What happened at the sanctuary of Sidi Bubkr?

After lunch everybody finally went to Iligh. From Sidi Ahmed Ou Moussa it is 6km to Iligh and halfway along the way in the middle of nowhere and in a bend of the road is the sanctuary of Sidi Bubkr. The Marabout is surrounded by a walled graveyard. Nobody seems to know who Sidi Bubkr was, but the Marabout marks an important land division and is mentioned in many old documents. It was also the site of a gruesome murder with far-reaching consequences. Thursday 1 December 1814 a man named Mahmud El Warari was stabbed near the Marabout ten times. His stomach was cut open and filled with stones. The assailants were send by Hashem the ruler of the House of Iligh. Like Hashem, Mahmud was a descendant of Sidi Ahmed Ou Mousa. They were related in more ways than one and they were political rivals. Their fiefdoms bordered on each other. But while Mahmud obeyed faithfully his overlord, Hashem also known as 'the Lion of the Tazerwalt'followed an independent course which got him into difficulties many times. It went so far that the fortress of Iligh was destroyed twice between 1810 and 1816 by the overlord. When Mahmud met his death he was crossing the 'border' at Sidi Bubkr while on the way to Iligh for the circumcision ceremony of the son of Hashem and the sister of Mahmud. The case came to court and there is a legal document about the case kept safe in the mosque of Toumanar although it was set afire and torn into pieces. 10 years later in 1825 the son of Mahmud wanted to retaliate a disgrace his wife had suffered when she visited Iligh for a wedding (there are 5 different versions of the same story). He shot Hashem under the famous Argan tree in the souk of Sidi Ahmed Ou Mousa during the yearly Moussem in honor of his ancestor the Sufi saint. The murder was part of both a vendetta and a long drawn out civil war. Paul Pascon gives an exhaustive description of the events in his study "La Maison d'Iligh'.

The Dutch presentation

After Paul Dahan's presentation it was the turn for the experts from Holland to say something. The Dutch delegation consisted of Herman Obdeijn and his wife, Mohammed Saadouni and Leon Buskens of the NIMAR in Rabat. Also part of the NIMAR group were Sarah Michiel from Belgium and from Morocco educator Omar Zkik and driver Ahmed Chenouni. Herman Obdeijn took it upon himself to say something about the Dutch connection with Iligh. For us Michiel de Ruyter is of course the most striking connection. However even for the Aboudmiaa family De Ruyter is an unknown factor. They had never heard about him till Bert told them. Herman set things right by quoting from De Ruyter's diaries about his visit with Ali Ben Mohammed Ou Mousa the then ruler who was the first who took the name Aboudmiaa to distinguish himself from the other descendants of the Sufi saint. De Ruyter called him 'Sant' in short. During the presentations Imam was in the room restlessly moving about at first but when he saw that I was sketching he settled beside me. As always I think partly because he want to protect me because he considers me his guest, partly out of affection I think. Of course he knows that when I'm around he gets his portrait taken. After the meeting we went back to the Zaouia were the lunch was served. The students from the driving school joined us and this time men and women mixed around the three tables. Remarkable was that the dignitaries of the Zaouia shared a table with the girls from the hairdressing course and partook in their enthusiasm. It was a heartwarming sight. Maybe the girls were the granddaughters. Who knows.

The meeting in Sidi Ahmed Ou Mousa

Next the Friends of Iligh repaired to the municipal building for a meeting during which different presentations would be given. As the 'Reunion' was financed by the Governate of Tiznit Aisha and Bert had to comply with certain demands from high up. One of them was that the Alderman for culture of Tiznit Ahmed Boumzegou would also give a presentation. Apparently he had done his phd on 'Iligh'. Boumzegou had not been particularly helpful when Aisha and Bert had ran up and down the stairs in the Governor's palace in search of support. They both had taken a dislike to him. However in the morning before we set off for Sidi Ahmed Ou Mousa word came that Boumzegou suddenly had to go to Rabat. In his stead came a man in a baseball cap. This man insisted that he gave the first presentation right after the introduction by Bert and by the Mayor. His talk was about documents from the archive of Iligh that had proven beyond doubt that Morocco's claim on Western Sahara the former Spanish colony was legit. The claim was never recognized by the international community. The take-over was engineered by General Franco just before his death and king Hassan II. The story goes that one day a helicopter landed in Iligh with people a.o. a minister who demanded of Houcine Aboudmiaa the then ruler of Iligh to hand over the relevant documents. It is unclear to me when this took place and how the authorities in Rabat knew the documents existed. Did Houcine tell them or did they know from El Soussy the historian who died in the mid sixties and who wrote extensively about 'Iligh' in Arabic (never translated). One thing is certain: the documents never came back.I didn't know all this when I made this sketch otherwise the usurper would have been prominent in the drawing. From left to right: Paul Dahan, Manoubi Abdelmjid the Mayor, Bert, Aisha in Hajib and on the phone, Abdullah El Mountassir, and the two Sufi dignitaries from the Zaouia: Moulay El Mahfoud and Moulay Houcine El Ourari.In the background a very large poster of king Mohammed VI.

Introduction to Tiznit

After the friends of iligh were officially welcomed by the governor we were shown around town. We saw the Mellah, the old Jewish artisan souk, now lovingly restored by Tiznit's architect Salima Nagji. Tiznit is an old oase with and ancient well and an historic mosque of which the minaret is unfortunately very tastelessly renovated. In the late nineteenth century it was walled and became a garrison town. Not in the last place because of the threatening power of Iligh. The French extended the barracks. By that time the power of Iligh was waning and the French used the garrison to suppress the Tazerwalt region. Tiznit also has a resident Sufi saint to whose brand new sanctuary and shrine we were taken. Our guide was Mohamed Ouhamou, the cultural officer of the city. His French wasn't great but the people who spoke Moroccan Arabic or Tashelhyt translated. For some unclear reason he attached himself to me. I suspected he thought I was going to desecrate the Sufi sanctuary, but I was only on the look out for a sketching opportunity. When you are with a group that is sort of aimlessly milling about it is very difficult to find a good moment. Anyway next we went to lunch. We drove a little way out of town in the direction of Guelmim till we came to a Afriquia petrol station. At the back was a great big resting area with an excellent traditional Moroccan family restaurant. I absolutely love those places, but when you are a non-Moroccan tourist, you rarely find them. No doubt we were taken there because of the female element in our group. As on cue the men gathered around one table and the women around the other. It was only remarked upon with the dessert and our guide gamely choose to switch to the women's table. Then I made this sketch of M Ouhamou.

Bert and Aicha try Plan B

A week before the 'Reunion' of friends of Iligh would take place Bert and Aisha met again in Agadir. An impressive list of people who were coming to Iligh was ready. But there was nowhere to stay for them and it was still unsure if they would get to see anything. Iligh was still more like a warzone than a place of any importance. In the meantime Moulay Imam Aboudmiaa had suggested two locations in the neighborhood of Iligh where people could stay now that Iligh was out. But to stay in the neighboring 'auberges' would cost money and there wasn't any. Aisha suggested to pull political strings. She thought that the safeguarding of the heritage of her family was a matter of public interest. And there was a little matter of certain documents from Iligh having given proof to the legality of the annexation of Western Sahara by Morocco in 1975 or thereabouts. She also anted to cash in on that. Bert and Aisha moved to Tiznit the provincial capital to work the authorities there. For the next days they tried very hard to convince the politicians and civil servants of the prestige of footing the bill for the 'Reunion'.

Chapter 5 the gates of Iligh are opened

In Chapter 5 the gates are finally opened for writer Bert and artist Peti. On September 26 2017 they have an appointment with the father of Aisha, Moulay Imam Aboudmiaa. But from the beginning things don't really go according to plan. Although the two Dutchwomen are warmly welcomed into the bosom of the family, and have a whale of a time with Fatima and Imam, they get the 'tourist' treatment with regards to the secrets of Iligh. They return to Holland with more questions than answers. Is there written letters or texts in Arabic that tell about the visits made and deals struck with Michiel de Ruyter? Are there as many texts in Hebrew as suggested? Imam is supposed to know, but if he does, he did not communicate it with the visitors. But one thing is certain whatever the secret archives are hiding, it is in a deplorable state. Time, changing temperatures and creepy crawlies have caused havoc with the written texts and manuscripts. Will the heritage of this very special little stronghold with its rich, colorful and unique past crumble to dust and disappear into the earth and into oblivion or can the family get what they insist they want: expert help from abroad?

Chapter 4 another Dutch-Iligh connection

In Chapter 4 of 'The Tears of Iligh' Aicha introduces another connection with Holland. Aisha tells about the secret documents both in Arabic and Hebrew and both on paper and parchment and how in 1982 a Moroccan scientist Paul Pascon was allowed to look into some of the documents. He had won the trust of the family. He wrote a study about the economical history of the small realm of Iligh. To him it was special for several reasons and he wanted to come back and write more and even start digging in the ruins that surround the Casbahs. Unfortunately Paul Pascon had died in a road accident in 1985. Some people thought it suspicious how he had died. Aisha then remembered there had been Dutch among the students who had done research with Paul Pascon in Iligh. She couldn't remember their names however. Back in Amsterdam Bert was on the internet again. She found the study: La Maison d'Iligh. It was out of print. One of the names listed on the cover was Herman van der Wüsten. That sounded Dutch. He was a retired professor and so was the other Dutchman Paolo de Mas. In contrast to Van der Wüsten, Paolo de Mas had kept up an interest in Morocco. Het had been director of the Dutch Institute in Morocco and had written a book about its history with another Dutchman. In 2011 he had been back to Iligh with a TV crew. Paolo de Mas proved helpful and a source of information even though it was given in fits and bounds. It had been 25 years since any outsider had had access to the archives of the family. At last meeting Aisha again now in the company of Peti Buchel the artist of graphic stories in Agadir, she promised that her father would not only receive them, but also give them access to the archives of Iligh. There was one catch, the two had to promise to bring Iligh again under the attention of the academics. The sketch is made after a photo depicting Paolo de Mas in 1984 in the company of a then young scion of the Aboudmiaa family, Hamdi.

Chapter 3 The founder of the House of Iligh

Chapter 3 takes the reader through the first meeting of Bert Hogervorst with Aisha Aboudmiaa in Agadir. Aisha is the eldest daughter of the current 'Sant' of Iligh. She told Bert about her ancestor the Sufi saint Sidi Ahmed ou Moussa (1460-1563), her heritage and the stash of secret documents and books kept in the family's coffers. Once again back in Amsterdam Bert searches the internet for Sidi Ahmed Ou Moussa. She discovers that Sidi Ahmed was a real lout in his youth. With other urchins he terrorized the neighborhood. One fateful day he met an old man struggling under the weight of a bag of figs. He feels sorry for the old man and takes over his load. The act gave such satisfaction that he decided that helping people was much more fun than pestering people. After this epiphany he took his life and religious studies seriously. From then on wondrous stories abound about his piety, courage, patriotism, travels and magical powers. Some of his travels seem copies of those of Odysseus. He also worked miracles from a distance. That way he once changed the course of history. By magic he forced the Ottoman army on its way to invade Morocco to withdraw. The result was that Morocco stayed independent and never became a tax province of the Sultan in Istanbul. After his death his scant possessions were divided among his sons. They managed to transform the symbolic-religious capital into silver. Within three generations develops the House of Iligh into an economic and political power that challenges that of the Moroccan rulers. Now that Bert and Aisha have met will the gates of Iligh finally open? The sketch is of the keeper of the sanctuary and mausoleum of Sidi Ahmed Ou Mousa.

Chapter 2 Before the closed gates of Iligh

In Chapter 2 the text writer of the graphic story, Bert Hogervorst takes center stage. Three times when visiting Iligh she stood in front of closed gates. Coming upon Iligh by chance for the first time she was struck by its imposing, exotic architecture standing seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The casbah's of Iligh were like no other casbahs. It reminded her of pictures she had seen of sub-saharan buildings. Back in Holland she started an internet search. The first thing she discovered was that in the South of Morocco along the edges of the Sahara desert there were ancient Jewish settlements. Turns out the Jews played a crucial role in the Trans Saharan trade. The oldest settlement was in Ifrane (Atlas Saghir). From there the Jews had spread and brought prosperity to the region. It seemed that the rise of Iligh as a karavanserai, goods depot and trading post in the first half of the 17th century coincided with a particularly cruel episode in the history of the Jewish people of Ifrane known as the Mass Suicide when a ruthless ruler forced Jews into killing themselves and each other. From 1620 till 1968 when the last Rabbi left the place, the fate of the Jewish community and that of the family of the 'Maison d'Iligh' was tightly connected. At the end of the 19th century Iligh boasted the largest Jewish population of any place in the South of Morocco. The drawing is of Bert in the Jewish cemetery of Ifrane while on a reconnaissance of Jewish settlements in southern Morocco. Will the gates of Iligh finally open for her and what will she discover once inside?

Chapter 1 Iligh and the Dutch in the 17th century

Part of the Grant Application was a list of chapters and a short description of each chapter. Writing it brought in focus the potentially strong and weak points of the plot-line.From the start we put ourselves in the middle of the story together with Iligh as a location and as a historical power. But does that make a riveting story? Chapter 1 The seventeenth century: the first Dutch connections with Iligh. There are two important seventeenth century sources that tell us about Iligh in Dutch. Michiel de Ruyter, Dutch admiral of the fleet and hero of several wars against England, kept a diary all through his years at sea. Between 1644 and 1652 before being asked by the Dutch Republic to the admiralty, he traded with the ruler of Iligh. In his diaries he describes the travels inland from Santa Cruz (Agadir), the negotiations with the ruler of Iligh whom he calls the 'Sant'because of his religious status as descendant of a Sufi saint and his meetings with Dutch hostages. One of the hostages was Jan van Maren a ship's captain who wrote the story of his ordeal in Iligh after being freed by his former boss: De Ruyter. Will there also be written sources in the archives of Iligh that tell us about trading with the Dutch? The drawing is of the roadstead of Salé. Here Michiel de Ruyter went on land for the first time in Morocco.

Grant application

Bert wrote the following Project Proposal for the Grant application. The translation from the Dutch is mine... The Tears of Iligh: written by Bert Hogervorst, art by Peti Buchel While on a trip to the South of Morocco I stumbled by chance upon a remarkable stronghold in the style of sub-saharan architecture.When was this extraordinary collection of castles built? Who lived there? What is its history? That was how the idea for a book of Graphic Journalism was born. Three times in as many years did I knock on the door. On the fourth time it finally opened. What happened next? The first meeting with the family that has lived there for 350 years was so remarkable that it led to a train of unforeseen adventures. The family is heir to a very unusual history. Among other things two historical facts stood out immediately: its special connection to the Netherlands and the ties to the the large Jewish community that found shelter within its walls. There are supposed to be many written documents that prove the pivotal role the family played in the history of the region and the trans-Saharan trade, but the family is sworn to secrecy. According to trustworthy sources the whole family archive is in a deplorable state as damp and insects have made havoc with the papers and leathers on which the archive is written. Most of what is known about the history of Iligh comes from outsiders: for example the 17th century diaries of Dutch admiral of the fleet Michiel de Ruyter who traded with Iligh for 10 years. The key question of this book of Graphic Journalism is: can the authors penetrate the secret archives? Can they make the family trust them enough to let experts evaluate what's there and possibly safeguard them for future generations? Bert Hogervorst and Peti Buchel have collaborated before on 'The Turning Tide (1998) a study about alternative ways to regenerate 19th century harbour building in NW Europe. They share a love of and interest in the Arab speaking part of the Islamic world and its history and culture.

'Friends of Iligh'

In the winter of 2017/2018 Bert Hogervorst and Aicha Aboudmiaa started to organize a 'Reunion des Amis d'Iligh' (a reunion of the friends of Iligh) that had to take place in Iligh in March 2018. The aim was to bring the experts to the 'Museum' of Aicha's father Imam Aboudmiaa. There the 'coffres' (travel boxes)with the old and secret documents of the family would open and the content be revealed. Or at least that was the intention. The experts could then assess the state the documents were in, the level of deterioration, the language in which they were written and the identity of the writers. Or at least they would get a general idea to be able to judge the next steps. Aicha and Bert worked very hard to get an impressive list of participants together. But they ran into a couple of problems. The most important being: where to put up the guests? A stay in Iligh was not an option and the organizers had no funds to spent on accommodation. Aicha decided to make it political: the importance of Amazigh heritage as a tool to battle Islamist radicalism. Bert and Aicha set out to make the 'Reunion d'Amis d'Iligh' the responsibility of the Governor of the Province of Tiznit.

Thoughts on Sidi Ahmed Ou Moussa

In the weeks before Bert and I left for Iligh I had been thinking about what had made Iligh special. As I wrote before: Bert thought it special because its architecture has a Sub Saharan outlook. What else made it special? That it was an important hub in the Trans Saharan trade? Iligh of course was only one of a number of hubs in that part of Morocco. Maybe it was because of its legendary connection with Michiel De Ruyter and Queen Victoria? Or was this heap of melted adobe buildings with some restored casbahs special because Paul Pascon had directed his focus on it? Why wouldn't it be special because of that 16th century Sufi saint Sidi Ahmed Ou Moussa who settled there between the local Berbers? On the internet are a number of stories about the saint. Sidi Ahamed Ou Moussa was born in a village in the Anti Atlas somewhere between Ifrane and Iligh. Apparently he had been a good for nothing youth who was put on the straight and narrow after meeting and helping an old man who then expressed his thankfulness. He became a Sufi. According to the stories Sidi Ahmed Ou Moussa travelled around a lot and met with different adventures that were remarkably like what Odysseus encountered on his travels. In the end he settled in the valley where is now Iligh among people who were strange to him. His sainthood drew pelgrims and students. But that was not always appreciated by the original population. Sidi Ahmed Ou Moussa hadn't completely forgotten his past as an unruly youth and if necessary knew how to use his fists. It was his son Ali who was not content with spiritual authority and sought material power. He established the chiefdom. I did a quick search on the internet for other Sufi saints whose offspring started a secular dynasty and found only one: a small short lived kingdom in Konya at the time before Ottoman rule covered the whole of Turkey. In Morocco a lot of the powerful ruling dynasties were started by the offspring of men with religious fervor. But they weren't Sufi saints. I thought that made Iligh pretty special.

The short life of Paul Pascon

Paul Pascon was born in 1932 in Fez. His family originally came from France but had lived for a couple of generations in Morocco. When Morocco became independent in 1956, he chose to become a Moroccan citizen. Pascon became an important sociologist embracing new methods of research and introducing them in Morocco. His work inspired a whole generation of Moroccan sociologists and historians with his post-colonial take on his studies about rural society. In 1965 he visited for the first time Iligh and the neighboring Zaouia of Sidi Ahmed Ou Moussa. Through his studies of old documents he was able to throw a new light on how pre-colonial society in that part of Morocco (Tazerwalt) worked. It was not a strictly tribal society but a society made up out of different groups formed around the descendants of the Sufi saint and its 'symbolic capital'. His studies of the society in the Tazerwalt was so sympathetic to the existing make up, history and population that his memory is still cherished. The sympathy was mutual. Also the participating students and other scientists participated in it. Unfortunately his life was clouded by misfortunes. During a camping trip his two sons disappeared never to be found again. Pascon himself died on a road trip in Mauritania in 1985. Not everybody believed it was an accident. Rumors abound.

Paul Pascon and Iligh

Bert had contacted the person behind the Dutch name that was also on the cover of the study 'La Maison D'Iligh' by Paul Pascon. He sent the book to her by return mail. She read it in one sitting. She couldn't put it down. Although it was a historic and sociological study it read like a detective novel according to her. I read the prologue. In it Paul Pascon writes how he visits Iligh for the first time to find two elderly brothers with the ear glued to a radio listening to the BBC world service. Although Iligh itself seems at the end of the world in the middle of nowhere, the brothers are very aware of what happened in this world. Pascon is surprised by the importance Iligh used to have as a hub on the Trans Sahara route and the riches of its 350 year history. The brothers take to him and in the end let him into some of the old archives. He decides to study them. When he finished his study he knows he has just scratched on the surface. There will be much more to discover. But that never happens. Paul Pascon dies in Mauritania in an unfortunate car accident. After the first interest the publication of 'La Maison D'Iligh' generated Iligh slowly sank back again into nothingness. While in the next thirty years the area immediately around and south of Agadir developed into a popular holiday destination, Iligh hardly ever saw visitors. It literally sunk into the earth as I could see on Google Earth.

Meeting Aicha Aboudamiaa in Agadir

On the last day of October 2016 Bert Hogervorst and I met up with Aicha Aboudamiaa in the Ibis Hotel in Agadir where we were staying prior to our flight back to Amsterdam. Bert and Aicha welcomed each other as old friends. It was the first time I met Aicha. Still Bert didn't know much about her. She is a daughter of Imam Aboudamiaa the descendant of the first ruler of Iligh: Ali Aboudamiaa. Bert had told me that the name in Arabic meant literally 'Father of Tears'. One could only speculate what it stood for. Aisha didn't have the answer there on that day in Agadir. Aisha told us that her father wanted to get international interest in Iligh and its history. Aisha was supposed to do that, but she has a full-time job in Agadir and not the time nor the connection. Could we help? I thought: I don't think so! Bert told her about our visit to the Jewish museum in Casablanca and our talk with Zhor Rehilhil director of the museum. Bert told Aicha that she should get in touch with Zhor. The museum is very well endowed and Iligh obviously isn't. But Zhor wants proof of the many documents in Hebrew that are supposedly in Iligh. Aisha tells us that her father doesn't want any of the documents to leave Iligh not even for preservation and documentation purposes. He has been in contact with the government minister in charge with the national heritage. He is afraid that once the historical papers are in Rabat, he will never get them back. Her father wants to get the international focus on Iligh in the hope that that way enough money will be generated to get the documents saved without interference from up high. After excuses that nobody had been in Iligh to open the door for us when we were there, I showed Aicha the drawings I had made there. The one of the Zaouia and the two in the part of the stronghold that is open to the public. She likes them very much and asked point blank if I want to come back a.s.a.p. and make more drawings.

Dutch admiral Michiel de Ruyter in Iligh

A curious Dutch connection to Ali Aboudmiaa the first ruler of Iligh was Michiel de Ruyter. Before he became a very successful admiral to the Dutch fleet in the second half of the seventeenth century, Michiel Adriaanzoon de Ruyter was a trader. He traded around the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean, from Ireland to the West Indies to Morocco in his ship 'The Salamander'. In a period of 10 years he regularly visited Iligh to trade and if finances permitted bought captured Dutch seamen free from slavery. On his first journey he landed in Salé and with a Jewish guide and interpreter made the journey south on horseback. On later ventures he would land in 'Santa Cruz'now Agadir. Michiel de Ruyter was an avid diary keeper and his exploits are well documented. Although the diaries concerning this period in his life have not been published as far as I could find out. However in a rather extensive biography of his life there are long quotations about his travels to Iligh and his relationship with what he calls the 'Sant'. Thanks to his victories against a.o. the British fleet and to a contemporary biography he became a folk hero in the Netherlands. When I was a child we learned a song about him being a young boy in Vlissingen, Zeeland and dressed in a 'blue checkered tunic' turning the ropes onto the wheels while looking out yearningly over the sea. A didactic hint at doing lots of shite work patiently before being able to do what you really wanted. The drawing is made from the first portrait painted of Michiel de Ruyter at the time of his last travels to Iligh 1655

The Jewish inhabitants of Iligh

Early on in her research into Iligh Bert discovered that from its beginnings Iligh had been a welcome place to settle and a safe haven for Jews. The son of the Sufi saint Sidi Ahmed Ou Moussa, its first ruler, Ali Aboudmiaa, invited Jews from Ifrane to come and settle in the new chiefdom. Ifrane at the time was an important hub in the trans Sahara trade and it had already a flourishing Jewish population in the second century. The invitation was a timely one. The ruler of the moment in Ifrane inflicted terrible tortures and deaths on the Jews. The Jews were very important to the power and wealth of Iligh. In return they got security,land to build on and gardens and most importantly they got a cemetery. Apparently there are still many unpublished documents in Hebrew hidden in boxes in Iligh. In 1953 a curious little propaganda film was shot in Iligh by the Alliance Israélite Universelle. A film crew came to Iligh settled in the Mellah and filmed the story of a young teacher in shorts(!) who was going to teach the local Jewish boys away from their unhealthy rural ways and into the healthy ways of modern times. His teachings were mainly expressed in gymnastic exercises. 'Il seront des Hommes' (they will be men) was the rather threatening title. The drawing I made after a contemporary photograph shows a local man and a man from the filmcrew.

The Zaouia of Sidi Ahmed Ou Moussa

The history of Iligh had been illustrious. By the middle of the seventeenth century it had evolved from the Sufi saint Sidi Ahmed Ou Moussa who had settled there in the late sixteenth century to a rich and powerful chiefdom that stretched from Ifrane in the south to Agadir in the north . Around 1670 it had irked the Alawite rulers of Morocco sufficiently to have a force send out to them. Iligh was destroyed and its inhabitants were either taken as slaves, killed or fled into the mountains of the Anti Atlas. However fifty years later one of the descendants of the Sufi saint Sidi Ahmed Ou Moussa came back and build up the chiefdom from the ruins. From the middle of the eighteenth century till the very end of the nineteenth century Iligh was back as an important link in the chain of the trans Sahara trade.It had ambassadors to all the great powers of the time. With Britain in particular it did a lot of trade. Iligh's largest export product being Oistrich feathers. However changing geopolitics and evolving fashion wear brought Iligh down. By the time the French in 1912 took over Morocco as a protectorate Iligh's fortunes had already declined dramatically. But the pull of the Zaouia of Sidi Ahmed Ou Moussa is unabated. Every year in August tens of thousand of people gather around the sanctuary for the yearly Moussem or pelgrimage. When Bert, Heleen Toet and I visited in October 2016, it was a quiet midweek day. There was no Souk and most of the regular little shops and workshops were closed for siesta.