Tagmadert
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Tagmadert (also Tagumadert, Tagmad(d)art or Tigumedet) is a famous place in the Draa River valley. It is the place of origin of the members of the Saadi Dynasty. Despite the fact that Tagmadert is indicated on most older European maps, there is some uncertainty about its exact location. According to Charles de Foucauld its location was identical to present-day Fezouata, that is the district directly north of the Ktawa, including the village of Tamegroute[1] Others, basing themselves on a description of the 17th century traveller Marmol like to think that it was also the name of the village of Amezrou, next to the Zagora mountain.[2] Today both a qsar that is called Timidert and one that is called Tamdaht exist in the northern part of the Draa River valley. Unfortunately there are no archeological records or Arabic or Berber language sources from which to deduce unequivocal conclusions. The Saadi were Shurafa of Tagmadert. The First sultan of that dynasty Mohammed ash-Sheikh was called "al Daraui at-Tagmadert". Some of the members of the Saadi Dynasty have proudly inscribed Tagmadert as their place of birth on their tombstone.[3].
[edit] references
- ^ Charles de Foucauld, Reconnaissance au Maroc, Journal de route du voyage entrepris par Charles de Foucauld au Maroc en 1883-1884. 4 vols. Paris: Challamel, 1888., p.292 (available online on http://gallica.bnf.fr/VoyagesEnAfrique/ [1] "Au district du Ternata succède, immédiatement au-dessous de lui, celui du Fezouata, appelé aussi Tagmadart."
- ^ 1573, Marmol Carvajal, soldier of Spanish origin and prisoner of the Sultan Mohammed ash-Sheikh, travelled through the Draa River valley and described Tagmadert: "It is a fertile country of wheat, barley and dates and of big and small cattle". The confusion comes from the fact that he had previously indicated that it is a "town of one thousand five hundred inhabitants, on the border of Lybie, at twenty leagues (1 league=5 km) from Quiteoa (Quiteoa refers probably to Bani Hayoun in the Qtawa)." The distance given in that description would place Tagmadert in northern Ternata or even Tinzoulin, not far from Zaouiet Amdagh/Tamdaht.
- ^ Saadian funerary stele (A.D.1580) (cf. the steles of the Saadian tombs in Marrakesh) with Arabic inscription: 'This is the tomb of (..) Fatima (..) the wife of Caid Abdallah of Tamdart'. Tamdart refers to Tagmadert of the Draa valley. Also inscribed on the stele are the Quranic verses 26 and 27 of Sura 55.[2]
