Everything about Sijilmasa totally explained
Sijilmasa (or
Sijilmassa) was a
mediaeval trade centre in the western
Maghreb.
Overview
Sijilmasa was an
oasis town southeast of
Fez on the northern edge of the
Sahara, astride the
Ziz River. It was established by Kharijite
Sufris in
757. Up until the 11th century, it was, as the terminus for the western
Trans-Sahara trade route, one of the most important trade centres in the
Maghreb. Sijilmasa became very wealthy through trade with ancient
Ghana, above all through the exchange of luxury items from the
Mediterranean for gold.
On account of its wealth, the city was able to assert its independence under the
Miknasa tribe as a
Kharijite Emirate ruled by the
Midrarid dynasty, freeing itself from the
Abbasid Caliphate as early as
771. In alliance with the
Caliphate of Córdoba it was also able to remain apart from the
Fatimids of
Ifriqiya in the 10th century. However, when the Miknasa allied themselves with the Fatimids, they were dislodged by the
Berber Maghrawa tribe, who were allied with the
Umayyads of Córdoba.
Under the Maghrawa the city retained its role as a trade centre, but came increasingly into conflict with the
Sanhaja, a
nomad tribe of the Sahara. In
1054,
Ibn Yasin allied the
Almoravids with the Sanhaja and captured Sijilmasa in
1054, imposing his rigorous interpretation of
Islam. A revolt quickly followed (
1055), in the course of which the Almoravids were defeated and their leader
Yahya ibn Umar killed. His successor
Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar put down the rebellion in
1056 and laid waste to Sijilmasa, which never recovered its status a centre of trade.
Although it was destroyed again in
1363, it was rebuilt under the orders of
Sultan Moulay Ismail in the
18th century. It was conquered and destroyed - once again - by the nomadic tribes of
Ait Atta in
1818. Today, the ruins of Sijilmassa, laying a couple of km north of the town of
Rissani, are recognized by the
World Monuments Fund as an endangered site, and preserved by the Moroccan Ministry of
Culture.
Note
Bibliography
- Sijilmassa: The Rise and Fall of a Walled Oasis in Medieval Morocco, Annals of the Association of American Geographers 86 (1), 78–101., by Dale R. Lightfoot, Department of Geography, Oklahoma State University, and James A. Miller, Department of History and Geography, Clemson University
Further Information
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