Abu Zakariya Yahya al-Warglani

Abu Zakariya al-Warglani was a preeminent scholar, judge, and historian native to the ancient desert oasis of Ouargla and the nearby desert metropolis of Sedrata in southern Algeria. Formed in traditional Islamic sciences and Ibadi jurisprudence, he traveled extensively across North Africa before returning to teach in Ouargla.

Al-Warglani authored 'Kitab al-Siyar wa-Akhbar al-A'imma' (The Book of Biographies and Chronicles of the Imams), an indispensable historical treasure that provides the single most detailed contemporary account of the Rustamid state of Tahert, early Saharan trade routes, and the intellectual debates of the medieval central Maghreb.