1000-1250 CE
From 1000 to 1250 CE, the Bedouins remained what they had always been — lords of the empty spaces where settled folk dared not venture, their tribal codes older than the caliphs who claimed dominion over the sands. The Banu Hilal migration unleashed them upon North Africa like locusts, transforming fertile Ifriqiya into grazing land. They served as mercenaries for whoever paid in gold or glory, loyal only to clan and custom.