Abdallah al-Ghalib

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Abdallah al-Ghalib Billah (1517-1574, reigned 1557-1574) was the second sultan of the Saadi Dynasty. He came to power to the throne as the legal heir. From his first wife the first Saadian sultan had had three sons, but the two oldest had died (in 1550 and in 1551). Abdallah was 40 years old when he became sultan and receceived the name al-Ghalib Billah. Before that he had been vice-king of Marrakesh and governor of Fes. Shortly thereafter three of his younger brothers fled the country and joined the Ottoman Turks. During a relatively peaceful reign Abdallah succeeded in warding off both the Spanish and the Turks and in consolidating the souvereignty of Saadians over Morocco. He fought the invading Turks in 1558 near the oued Leben and drove them out of the country. After his victory he even occupied Tlemcen for a short period. In 1568 he supported the insurrection of the moriscos in Spain. Abdallah al-Ghalib Billah died on 22 January 1574 of an asthma attack. After his reign a period of civil war was to follow that lasted four years. Marrakech had been his residency. He gave the city the Muassin mosque, a maristan (a hospital usually attached to a mosque) and the Ben Youssef Medrassa. He also reconstructed the al-Mansouria mosque.