Aghmat
Encyclopedia
Aghmāt was an important medieval Berber
town in southern Morocco
which is today an archaeological site known as "Joumâa Aghmat". It is situated approximately 30 km east of Marrakech
on the Ourika
road. The initial "A" of the name may be unvocalized, and the name may sometimes be spelled "Ghmat" or even "Rhmate" (as it appears in the Michelin Guide
).
by the Muslim
conqueror of North Africa
Uqba ibn Nafi
in 683. However, this story first surfaces almost 700 years after that date, and many historians give it no credibility. It is directly contradicted by one of the earliest Persian historians, al-Baladhuri
. who states that Musa bin Nusair
conquered the Sous
and erected the mosque at Aghmāt.
in 828, Morocco was divided among his sons. Aghmāt became capital of the Sous region
under the Idrisid
prince Abd Allah.
When the Almoravids invaded from the Sahara Desert under Abd Allah ibn Yasin
, Aghmāt was defended by Laqūt, leader of the Maghrawa
tribe. Laqūt was defeated and the Almoravid army entered the city on 23 Rabi II
450 (27 June 1058). One of the wealthiest of Aghmāt's citizens was Laqūt's widow, Zaynab an-Nafzawiyyat
, who married the Almoravid leader Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar
and placed her considerable wealth at his disposal. After Abu-Bakr
returned to the Sahara Desert in 1071, Zaynab married his successor Yusuf ibn Tashfin
.
By 1068/1069, the population of the city had grown considerably, and Abu-Bakr
decided to construct a new capital. He founded Marrakech
in 1070, after which Aghmāt declined. The Almoravids continued to use it as a convenient backwater in which to exile people. These included Al Mutamid
, former king of Seville and Córdoba and noted poet. His tomb remains a place of pilgrimage to this day. Aghmat was also the place of exile where Abdallah ibn Buluggin
, the former king of Granada
, wrote his memoirs.
In the years 1126, 1127 and again in 1130, the city saw a number of battles between the Almoravid sultan Ali ibn Yusuf
and the Almohad army led by Ibn Tumart
and Abd al-Mu'min
. Following a general rout of Almoravid forces throughout Morocco and Algeria, Abd al-Mu'min
entered Aghmāt without a fight on the middle day of Muharram
541 (27 June 1146).
Beaumier, writing in 1860, stated the town still had a population of 5500, of whom 1000 were Jews.
, writing in the 11th century on the eve of the Almoravid rise to power, described Aghmāt as a flourishing city where 100 cattle and 1000 sheep were slaughtered for sale in the Sunday souk
(market). The inhabitants elected their own leader. Strictly speaking there were two Aghmāts: the commercial and political center was known as "Aghmāt Wurīka", and 8 miles distant from that was "Aghmāt Aylan" which was closed to outsiders.. The town was served by the seaport of Qūz
on the Atlantic coast
three days journey west.
, a group of Moroccan nationalists associated with the Istiqlal
party held a demonstration at the tomb of Al-Mutamid
. This was brutally suppressed by police acting under orders from Boujane, the caïd
of the local Mesfioua tribe. Subsequent actions became one of the major irritants between Boujane's superior, the powerful Pasha
of Marrakech T'hami El Glaoui
, and the King of Morocco Mohammed V
, which eventually led to the king's brief overthrow.
The archaeological ruins visible today consist of part of the city walls, hammam
, parts of some houses and qanat
s (irrigation canals), and some hundred metres or so of the city ramparts.
The tomb of Al-Mutamid
is marked by a modern mausoleum erected in 1970 with a cupola
in the Almoravid style.
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...
town in southern Morocco
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...
which is today an archaeological site known as "Joumâa Aghmat". It is situated approximately 30 km east of Marrakech
Marrakech
Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
on the Ourika
Ourika River
Ourika River is a river in Morocco, at . It rises in the High Atlas and flows through the Ourika Valley, 30 km from Marrakech.-Natural history:...
road. The initial "A" of the name may be unvocalized, and the name may sometimes be spelled "Ghmat" or even "Rhmate" (as it appears in the Michelin Guide
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
).
by the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
conqueror of North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
Uqba ibn Nafi
Uqba ibn Nafi
Uqba ibn Nafi was an Arab hero and general who was serving the Umayyad dynasty, in Amir Muavia and Yazid periods, who began the Islamic conquest of the Maghreb, including present-day Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco in North Africa. He was the nephew of 'Amr ibn al-'As. Uqba is often surnamed...
in 683. However, this story first surfaces almost 700 years after that date, and many historians give it no credibility. It is directly contradicted by one of the earliest Persian historians, al-Baladhuri
Ahmad Ibn Yahya al-Baladhuri
Ahmad Ibn Yahya al-Baladhuri Arabic was a 9th century Persian historian. One of the eminent middle-eastern historians of his age , he spent most of his life in Baghdad and enjoyed great influence at the court of the caliph al-Mutawakkil. He traveled in Syria and Iraq, compiling information for his...
. who states that Musa bin Nusair
Musa bin Nusair
Musa bin Nusayr al-Balawi was a balawi who served as a governor and general under the Umayad caliph Al-Walid I. He had ruled over the Muslim provinces of North Africa , and directed the islamic opening of the Visigothic kingdom in Hispania....
conquered the Sous
Sous
The Sous or Souss is a region in southern Morocco. Geologically, it is the alluvial basin of the Oued Sous , separated from the Sahara by the Anti-Atlas Mountains...
and erected the mosque at Aghmāt.
Early history
After the death of Idris IIIdris II
Idris II was son of Idris I, the founder of the Idrisid dynasty in North Africa. He was born in Volubilis two months after the death of his father.-History:...
in 828, Morocco was divided among his sons. Aghmāt became capital of the Sous region
Sous
The Sous or Souss is a region in southern Morocco. Geologically, it is the alluvial basin of the Oued Sous , separated from the Sahara by the Anti-Atlas Mountains...
under the Idrisid
Idrisid
The Idrisids were a Zaydi-Shia dynasty of Arab origins in Morocco, ruling from 788 to 985, named after its first leader, Idriss I.-History:...
prince Abd Allah.
When the Almoravids invaded from the Sahara Desert under Abd Allah ibn Yasin
Ibn Yasin
Abdallah Ibn Yasin was a theologian and founder of the Almoravid movement and dynasty.Abdallah ibn Yasin was from the tribe of the Jazulah , a Sanhaja sub-tribe from the Sous...
, Aghmāt was defended by Laqūt, leader of the Maghrawa
Maghrawa
The Maghrawa or Meghrawa were a Berber tribe in Morocco and central and western Algeria.-History:The Meghrawa, a tribe of Zanata Berbers, were one of the first Berber tribes to submit to Islam in the 7th century. They supported Uqba ibn Nafi in his campaign to the Atlantic in 683...
tribe. Laqūt was defeated and the Almoravid army entered the city on 23 Rabi II
Rabi' al-thani
Rabī’ al-Thānī is the fourth month in the Islamic Calendar. It is also known as Rabī` al-Ākhir .-Timing:The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year,...
450 (27 June 1058). One of the wealthiest of Aghmāt's citizens was Laqūt's widow, Zaynab an-Nafzawiyyat
Zaynab an-Nafzawiyyat
Zaynab an-Nafzāwiyyat , a Berber woman of influence in the early Almoravid movement which gained control of Morocco, Algeria and parts of Spain....
, who married the Almoravid leader Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar
Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar
Abu Bakr ibn Umar ibn Ibrahim ibn Turgut, sometimes suffixed al-Sanhaji or al-Lamtuni was a chieftan of the Lamtuna Berbers of the western Sahara, and commander of the Almoravids from 1056 until his death....
and placed her considerable wealth at his disposal. After Abu-Bakr
Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar
Abu Bakr ibn Umar ibn Ibrahim ibn Turgut, sometimes suffixed al-Sanhaji or al-Lamtuni was a chieftan of the Lamtuna Berbers of the western Sahara, and commander of the Almoravids from 1056 until his death....
returned to the Sahara Desert in 1071, Zaynab married his successor Yusuf ibn Tashfin
Yusuf ibn Tashfin
Yusef ibn Tashfin also, Tashafin, or Teshufin; or Yusuf; was a king of the Almoravid empire, he founded the city of Marrakech and led the Muslim forces in the Battle of Zallaqa....
.
By 1068/1069, the population of the city had grown considerably, and Abu-Bakr
Abu-Bakr Ibn-Umar
Abu Bakr ibn Umar ibn Ibrahim ibn Turgut, sometimes suffixed al-Sanhaji or al-Lamtuni was a chieftan of the Lamtuna Berbers of the western Sahara, and commander of the Almoravids from 1056 until his death....
decided to construct a new capital. He founded Marrakech
Marrakech
Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
in 1070, after which Aghmāt declined. The Almoravids continued to use it as a convenient backwater in which to exile people. These included Al Mutamid
Muhammad Ibn Abbad Al Mutamid
Muhammad Ibn Abbad Al Mutamid was the third and last ruler of the taifa of Seville in Al-Andalus. He was a member of the Abbadid dynasty....
, former king of Seville and Córdoba and noted poet. His tomb remains a place of pilgrimage to this day. Aghmat was also the place of exile where Abdallah ibn Buluggin
Abdallah ibn Buluggin
Abdallah ibn Buluggin , also known as Al-Muzaffar, the conqueror, is the grand-son of Badis ibn Habus. He is the last, Zirid, ruler of the Taifa of Granada . The Zirids were of Moroccan, Berber descent....
, the former king of Granada
Taifa of Granada
The Taifa of Granada was a Moorish kingdom in Al-Andalus, within the present day Granada Province in southern Spain...
, wrote his memoirs.
In the years 1126, 1127 and again in 1130, the city saw a number of battles between the Almoravid sultan Ali ibn Yusuf
Ali ibn Yusuf
Ali ibn Yusuf was the 5th Almoravid king he reigned 1106–1143.-Biography:Ali was recognized as the heir of his father Yusuf ibn Tashfin in 1102. He succeeded his father upon his death in 1106. Ali ruled from Morocco and appointed his brother Tamin ibn Yusuf as governor of Al-Andalus...
and the Almohad army led by Ibn Tumart
Ibn Tumart
Abu Abd Allah Muhammad Ibn Tumart was a Berber religious Muslim scholar, teacher and later a political leader from the Masmuda tribe federation. He founded the Berber Almohad dynasty. He is also known as El-Mahdi in reference to his prophesied redeeming...
and Abd al-Mu'min
Abd al-Mu'min
Abd al-Mu'min also known as Abdelmoumen El Goumi was a Zenata Berber prominent member of the Almohad movement. He became the first Caliph of the Almohad Empire .- Early life :...
. Following a general rout of Almoravid forces throughout Morocco and Algeria, Abd al-Mu'min
Abd al-Mu'min
Abd al-Mu'min also known as Abdelmoumen El Goumi was a Zenata Berber prominent member of the Almohad movement. He became the first Caliph of the Almohad Empire .- Early life :...
entered Aghmāt without a fight on the middle day of Muharram
Muharram
Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year in which fighting is prohibited...
541 (27 June 1146).
Beaumier, writing in 1860, stated the town still had a population of 5500, of whom 1000 were Jews.
Earlier economy
Al BakriAbu Abdullah al-Bakri
', or simply Al-Bakri was an Andalusian-Arab geographer and historian.-Life:Al-Bakri was born in Huelva, the son of the sovereign of the short lived principality of Huelva. When his father was deposed by al-Mu'tadid he moved to Córdoba where he studied with the geographer al-Udri and the...
, writing in the 11th century on the eve of the Almoravid rise to power, described Aghmāt as a flourishing city where 100 cattle and 1000 sheep were slaughtered for sale in the Sunday souk
Souk
A souq is a commercial quarter in an Arab, Berber, and increasingly European city. The term is often used to designate the market in any Arabized or Muslim city, but in modern times it appears in Western cities too...
(market). The inhabitants elected their own leader. Strictly speaking there were two Aghmāts: the commercial and political center was known as "Aghmāt Wurīka", and 8 miles distant from that was "Aghmāt Aylan" which was closed to outsiders.. The town was served by the seaport of Qūz
Souira Guedima
Souira Guedima, formerly known as Aguz, is a Moroccan town 36 km south of Safi, at the mouth of the Tensift River on the Atlantic seacoast. Guedima may also be spelt Kadima, Kdima, Qadima , or Qdima...
on the Atlantic coast
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
three days journey west.
Modern history
On 18 November 1950, during the French occupation of MoroccoFrench Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
, a group of Moroccan nationalists associated with the Istiqlal
Istiqlal
-Political parties:*Istiqlal Party, the Hizb al-istiqlāl or Independence Party, political party in Morocco*Hizb al-Istiqlal, or Independence Party , Arab political party under the British Mandate of Palestine...
party held a demonstration at the tomb of Al-Mutamid
Muhammad Ibn Abbad Al Mutamid
Muhammad Ibn Abbad Al Mutamid was the third and last ruler of the taifa of Seville in Al-Andalus. He was a member of the Abbadid dynasty....
. This was brutally suppressed by police acting under orders from Boujane, the caïd
CAID
Caid may refer to:* Caid , a type of governorship found in North Africa and Moorish Spain* Caid , a form of football popular in Ireland until the mid-19th century...
of the local Mesfioua tribe. Subsequent actions became one of the major irritants between Boujane's superior, the powerful Pasha
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
of Marrakech T'hami El Glaoui
T'hami El Glaoui
El Haj T'hami el Mezouari el Glaoui , better known in English-speaking countries as T'hami El Glaoui or Lord of the Atlas, was a Berber Pasha of Marrakech from 1912 to 1956...
, and the King of Morocco Mohammed V
Mohammed V of Morocco
Mohammed V was Sultan of Morocco from 1927–53, exiled from 1953–55, where he was again recognized as Sultan upon his return, and King from 1957 to 1961. His full name was Sidi Mohammed ben Yusef, or Son of Yusef, upon whose death he succeeded to the throne...
, which eventually led to the king's brief overthrow.
The archaeological ruins visible today consist of part of the city walls, hammam
Hammam
A Turkish bath is the Turkish variant of a steam bath, sauna or Russian Bath, distinguished by a focus on water, as distinct from ambient steam....
, parts of some houses and qanat
Qanat
A qanāt is a water management system used to provide a reliable supply of water for human settlements and irrigation in hot, arid and semi-arid climates...
s (irrigation canals), and some hundred metres or so of the city ramparts.
The tomb of Al-Mutamid
Muhammad Ibn Abbad Al Mutamid
Muhammad Ibn Abbad Al Mutamid was the third and last ruler of the taifa of Seville in Al-Andalus. He was a member of the Abbadid dynasty....
is marked by a modern mausoleum erected in 1970 with a cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
in the Almoravid style.