The Sous region (also spelt Sus, Suss, Souss or Sousse) (, ) is a historical, cultural and geographical region of
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
, which constitutes part of the region administration of
Souss-Massa and
Guelmim-Oued Noun. The region is known for the endemic
argan tree (which has become a symbol of Souss) as well as for being the capital of the
Shilha Berber ethnic group. It is a major commercial and tourist agricultural region of Morocco. Vegetable production, shared between very large farms and small producers, contributes to the economic development of the region. The Souss plain produces 40% of Moroccan
citrus
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes.
''Citrus'' is nativ ...
fruits, and 60% of the production of early vegetables.
It is historically a stage of
trans-Saharan trade.
History
Medieval Arab geographers generally divided the Sous region into two distinct sub-regions: ''as-Sūs al-Aqṣā'' ( 'the far Sus'), or , and ''as-Sūs al-Adnā'' ( 'the near Sus').
''Sus al-Aqsa'' consisted of the southern/western part, and ''Sus al-Adna'' consisted of the northern/eastern part; however, there were never any precise boundaries between the two.
The capital of the Sous was at
Igli.
There was also a
ribat at
Massa near the Atlantic coast.
Around 683,
Uqba ibn Nafi conquered the Sous region, but after his death in 688 his conquests in Morocco slipped out of Muslim control.
The Sous was reconquered around 20 years later by
Musa ibn Nusayr, who began the spread of Islam among the local population.
Bibliography
*Boogert, Nico van den. ''The Berber Literary Tradition of the Sous: with an edition and translation of 'The Ocean of Tears' by Muḥammad Awzal (d. 1749)'', Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten, 1997.
*Montagne, Robert. ''Les Berbères et le Makhzen dans le sud du Maroc; essai sur la transformation politique des Berbères sédentaires (groupe Chleuh)''. Rabat: Dar Al-Aman, 2013 .
UNESCO Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve
References
External links
{{coord, 30, 18, N, 9, 20, W, region:MA_dim:100000, display=title
Natural regions of Africa
Geography of Morocco