Tafilalt
Encyclopedia
Tafilalt or Tafilet is a region and the most important oasis
of the Moroccan
Sahara
; it is also considered one of the largest oases in the world, the oasis is entirely located along the Ziz River
. The oasis is ten days' journey south of Fez, across the Atlas Mountains
. It is celebrated for its large and luscious date
s, to the successful cultivation of which, soon after the arrival of an ancestor (Al Hassan Addakhil
) of the reigning dynasty of Morocco (the Alaouite Dynasty
) around 1250, this dynasty owes its rise to power.
Since 1648 it has been the custom of Moroccan sultan
s to despatch superfluous sons and daughters to Tafilalt. The inhabitants occupy fortified villages (Ksar
). In Ifli, the central portion, formerly existed the town of Sijilmasa
, founded by Miknasa
Berbers
in 757. It was on the direct caravan route from the Niger
to Tangier
, and attained a considerable degree of prosperity. It was destroyed, but its ruins still extend five miles along the river bank.
The name Tafilalt is a Berber name meaning "the Country of the Hilali", as its inhabitants are called, because they were descended from the Arabian tribe of Banu Hilal
, who settled here .
Medieval traveler Ibn Batuta visited Sijilmasa (near Tafilalt) in the fourteenth century on his journey from Fez to "the country of the blacks".
The first European to visit Tafilalt in the modern era was René Caillié (1828), the next Gerhard Rohlfs
(1864). A later visit to the oasis by WB Harris is described in his book Tafilet (London, 1895).
""The oasis is ten days' (historic, by animal) or one day's (modern, by motor vehicle) journey south of Fez, across the Atlas.""
It is the birthplace of Baba Sali
.
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
of the Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
; it is also considered one of the largest oases in the world, the oasis is entirely located along the Ziz River
Ziz River
The Ziz River is a river in the south of Morocco and Algeria. It has its source in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco and flows into the Sahara Desert in Algeria...
. The oasis is ten days' journey south of Fez, across the Atlas Mountains
Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains is a mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The highest peak is Toubkal, with an elevation of in southwestern Morocco. The Atlas ranges separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert...
. It is celebrated for its large and luscious date
Date Palm
The date palm is a palm in the genus Phoenix, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around the Persian Gulf. It is a medium-sized plant, 15–25 m tall, growing singly or forming a clump with...
s, to the successful cultivation of which, soon after the arrival of an ancestor (Al Hassan Addakhil
Al Hassan Addakhil
l-Hesn d-Dakhl was a direct ancestor to Mulay ʻLi Shrif, founder of the Alaouite Dynasty, which is the current Moroccan royal family. He was taken to Morocco from the town of Yanbu in the Hejaz at the end of the 13th century by the inhabitants of Tafilalt to be their Imām...
) of the reigning dynasty of Morocco (the Alaouite Dynasty
Alaouite Dynasty
The Alaouite Dynasty is the name of the current Moroccan royal family. The name Alaouite comes from the ‘Alī of its founder Moulay Ali Cherif who became Prince of Tafilalt in 1631. His son Mulay r-Rshid was able to unite and pacify the country...
) around 1250, this dynasty owes its rise to power.
Since 1648 it has been the custom of Moroccan sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
s to despatch superfluous sons and daughters to Tafilalt. The inhabitants occupy fortified villages (Ksar
Ksar
Ksar is the Arabic term for "castle", loaned from Latin castrum.The Berber equivalent is aghrem or ighrman ....
). In Ifli, the central portion, formerly existed the town of Sijilmasa
Sijilmasa
Sijilmasa was a medieval trade entrepôt at the northern edge of the Sahara Desert in Morocco. The ruins of the town lie along the River Ziz in the Tafilalt oasis near the town of Rissani...
, founded by Miknasa
Miknasa
The Miknasa were a Berber tribe in Morocco and western Algeria.The Miknasa Berbers originated in southern Tunisia, but migrated westwards into central Morocco and western Algeria in pre-Islamic times. The modern Moroccan city of Meknes bears witness to their presence.After defeat by the Muslims...
Berbers
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
in 757. It was on the direct caravan route from the Niger
Niger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
to Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
, and attained a considerable degree of prosperity. It was destroyed, but its ruins still extend five miles along the river bank.
The name Tafilalt is a Berber name meaning "the Country of the Hilali", as its inhabitants are called, because they were descended from the Arabian tribe of Banu Hilal
Banu Hilal
The Banu Hilal were a confederation of Arabian Bedouin tribes that migrated from Upper Egypt into North Africa in the 11th century, having been sent by the Fatimids to punish the Zirids for abandoning Shiism. Other authors suggest that the tribes left the grasslands on the upper Nile because of...
, who settled here .
Medieval traveler Ibn Batuta visited Sijilmasa (near Tafilalt) in the fourteenth century on his journey from Fez to "the country of the blacks".
The first European to visit Tafilalt in the modern era was René Caillié (1828), the next Gerhard Rohlfs
Gerhard Rohlfs
Gerhard Rohlfs was a German linguist. He taught Romance languages and literature at the universities of Tübingen and Munich in Germany. He was described as an "archeologist of words"....
(1864). A later visit to the oasis by WB Harris is described in his book Tafilet (London, 1895).
""The oasis is ten days' (historic, by animal) or one day's (modern, by motor vehicle) journey south of Fez, across the Atlas.""
It is the birthplace of Baba Sali
Baba Sali
After this incident, the Jewish population of Tafilalt fled to the nearby city of Arfoud, and then to the city of Boudnib. In Bodniv, Rabbi Yisrael was asked to succeed his brother as rav, but he refused. He wanted to travel to Palestine to print his brother's sefarim...
.