-Hassan, had camped with his army in Mitidja, not far from Algiers, after his successful military campaign against the Kingdom of Tlemcen.

Chimsi initially rejected this proposal, but having subsequently discovered that she had supported an impostor, she withdrew her protection and sent him back to the country occupied by the Arabs.

[20] During the Almohad period, and especially Hafsid, there were many mentions of great scholars from the Zwawa, such as Abu Zakariya Yahya ez-Zwawi,[21] better known under the name of Ibn Mu'ṭi, philologist from the Hesnawa tribe, confederation of the Ait Aissi, author of the first versified grammatical work, the Alfiyya.

[29] But the French anthropologist, Émile Masqueray supports the idea that the Aït Ulqadi reigned only over the valley of Wad Sebaou and part of eastern Great Kabylia.

[35] Perhaps it is for this reason that Sidi Ahmed Ulkadi had abandoned Aruj Barbarossa the year after, during the battle of Tlemcen, in which the Ottomans were defeated and Ziyyanid Sultan, Abu Hammou III, had been restored on the throne as a vassal of the Spanish Empire.

The following year, the Kabyles, supported by the Hafsids of Tunis, confronted the Ottomans for the first time in the Battle of Issers, on the territory of the Aït Aicha tribe (province of Boumerdès).

Khayr ad-Din took refuge in Jijel after his defeat against the Kabyles, and he had captured Bona, Collo and Constantine and received the allegiance of many tribes in the region,[39] although he failed to liberate all of Algeria.

[40] Ammar Boulifa says about this:"The non-execution of this part of the agreement signed with the Turks is not surprising, because the Bel-K'adhi (Aït Ulkadi), who refused to pay this tax, only followed and respect the traditions of their country.

[41] In 1576, 1,000 Zwawa participated in the capture of Fez in Morocco as allies of the Regency of Algiers, in which they supported the future Saadian sultan, Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik, against his nephew, Muhammad al-Mutawakkil.

Sidi Ahmed had left Kuku, and returned to the village of his ancestors, Awrir NAït Ghubri, then moved to Tifilkut among the Illilten tribe.

[49] In 1696, Great Kabylia had been divided into two çofs (parties) during a succession conflict between Ali, the legitimate heir to the throne, and his brother, Ourkho.

It is, from one end to the other, a chain of craggy rocks which serve as asylum for various Berber tribes, and preserve them from the domination of the Regency of Algiers.

[56] In the middle of the 18th century, the caïd of Sebaou, Mohammed Ben Ali, nicknamed "ed-Debbah" (meaning the slaughterer), was about to launch a campaign against the Aït Aïssi, the Ait Sedqa, and the Guechtula.

[59] Then, he returned with his troops to the Aït Mahmud, captured Taguemount Azouz and Tizi Hibel, and finally received the submission of the entire tribe.

But this time, his fortune, which had always been favorable to him, turned against him,[67] and the attempt ended in a deadly fiasco for the Ottomans, who were pushed back and forced to withdraw from the battle.

"[69]It was the Aït Betrun who set the example in the Djurdjura by defining the attitude to take against the ambition of the Regency of Algiers to subdue the region, and revolts broke out in the following years.

Here is a part of the version translated into French of the original manuscript in Arabic, in which are cited the new laws agreed by the marabouts of the Aït Betrun :"Everyone complained of a damaging state of affairs, a source of discord, unrest and conflict in the villages, tribes and the confederation of Beni Betroun.

[75] The Guechtula drove out the garrison and killed the caïd Ahmed,[76] but the bordj was rebuilt after the failure of the Kabyles in the attack on bordj-Bouira almost two months later.

This confederation was made up of eight tribes organized into two groups: The total population of the Zwawa properly said was 34,178 inhabitants,[83] spread over 53 villages.