Moulay Abdallah
| Moulay Abdallah مولاي عبد الله ⵜⵉⵟ |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||
| Basic data | |||||
| State : |
 Morocco
|
||||
| Region : | Casablanca Settat | ||||
| Province : | El Jadida | ||||
| Coordinates | 33 ° 12 ′ N , 8 ° 35 ′ W | ||||
| Residents : | 12,456 (2014) | ||||
| Height : | 15 m | ||||
Moulay Abdallah or Moulay Abdallah Amghar ( Arabic مولاي عبد الله; old name: Zentralatlas-Tamazight ⵜⵉⵟ Titṭ ) is a historical place with around 4,000 and the capital of a rural community ( commune rurale ) with around 15,000 inhabitants in the Doukkala region near the city of El Jadida on the Moroccan Atlantic coast .
location
Moulay Abdallah is about 12 km (driving distance) southwest of the city of El Jadida . The place itself has a height of about 15 m ; the municipality reaches heights of approx. 100 m . The phosphate port of Jorf Lasfar, which opened in 1982, is a further 7 km to the southwest. The climate is influenced to a large extent by the Atlantic and is rather moderate by Moroccan standards.
population
| year | 1994 | 2004 | 2014 |
| Residents | k. A. | 6,482 | 12,456 |
Most of the town's inhabitants are of Berber descent and only immigrated in the second half of the 20th century. However, Moroccan Arabic is spoken predominantly .
economy
In earlier times, the inhabitants of the place lived from fishing and the meager yields from the fields or from cattle breeding in the hinterland. The nearby phosphate port and the industrial facilities of Jorf Lasfar offer jobs.
history
According to tradition, Abdallah Amghar , the scion of an Arab family, came to Morocco around the middle of the 11th century and settled in the tribal area of the Sanhaja Berbers in the Doukkala region. He worked as a Koran scholar and Sufi and was revered as a "holy man". About 100 years later, the Doukkala region was conquered by the Almohads , who made Tit (Berber for "eyes" or "source") a fortified monastery ( ribat ), which only existed for a few decades. In the following years, Berbers settled in the walls - they were expelled in 1520 by the Ouattasid Sultan Abu Abdallah Muhammad II. Al-Burtuqali (r. 1504–1526) because of (alleged) collaboration with the Portuguese and most of the city walls were also removed torn down.
Attractions
- In the center of the village there are two minarets , the smaller of which some researchers believe sometimes dates back to the 11th century. H. the time of Abdallah Amghar or shortly thereafter - that would make it the oldest minaret in Morocco. The other shows clearly more developed forms (including lambrequin arches and diamond motifs ending at the same height) and has a lantern top with a dome at the end.
- Remains of the stone - and not, as is otherwise common in Morocco, rammed earth - walled city wall with a gate to the sea side are still visible today.
Festivals
Once a year, the place is the center of one of the most important multi-day pilgrimage festivals ( moussems ) in Morocco with markets, acrobats , snake charmers , equestrian games ( fantasias ) and around 200,000 visitors. During the protectorate period (1912–1956) the moussem assumed more and more a national character and was viewed with suspicion by the French colonial rulers.
literature
- Arnold Betten: Morocco. Antiquity, Berber Cultures and Islam - History, Art and Culture in the Maghreb. DuMont, Ostfildern 2012, ISBN 978-3-7701-3935-4 , p. 328
- Jean-Pierre Van Staëvel, Abdallah Fili and others: Nouvelles recherches archéologiques sur le ribāt de Tīt (Moulay Abdallah Amghar, Province d'El Jadida, Maroc). Hespéris (Rabat) 2018.
Web links
- Le Ribât de Tît - Photos + information (French)
- Moulay Abdallah - Photos + Info (French)
- Ribat de Tît - Photos + information (French)