Queen Dihya "Kahina" / the Ramban's signet ring

[lethargic_man]

Read in the book liv gave me for my birthday about another generally unknown possibly Jewish leader of history, the warrior queen Dihya, known as Kahina (which does indeed mean what it looks like it ought to). Unfortunately, when I looked her up, Wikipedia concludes "of all the known movements of conversion to Judaism and incidents of Judaizing, those connected with the Berbers and Sudanese in Africa are the least authenticated." Oh well.

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Also from the same book, did you know when Nachmanides arrived in Israel, he dropped his signet ring on the beach in Acre from where it has now been recovered?

Comments

[liv]

Why in the world would you trust Wikipedia over a Cambridge history professor who has written a popular history book published by a respectable press? I'm glad you're getting on well with the book, anyway; I spent a long time racking my brains over what to get you and it seemed up your alley.

[lethargic_man]

Well, both of them provide references. And Abulafia does say she was "possibly a Jewish Berber" (my emphasis).

BTW, do you realise what "Abulafia" means? I never did until Judith WinoLJoDW pointed it out to me. (The trick is to realise it's not abu lafia but abu [a]l afia.