The Sharifs of Marocco (1511 - Today)

Of Sharifian origin, the Saadis were able, between the beginning of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to reinforce the Moroccan resistance and its attempts to liberate the coastal towns which were occupied by the Spanish and the Portuguese. They were able to found a State and preserve Moroccan independence.

The founder of this dynasty, al Qaïm Bi Amri-allah, was chosen c. 1511, in the region of Agadir (the Souss) to struggle against the Portuguese. His son and successor, Ahmed El Arej, was able to subject Marrakech in 1521 and liberate Agadir, Safi and Azemour which were evacuated by the Portuguese c. 1541. Under the reign of the Sultan Mohammad e-Cheikh, the Saadis were able to take Fes in 1549 and eliminate the Ottassid power. Aside from the Christian threat, Morocco was threatened by Turkish military intervention, above all after the subjection of Tlemcen by the Saadis in 1550.

Foreign policy of the son of Mohammad e-Cheikh, the sultan Abdallah el Ghalib (r. 1557-1574) was marked by the struggle against the Ottomans and the alliance with several Christian countries (Spain, France and England). The Turks were forced to evacuate certain Moroccan regions to the East. Nevertheless, the Spanish occupied Tetuan in 1565.

Exiled to Algiers, the brother of Abdallah, Abd al Malik and Ahmad obtained help from the Turkish sultan Murad II to overthrow the Saadi sultan Mohammad al Motaoukil, who acceded to the throne after the death of his father in 1574. Abd al Malik, assisted by Ahmad, was able to dethrone al Motaouakil who asked the Portuguese king, Dom Sebastian to support him in exchange for giving Portugal the regions of the Moroccan coast. It was against this backdrop that on 4 August 1578, near Oued el Makhazin, the famous “battle of the three kings” took place. It finished by a large Moroccan victory and the defeat of the Portuguese army. On the same day Abd al Malik died, while al Moutaoukil and the king Dom Sebastian were killed. This victory saved Moroccan independence and gave Ahmad, the new sultan, the nickname of al-Mansour “the Victorious”. Furthermore, Morocco was highly considered by several nations (Ottoman Empire, Spain, England, France etc.).

The sultan Ahmad al Mansour (r. 1578-1603) reinforced the army structures and bestowed upon it a solid guard. His court and administration were reorganised. In addition, he maintained relationships of alliance and counter-alliance against the Ottoman Empire, England and Spain. He organised a military expedition which seized the salt mines of Taghaza and Taoudeni in 1590 and was able to subject Sudan.

The increase in State financial resources gave Ahmad al Mansour, the nickname of al Dahbi “the Golden one”. These considerable resources were based on taxes, sugar exploitations, the loot of the “war of the three kings” and the soar in Moroccan trade, above all after the conquest of Sudan. Under the reign of al Mansour, the fortifications of Taza, Fes and Marrakech were reinforced. New sugar cane presses were built in the regions of Marrakech. But the most magnificent monument built by this sultan was the palace of Qasr al-Badi' in Marrakech.

After the death of Ahmad al Mansour, the fratricidal war between his sons complicated the situation in Morocco, before dealing a fatal blow to their power.

The Alouite dynasty

The Alaouites were also of Sharifian origin. They are descendants of Ali and Fatima, daughter of the prophet. To build Moroccan unity and put an end to anarchy, the inhabitants of Sijilmassa and its regions gave allegiance to Moulay Cherif in 1631. His sons Moulay Mohammad and Moulay Rachid played an important role in the reunification of Morocco.

In fact, during the first half of the seventeenth century Morocco was divided into several autonomous and rival principalities. The founders of these principalities were either chiefs of the Zawiyas, which was the case of the Zawiya of Dila (middle Atlas) and that of Illigh (Souss), or military chiefs such as al Mojahid al Ayachi (North-West). In addition, Sale was under the authority of the Moriscos and Tetuan under the Naksis.

After the allegiance of 1631, the Alaouites were able to form a starting base in the region of Tafilalt before achieving the reunification of Morocco in the second half of the seventeenth century. Between 1636 and 1664, Moulay Mohammad was able to take the town of Touat and its Saharan region. He was also able to control a large part of the region of Malouiya. His successor the sultan Moulay Rachid was able to submit the fortress of Tabouassamt (Tafilalt), Taza and its region and Fes in 1666. Then he took the Zawiya of Dila in 1668, of Marrakech in 1669 and Illigh in 1670. The reign of his successor, Moulay Ismail (r. 1672-1727) was marked by the consolidation and reunification of the Moroccan State and its administrative and military structures.

Moulay Ismail also took on the project of liberating the coastal towns, occupied by the Europeans. He took Larache and the Mamora - al Mahdiya from the Spanish – (1680/1681), and then took Tangier which was evacuated by the English in 1688. After his death, the history of Morocco was marked between 1727 and 1757 by a period of trouble linked to economic, social and political problems. The causes of these problems were then intervention of the army of the Abid al Boukhari in the designation of the sultans and the large pushes of several mountain tribes towards agricultural land.

The period of reign of the sultan Sidi Mohammad Ibn Abdallah (r. 1757-1790), was marked by the reform of State structures and its reorganisation. The sultan changed the unstable situation of Morocco and was able to re-establish order.

On the military front, he replaced the former army of the Abids and Oudayas by a new army made up of local tribes (Beni Hassan, Aït Atta…). After the bombing of Larache and Sale in 1765 by the French navy, the sultan reorganised the Moroccan fleet. Thanks to these military reforms, the town of Elbrija (El Jadida) was taken back from the Portuguese in 1769.

On the economic front, the financial resources of the State were reorganised and became more and more independent from agricultural taxes due to customs rights and the development of a maritime trade. To encourage exchanges with the outside world, the Sultan signed treaties with Denmark in 1757, Sweden in 1763, France in 1767 and Portugal in 1773.

In addition, Sidi Mohammad Ibn Abdallah was one of the most powerful Moroccan builders. Under his reign, several monuments (mosques, medrasas, kasabahs and ports…) were built or restored. The founding of the town of Essaouira was his greatest architectural achievement. It was built in 1764.

On a panel in stone, above the entrance of the south-eastern gate of the kasabah of Essaouira, the following text was written in cursive characters:

"??? ???? ??????? ???????? ?? ????? ? ??? ?????? ? ??? ???? ??? ????? ???? ? ??? ??? ? ???? ? ??? ??????..."

"...??? ??? ????? ???? ?????                                ?? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ???..."

".....? ?????  ??????   ??????                                  ????? ??? ???? ?? ????..."

"??? ????? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???????? ??? ?????? ???? ???????? ?????? ?????? ???? ????                    

?? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ???? ???? ? ?????? ???? ??? 1178"

According to the inscription, “[…] this happy tighr was founded on the orders of our lord Commander of the Faithful […] Sidi Mohammad […] in 1178”, the main reason why Essaouira was founded was to protect the region against foreign threat. In fact, the term tighr “??? ”was used by Muslims to designate fortified towns, capable of fending off external attacks. In addition, one of the motives for its foundation was to control trade with the outside world. For these reasons, the sultan Sidi Mohammad Ibn Abdallah had the ramparts of Essaouira built, as well as the fortifications of its sqalas, its port, and its commercial and administrative quarters.

The nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century were marked most often by internal divisions and by Moroccan resistance against the pressure of certain colonial countries. Under French military pressure, the protectorate of France over Morocco was imposed in 1912. The Spanish took advantage of this political and military situation and were progressively able to occupy certain parts of the Rif. Thus, between 1912 and 1934, the country was the stage for struggles which opposed Moroccan resistance to the French and Spanish armies. But thanks to the revolt of the legitimate sovereign Mohammad V and the Moroccan people, Morocco gained its independence in 1956.

Under the reign of Hassan II (r. 1961-1999), the Moroccan Sahara was regained and many monuments were built. Among the most beautiful architectural achievements of this period are the great mosque of Hassan II in Casablanca and the Mausoleum of Mohammad V in Rabat. After the death of Hassan II in 1999, his son Mohammad VI acceded to the throne according to Moroccan traditions relating to allegiance.

N. M.