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Tafilalt
Tafilalt or Tafilet (), historically Sijilmasa, is a region of Morocco, centered on its largest oasis. Etymology There are many speculations regarding the origin of the word "Tafilalt", however it is known that Tafilalt is a Berber word meaning "jug", which is specifically a pottery jar used to store water. History Although previous settlements existed, especially during the Roman period, the first continuously inhabited town in the area after the spread of Islam was Sijilmasa, founded by the Midrarid dynasty. It was on the direct caravan route from the Niger River to Tangier, and attained a considerable degree of prosperity. In the 17th century, the Alawi dynasty of Morocco first achieved political ascendancy in Tafilalt, and in 1606, Sultan Zidan Abu Maali hid in Tafilalt, where he made a profit off of gold mined in the area, built an army, eventually taking control of the city of Marrakesh. A few years later in 1610, Ahmed ibn Abi Mahalli also built up an army in the Tafi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alawi Dynasty
The Alawi dynasty () – also rendered in English as Alaouite, Alawid, or Alawite – is the current Moroccan royal family and reigning dynasty. They are an Arab Sharifian dynasty and claim descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandson, Hasan ibn Ali. Their ancestors originally migrated to the Tafilalt region, in present-day Morocco, from Yanbu on the coast of the Hejaz in the 12th or 13th century. The dynasty rose to power in the 17th century, beginning with Mawlay al-Sharif who was declared sultan of the Tafilalt in 1631. His son Al-Rashid, ruling from 1664 to 1672, was able to unite and pacify the country after a long period of regional divisions caused by the weakening of the Saadi Sultanate, establishing the Alawi Sultanate that succeeded it. His brother Isma'il presided over a period of strong central rule between 1672 and 1727, one of the longest reigns of any Moroccan sultan. After Isma'il's death, the country was plunged into disarray as his sons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sijilmasa
Sijilmasa (; also transliterated Sijilmassa, Sidjilmasa, Sidjilmassa and Sigilmassa) was a medieval Moroccan city and trade entrepôt at the northern edge of the Sahara in Morocco. The ruins of the town extend for five miles along the River Ziz in the Tafilalt oasis near the town of Rissani. The town's history was marked by several successive invasions by Berber dynasties. Up until the 14th century, as the northern terminus for the western trans-Sahara trade route, it was one of the most important trade centres in the Maghreb during the Middle Ages. History Foundation and early Middle Ages According to al-Bakri's ''Book of Routes and Places'', Sufrite Kharijites first settled the town in the wake of the Berber revolts against the Umayyads. Al-Bakri recounts that others joined these early settlers there, until they numbered around four thousand, at which point they laid the groundwork for the city. They elected a leader, 'Isa bin Mazid al-Aswad (the Black), to handle their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meknes
Meknes (, ) is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco, located in northern central Morocco and the sixth largest city by population in the kingdom. Founded in the 11th century by the Almoravid dynasty, Almoravids as a military settlement, Meknes became the capital of Morocco during the reign of Sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif (1672–1727), son of the founder of the Alaouite dynasty. Sultan Ismail created a massive Kasbah of Moulay Ismail, imperial palace complex and endowed the city with extensive fortifications and monumental gates. The city recorded a population of 632,079 in the 2014 Moroccan census. It is the seat of Meknès Prefecture and an important economic hub in the region of Fès-Meknès. Etymology Meknes is named after an Amazigh (Berber) tribe historically known as the Miknasa ( in Amazigh languages). History Early history (8th–16th centuries) Volubilis, a major Ancient Rome, Roman-era settlement in Morocco and one of its early urban centres, is located near the sit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baba Sali
Yisrael Abuhatzeira (; 26 September 1889 – 8 January 1984), known as the Baba Sali (; ; ) was a leading Moroccan Sephardic rabbi and kabbalist who was renowned for his ability to work miracles through his prayers. His burial place in Netivot, Israel has become a shrine for prayers and petitioners. Early life and family Yisrael Abuhatzeira was born on Rosh Hashanah 5650 (1889). He was the scion of the distinguished Abu Hasira/Abuhatzeira family of Sephardic Torah scholars and tzadikim who were also known as ''baalei mofet'' (miracle workers). He is the grandson of Yaakov Abuhatzeira. The patriarch of this family was Shmuel Abuhatzeira. Born in the Land of Israel, Shmuel lived in Damascus for a while, where he studied Torah together with Chaim Vital. In ''Shem Hagedolim'', Chaim Joseph David Azulai described Shmuel as "an ''ish Elohim kadosh'' (a holy man of God). Wise people speak of his might and wonders in saving the Jewish community from many difficulties." Shmue ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zidan Abu Maali
Zidan Abu Maali () (died September 1627; or Muley Zidan) was the embattled Saadi Sultan of Morocco from 1603 to 1627. He was the son and heir of Ahmad al-Mansur by his wife Lalla Aisha bint Abu Bakkar, a lady of the Chebanate tribe. He ruled only over the southern half of the country after his brother Mohammed esh Sheikh el Mamun took the northern half and a rebel from Tafilalt, Ahmed ibn Abi Mahalli, marched on Marrakesh claiming to be the Mahdi. This led Muley Zidan to be encircled in Safi amid other failed military campaigns against the rebellious north. These events were exacerbated by a context of chaos that ensued amid a plague pandemic which left a third of the country dead. His reign saw the end of the Anglo-Spanish war (with the 1604 Treaty of London)—which broke the Anglo-Dutch axis that Morocco was relying upon as a means of protection from Spain, and so caused the Spanish navy to resume devastating raids on the Moroccan coast—and the rebellion of one of his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ahmed Ibn Abi Mahalli
Ahmed ibn Abi Mahalli (; 1560–1613), born in Sijilmasa, was a Moroccan Imam and the Sufi leader of a revolt (1610–13) against the reigning Saadi Sultan Zidan Abu Maali in the south of Morocco in which Ibn Abi Mahalli proclaimed himself Mahdi. He occupied the Saadi's southern capital Marrakesh in 1612 until his death. Biography Born to a family of scholars, Ibn Abi Mahalli was trained in Fez by Sufi masters. In his early years, his teacher was Sidi Ahmed ben Aboulqacem Essoumai Ettadeli. As young teenager he went to Fez to finish his studies which lasted for 4 to 5 years. Then he went to Adjedzihara (countryside around Fez) and completed his ''Risala'' (Treaty of Law). In completing his theology education, during 18 years Ibn Abi Mahalli then became disciple of Abou Abdallah Sidi Mohammed ben Mobarek Ezzaeri, sheikh of his ''zaouia'' (institution). In the early 1590s, his master assigned him to Sijilmasa, to remain there, and gifted his disciple his stick, his burnous, and h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drâa-Tafilalet
Drâa-Tafilalet () is one of the twelve regions of Morocco. It covers an area of 88,836 km2 and had a population of 1,635,008 as of the 2014 Moroccan census. The capital of the region is Errachidia. Geography Drâa-Tafilalet is situated in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Its main watersheds are that of the Draa River in the west and the Ziz River, which irrigates the Tafilalt oasis, in the east. Drâa-Tafilalet borders five other Moroccan regions: Souss-Massa to the southwest, Marrakech-Safi to the west, Béni Mellal-Khénifra to the northwest, Fès-Meknès to the north, and Oriental to the northeast. It also borders two of Algeria's provinces, Tindouf in the south and Béchar in the southeast. History Drâa-Tafilalet was formed in September 2015 by integrating the provinces of Errachidia and Midelt in Meknès-Tafilalet region with three provinces of the Souss-Massa-Drâa region. Government Lahbib Choubani of the Justice and Development Party was elected as the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midrarid Dynasty
The Midrarid dynasty () was a Berber dynasty that ruled the Sijilmasa region in Morocco from their capital of Sijilmasa, starting in the late 8th or early 9th century to 976/7. History The exact origin or date of foundation of the Midrarid dynasty are unclear, as the main sources—in the main, al-Bakri, Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Idhari, and Qadi al-Nu'man—are not in agreement over the details, and two different traditions are reported. According to the first, the family was founded by a Sufri Miknasa Berber, Samgu ibn Wasul. Samgu led the establishment of the town of Sijilmasa in 757/8, and in 772, became its second ruler. According to the second version, the dynasty was established by a smith called Midrar, who fled the suppression of the revolt in Córdoba against al-Hakam I in 818, and settled at the site where Sijilmasa was later established. According to Charles Pellat, it is clear that Sijilmasa was already in existence by the late 8th century, but on the other hand, the arri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fez, Morocco
Fez () or Fes (; ) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fez-Meknes, Fez-Meknes administrative region. It is one of the List of cities in Morocco, largest cities in Morocco, with a population of 1.256 million, according to the 2024 Moroccan census, census. Located to the northwest of the Atlas Mountains, it is surrounded by hills and the old city is centered around the Oued Fes, Fez River (''Oued Fes'') flowing from west to east. Fez has been called the "Mecca of the West" and the "Athens of Africa". It is also considered the spiritual and cultural capital of Morocco. Founded under Idrisid dynasty, Idrisid rule during the 8th century Common Era, CE, Fez initially consisted of two autonomous and competing settlements. Successive waves of mainly Arab immigrants from Ifriqiya (Tunisia) and al-Andalus (Spain/Portugal) in the early 9th century gave the nascent city its Arab character. After the downfall of the Idrisid dynasty, other empires came and went until t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aït Atta
The Ait Atta () are a large Berber tribal confederation or "supertribe" of south eastern Morocco. They are divided into "five fifths" (''khams khmas''), all said to descend from the forty sons of their common ancestor Dadda Atta. These fifths are the Ait Wallal, Ait Wahlim, Ait Isful-Ait Alwan, Ait Aizza Mzin and Ait Unibgi. They speak a dialect of Tamazight. The Ait Atta first emerged in the Jbel Saghro which they consider their heartland and were originally nomadic but became semi-sedentary. Their quick expansion lead to conflict with other tribes causing some to form the Ait Yafelman confederation in response to their aggression. After the Ait Atta first encountered the French in 1899, they clashed continuously with the French until their surrender in the in 1933. Origin Descent from Goliath A tradition of non-Atta origin claims that the Ait Atta descends from Goliath (''Jalut'') who left 4 sons that emigrated to North Africa from Palestine becoming the ancestors of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. They separate the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range, which stretches around through Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The mountains are associated with the Greek god Atlas (mythology), Atlas. The range's highest peak is Toubkal, which is in central Morocco, with an elevation of . The Atlas Mountains are primarily inhabited by Berbers, Berber populations. The terms for 'mountain' are ''Adrar'' and ''adras'' in some Berber languages, and these terms are believed to be cognates of the Toponymy, toponym ''Atlas''. The mountains are home to a number of animals and plants which are mostly found within Africa but some of which can be found in Europe. Many of these species are endangered and a few are already extinct. The weather is generally cool but summers are sunny, and the average temperature there is 25 °C. The Atlas Moun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ziz River
The Ziz River ( ' or ') is a river in the south of Morocco and Algeria. It has its source in the High Atlas mountains of Morocco and flows into the Sahara Desert in Algeria. Although water flow is intermittent along the Ziz riverbed, its watercourse has long been used to facilitate human transit through the mountainous region. Cities along the Ziz river include Errachidia, Erfoud and Sijilmassa. There is a dam with hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ... generating capacity on the Ziz near Errachidia. Water rights Along the Ziz there is typically a common water rights rule, wherein each village and villager is entitled to a fair use and extraction of Ziz waters. Characteristically water is diverted in flatter areas to form a canal that irrigates palm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
