Sahra’nın Kapısı Nasıl Çöktü? Sicilmâse’nin Yıkılış Süreci
How Did the Gate of the Sahara Fall? The Process of Sijilmassa’s Collapse

Summary/Abstract: Sijilmassa is a city founded by the Sufriyya branch of the Kharijites in the 2nd/8th century. Located in the southeast of the Kingdom of Morocco, north of the Sahara Desert, Sijilmassa occupies a highly strategic position. Due to this location, it played a key role within the triangle of Bilād al-Sūdān–Mashriq–al-Andalus. In particular, the gold trade with Bilād al-Sūdān quickly enriched the city and enabled it to become an important commercial center in the Maghrib. From its foundation, the rapidly developing city drew the attention of expansionist states in the Maghrib, such as the Almoravids, Almohads, and Marinids. For this reason, it was subjected to numerous attacks. However, the beginning of the end for Sijilmassa came with the power struggles during the Marinid period. On the other hand, the Ma'qil Arabs, who had settled in the southern parts of the Maghreb alAqsa, grew stronger and gained dominance over the settled tribes in the region. Sijilmassa witnessed prolonged and destructive power struggles between branches of the Ma'qil Arabs who allied themselves with the Marinids and those who opposed the administration in Fez. As the warring parties destroyed the water sources and attacked trade caravans in order to weaken their enemies, security in Sijilmassa was lost, and people were forced to take refuge in qsûr or migrate to other cities. This study examines the process leading to the disappearance of Sijilmassa, beginning with the Marinids period, in more detail than previous studies. In addition to written sources related to the historical process in question, verbal narratives were used to examine the reflections of these events in collective memory. At the same time, the study also includes photographs taken in the field by the researcher that reveal the current state of Sijilmassa.

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