Marabouts

Marabouts, a name derived from the Arabic word morabit, and used to designate a religious devotee or ascetic. They have always been found chiefly in north Africa, and have at times exercised considerable political influence, as in encouraging opposition to the French conquests in Algeria and Tunis in the 19th century, and in former centuries as the origin and mainstay of the Almoravid dynasty, which held Morocco and Spain for a long period. These devotees are held in great veneration by the Berbers; they frequently officiate at mosques and chapels, and are believed to possess the power to prophesy and work miracles. The dignity is generally hereditary. The name is also applied to the tombs of the devotees.