TAFILET OR TAFILELT.
Tafilet, Tafilelt, or Tafilalet, is said to derive its name,
as already mentioned, from Filàl, a district in Arabia, and to
have obtained its present form by the prefix _Ta_, a Berber word
we know better in the form _Aït_, corresponding to the Arabic
_Ulad_—“sons of.” The final _t_ is again of Berber derivation,
and is also found under the form _at_ or _ta_, which appears to be
a feminine termination. Thus the whole name may be said to signify
“The sons of the Filàl (district),” the feminine noun being
used instead of the word “district” or some such term. This
addition of the prefix _T_ and the feminine termination I found to
be in common use amongst the Berbers.
The fact that the root of the name owes its derivation to Arabic
sources naturally tends to convince one that the oasis must previous
to this time have borne some other, and Berber, title—that is
to say, before the invasion of this portion of the Sahara by the
Arabs in 707 A.D. In seeking for an earlier name, one is at once
led to think of Sijilmassa, an undoubted Amazigh or Shelha word,
and which, even after the name Tafilet came into general use,
existed as the name of the capital of the district until that town
was destroyed toward the end of the last century. It was this double
nomenclature, no doubt, that originally gave rise to discussions on
the part of geographers from the middle ages until the latter half of
this century as to Sijilmassa and Tafilet; for with that haphazard
way in which natives use the name of a district for a town, and
_vice versâ_, the two became hopelessly confused, until the visit
of René Caillié to these parts in 1828 set matters somewhat at
rest, although over and over again since that date the discussion
has been revived. There is but little need nowadays to say much on
that point. Caillié’s and Rohlfs notes, scanty though they are,
yet valuable as being the only records we have of the visits of
Europeans to Tafilet, have satisfactorily decided the question; and
it is now well known that Sijilmassa, though the name often implied
the district, was in reality the capital of the oasis of Tafilet, or,
as it is more properly spelt, Tafilelt. Such geographers as Marmol,
who in his ‘Africa,’ published in 1575-1599, speaks of Tafilet
as a great city of Numidia, must have referred to Sijilmassa. Yet
the question only last year was revived in Tangier in connection
with the late Sultan Mulai el Hassen’s expedition to the Sahara.
Still, except from what we gather from medieval geographers, and
their evidence was mostly hearsay, there is not one atom of proof
which tends to show that such a town as Tafilet ever existed,
nor could I during my stay there gain any information to that
effect, my informants one and all stating that Sijilmassa, or,
as it is now called, Medinat el Aamra, was the sole and only large
town that ever existed in Tafilet. Although many of the _ksor_, as
the fortified villages are called, are of very considerable size,
there is none to which the term town can be aptly applied.
Before offering any description of Tafilet as I saw it, a few words
as to its history may not prove out of place.
Thanks to oriental historians, we are from time to time able to
obtain a glimpse of what was passing in this remote corner of the
dominions of Morocco, although Tafilet was until comparatively
lately a separate kingdom, and to-day figures as such amongst
the titles of the reigning Sultan of Morocco, who in summing up
his dominions styles himself “King of Tafilelt.” Originally
a settlement of the Amazigh or Shloh people—both terms signify
“noble”—it was not until the year 88 A.H. (707 A.D.) that
the Arabs appeared upon the scene, under the leadership of Musa ben
Nasr, who, according to Ibn Khaldun, founded the town of Sijilmassa,
though there seems every reason to believe that the name at least
had been in existence from a much earlier period. In all probability
the Berbers were dwelling there in thatch huts, and it was not until
the Arab invasion that buildings of _tabia_, or native concrete,
were raised, the sole material at hand at Tafilet, where stones are
not to be found. We find that the divisions of the Berber people at
this time (88 A.H.) inhabiting that and the surrounding district
were the Beni Mgil, who to this day are a powerful tribe on the
plains of the Wad Muluya, and the Dhu Mansur, though the second
name is distinctly Arabic, and is probably a translation into that
language of the Berber name, now unfortunately lost. Tafilelt itself
was in the possession of an _ahlaf_, or confederation, the principal
families of which were the Monabat and Amana. “At this time,”
says Leo Africanus, “the oasis was a great emporium of trade,
a number of Moorish and European merchants being settled there,
while a king governed and took taxes at the _douane_.” It would
be interesting to learn more of the European merchants, and one is
inclined to think that foreign would have been a more appropriate
term, possibly meaning Turks, Algerians, Tunisians, and Egyptians.
With varied local history, of which there is no need to make
particular mention here, Tafilet maintained its trade importance
throughout the middle ages, its rulers reigning under the title of
Sultans of Sijilmassa. It was no doubt owing to the caravan-routes
that so inhospitable a spot became so important a trading-place,
for the extremes of heat and cold are cruel.
In 1536 the then King of Fez captured Tafilet for the Beni Merins,
his own dynasty. In 1620, however, Ali Shereef arrived upon the
scene from Yembo, in Arabia, bringing no doubt with him such a store
of oriental knowledge and such a holy reputation from his life in
Mecca that in a very short time he became a great man at Tafilet,
and was appealed to as arbitrator in all questions. On his death
his son, Mulai esh Shereef, succeeded to the holy birthright,
styling himself King of Tafilet. Both lie buried near Rissani,
in the district of Wad Ifli in Tafilet, and their tombs to-day are
held in great reverence as founders of the present Fileli dynasty.
The third of the line, Mulai Reshid, in 1668 seized the throne of
Morocco and became the first Fileli Sultan, Mulai Abdul Aziz, who
commenced his reign on the death of his father, Mulai el Hassen,
in June last (1894), being the fifteenth ruler of this same dynasty.
Affairs in Morocco necessitated the residence of the Sultans being
fixed there; but we hear of Mulai Ismail having made a journey
to Tafilet, founded the still important _ksar_ of Rissani, and
rebuilt Sijilmassa; while in later times the Sultan Sidi Mohammed
ben Abdullah visited Tafilet (in 1783-84). Curiously enough, the
two Sultans who made this long journey, Sidi Mohammed ben Abdullah
and Mulai el Hassen, lie buried in the same tomb at Rabat.
In local wars that occurred at the end of the last century Sijilmassa
was destroyed, and nothing remains to-day of the great town but
acres, almost miles, of shapeless ruins, with a mosque still in
tolerably good condition. These ruins extend for some five miles
along the east bank of the Wad Ziz.
Tafilet may be said to consist of a long strip of irrigated
land extending along the parallel beds of the Wad Ziz and the
Wad Gheris. Although the northern districts of Ertib (Reteb) and
Medaghra are often included under the name of Tafilet, they seem
in the eyes of the natives to be in reality separate districts,
and as such I shall treat them.
Before discussing the actual oasis, some words ought to be written
describing the means by which this portion of the desert is rendered
capable of cultivation. I have elsewhere briefly described the
course of the Wad Gheris; it now remains to briefly trace that of
the Wad Ziz.
The Wad Ziz rises in the Atlas Mountains, near that portion of the
chain to which the natives apply the name Jibel Ayashi, near the
Zauia Sidi Hamza, situated close to the pass of Tizi’n Telremt,
where the trade-road from Fez to Tafilet crosses the main chain
of the Atlas. Thence the Wad Ziz takes a southerly course, which
it pursues with but the slightest deviation throughout. This upper
district, the slopes of the Atlas which form the basin of the river,
is known as the province of Wad Ziz. Some thirty miles from its
source (“one day’s journey”) it is joined by the Wad Guers,
flowing from the Atlas, and rising some twenty miles to the west,
on the western slopes of Jibel Ayashi. The Berber tribes of Aït
bu Hadidu, a division of the Aït Atta, and the Aït Ishak inhabit
these slopes. The united rivers, flowing south and passing through
Tialallil, drain the district of El Khanek, south of which the Wad
Ziz irrigated the oasis of Medaghra, then Ertib, and finally, _viâ_
Tizimi, Tafilet is reached, where by a wonderful system of irrigation
some 400 square miles of desert are put under cultivation. It is
only after rains that the Wad Ziz and Wad Gheris, which unite at
the southern end of the Tafilet oasis, ever reach the great lake,
or marsh, Dayet ed Daura, where the sand exhausts the water.
The Wad Ziz at Tafilet, although so large a quantity of its waters
is drained off to irrigate the oases of Medaghra and Ertib, was
at the time of my visit in November 1893—after a very hot and
dry season—still well supplied with water. The channel is deeply
sunk between high clay and sandy banks, the actual stream occupying
perhaps one-third of the river-bed, and averaging from 60 to 100
feet in breadth; the depth at the ford where I crossed it, at the
north end of the ruins of Sijilmassa, being some 2 feet. The water
is transparent, and very fast flowing, the river often splitting
up into a number of small streams in the course. That the fall in
altitude as the river proceeds must be large is easily perceived,
as otherwise the water, drained off no very great distance above,
could not be brought, except by artificial means, to the level
of the high river-banks, which must be from 30 to 40 feet above
the level of its course. With regard to the system of irrigation,
I shall have more to tell farther on.
If one asks a native where he is going, and he replies to Tafilet,
one may generally make certain that he is on his way to one of the
seven districts of the oasis which I am now about to enumerate,
and not to either Ertib or Medaghra, which both lie farther north,
though it seems that by Europeans they are included in the district
of Tafilet.
These seven provinces are—
(i.) On the north, Tizimi.
(ii.) On the west, Es Sifa.
(iii.) On the south-west, Wad el Melha.
(iv.) In the centre, Wad Ifli.
(v.) On the south, Es Sefalat.
(vi.) On the east, El Ghorfa.
(vii.) And to the north-east, Tanijiud.
To attempt to correctly estimate the extent of ground under
cultivation would be too hazardous to be of any value, for the
oasis varies so much in width from place to place, according as the
irrigating canals are taken far afield or not, that nothing short
of a careful survey could give a satisfactory result. Again, it is
impossible to state with accuracy the southern limits of the oasis,
for much of the land situated south of the junction of the Wad Ziz
and the Wad Gheris is only capable of cultivation after exceedingly
heavy rains, when natives of the Aït Atta tribe till the banks as
far as the Dayet ed Daura. From the northern limit of the oasis of
Tizimi to the junction of the rivers Ziz and Gheris may be safely
estimated at from forty to fifty miles, the average width of this
portion of the oasis being about ten miles. All this district of,
say, 450 square miles, is under dense palm cultivation. By this,
however, one must not understand the whole oasis, for I have
purposely ignored all that lies south of the meeting of the two
rivers, a district which depends greatly upon floods and the melting
of the Atlas snows for its varied supply, and what might be true
of one year might be a gross exaggeration or underrating for any
other season.
I have above enumerated the seven districts into which the oasis
of Tafilet is divided. It now remains to make a few notes about
each of these divisions. To take them in geographical order.
(i.) _Tizimi_, or Aït Izimi, is a large district extending along
the west bank of the Wad Tizimi, as the main channel of the Wad Ziz
is called at this part of its course, from the name of the district
it passes through. The inhabitants of Tizimi are Arabs, though
the name is essentially a Berber one, leading one to think that
the original Berbers must have been displaced by Arab tribes. The
present inhabitants are the Tizimi branch of the Ahl Subah Arabs,
though one or two _ksor_ belong to Shereefian families. Constant
fighting is occurring in this part, owing to the proximity of the
Berbers at Medaghra and Ertib. Tizimi contains a great number of
palm-trees and several large _ksor_, the principal being Kasbat el
Barania, Kasbat ben Ali, and Ksar bel Hassen. To the north-west of
Tizimi, a mile or so across the desert, is the oasis of Mulai Brahim,
where is the tomb of the saint so named, a place of pilgrimage. The
oasis properly belongs to Tizimi, and is in the hands of the Shereefs
and the Ahl Subah. I saw the tomb when passing through Tizimi. It
is a large, domed, square building, painted white, and surrounded
by a few smaller tombs of less important Shereefs.
Separating Tizimi from the two nearest districts, Es Sifa on the
south-west and Tanijiud on the south-east, is a strip of desert
varying in extent from two to five miles, through which the Wad Ziz
flows in a sandy bed, a few oleanders and coarse herbage being the
only signs of vegetation on its banks.
(ii.) _Es Sifa_ is the next district, forming the west side of the
oasis. It lies between the Wad Gheris and the Wad Ziz, which are
here some four to five miles apart, their courses being almost
parallel. The district is, however, irrigated almost entirely
from the Wad Ziz, the Gheris being too salt for the purpose. This
part of Tafilet is poor enough. The palms do not flourish well,
the irrigation canals are in ill repair, the water-supply is very
poor, the garden walls are broken down, and the _ksor_ are few
and far between. The immediate surroundings of El Meharza, in
which I spent a night, and of which I have already given a short
description, appear the best kept portion of this district of the
oasis. El Meharza lies high above the Wad Gheris on its east bank,
and is a place with pretensions to size and importance.
(iii.) _Wad el Melha_, or salt river, so called from the Wad Gheris,
which forms its western boundary, is the next district, forming the
south-western province of Tafilet. Like Es Sifa, it lies between the
Wad Ziz and the Gheris, and though a smaller district than this last,
it is more fertile and better irrigated. Taghranjiut is its principal
_ksar_, situated in a portion of the district known as Beled el Riad,
or “garden-land,” about equidistant from the two rivers.
(iv.) _Es Sefalat_ forms the southern boundary of the oasis proper,
and is a large and fertile district, bounded on the west by the
Gheris, while it extends to the east considerably across the Wad
Ziz, which almost bisects it. This district possesses the largest
_ksar_ in the whole oasis—namely, Tabuassamt, which lies on the
west bank of the Wad Ziz. Although so large, the _ksar_ is of no
great importance, though it forms a caravanserai for the caravans
going to the Sudan and Draa valley. However, little or none of
the merchandise which passes through it is exposed for sale there,
the caravans usually arriving late at night and leaving before dawn.
(v.) _El Ghorfa_, or Ghorfa, lies to the east and north-east of
Es Sefalat, and extends from that district to the desert. Although
its western portion is well watered and cultivated, the east seems
to have suffered from the drifting sands, and boasts no great
fertility. It contains many _ksor_, but being subject to attacks on
the part of the Berbers and Arabs of the Sahara, no great trade is
possible. The southern boundary of El Ghorfa is the Sebkhat Aamar,
a large salt lake, the monopoly for working the deposits of which
rests with the Shereefs, who send most of the salt to the great
market near the tomb of Mulai Ali Shereef in the district of Wad
Ifli, some fifteen miles distant.
(vi.) _Tanijiud_ is the north-east province of Tafilet, and, like
Ghorfa, is bounded on the east by the desert. Its water-supply, like
that of the last-mentioned district, is brought by canal from the
Wad Ziz, diverging from the main channel of that river at Iniyerdi
in Medaghra. The cutting off of this water-supply by the Berbers
higher up the valley is a constant cause of warfare. Several other
small channels from the Ziz reach Ghorfa and Tanijiud, all eventually
becoming exhausted in cultivation or in the desert. The principal
_ksar_ of Tanijiud is that of Ulad Yusef, who are, as their name
implies (“sons of Joseph”), Arabs. This _ksar_ is situated on
the extreme edge of the oasis, and almost in the desert, amongst the
bare stony hills found on this, the north-east portion of Tafilet.
(vii.) _Wad Ifli_, the sole remaining district to be mentioned, forms
the centre of the oasis, and is surrounded by the six others of which
I have just given a brief description. All the religion, trade,
and interest of Tafilet centres in this district. Its position,
surrounded as it is by friendly people, ensures safety against attack
from without, and it is no doubt as much owing to this cause as any
other that Wad Ifli forms the most prosperous part of Tafilet. No
attack could be made upon it until the outlying districts had been
passed, and these, if not to protect the centre state, at least for
their own safety, would offer a very stubborn resistance. It was
no doubt largely on this account, and also as its position allows
of its being easily and well irrigated, that the ancient Amazighs
founded there the city of Sijilmassa, on the banks of the Wad Ziz,
which, to judge from its ruins, must in its most flourishing days
have extended some five miles along the river-bank. It is in Ifli,
too, that nowadays, when Sijilmassa has ceased to exist, the life
and soul of Tafilet are found. Here is interred Mulai Ali Shereef,
founder of the Fileli dynasty, while near by is the domed tomb of
Mulai Esh Shereef, his son, King of Tafilet. In Abuaam, the richest
of its many _ksor_, congregate and live the merchants of Fez,
in whose hands is practically not only the entire local trade,
but also that of the Sudan beyond. It is the influence of these
merchants that has brought about improvements in the building
of the houses, and luxuries within. Close by is the large _ksar_
of Rissani, the official residence of the governors of Tafilet,
where some fifty soldiers are permanently quartered, though any
attempt to interfere with local affairs would cost them their
lives. Here too in large _ksor_ live the Shereefs, existing in
luxury compared to their neighbours, for they receive a subsidy
in money and kind from the reigning Sultans. The great market,
too, of Tafilet is there, the Arbaa, or Wednesday market, of Mulai
Ali Shereef, which I shall describe anon. In fact it is in Ifli,
with its well-kept canals and limitless supply of water, with its
bridges and walled gardens, its large _ksor_ and saints’ tombs,
that all that is prosperous and wealthy in Tafilet is to be found,
and it is little wonder that the inhabitants of this quarter of the
oasis give themselves airs above the rest of the population. Gurlan,
which Caillié mentions as the capital at the time of his visit to
Tafilet in 1828, no longer plays a part of any importance in the
oasis, though it still exists as a large _ksar_.
Having briefly described the different districts of the oasis,
mention must now be made of the system of irrigation employed in
the cultivation of so large an extent of soil. Fortunately the lie
of the land is such that water has not to be raised by artificial
means, the gradual slope of the valley allowing of the drawing of
inexhaustible water-supplies from the Wad Ziz. Innumerable canals
and conduits pierce the oasis in every direction, some of them as
much as 15 or 20 feet in width and of considerable depth, while
the water is pure and transparent, and flows very fast.
Near the ruins of Medinat el Aamra, or Sijilmassa, is the largest
and deepest canal I saw, the channel bricked and bridged wherever
the road or a track crosses it. This channel must be from 20 to 30
feet in breadth, and although my visit was made after a long and
exceptionally dry summer, the water was some 4 to 6 feet in depth,
flowing very swiftly. Although Sijilmassa stood on the actual brink
of the river, the banks are so high that no water could be raised to
the level of the town except on donkey-back, or by women in jars, and
this canal, which draws off so large a quantity of water from much
higher up the river, was no doubt built on this account. So numerous
and so connected one with another are the canals and conduits of the
oasis, that one crosses them almost at every 50 yards or so. These
watercourses are usually raised above the surface of the surrounding
ground by banks at each side, so that by cutting away a foot or
so of bank the stream can be turned on to the level of the soil,
and quickly floods the ground to be irrigated. The land between the
canals—that is to say, the plots of cultivated soil—are usually
divided into square beds, varying from 10 to 20 yards in length
and breadth, and divided from one another by low banks of earth, so
that one portion can be flooded without wasting water unnecessarily
on the ground or crop that may not require it. Often small channels
are cut on the top of these low earth-banks, so that the stream can
be carried here and there in every direction, and turned on just
where it is needed. Except to the western side of the Wad Gheris,
the crops are all grown under the palm-trees. In El Unja, however,
as the land in question is called, there are but few palm-groves.
It is seldom in the oasis of Tafilet that one’s view extends to
more than 100 yards or so in any direction. This is owing to the
extraordinary thick growth of the date-palms, which rise on all
sides a bewildering forest of straight stems. In Ifli, too,
[Illustration: _In Tafilet._]
the high walls of the gardens obstruct one’s vision in every
direction. These walls are built of the native concrete, _tabia_,
and are often so high that only the tops of the fruit-trees within
appear above them. The water from the irrigating channels finds
ingress into these gardens by subterranean conduits, while small
bridges cross the roads, generally formed by palm-trunks laid from
side to side and covered with sand. One comes quite suddenly upon the
high-walled _ksor_, which, until one has approached them nearly, are
entirely hidden by the gardens and palms. The outer portions of the
oasis are less thickly grown over with palms, but the line between
the desert sand and the alluvial soil and irrigated oasis is clearly
defined. One walks out of a green field of palm-trees ankle-deep into
soft yellow sand, and one’s vision stretches away over undulating
white hills the very glare of which is painful to the sight. Here
and there throughout the oasis are large open spaces, usually for
the purpose of drying the dates in, and now and again for local
markets, or _sôks_. The walled villages, too, often have a clear
space surrounding them of 20 yards or so of open ground, to allow
the sight of the attacking force in their continual intertribal wars.
Nothing more bewildering can be imagined than the roads, or tracks,
that thread the oasis. Owing to the great value of land they are
as narrow as is practicable, and turn and twist in every direction
amongst the gardens. In going from El Meharza in Sifa to Dar el
baida on the east side of the oasis on the borders of the desert,
although the general direction is south-east, one is often travelling
due north or due south, owing to the extraordinary turns the path
takes amongst the walled gardens of the district of Wad Ifli.
The _ksor_ of Tafilet all follow much the same design of building,
and though I entered several and saw many, they were so alike
one to the other that a general description will be sufficient,
and answer equally well for all.
These villages are usually square or oblong, surrounded by high
_tabia_ walls of great thickness, protected at intervals by towers,
sometimes the same height as the walls, and often considerably
taller. One gate alone gives entrance to the _ksar_, and this is
always closed from sunset to dawn. These gates are often double,
there being a turn half-way through, so that from without one is not
able to obtain a view of what lies within. At times, surrounding the
whole _ksar_, is a deep ditch, often formed by the digging out of
the soil for material for the walls, but nevertheless of great use
in time of war. A common practice in warfare, as already mentioned,
is to bring, by means of a canal, water to the foundations of the
walls of the _ksar_. The action of the stream upon the soft _tabia_
is quick and sure, and in an hour or two a breach is formed. These
ditches, therefore, prevent the immediate application of this plan,
and are generally drained into the surrounding fields, so that before
the dangerous element reaches the wall it is carried off elsewhere.
A guard is placed at the gate, and a stranger entering is questioned
as to his business and scrutinised. I myself went through this
process on entering Meharza at Sifa, when in disguise; but my men
were quick in answering the questions, and we hurried on, so that
I was not suspected for a moment. Few or no windows look out from
the outside walls of the _ksar_, but loopholes are common in case
of attack from without.
Within the walls a certain amount of regularity and good building is
to be found. One generally, after passing through the gate, enters
a large court, or square, from which the streets lead into the more
thickly inhabited portion of the _ksar_. These squares are usually
surrounded on three sides by houses, the fourth side consisting of
the outer wall, in which the gate is situated. The houses are solid
and very large, often several storeys in height. Windows open out
into the streets, which is seldom found in the private houses of
the large towns of Morocco. As a rule, the windows and doors are
small, wood being a valuable commodity, as it has to be carried
from a long distance, generally from the Atlas slopes of Beni Mgild
and Aït Yussi to the north of the basin of the Wad Ziz. Palm-tree
trunks are used as rafters and ceilings, though I was informed that
in some of the houses of the wealthier Shereefs handsome ceilings
in decorated plaster and painted wood are found, the artists and
workmen having been brought from Fez for the purpose of decorating
them. The use of lime is uncommon, and only the better-class
houses are whitewashed within, and very few indeed on the outside,
the ordinary population being content with a plastering of light
mud, which, when well applied, has by no means a bad effect, much
resembling our plaster walls in colour and surface. The streets of
the _ksor_ are usually narrow, and in many cases the houses are built
above them, forming dark tunnels, in piercing which, if one does not
wish to fall into some hole or bang one’s head against a low beam,
one has to light a match or candle. _Fondaks_, or caravanserais,
are common, usually consisting of large open squares, surrounded
by a colonnade supported on rough _tabia_ pillars.
The local markets are not held within the _ksor_, but in the
open. There are several large weekly _sôks_ in Tafilet, but that
which is by far the most important is the Arbaa, or Wednesday market
of Mulai Ali Shereef. It lies close to the tomb of that saint, and
within a short distance of Abuaam and Rissani. Although, as a rule,
the natives
[Illustration: _A Corner of a Sôk—Early Morning._]
bring their small tents—_gaitons_—in which to expose their goods,
there are, as well, a number of small domed huts built of clay and
mud bricks, much resembling beehives in appearance, the dome being
rather more elongated. In this the native can sit protected from
the fierce rays of the sun and vend his wares. Little rain falls at
Tafilet, and these mud hovels are therefore of a permanent nature:
so often are the goods displayed for sale perishable from heat, that
they are of great benefit to both buyer and seller. Such articles
as vegetables, fruit, sugar, candles, matches, &c., would be useless
after an hour or so of exposure to the sun in Tafilet in summer.
Some mention must here be made of Sijilmassa, or, as it is now
called, Medinat el Aamra, which for so many centuries formed the
capital of Tafilet. Mulai el Hassen during his visit to Tafilet,
and only the day before my arrival in that place, made an expedition
to the ruins of the old city and camped for the night there, praying
in the half-ruined mosque. Little can now be traced of the place:
immense blocks of _tabia_ lie scattered in every direction for some
five miles along the east bank of the Wad Ziz, but rank vegetation
covers a considerable portion, while in other places the land is
cultivated in such spots as render cultivation practicable. Several
_ksor_ of more or less modern construction exist amongst the ruins. A
great amount of reverence is still paid to the spot; and the yearly
prayers on the Eid el Kebir and Eid Soreir are held in the _msala_
adjoining the mosque, the minaret of which still remains.
I found the natives loath to talk of Sijilmassa, for after my arrival
in the Sultan’s camp I made no pretence of being a Moslem. At the
same time they were greatly surprised that I had ever heard of, or
knew anything about, the place, and not a little proud that such
was the case. Their reticence I put down to the fact that there
is a tradition of untold gold buried in the city—a tradition
that exists about every ancient site in Morocco. The inventive
genius of newspaper correspondents caused to be circulated in the
English newspapers a report that Mulai el Hassen, the late Sultan,
had recovered this treasure and built an immense fortress to conceal
it in; but I fear, as I was present during nearly the entire visit
of the Sultan to Tafilet, and saw his Shereefian Majesty every day,
that the story must be discredited. So far from obtaining treasure,
I estimate the expense to his Majesty of his stay at Tafilet of
twenty days at a sum of nearly a million of dollars.
Of the foundation of Sijilmassa the natives seem to know but
little. They, as is nearly always the case, connect its origin
with the _Rumin_, or Romans, a term the Moslems use for any nation
not professing Islam, and which is far more likely in this case to
mean the Amazighs or original Berbers than any one else; for, as
already mentioned, it is quite clear that the Romans never reached
as far as this, though I am inclined to believe the Carthaginians,
if never actually in Tafilet, approached it very closely.
No discoveries of any great importance in the way of buildings
are likely to be made in Sijilmassa, though bronze implements are
reported to be found there, for apparently all the buildings were
constructed of _tabia_ or a poor form of brick. A bridge of arches
crosses the Wad Ziz at one portion of the ruins; but unfortunately
I was not able to see of what it was constructed, as I only caught
a distant view of it, and it appears to be coated with yellow
plaster. Probably it is built of brick and covered with cement,
or possibly stone was brought from Jibel Saghru for the purpose.
The inhabitants of Tafilet consist of both Arabs and Berbers,
with a considerable number of Jews.
The Arab population, which is considerably the largest, is divided
into four tribes or divisions—
1. The Shereefian families;
2. Ahl Subah Arabs;
3. Beni Mohammed;
4. Tafilet Arabs;
while the Berbers consist almost entirely of members of the large
and powerful tribe of Aït Atta; and there are as well the Haratin,
or free blacks, who may be classed as Berbers, their language being
Amazigh in character, though their blood is largely tainted with
negro strain. They come from the Wad Draa, and are employed as
labourers in the fields. I have spoken in the earlier portion of
my book of these Haratin, and little remains to be said here. In
colour they are very dark, but the features usually incline more
to Berber than to negro. Considered as a lower class, the Arabs and
Berbers never intermarry with them, though they themselves are proud
of the fact of their freedom, which their name of Haratin implies.
The Shereefian families, inhabiting large _ksor_ of their own, are
principally the descendants of Mulai Ali Shereef, who came from Yembo
in Arabia. They live and marry principally among their own class,
the first wife of a Shereef nearly always being a Shereefa, though
after that they will marry from the better native or Fez people. The
children, no matter who the mother may be, are Shereefs, though the
child of a Shereefa whose husband is not a Shereef has no claim to
the title. Even the sons of Shereefs by purchased slave-girls are
Shereefs. It is from these families that the reigning Sultans choose
a governor or arbitrator to be their representative at Tafilet. At
the time of my visit to the oasis this post was held by Mulai Reshid,
a brother of Mulai el Hassen, whom I saw upon several occasions. He
was slightly younger than the Sultan in appearance, of vivacious
and pleasant manner, and seemed justly very popular.
The Ahl Subah are a powerful Arab tribe of desert propensities,
always fighting with their neighbours or amongst themselves, great
horsemen, and apparently, like their steeds, indefatigable. Their
warfare with the Berbers is unceasing, and at the time of my stay
in the Sultan’s camp a skirmish took place between the two in the
very presence of Mulai el Hassen, several on both sides being killed,
altogether some fifteen it is said. The Sultan promptly imprisoned
the ringleaders of each party; but such force was brought to bear
upon him by the prisoners’ fellow-tribesmen that he was obliged
to release them in the course of a few days.
The Beni Mohammed are an Arab tribe much resembling the Ahl Subah
in character and appearance. They live in _ksor_ of their own. The
Tafilet Arabs consist probably of a mixture of tribes, and have
unmistakable signs of Berber blood. Gentle, of kindly nature,
but fierce when roused, they are an excellent people, and have a
certain charm of manner which is indescribable, due not a little
to their melodious voices and the beautiful Arabic they talk. Their
colour is usually dark and their faces rather expressionless, though
lacking the coarseness often found in those of the other Arab tribes.
Of the Aït Atta I have already spoken in the earlier portion of
this book. They are a fierce tribe of Berbers, intent upon the
annexation of everybody else’s country and property, and have
extended their conquests in every direction, from the Draa to
the Ziz basin. The oases of Medaghra and Ertib, often included in
Tafilet, are in their hands, the only Arabs being a sprinkling of
Shereefs. The Aït Atta are said to have captured these lands at
the beginning of this century.
The Jews exist in Tafilet under much the same conditions as in Dads,
of which a full description has already been given—that is to
say, each Jew family lives under the protection of some Moslem,
be he Arab or Berber.
The costumes worn by the Berbers and Arabs of Tafilet are almost
identical: in the former case the long linen _chamira_ is never
belted at the waist, the Berbers, for some reason which I was
unable to discover, objecting to this. The _jelab_, or hooded
garment sewn up the front, is unknown, the _haik_ and _haidus_
forming the costume of both peoples. The _khenif_, or black cloak
with its strange red mark on the back, is seldom seen, except in
cases of Shloh from the mountains who come with caravans; while
the embroidered short brown _jelab_ of the Riffi who accompanied
me was considered as a marvellous curiosity by the natives.
The women wear either indigo-blue dyed cotton or jute, called
_khent_, or else coarse woollen _haiks_ of native manufacture. Leo
Africanus mentions in his notes upon this district that large
quantities of indigo were grown there, but nowadays all the blue
_khent_ is imported from London or Bombay. Amber beads, silver and
coral necklaces, silver anklets and bracelets, are worn, according to
the wealth of the families. The women are usually short and coarse
in appearance, dirty and loud voiced. No doubt the harems contain
better specimens, but those we saw in the open could be safely,
one would think, permitted to go abroad with uncovered faces. The
children are sometimes pretty; but soap is an expensive luxury in
Tafilet, and washing seems to be an annual affair, if practised
as often. However, I saw men bathing in the Wad Ziz as I forded
that river on one occasion. The women are a great deal tattooed,
the nose, forehead, and chin being often highly decorated by this
process. They perform all the housework, fetch water, mind the
cattle, collect firewood, and take vegetables, &c., to market—in
fact every duty except that of fighting seems to fall to their lot.
The men are armed with guns and swords. Every youth, as soon as he
reaches a certain age, is obliged to purchase a gun, all his earnings
being saved for this purpose. Although the most common weapon is
the flintlock of the country, a quantity of cheap double-barrelled
guns, all muzzle-loading, are to be found. The native of Tafilet
has a hankering after bullets that fit a No. 12 bore, and a charge
of loose buckshot and nails he looks upon as a most estimable way
of attacking his enemy. Little quarter is given: in the case of
fighting between Arabs and Berbers, all males taken prisoner who
are able to carry arms are mercilessly killed, usually stabbed with
knives,—powder and shot, as already mentioned, being expensive.
The saddlery is of native design, but the bridles are usually brought
from Algeria, being of the style used by the Franco-Arab cavalry
of that country. This the Filelis find stronger than their own.
The food of the common people consists principally of gruel and
_kuskusu_, the latter at times garnished with vegetables, and on rare
occasions with meat or fowl; but it may be safely said that so great
is the poverty in Tafilet that the poorer classes, although never
wanting for absolute food, do not taste meat two or three times in
the year, mutton on the Eid el Kebir being often the sole occasion.
The coinage to-day in use in Tafilet consists almost entirely of
the Moorish money struck in Paris, and although in Morocco City
all kinds of damaged Spanish silver is in use, at Tafilet it is
not accepted. The rates in use at Tafilet are quite different to
elsewhere. All sums of money are calculated in _mitkals_ and _okeas_,
neither of which exist in coin, being only verbal terms. In Morocco
12½ _mitkals_ go to the Spanish dollar, and 10 _okeas_ to the
_mitkal_, which gives 125 _okeas_ to the dollar; but at Tafilet,
although 10 _okeas_ compose a _mitkal_, 5 _mitkals_ complete the
dollar, so that 50 _okeas_ is the value of a Spanish dollar there,
instead of 125 _okeas_. However, as the same coins are in use all
over the country, and the _okea_ and _mitkal_ are only expressions,
the result is the same, though at first confusing. This change in
calculation begins at Dads, and is found in the districts east of
that country.
With regard to the products of Tafilet, the most important
without doubt are the dates, and it is from this culture that the
inhabitants are enabled to exist at all. Not only are they sent
by caravan all over Morocco, but there are merchants of Fez who
ship large quantities to London, and we often eat here in the
centre of civilisation dates that are grown in this far-away
and little-known oasis, and which have been carried on mule or
donkey back over the hot arid desert and the snowy passes of the
Atlas Mountains. To realise the enormous quantity of dates grown at
Tafilet one must see the oasis. The palms, planted so thickly and so
closely together as to obstruct one’s vision in every direction,
form a gigantic forest, to pass through which, by the narrow lanes,
is bewildering. I have explained elsewhere by what means the system
of irrigation is carried on, and the scanty crops of vegetables
and lucerne grown amongst them. The groves of the finest date-palms
are in the vicinity of Abuaam in the district of Wad Ifli, and here
they are nearly all enclosed in high walls. It is these dates, the
_Bu Skri_ and _Bu Kfus_, that are most prized, and luscious they
are indeed, though they spoil by travelling. The commoner varieties
are eaten in the country, or given as fodder to the cattle, goats,
and horses. In the outer portions of the oasis the palm-groves are
not walled, and the expense of building walls would not be repaid
by the price realised for the commoner varieties of dates. Between
the Wad Gheris and the Wad Ziz, in the province of Es Sifa, but few
walls are found in repair, and the want of proper irrigation has
caused the date-palms to deteriorate; but near Abuaam and Rissani
the gardens are nearly all in the possession of the Shereefs, and
are kept in a state of excellent repair. The dates were ripe at
the time of my visit (November), and I was able to see not only the
plucking but also the drying process. The labourers, principally the
Haratin, are very skilful in climbing the palms. When the summit
is reached either the entire bunch is cut off or else shaken, in
either case the dates falling to the ground. Here they are collected
into panniers, which are placed upon the backs of donkeys and taken
to the drying-grounds. They are always plucked slightly unripe, as
otherwise they fall to the ground themselves, and are rotted by the
irrigation. At the drying-grounds—large open spaces, sometimes
surrounded with walls—the dates are laid in the sun, a guard,
often of women, being placed over them; for although they never
object to one’s picking up a handful for one’s own consumption,
the fruit would probably be stolen in far larger quantities were they
left absolutely without watchers. These guards usually live in brown
_ghiem_, as the hair tents of the Arabs are called, but sometimes
build themselves huts of palm-leaves. The dates are poured in great
heaps upon the ground, being turned over by the women every now and
again to allow of the sun reaching them. The sight of acres of great
heaps of dates is a most curious one. There are various processes of
treating the dates. Some kinds are merely sun-dried and left single;
[Illustration: _Young Women of Tafilet drying Dates._]
others are crushed into solid masses, which are sewn up in
basket-work for transport; while others again, used by the poor
natives when travelling, are crushed into the shape and size of
turkeys’ eggs, and are easier to carry in this manner. On one
occasion, travelling in Morocco, I was given one of those solidified
date-balls by a native of Tafilet, who was journeying to Tangier on
his way to take ship to Mecca. Its appearance and feel was that of a
stone, its weight that of lead! I kept it for some time in my house,
and visitors used to take it for a fossil. What became of it I do not
know, but I never found any native of North Morocco brave enough to
attempt to eat it. Yet by the donor it was considered a great luxury.
Besides the dates, crops of wheat and barley are grown at Tafilet,
especially in the land to the west of the Gheris, called Beled el
Unja. Millet and maize, however, are more common, and form the
principal food of the people. In the gardens cabbages, onions,
peas, beans, grapes, pomegranates, apples, pears, gourds, and
melons flourish, but are only cultivated by the richer classes,
turnips being the favourite vegetable of the poor. Large quantities
of lucerne are grown in the shade of the palm-trees, and stored
away for winter fodder for the horses and cattle.
The only export of manufactured goods from Tafilet are the prepared
skins, famous all over Morocco as _jeld el Fileli_, and fine _haiks_,
the fleece of the native sheep being very fine.
Gunsmiths and silversmiths, the latter principally Jews, are to
be found in numbers, but the weapons are of coarse manufacture;
while such trades as the making of sandals, universally worn by
the poorer Arabs and Berbers, flourish. All good shoes are brought
from Fez, those made in Tafilet, in spite of the fine leather,
being very inferior. Bags for _kiff_, the chopped hemp which the
natives smoke, are made in considerable quantities and sent to
Morocco. These bags are generally some 6 inches in length by 3 in
width. An outside cover or shell, open at one of the narrow ends,
allows the bag with its several pockets to be drawn out. The whole
is worn round the neck on a string, which, passing through the two
upper corners of the outside bag, is made fast to that inside, so
that to get at the _kiff_ the outer cover is slid up the two strings.
Antimony and lead are both found in the vicinity of Tafilet, and
the former, known as _kohl el Fileli_, was once famous, but it can
be imported into Morocco nowadays from Europe at a cheaper rate
than it can be worked and sent from Tafilet. The lead worked is
only used for bullets, and is obtained merely in small quantities.
The aromatic gums which reach Fez from Tafilet are not products of
the oasis, but are brought thither to the Fez merchants in small
quantities from the different tribes, a good deal from the Sudan.
The imports into Tafilet exceed very considerably in value the
exports. Most caravans travel from Fez, the road being better and
safer than that from Morocco City. Cotton goods, shoes, _khent_,
silk belts and handkerchiefs, iron bars, candles, sugar, and green
tea, form the principal imports, a good deal of the whole being
sold at Abuaam to other merchants and tribes, who send it farther
afield into the Sahara and Sudan. The return caravans take away
dates and Sudan produce.
The slave-trade flourishes at Tafilet, the slaves being brought
direct to that spot from the Sudan. At the time of my visit they were
being freely hawked about the Sultan’s camp. The girls of the Hausa
country fetched the best prices, being considered more cheerful and
neater than those from farther west. The prices averaged from 30 to
40 dollars for boys, and up to 100 and 120 dollars for young girls.
The great veneration bestowed by the Moors and Arabs upon deceased
saints is as noticeable at Tafilet as elsewhere. Although the founder
of the present ruling dynasty of Morocco and his son lie buried in
the oasis, their tombs are reverenced more by strangers than by the
inhabitants, though the name of Mulai Ali Shereef is continually
upon their lips. But Mulai Ali Shereef never founded a brotherhood,
and this has to some extent detracted from the esteem that would
have accrued to his memory, these societies of devotees doing more
to keep up the reputation of their founders than any number of
stray pilgrims could do. The love of belonging to some particular
brotherhood is extremely noticeable amongst the superstitious people
of the Sahara, who are far more religious than their brethren in
Morocco proper. Some follow the sect of the _Taiebiya_, or followers
of Mulai Taieb of Wazan; some are _Aissoua_ and practise the rites
of Sidi ben Aissa of Meknas; some again _Hamacha_, devotees of Sidi
Ali ben Hamduch; some of Mulai Abdul Kader el Jilani of Baghdad. But
the most favoured of all in this portion of the Sahara is the sect
of the _Derkauiya_, or followers of Mulai Ali and Mulai el Arbi el
Derkaui, whose patrons lie buried, one in the Sahara, the other in
the tribe-lands of the Beni Zerual to the north-east of Fez. The
_Derkauis_ are distinguished by carrying a long stick, and by
wearing round their necks a string of large wooden beads, often of
preposterous size. Often, too, a green turban decorates the head,
a sign in the East of the accomplishment of the pilgrimage to Mecca
or of holy descent from the Prophet, but here meaning neither, being
merely a sign of exceeding devotion to the sect. Mulai Suleiman,
who reigned as Sultan of Morocco from 1795 to 1822, was a devotee of
this sect, which no doubt then became fashionable. The brotherhood
possesses _zauias_, or holy houses, all over the country, where
offerings are taken and meetings of the sect held. These _zauias_ are
in the hands of chosen _Mokadmin_, elected for the purpose. One of
the little party who accompanied me as far as Dads was a _Derkaui_,
and I took the opportunity of questioning him about the sect. The
original idea was “revivalistic”—that is to say, it was the
desire of the founder to cause the world to return to the pristine
purity of Islam, and to do away with any worship except of the
One God. However, so impressionable are the minds of Arabs that,
instead of turning them from the reverence of earthly saints, he
only added his own name to the long list. So firmly convinced was
Sid el Arbi el Derkaui of the unity of God, and that to Him alone
must be paid reverence, that he ordered his followers in repeating
the _Shedda_—There is no god but God; Mohammed is the Prophet of
God—to only mentally mention the second half of the sentence,
so that Mohammed, holy though he was, should not be spoken of in
the same breath with the Almighty. A constant repetition of prayers
and attendance at the mosque was also enjoined.
With regard to the animal life to be found at Tafilet a few words
must be said.
With the exception of domestic animals, little or no wild
varieties are to be found in the oasis. These domestic animals
consist of camels, cattle, horses, mules, donkeys, goats, sheep,
and dogs. Poultry and pigeons are also found in the villages. The
camel is the ordinary large heavy variety found throughout Morocco,
though the oasis is from time to time visited by desert tribesmen
riding the lighter and swifter camel of the south. Cows and oxen
are found in considerable quantities, but are all stall-fed, being
only turned out to graze in the spring, when scanty grass is to
be found on the outskirts of the oasis. Their fodder consists of
dried lucerne and the commoner varieties of dates. The fertile and
irrigated land is of too great a value to allow of its being used
for grazing purposes. However, there are large flocks and herds
of goats and sheep which find sufficient to eat amongst the more
deserted portions of Tafilet, and I noticed great numbers feeding
amongst the ruins of Sijilmassa and on the outskirts of the oasis
on the east side near Dar el baida. At times of drought they are
given lucerne and dates. The sheep are of a curious desert variety,
called by the natives _dimaan_. They are hornless and with large
loose ears. The wool on their backs is curled, but their sides,
stomachs, legs, necks, and heads are smooth. Usually they are of
two colours, either black and white or brown and white. The wool,
as much as there is of it, grows close to the skin, and is very
lightly curled and fine in texture. The goats, too, are peculiar
to the district. Goat and sheep milk is largely used for butter.
Of the larger varieties of wild animals the oasis is said to be
void. Jackal are likely to be found, and a few hyena in the more
deserted parts, though probably the latter are visitors from the
mountains, and come in search of food. Large quantities of rats
exist, but I saw no voles. Gazelle are found in numbers in the
desert, but appear not to approach the oasis; while the _muflon_
seldom, if ever, leave the vicinity of the mountains. In Jibel
Saghru they are very plentiful. Ostriches are hunted only a day or
two’s journey to the south, and are said to haunt the vicinity
of the Dayet ed Daura, into which the surplus waters of the oasis
of Tafilet eventually run.
The horses of Tafilet are a small wiry breed, often very handsome,
and capable of standing a great amount of fatigue. Many of the
tribes ride entirely mares, on account of the fact that an ambush
can be formed with these, whereas entire horses would neigh on the
approach of a mounted enemy. They are also more docile, and can be
left standing with their bridles on their necks, without fear of
their running away or joining other horses. Their heads are small
and legs fine, while their tails are better set on than those of the
usual barb. Very large prices, comparatively to those in Morocco,
are paid for them; but it must be taken into account that their
rearing is much more expensive, as there is no grazing-ground, and
they are fed entirely on lucerne and dates. Owls seemed to be the
most plentiful of all the birds, but I saw large flocks of doves,
several varieties of birds of prey, and a number of herons.
There remain now only a few words more to be said to complete these
notes upon Tafilet—namely, regarding the trade-routes which lead
to and from the oasis.
I have in the earlier part of my book given a detailed account
of the road from Morocco City to the oasis—the route by which
I travelled, which may be ranked as the second most important,
a far larger trade being carried on with Fez.
As I have not myself, nor has as far as is known any European,
travelled over this trade-road, I will only give briefly its
principal features, preferring to be on the safe side rather than
put too much trust or belief in native authorities who, though
their general description may be true enough, have no idea of time
or distance beyond that certain spots can be reached in one day.
The actual distance and time employed in the journey from Fez to
Tafilet is about a day shorter than from Morocco City—that is
to say, ten or eleven days, the _r’halat_, or stoppages, being,
when possible, made at stated points where security for man, beast,
and goods is be found.
The first stoppage after leaving Fez is Sufru, some six hours’
caravan-travelling from the capital, a short march necessitated by
the difficulties and delays in leaving the city and the security to
be found within the little walled town, one of the most picturesque
in all Morocco. Here the Berber tribes are entered, and the following
day’s march is the ascent of the northern slopes of this portion
of the Atlas, a halt being made for the night at Tagharzut in
the tribe-land of Beni Mgild. Here there is a large _ksar_ built
_tabia_. From Tagharzut to Njil forms the third day’s journey,
where there is a _Kaid_, or tribal governor. Njil lies on the borders
of the Beni Mgild and Aït Yussi tribes. The latter are said to be
one of the wildest Berber tribes, but are more trustworthy and a
simpler people than usual. From Njil to El Kasabi, the fourth day’s
journey, the road ascends the valley of the stream which eventually,
after receiving the drainage of the surrounding valleys, forms
the Muluya, which flows into the Mediterranean between Melilla and
Nemours. El Kasabi itself is on this upper reach of the Muluya. At
the pass over the Atlas, Tizin Telremt, on the east of Jibel Ayashi
or Ayashin, another watershed is crossed, and the basin of the Wad
Ziz and Wad Guir reached. A halt is made for the night at a _ksar_,
or _nzala_, as villages or buildings erected for the purpose of
resting-places for caravans are called. From this _nzala_ to the
district of Gers, where the river of that name joins the Wad Ziz,
constitutes the sixth day’s journey, from which, by following
the valley of the Ziz, Tafilet is reached in four days, the halts
being made in any villages which can be trusted as friendly toward
the caravan-men.
A few words must be said as to the trade-routes from Tafilet to
Algeria, though no very great quantity of produce is brought that
way, owing to the desert that has to be crossed and the wild tribes
inhabiting it.
From Tafilet a number of tracks run almost parallel across the
Hamada el Kebir to Es Saheli, El Megren or El Barka on the Wad Guir
(95 miles), thence _viâ_ Ain Shair to the north, or Kanadsa to the
south, to Figig (130-150 miles). At Ain Sefra, 58 miles from Figig,
is the termination of the French railway from Oran. The distance,
therefore, as the crow flies, from Abuaam in Tafilet to Ain Sefra
is about 260 miles.
Of the roads to the south of Tafilet but little need be said, as
proportionately only a very small amount of the Sudan trade comes
into Morocco by this route, the greater portion being taken _viâ_
Tenduf and the Sus to Mogador. From Tafilet, however, a road across
a corner of Jibel Saghru and _viâ_ Tamgrut leads to the Wad Draa,
and thence, _viâ_ El Feija, Tatta, and Akka, communication exists
with Timbuctu; but little water is found between Tafilet and
Tamgrut, and this portion of the Anti-Atlas is only inhabited by
a few shepherds of the Aït Atta. The distance to Tamgrut is some
95 miles—three days’ good travelling for caravans.
Two other roads are sometimes followed to Timbuctu—namely, (1)
_viâ_ Wad Igidi or Igidin to the south-east of Tafilet, and (2)
_viâ_ El Harib to the south-west; but in both cases large sums of
money have to be paid to the tribes to secure a safe journey, and,
especially on the latter, water is very scarce.
A road leads to Tuat _viâ_ the Hamada, El Kebir, Ghrlnema, and
Fum es Shink—fifteen days’ travelling.
I have not dwelt at any length upon these trade-routes, as no very
reliable information can be obtained from the natives.