Ait Yafelman

The Ait Yafelman (Tamazight: ayt yaf-lman) are a large Berber tribal confederation of the eastern High Atlas of Morocco, with their capital at Imilchil. They consist of four tribes: Ait Morghad, Ait Haddidou, Ait Izdeg and Ait Yahia. These tribes created the alliance in the 17th century to counter the expansion of their Ait Atta neighbours. The Ait Yafelman speak Central Atlas Tamazight.

History

The Ait Yafelmans lived before VXI century in the south of the High Atlas Oriental, in the Todra, the Ghriss the Dades, the Imedghass and Upper Ziz.

From the sixteenth century they exceeded the passes of Jbel El Ayachi and Jbel Maaskar to occupy the vast land they live today, and M. Peyron limited as follows: "any Tounfite between the High Atlas, and Midelt Tizi N'Telghoumt the north, and Msemrir, Guelmim, Errachidia and Boudnib, south, and with such line, east of the valley of the Oued Ait Aissa, and west of the upper Oued El Abid, the Assif Melloul and Dades. [1].

This vast territory is therefore in direct contact with the Ait Atta southwest, Ait Soukhman to the west, north Ait Myeld, Ait Ait El Haj Youssi and the North East and Ait Saghrouchen in the East. The country has Yafelmans is a mountainous area where Jbel El Ayachi rises to 3737 meters.

Bibliography

Notes and references

  1. ^ Michaël Peyron, Contribution à l'histoire du Haut-Atlas Oriental : les Ayt Yafelman », dans "Revue de l'Occident musulman et de la Méditerranée",1984, Vol. 38