Khalifa al-Zanati (Arabic: خليفة الزناتي) was one of the main characters in theBani Hilalepic, where he appears as theBerber king ofTunis.[1] The epic says that during the siege ofBani Hilal to Tunis he asked their knights for duels every day and killed many of them, not evenAbu Zayd al-Hilali was able to defeat him. His destiny was to be killed byDhieb bin Ghanim who thrust a spear into his eyes.[1] The epic also says that one of the reasons of his defeat was the betrayal of his daughter Sadaa who fell in love with Maree, a Hilalian prince held captive in her fathers prison.[1]
The historical Khalifa Al-Zanati may have been a general serving the ruler ofTlemcen in present-day Algeria.[1]
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