What is the “Maghreb” in medieval geography?

In medieval Arabic geography, al‑Maghrib means “the west” or “where the sun sets” and referred to the lands of present-day Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, often extending to Libya and Mauritania. It was contrasted with the Mashriq (“the east”). This was a terrestrial region, not the whole Western Mediterranean, and Iberia was known separately as al‑Andalus. The Maghreb was home to powerful Amazigh (Berber)-led dynasties like the Almoravids and Almohads, which linked North Africa with Iberia across the Strait of Gibraltar. Its cities—Fez, Marrakesh, and Tlemcen—thrived on trans-Saharan gold and salt routes (via hubs like Sijilmasa), making the region a crucial economic and cultural bridge between the Islamic world, sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe.