Africa sought to elucidate the identity of the
Two-Horned One by collecting tales from diverse
sources, including Arabic geographical compendi-
ums, local oral literature, the Bible, and the Torah
and attributing them to Dhu al-Qarnayn.
By the turn of the first millennium c.e., the
romance of Alexander in Arabic had a core cen-
tered on the Greek legendary material from a
work of the second or third century c.e. known
as the Pseudo-Callisthenes, wherein the young
king and student of Aristotle defeats the Persian
army and goes on to take India, China, and lands
in between, including the land of the Amazon
women, before dying at the age of 32 without
making it back home. This material is usually
placed in the mouth of the prophet mUham-
mad, who characterized Dhu al-Qarnayn as one
of the faithful whom the Lord had entrusted
with the mission of delivering God’s message to
the remote corners of the earth in preparation
for the coming of Islam. Interwoven later into
this narrative in the Tales of the Prophets litera-
ture were episodes of an apparent Arab-Islamic
elaboration: the construction of a great barrier
to keep the barbarian tribes of Gog and Magog
from harassing the people of the civilized world
until JUdgement day, the voyage to the end of the
Earth to witness the sun set in a pool of boiling
mud, and Dhu al-Qarnayn’s expedition into the
Land of Darkness in search of the Fountain of
Life accompanied by his companion khadir (the
Green-One). God veils from Dhu al-Qarnayn
the spring of rejuvenating waters because he
has become too ambitious in seeking to reveal
the secrets of God’s creation. For example, he
enters forbidden lands inhabited by angels and
knocks on the doors of paradise itself. The theme
of the hero’s arrogance is delicately balanced
with his piety as seen in his frequent prayer for
the strength to complete his mission to call the
people of the earth to humble themselves before
their creator. Relating numerous encounters
with sea serpents, beasts, angels, and enchanted
castles, the medieval Islamic versions of the
Alexander legend were a favorite among Muslim
peoples for many centuries.
See also arabic langUage and literatUre;
prophets and prophecy.
Z. David ZuwiyyaFurther reading: Wheeler M. Thackston, trans., Tales of
the Prophets (Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1978); Albert
Mugrdich Wolohojian, trans., The Romance of Alexander
the Great by Pseudo-Callisthenes (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1969); Z. David Zuwiyya, Islamic Leg-
ends of Alexander the Great (Binghamton, N.Y.: Global
Publications, 2001).Algeria (Official name: People’s
Democratic Republic of Algeria)
One of the largest countries in Africa and the Arab
world, Algeria (Arabic: al-Jazair) is located on the
Mediterranean coast bordered by tUnisia and libya
to the east, by morocco to the west, and to the
south across the Sahara desert by Western Sahara,
Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. It is approximately
2.4 million square kilometers, or the equivalent
of the continental United States west of the Rocky
Mountains. Its population of approximately 33
million (2008) is of mixed berber and arab eth-
nicity (except a 1 percent European minority)
and largely Sunni Muslim. Religious minorities
include Christians and Jews (1 percent). Although
the official language of Algeria is Arabic, French
and various Berber (Amazigh) languages are also
widely spoken. Asserting a distinct Berber lan-
guage and ethnicity is an important issue for
many communities centered in the Kabyle region.
Geographically, while the northern regions are
mountainous and provide fertile agricultural land,
more than 80 percent of the country lies in the
Sahara, where rich hydrocarbon and mineral
resources are found. The major cities are the capi-
tal, Algiers, Constantine, Tlemcen, and Oran.
As early as the fifth century b.c.e., Algeria’s
indigenous people, Berbers, had established com-Algeria 31 J