Hajar an-Nasar ( ar, حجر النسر, lit=the eagle's rock) is an ancient fortress located in northern

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

. It was constructed in the 10th century by the

Idrisid dynasty The Idrisid dynasty or Idrisids ( ar, الأدارسة ') were an Arab Muslim dynasty from 788 to 974, ruling most of present-day Morocco and parts of present-day western Algeria. Named after the founder, Idris I, the Idrisids were an Alid an ...

. The archaeological site is situated on a rocky crest overlooking the headwaters of a tributary of the

Loukkos River The Loukkos River (واد لوكوس) (Spanish:Río Luco) is a major river in northern Morocco. Although it is relatively short (about 100 km), the river is the third largest in Morocco with an average flow of 50 m³/s. The Loukkos river's s ...

around 40 km almost due east of the modern city of

Larache Larache ( ar, العرايش, al-'Araysh) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast, where the Loukkos River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Larache is one of the most important cities of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. Man ...

. The fortress was probably built by Muhammad ibn Idris or one of his sons during the 9th century, and was finally destroyed in 996 by the

Maghrawa The Maghrawa or Meghrawa ( ar, المغراويون) were a large Zenata Berber tribal confederation whose cradle and seat of power was the territory located on the Chlef in the north-western part of today's Algeria, bounded by the Ouarsenis t ...

chief

Ziri ibn Atiyya Ziri ibn Atiyya (Berber language: Ziri en Ɛaṭiyya Ameɣraw) also known as Ziri ibn Atiyya ibn Abd Allah ibn Tabādalt ibn Muhammad ibn Khazar az-Zanātī al-Maghrāwī al-Khazarī (died 1001) was the tribal leader of the Berber Maghrawa tribal ...

. It served as a haven for the Idrisid dynasty's rulers, and sometimes alternated with al-Basra as their capital. The location of Hajar an-Nasar was a mystery to historians for the last two hundred years. In 1905 a French researcher noted that Sīdī Mazwār, who as eldest son of the Idrisid ruler

Ali ibn Idris Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Idris ( ar, علي بن محمد بن إدريس) was the fourth Idrisid sultan of Morocco. He was the son of Muhammad ibn Idris whom he succeeded in 836. He died in 848 CE (Rajab 234 Hijri year, AH) and was succeeded by his br ...

had renounced power and dedicated his life to religion, was buried there. Because the

marabout A marabout ( ar, مُرابِط, murābiṭ, lit=one who is attached/garrisoned) is a Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the function of a chaplain serving as a part of an Islamic army, notably in North Africa and the Sah ...

of Sīdī Mazwār is a known shrine and pilgrimage site of the

region to this day, this should have fixed the location. However, this clue was ignored, and as late as 1980 an American expedition searched in vain for the site some 30 km away. A combined Spanish and Moroccan expedition visited the correct location in 1993 and have provided the only description published so far (Cressier ''et al.'', see below). Some sections of the ramparts and some steps, all built in massive stone blocks, are the only ruins visible on the surface.

References

* P. Cressier, A el Boujay, H el Figuigi & J Vignet-Zunz, « Hagar al-Nasr, "capitale" idrisside du Maroc Septentrional: archéologie et histoire ». In ''Genèse de la ville islamique en al-Andalus et au Maghreb Occidental'', Casa de Velasquez, Madrid (1995), p. 303-334. () * C. El Briga, �
Hadjar en-Nesr
». In ''Encyclopédie berbère, vol.21'', Aix-en-Provence, Edisud (1999), p. 3299-3300 Idrisid dynasty Archaeological sites in Morocco Former populated places in Morocco {{TangerTetouanAlHoceima-geo-stub