Mas'uda al-Wizkitiya (; died 1591), known popularly in Morocco as Lala 'Auda () and in Western sources as Lalla Masuda, was a Moroccan political figure in the

Saadi Dynasty The Saadi Sultanate (also rendered in English as Sa'di, Sa'did, Sa'dian, or Saadian; ar, السعديون, translit=as-saʿdiyyūn) was a state which ruled present-day Morocco and parts of West Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was l ...

. She is remembered for her humanitarian, charity, political, and development work. She was the wife of the Saadian Sultan

Mohammed al-Shaykh ''Mawlay'' Mohammed al-Shaykh al-Sharif al-Hassani ( ar, محمد الشيخ الشريف الحسني) known as Mohammed al-Shaykh ( ar, محمد الشيخ) (b. 1490 – d. 23 October 1557) was the first sultan of the Saadian dynasty of Morocc ...

and mother of their son Sultan

Ahmad al-Mansur Ahmad al-Mansur ( ar, أبو العباس أحمد المنصور, Ahmad Abu al-Abbas al-Mansur, also al-Mansur al-Dahabbi (the Golden), ar, أحمد المنصور الذهبي; and Ahmed al-Mansour; 1549 in Fes – 25 August 1603, Fes) was t ...

. Lalla Masuda was the daughter of the prince of the qasba of Warzazat, Sheikh Abu al-'Abaas Ahmed bin Abdellah al-Wizkiti al-Warzazi, who had a hand in establishing Saadian control over the Sous- Dra'a region. She is considered a ''waliya'', or saint.

Name

Mas'uda al-Wizkitiya is popularly remembered as ''Lala 'Auda'' (), meaning the Lady of Return, as she would often travel through remote areas in the countryside bringing auspice and fortune. She has also been called ''as-Sayida al-Hurra'' ('', the Free Lady'') and the Phoenix of the Sahara ().

Biography

She established mosques and

Quranic schools Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

, including the

Bab Doukkala Mosque The Bab Doukkala Mosque (or Mosque of Bab Doukkala) is a major neighbourhood mosque (a Friday mosque) in Marrakesh, Morocco, dating from the 16th century. It is named after the nearby city gate, Bab Doukkala, in the western city walls. It is als ...

. The Lala 'Auda Mosque in

Meknes Meknes ( ar, مكناس, maknās, ; ber, ⴰⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ, amknas; french: Meknès) 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 c ...

, also carries her name, as does the adjacent Lalla 'Auda Square. She also set out to improve roads within the kingdom, particularly in rural areas to connect them with urban centers to give them access to essential services, such as healthcare and education. She is credited with building the bridge over the Um ar-Rabii'a River. She also provided administrative counsel to her son

. She recommended, for example, that he seek help from the Ottoman sultan,

Selim I Selim I ( ota, سليم الأول; tr, I. Selim; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute ( tr, links=no, Yavuz Sultan Selim), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite las ...

. She supported impoverished communities in rural areas through economic assistance and support for small businesses. She also facilitated the marriage of young people to strengthen those communities. She helped these young people exercise the right to marriage and family life by helping them secure

dowries A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...

, marriage costs, and other financial burdens preventing them from getting married. She had a noted propensity for documentation, meticulously documenting her activities and charitable donations. The Lalla Masuda Qubba is the oldest part of the

Saadian Tombs The Saadian Tombs (, , ) are a historic royal necropolis in Marrakesh, Morocco, located on the south side of the Kasbah Mosque, inside the royal kasbah (citadel) district of the city. They date to the time of the Saadian dynasty and in particul ...

in Marrakesh. The Marrakshi historian Al-Abbas bin Ibrahim as-Samlali recorded in his encyclopedia '' Information About the Notables of Marrakesh and Aghmat'':

References

{{Portal bar, Biography, Feminism, Morocco Advisors Saadi dynasty Philanthropists 16th-century Moroccan people 16th-century Moroccan women Spouses of sultans