ALMAGHRIBIA — broadcast
20260920 100000 UTC
425 transcript segments
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[00:00:01] What is
[00:00:02] is considered one So there are many in this the appearance of the state, and that is the existence of
[00:00:06] that are considered a reference in emirates, meaning the existence of what fragmentation.
[00:00:09] Almoravid architecture. In This entire area was divided
[00:00:13] among
[00:00:14] the Almoravids' contribution to different emirates. This political fragmentation was exploited by these powers,
[00:00:18] and this is what explains that
[00:00:21] in less than 10
[00:00:25] two important examples in this of the state, and years, the influence of this state will reach, mostly ended with before the state becomes just a movement, its influence will extend from
[00:00:27] the River Senegal to Sijilmasa
[00:00:31] When in less than 10
[00:00:32] years.
[00:00:36] During the 15th and 11th centuries,
[00:00:39] the features of the southern part of the map of influence
[00:00:43] became clear, from Aoudaghoust in the south to
[00:00:47] Tamdoult
[00:00:47] and Sijilmasa.
[00:00:52] Indicators of the project's achievement
[00:00:55] with clear political
[00:00:56] its discovery in the components gradually began to emerge,
[00:01:01] including temporal authority,
[00:01:04] the army, and allegiance,
[00:01:08] the emirates, and this and the obedience and obligations that result
[00:01:13] It is the largest fortress in from it. It seems that the approach to the expansion's
[00:01:16] path maintained its pace that
[00:01:20] it started with, by adopting
[00:01:22] will not appear in a map of trade routes and oases, in addition to agricultural
[00:01:28] existed in this lands.
[00:01:32] Thus, around
[00:01:35] the Almohads intensified against the year 450 AH,
[00:01:36] the emirate or against corresponding to 1058
[00:01:39] AD, the extreme Sous,
[00:01:44] ibn Yusuf ibn Tashfin decided to build this the High Atlas,
[00:01:44] fortress in and the Tensift Plain became part of the domain. And in the year
[00:01:48] 462 AH, corresponding to
[00:01:51] 1070 AD,
[00:01:53] and possible movements of the Almohads from the construction of the capital was started, which
[00:01:58] Youssef Mosque. These completed its symbols and insignia.
[00:02:01] are made of But this region also did not have
[00:02:05] any power that could confront it if
[00:02:08] the movement reached, if these Almoravids reached Sijilmassa. In Sijilmassa, it became clear
[00:02:12] that the matter was indeed
[00:02:15] about establishing
[00:02:16] a state.
[00:02:24] Sijilmassa, its location
[00:02:27] came from
[00:02:30] two rivers, which are Wadi
[00:02:34] Ghris and Wadi Ziz. We can say, as it has been said,
[00:02:37] that Sijilmassa is a gift of Ghris and Ziz,
[00:02:41] just as it is said that Egypt is a gift of the Nile.
[00:02:44] However, it is known that Sijilmassa played
[00:02:48] historical roles for the region
[00:02:51] as a whole. Indeed, some consider it
[00:02:54] to be one of the first oases that played a role
[00:02:57] in trade mediation and was the beating heart of the Far
[00:03:00] Maghreb, and the beating heart
[00:03:03] of caravan trade between
[00:03:08] would line up around this East and West, and North and South. Its name was largely
[00:03:12] associated with this
[00:03:14] are stones, as we said, that come from comes the second element in mediation between all parts of the world
[00:03:16] towards Western Sudan,
[00:03:18] a historical from which came, firstly, the sources of slaves and gold, the profitable
[00:03:22] trade at that time. After
[00:03:25] Sijilmassa, in less than five
[00:03:27] state. This years, this influence will
[00:03:30] reach the Hawz plain. We will notice
[00:03:34] of Morocco. This that
[00:03:35] region, this Aghmat will settle there for more than 10 years.
[00:03:43] Koutoubia Mosque. On the contrary, in the Koutoubia Mosque,
[00:03:50] Aghmat is a historical city that has been known as Aghmat
[00:03:54] since the beginning of the early eras of the existence of Islam in
[00:03:57] Moroccan history. This is indicated
[00:04:00] by the fact that the city of Aghmat is a city whose builder is unknown. It is
[00:04:03] a city that was built collectively because it was a commercial
[00:04:06] station. It is known for commercial stations
[00:04:10] that merchants reach them from all places, meaning for
[00:04:13] Morocco, from the north, from the south, through trade routes from
[00:04:16] Aoudaghoust to Aghmat, from Sijilmassa to Aghmat, from Fez to
[00:04:20] Aghmat. The capital was ready
[00:04:23] for the Almoravids. They settled there for the following elements or for the following
[00:04:26] components, for the following considerations: Firstly, it was an economic
[00:04:30] city par excellence, as it was,
[00:04:32] from a social point of view, they worked, meaning they were not idle, meaning
[00:04:36] they were not afflicted with impotence or
[00:04:39] laziness. The third matter is that
[00:04:41] the tank. And here the water flows down from the natural environment contributes and here is the other basin. This and assists
[00:04:44] in providing everything a military needs if it wishes to move
[00:04:48] outside this
[00:04:49] city.
[00:04:55] and they take water from this Here we will find that one of the problems that
[00:04:58] were behind the long period of stability was
[00:05:02] the inhabitants of the High Atlas.
[00:05:05] Westerners because there was a hostile relationship between them.
[00:05:08] climatic conditions that prevail in Firstly, the inhabitants of the High Atlas did not submit
[00:05:11] to any rule at all, except the rule of their
[00:05:14] tribes. Now they will be under
[00:05:17] the rule of a state. And this state is not
[00:05:21] from them, it is from outside their lands
[00:05:24] and outside their tribes. They are Sanhaja,
[00:05:28] and the state is from Sanhaja. The second issue
[00:05:31] is that these inhabitants
[00:05:34] of the mountain had
[00:05:37] the Hawz, especially the Middle Hawz, as
[00:05:41] their vital area.
[00:05:44] they grazed, they would bring their
[00:05:46] livestock there during the
[00:05:50] winter and summer,
[00:05:53] they would go back up to the mountain, so it was an important source of livelihood for them,
[00:05:57] which they used to boost their pastoral economy. And that's why we
[00:06:00] will find this pastoral activity specific to this
[00:06:03] region.
[00:06:07] Perhaps what was achieved in the field of urban development during
[00:06:11] the reign of Emir Abu Bakr ibn Umar was
[00:06:14] the initiation of preparing the Central Hawz plain to transform from
[00:06:18] a grazing land and wilderness into agricultural land
[00:06:21] and a place of settlement and urban
[00:06:24] and rural development. The founding of the capital of the Almoravid
[00:06:27] experience, Marrakech,
[00:06:30] was a center of attraction.
[00:06:35] Its name is composed of two words:
[00:06:39] "mur" alone, which is the place, and "kush".
[00:06:43] This is the name of a deity called
[00:06:46] "the Ram". This place was
[00:06:49] before the advent of Islam. This was a sign.
[00:06:52] It
[00:06:56] had natural
[00:06:59] fortifications. We mean natural
[00:07:02] fortifications.
[00:07:08] Or from proximity to the sea.
[00:07:13] Or a mountain
[00:07:14] peak.
[00:07:18] The second protection is artificial protection, which is
[00:07:21] that those who are loyal to the capital surround it
[00:07:24] with walls. Here we will notice that the wall is not formed by these sources.
[00:07:28] It will be a third for the capital,
[00:07:31] which is that another fortification is added to it,
[00:07:35] which is human fortification. So from here we will understand some
[00:07:39] of the reasons that led to the establishment
[00:07:47] located in the center of the Tensift basin, bordered
[00:07:51] to the south by the High Atlas Mountains,
[00:07:54] and to the north by the Tensift
[00:07:57] River. This site has natural geographical
[00:08:00] advantages that contributed to the establishment of the city.
[00:08:03] Thus, the easy topography
[00:08:06] facilitated communication, transport,
[00:08:09] urban development, and the establishment and expansion of agricultural
[00:08:12] lands.
[00:08:15] Proximity to the High Atlas Mountains
[00:08:19] helped ensure the supply of many building
[00:08:21] materials and secure the necessary water resources,
[00:08:25] both underground and surface, and their mobilization
[00:08:28] through the technique of khettaras and irrigation canals for urban
[00:08:31] and agricultural purposes.
[00:08:33] والفلاحيه.
[00:08:45] And to meet the needs of the population and various
[00:08:48] demands of human activity.
[00:09:01] The location also contributed, after its establishment, to the involvement
[00:09:05] of the city's economy in the dynamism of local
[00:09:08] and regional trade and in the map of
[00:09:10] Mediterranean- African trade.
[00:09:13] Thus, Marrakech was chosen
[00:09:17] as the capital of the
[00:09:18] Almoravid state.
[00:09:23] We know it because when we say we founded a city, it means that
[00:09:26] we have now entered a stable region. The city
[00:09:28] does not have water sources, its water sources are limited at a certain
[00:09:32] time. The climate does not allow for providing water as much
[00:09:35] as it allows for its loss. The problem of
[00:09:38] water will be solved for Marrakech through the khettara system.
[00:09:45] The khettara technique, and this is a well-known technique in various
[00:09:48] parts of the world, or various parts of the Islamic world, especially
[00:09:52] the countries or Islamic regions with
[00:09:55] a semi-arid climate. And I would like to mention
[00:09:59] Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and
[00:10:03] Iran, and other countries. And we find the same technique in other countries
[00:10:06] outside what was called at that time in the ancient world, i.e., outside
[00:10:10] the African and Asian continents. We find the American
[00:10:13] continent, specifically in countries such as Peru and Mexico,
[00:10:17] due to their similar
[00:10:20] North Africa and in other regions of the Middle East.
[00:10:26] regard, and it confirms that the khettara technique may have
[00:10:29] been innovated at the same time or at later
[00:10:32] times by the inhabitants of North Africa.
[00:10:35] The khettara
[00:10:41] is a technique for transporting underground water to the earth's
[00:10:44] surface through a channel several
[00:10:48] kilometers long due to the vast distance between
[00:10:51] the source and the outlet.
[00:10:55] Various writings that have addressed
[00:10:58] the history of the introduction of the khettara technique into
[00:11:01] the geography of the Hawz agree on the period of the reign of Prince Ali ibn
[00:11:05] Youssef as the date of this
[00:11:07] structured
[00:11:09] hydro-engineering achievement.
[00:11:16] So, if the minbar was established during the
[00:11:19] emergence of the state, and this type of
[00:11:22] state is a centralized state. What is a centralized
[00:11:26] state here? A centralized state is what we mean by a state that
[00:11:29] completely abolished
[00:11:33] vast area that we call the Islamic West
[00:11:36] came under the control, influence, and sovereignty of one
[00:11:40] ruler, which is the state. And from here, the concept of the Makhzen
[00:11:43] will emerge, of course. The word
[00:11:47] Moroccan documents until the Almohads, but
[00:11:51] its meaning Almoravid
[00:11:59] period. In the custom of the people of Morocco,
[00:12:01] it is called the Makhzen. And Bab Al-Makhzen, which is one of
[00:12:05] the gates from the Almoravid period, is located in the south
[00:12:08] of the western facade of the Marrakech walls, opposite
[00:12:11] the Qasr al-Hajar. And it is a historical
[00:12:14] source that confirms this political and administrative
[00:12:17] meaning of the word.
[00:12:20] This gate was exclusive to the rulers of the state
[00:12:23] residing in Qasr al-Hajar.
[00:12:26] And it was the access point for the latter to the outside of the city.
[00:12:29] Therefore, its proximity to
[00:12:33] the palace was reflected in its function, so it bore the name by which it is known.
[00:12:47] The era of the Almoravids is
[00:12:49] a period of the conceptualization of the political concept of the Makhzen,
[00:12:52] which refers to the state with a centralized
[00:12:55] form of government.
[00:12:58] And a moment that marks the end of the era of the rule of
[00:13:01] the emirates and the beginning of the steps towards political and doctrinal
[00:13:05] unity of the Islamic West,
[00:13:07] and the establishment
[00:13:10] of the distinct identity of the Moroccan state.
[00:13:13] So,
[00:13:15] I said the founding of the city means the emergence of a life
[00:13:19] of stability, and the emergence of a life of stability means
[00:13:22] the practice of various types of human activity:
[00:13:25] agriculture, industry, trade, services,
[00:13:29] and so on, especially since the matter is
[00:13:32] not about an ordinary city, but about a capital city. And here
[00:13:37] the historical value of Qasr
[00:13:40] al-Hajar, which is the palace,
[00:13:43] as what? As the center
[00:13:46] of the existence of state authority. And here we
[00:13:49] are facing a centralized
[00:13:52] site will undertake the political management
[00:13:55] of a region that has not been repeated in the history
[00:14:00] geographical area of state sovereignty, will extend.
[00:14:04] It was known as the Islamic West to its farthest north,
[00:14:08] it
[00:14:11] included Andalusia, and when we say Andalusia
[00:14:14] today, it refers to southern Spain
[00:14:17] and Portugal. Then it extends south
[00:14:19] to Wadi Draa,
[00:14:23] then it extends east with the Almohads to Algeria, then
[00:14:27] it extends with the Almohads until it reaches the borders of Egypt
[00:14:30] and Libya. This entire area was
[00:14:34] centrally governed from Qasr al-Hajar
[00:14:37] for how long? For more than 40
[00:14:40] years.
[00:14:46] Throughout the 6th Hijri century / 12th
[00:14:50] Gregorian century of Almoravid
[00:14:53] rule, Andalusia was the most
[00:14:56] disruptive point in the northern territorial domain of this
[00:15:00] state, thereby
[00:15:02] posing a drain on its human
[00:15:06] and material resources.
[00:15:24] The Almoravids ensured the areas under their
[00:15:27] influence in Andalusia, and guaranteed
[00:15:29] security and stability there,
[00:15:32] and provided the conditions for work and production there,
[00:15:35] and collected
[00:15:48] So, regarding
[00:15:52] construction and development, we can
[00:15:55] briefly say that their contribution began with the establishment
[00:16:02] the second emir, Ali ibn
[00:16:04] Youssef.
[00:16:16] The legacy of the Almoravids in the field of urban development
[00:16:20] and construction is distributed among
[00:16:23] sites,
[00:16:25] ruins, and archaeological remains.
[00:16:33] and foundations.
[00:16:40] It is noted that there are places that preserve material
[00:16:43] evidence, such as Qasr
[00:16:45] al-Hajar.
[00:16:49] As for the monuments, some of them are still standing today,
[00:16:52] such as Bab Debbaghine
[00:16:55] in Marrakech, and some of them are
[00:16:58] still partially extant, like the
[00:17:00] walls of Marrakech and the Almoravid
[00:17:03] Dome.
[00:17:24] Now, the Ben Youssef Mosque, which is located in
[00:17:27] the city of Marrakech. Here we see the remains
[00:17:30] of the minaret of the Almoravid
[00:17:33] mosque, which is the Ben remains
[00:17:38] mountain stones, as we can see, large
[00:17:42] stones that are approximately
[00:17:46] 50-60 to 80 cm
[00:17:49] and form the base of the minaret. The sides
[00:17:53] of this minaret, as we can see, are 12.40 meters by
[00:17:56] 12.40 meters because it is square. The
[00:18:00] stones, as we said, are metamorphic
[00:18:03] stones that
[00:18:06] come from the
[00:18:37] in different sizes.
[00:18:40] We can see that the stones are not well- like
[00:18:44] the stones we see in other minarets in the city of Marrakech, like the Koutoubia minarets.
[00:18:48] These
[00:18:51] the mountains, strong stones that
[00:18:54] are hard. And as we notice
[00:18:57] here, the stones are not arranged in an organized
[00:19:01] manner. Different types of shapes. If we look at this type
[00:19:04] of construction with this method, stones
[00:19:08] that are not cut regularly,
[00:19:11] we see it in the site next to us here, next to this mosque,
[00:19:14] which is the Almoravid Dome, and we see it in Qasr al-Hajar in
[00:19:17] our knowledge. This is the
[00:19:21] we see stones that are well-
[00:19:24] organized
[00:19:27] and all of similar size almost. It is possible
[00:19:30] that the mosque, whose size is large, could
[00:19:34] have been the center of the city, although
[00:19:38] the original center was next to Qasr
[00:19:40] al-Hajar.
[00:19:43] Perhaps the location of the
[00:19:44] area of sovereignty
[00:19:48] and its environmental and human components,
[00:19:52] and what it permitted or prohibited from the perspective of the people
[00:19:55] of the doctrine, all together
[00:19:59] had a profound impact on determining the identity of the architectural
[00:20:03] product and its character.
[00:20:05] And if there is an echo of some forms and building materials in Qala'at
[00:20:09] Bani Hammad, then the Andalusian presence,
[00:20:12] especially Cordoba, was more
[00:20:16] prominent than others. And without a doubt, the Almoravid
[00:20:20] Dome, the minbar of the Koutoubia Mosque, and the minbar
[00:20:24] of the Qarawiyyin Mosque in Fez
[00:20:26] are considered among the finest artistic masterpieces
[00:20:30] created by the skilled craftsmen of this era
[00:20:34] and their mastery.
[00:20:41] Fez is surrounded by walls,
[00:20:44] and the restoration of the Qarawiyyin Mosque is still ongoing.
[00:20:48] The mihrab dome
[00:20:52] of the models
[00:20:56] the art of
[00:20:59] Andalusia, they don't have much of it.
[00:21:03] The foundation they had was Marrakech. So if we tour the city
[00:21:06] of Marrakech, we will not find a large number of these
[00:21:10] Almoravid structures, but we were fortunate to find at least
[00:21:15] regard. The first is
[00:21:18] the Almoravid Dome.
[00:21:40] And this name given to the Almoravid Dome is a modern name
[00:21:44] given to it by archaeologists after
[00:21:46] 20th century, but its name is unknown.
[00:21:50] Except for a reference in a Habous document or a waqf
[00:21:54] deed, or the water fountain. The
[00:21:57] mosque adjacent to this Almoravid Dome was referred to in that waqf
[00:22:00] deed as the Water Fountain Mosque. And it is known from the waqf deed that
[00:22:04] the mentioned mosque is the Ben Youssef Mosque and the Almoravid Dome.
[00:22:24] Therefore, it is assumed that the Almoravid
[00:22:27] Dome at that time carried the popular name of Al-Saqaya
[00:22:30] during the Almohad rule. Thus, the Almoravid Dome
[00:22:34] is not just a dome, but it is a water complex consisting
[00:22:38] firstly of three
[00:22:40] fountains.
[00:22:44] And these fountains were used for people to drink
[00:22:47] and for animals to drink as well, but in an orderly manner. And with a specific system.
[00:22:51] Then we have behind these
[00:22:53] three fountains a water tank that
[00:22:57] was responsible for supplying the three fountains with water.
[00:22:59] And next to these two structures,
[00:23:03] a very beautiful dome was found, resembling
[00:23:06] in its internal decorations the decorations of the Great Mosque of Cordoba.
[00:23:41] And in the middle of this dome on the ground
[00:23:44] level, there is a small rectangular basin
[00:23:47] surrounded by a double channel. The
[00:23:50] Muslims who wished to perform ablution before prayer
[00:23:53] at the Grand Mosque, these people
[00:23:58] to perform
[00:24:00] ablution. Now, in Ben Youssef Square, specifically this archaeological
[00:24:04] site that constitutes
[00:24:08] monument of great importance for the city of
[00:24:11] Marrakech, this monument, which is
[00:24:14] the Almoravid Dome, consists of a license
[00:24:18] or a basin. Which contains water,
[00:24:21] people, the worshippers, come
[00:24:24] and take water from it and go
[00:24:27] to perform ablution for prayer because there is only one mosque here, which is the Ben Youssef Mosque.
[00:24:31] This monument, apart from this fountain it has, it has toilets.
[00:24:35] Here we see the toilets I spoke
[00:24:38] about, whose walls are mostly gone, with only some remains
[00:24:41] like this, as we see them. We see that almost
[00:24:45] one meter to 1.5 meters, up to 1.6
[00:24:47] meters, of these walls remain. The way the water tank
[00:25:16] because this tank is what provides water for the latrine.
[00:25:20] And we can add to it, we can see it now
[00:25:23] here in the fountain, which consists of three basins. Here is one basin, here is one basin,
[00:25:28] is the tank and the wall of
[00:25:31] the tank to the fountain. And the people, the residents of
[00:25:35] the area who come to take water, it is clear that the water here was used,
[00:25:39] the water here was also used by the neighboring
[00:25:42] residents. People come from here, people from here,
[00:25:45] cistern.
[00:25:47] If we want to see the quality of the materials used in the construction here,
[00:25:51] we see that there is one stone here, and here again, one
[00:25:54] stone. We see that there are stones from Jebel, stones from
[00:25:57] Jebel, and we see also bricks at
[00:26:01] the top. We see them.
[00:26:38] The Almoravids built a series of fortresses in the mountain
[00:26:41] passes, in places surrounded by mountains
[00:26:44] from all
[00:26:46] sides,
[00:26:52] to monitor the movements of hostile tribes
[00:26:56] and prevent their infiltration into
[00:26:57] the plain.
[00:27:05] So, the fortress of Tizmout is an Almoravid fortress
[00:27:08] located about 55 km
[00:27:11] southeast of the city of Marrakech.
[00:27:15] the testimony of researchers in archaeology
[00:27:19] who compared its area with the area of the rest of the discovered
[00:27:22] fortresses in Morocco and Central Maghreb (Algeria)
[00:27:25] and in Andalusia. Its area exceeds 70
[00:27:29] hectares, and its establishment dates back to the Almoravid era.
[00:27:33] Specifically, when the threat of
[00:27:39] the Almoravid state, especially against its capital, the city of Marrakech.
[00:27:43] For this reason, Prince Ali
[00:27:47] the mountains at the exit of Ouirgane Valley,
[00:27:51] to monitor all future
[00:27:56] the mountains, where their call spread towards
[00:27:59] the city of Marrakech and before that towards the city of Aghmat.
[00:28:26] The construction of this fortress is surrounded by
[00:28:29] a group of