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Moroccan myths

SACRED SANCTUARIES, SAI NTS AND


S E R VA N T S .
Outline

Intorduction
Maraboutism
* Roots
* History
The culture of Visiting Saadat
* Blessings
* Cultural contradiction
Examples
Conclusion
Introduction

Moroccan culture is full of legends


and myths, tales of magic and epic
characters, stories of love and
fear, whose origins are lost in time
and in which fact and fiction are
mixed. Tales, myths, legends and
true stories intertwine creating a
rich oral tradition.
Today, we are going to talk about
sarced places ( Zaouia) and Saadat.

In some contexts, we can refer to


Saadat as saints and servants.

Word of the day : Maraboutism.


Maraboutism

A typical Moroccan phenomenon.


- the cult of marabouts and zawiyas are
found throughout the kingdom. But in
reality a marabout is the living Sufi
mystic who builds a Ribat (zawiya with
many departments) for the purpose of
gathering people around God Almighty
and His invocation.
For :
A focus for combating illiteracy and
inculcating knowledge.
A place of worship.
Defence of the safety of the homeland.
Fighting injustice and social corruption.
The best example is Oued al-Makhazin
Battle in 1578 participated by marabout
Sidi Mhammad ibn Ali Risouni.
The sense of this term has
undergone, like so many other terms,
the erosion of history.
Nowadays, a marabout or a saint
or holly man point at a character
whose qualities : wisdom, thorough
knowledge of religious texts and
especially the baraka (divine blessing)
make of him an intermediate to God .
The culture of visiting Saadat

- What do you think pushes people to


believe in siants?
Poeple strive to participate in the
sacredness of these saints.
They believe in magical powers and
divine blessigns .
Illiteracy and ignorance
Lack of hope.
Examples
Chamharouch- location.

Chamharouch, also know as "The king of


Jnoun", or "The Great Judge of Jnoun" is
located at a mountain named "Toubkal"
next to Marrakech , close to Imlil.
The access to this mountain is almost
impossible by car due to its rocky terrain ,
the average person would need to use a
donkey to get there, and put on warm
clothes as it is really windy and cold up
there.
Chamharouch-story.

The story says that a man went to the


mountain and dedicated his life to
worship and medidate, in a solitary
social state until he died.
A memorial was built at the place of
his death. As the story spread amongst
people, many speculations started
rising. The most well known of which is
the one called "The Jnoun
Court".
The superstition basically states that
in that memorial lives a Djinn name
Chamharouch, people starting
visiting the memorial in order to
worship, offer tributes such as small
goats, and it is believed that visiting
it cures diseases.
However, that place is full of
manipulative imposters that take
advantage of people that visit the
Second example
Saints of Marrakech-history.

been about 300 years since


Its

Sultan Moulay Ismal of Marrakech


came up with a way to deal with the
growing influence of the seven saints
of Regraga from the Essaouira region.
Seven Saints were chosen, with only
one thing in common: theyre all
buried in the Red City.
Because then in 2005, at Bab Doukkala, seven
towers were built to honour these seven men,
who are part of the history and culture of the City
of Marrakech.
Cadi Ayyad Ben Moussad

Also known as: Abou Al Fadl Ayyad ben


Amer Ben Moussa Ben Ayyad Ben
Mohamed Ben Abdellah Ben Moussa Ben
Ayyad Al Yahsob or Cadi de Grenade.
Origins: Ymnite, originally from Sebta.
Education: Student of Abou Abdellah
ben Issa, from Imam Abou Abdellah ben
Hamdine, Abou Al Hassan ben Siradj and
Imam Abou Al walid Ibn Rochd.
Distinguishing features:
- Hes best known for learning
Maleksime in the Muslim West. His
love for the Prophet is evident in his
work Al-Chifaa and his orthodox
rigor earned him his saint title.

Death: 1149 (544 in Hegira)


Buried: Near Bab Alen.
Third example
JEWISHLEGENDS.
The shrine of Rabbi Amram ben Diwane is one of
Moroccos major Jewish shrines. It is located in
Ouazane.
Rabbi Amram ben Diwane-history.

Rabbi Amram ben Diwane (d. 1781)


arrived in Morocco in 1743 from
Palestine.
He was sent to Morocco by the rabbis of
Hebron to collect funds for the Jews of
Jerusalem.
He toured Morocco for years, collecting
funds, teaching Torah and disseminating
wisdom, his reputation survived his death.
Rabbi Amram
Rabbi Amram ben Diwane-
story.
- Jewish legends say:

When Rabbi Amram came to Morocco, he fullfiled


peoples wishes (cured the ill, granted success)

It is said when he tried to collect funds. The Moroccan


authorities prevented him from doing so. Then both
parties agreed on a solution , which is :he would
stay in a cave filled with snakes for three days ,
on the third they would open the caves door if he
was alive he would go on his mission to raise
money for charity and it would be Gods will to
do so .
However if not, he would die inside.
Rabbi Amram agreed and entered the
cave. On the third they went inside
and found him surrounded by snakes
whom they were protecting him.
The tomb of Rabbi Amram consists of a bed of stones at the base of a large
olive tree
Its said that the large tree never catches fire.
Bouya Omar-location.

Bouya Omar is a marabout. His tomb is 30


kilometers from Kelaat Castle city, and 11
kilometers away from Laattaouia Center.
Bouya Omar-histroy.

He was born during the last two decades


of the 16th century and remained
illiterate until he reached the age of 40.
He decided to travel for learning to
Zaouiya Tamkrot Nasiriyah which is
located on the banks of the Draa Valley
in southern Morocco and studied at the
hands of its founder, Sidi Mohammed bin
Ibrahim Al-Ansari.
Bouya Omar-story.

The "Bouya omar" is one of the most


famous shrines frequented by
visitors to recover from mental
illness and epilepsy.
They believe that the spirit of the
guardian, "Bouya Omar" has a close
link with the "Divine Spirit" and
capable of introduction to treatment.
Conclusion

In spite of the development in Morocco, the


change of the ruling power, a part of
Moroccan society "believes" in the
phenomenon of shrines and blessings to
find a solution for their emotional, financial ,
social and mental problems, which is wrong.
Let us be aware of this form of regression,
and invite people to think actively first
instead of rushing to the useless unkown.
Thank you.
S2/G6

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