Azday, Gathering Stories of Food - Ashura & At Willul

Photo by Bashir Nannis

In the extreme North West of Libya lives the Amazigh community of At Willul. The At Willul have inhabited the area surrounding the city of Zuwara for centuries. Yet, despite their historic roots, much of their history and culture has gone unrecorded. Sadly, this is particularly evidenced by the minimal amount of sources in existence preserving their culinary heritage.  

To ensure the preservation of At Willul dishes, culinary traditions, and mythologies, 15 Amazigh elders were asked to reflect upon these topics. The story you are about to read is one of the traditions they recounted. 

The Amazigh people are distinguished by the multitude of their dishes. Couscous, ‘ⴽⵙⴽⵙⵓ’ is one of the Amazigh staple foods, consisting of small grains made out of wheat. The word Couscous traces its roots to the Tamazight language and it is derived from the phrase meaning ‘small pieces’ or ‘well rounded’. Couscous serves as the base for a variety of dishes, also known as couscous.

Ashura is the ninth day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic lunar calendar, and its significance and reverence varies between Muslim denominations. The Amazigh people of At Willul are predominantly Ibadi Muslims and belong to neither of the two major denomnations of Islam, Sunni or Shiaa. On the day of Ashura, Ibadi people of At Willul, and elsewhere in North Africa, commemorate the liberation and journey to the promised land, by the people of Israel. 

For two days prior to Ashura, observant Ibadis eat one dish of Essesran, a lean stew of mixed beans, for two consecutive lunches and dinners. In accordance with Islamic traditions, they refrain from eating lavish meals, paying homage to the forty years spent in the desert by the people of Israel.  On the third day they celebrate the arrival to the promised land by making Couscous. This is done using the meat coming from the right cheek of the sheep’s head, which  would have been saved from the sheep sacrificed during the Eid Al Adha celebrations.

This story is part of Azday ‘ⴰⵣⴷⴰⵢ ‘ project, an effort to document the culinary heritage of the At Willul. You can find more stories of Amazigh culinary heritage in the Azday booklet.

Azday project is funded by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The project is conducted in partnership with theAt Wellol Movement.