The Regeneration of Marrakech Under Moulay Mohammed

After Moulay Ismail's death in 1727, Morocco descended into decades of civil war between the Black Guard, the Fassi makhzen, and provincial chieftains. Sijilmasa was sacked, Meknes fell into ruin, and Marrakech was abandoned to squatters. This episode follows the unlikely restoration of the southern capital under Sultan Moulay Mohammed ben Abdallah, who systematically rebuilt Marrakech's walls, its water supply via the khettara underground canals, and its Jewish mellah after it had been destroyed. We explore his controversial decision to move the makhzen from Meknes to Marrakech, his negotiations with European powers—Britain, France, Spain—and his revival of the port of Essaouira as a commercial hub. Along the way, we look at how he managed to placate the fierce Abid al-Bukhari slave soldiers who had destabilised the country for decades, and how his reforms laid the groundwork for the Alaouite dynasty's survival into the nineteenth century. #MoulayMohammed #Marrakech #Alaouite #Morocco #Makhzen #AbidalBukhari #Khettara #Essaouira #Meknes #Sijilmasa #Mellah #18thCentury #NorthAfrica #Berber #Sultan #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo