Doukkala
Doukkala ( Arabic دكالة, DMG Dukkāla , Berber: idukalen , ⵉⴷⵓⴽⴰⵍⴻⵏ) is a historical region in western Morocco ; today it belongs to the Casablanca-Settat region and essentially comprises the present-day provinces of El Jadida and Sidi Bennour .
location
The Doukkala region, which is flat in the northwest and hilly in the southeast, stretches from the Atlantic coast to the hinterland, which is around 250 m high on average. The historical region of Chaouia borders in the east, the region around Marrakech in the south and the Chiadma region with the coastal cities of Safi and Essaouira in the southwest . The highest point is the 687 m high Jbel Lakhdar (also Jbel Xhedar ) on the border with Rehamna province .
population
Most of the residents of the Doukkala region are of Berber descent; many immigrated here from the neighboring mountain regions of the Middle and High Atlas in the second half of the 20th century . Most of the time, however, Moroccan Arabic is spoken . The largest cities are El Jadida (also Mazagan ; approx. 200,000 inhabitants) and Sidi Bennour (approx. 60,000 inhabitants). While around 400,000 people lived in the Doukkala region at the end of the protectorate, today there are almost 3 million, most of whom are spread over 7 tribal groups:
- El Aounate
- El Haouzia
- Oulad Amar
- Oulad Amrane
- Oulad Bouaziz
- Oulad Bouzerrara
- Oulad Frej
Economy and history
The Doukkala region is traditionally agricultural, even if the rainfall - except in the months of November to February - is rather sparse. In the past, this favored cattle breeding, which was very beneficial to the nomadic Berbers. The Berbers of the Doukkala region revolted against the central power of the north for a long time until they were subjugated by the Almohad leader Abd al-Mu'min in 1160. The transition to sedentarism was driven by the forced settlement of the Banū Hilāl tribe operated by the Almohads in the second half of the 12th century; the Almohads also founded the fortress town of Tit at what is now Moulay Abdallah . In the period that followed, the Doukkala Berbers fought on the side of the central Moroccan powers repeatedly against the Portuguese resident in El Jadida . Since the end of the 20th century, tourism has played an important role in the former Portuguese port town of El Jadida and in the formerly small fishing village of Oualidia . In between is the modern phosphate and chemical port of Jorf Lasfar .
Others
Two important historical city gates in the cities of Marrakech and Essaouira are named Bab Doukkala .
literature
- Édouard Michaux-Bellaire: Région des Doukkala. 2 vols., H. Champion, Paris 1932
- Michel Amengual: El Jadida. Capitale des Doukkala. Premium 2011
- Michel Amengual (ed.): Voyages en Doukkala. De l'Antiquité à l'indépendance 2013, ISBN 978-9981-25-857-0
Web links
- El Jadida - Photos + Info (French)
- Tit / Moulay Abdallah - photos + information (French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Population statistics Morocco ( Memento from March 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Sidi Bennour climate tables