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Souira
Kadima , "Borj Souiria",
Souira Qadima,Guedima
,Laqdima formerly known as Aguz (Agouz,
Gouz or Couz), is a Moroccan town 36 km south of Safi,
at the mouth of the Tensift River on the Atlantic seacoast.
Province Safi
The town was an important port in the 11th century,
serving the city of Aghmat which was inland 3 days
journey to the east.
Portuguese fortress
Between 1506 and 1525 the stronghold of Aguz
was an enclave under Portuguese colonial rule, as were various other
Moroccan towns, such as Safim (Safi) (1488-1541) .
It was governed by the following Portuguese Captains
:
1506-1507 - Diogo de Azambuja
(at least one anonymous)
15..-1525 - Gonçalo Mendes Sacoto
The fort is also known by the name Castello
Pena or Casbat Lahjar
For some,was Souira lqdima,the
ancient city of Mogador possibly Diabet
near the tomb of Sidi Megdoul. |
The
Ben Hamidouch Kasbah
17th century ruins Kasbah
Hamidouch - Mâachate ,(El Khemis
Oueled Haj)
about 10 km south of Souiria at the left bank
of the Oued Tensift.
Province Safi
This kasbah was a major fortress
built by sultan Moulay Ismaïl in the seventeenth
century. The outer wall, flanked by bastions and crowned by barricades
has tremendous allure despite the ravages of time. 150 m long on
each of its four sides, it encloses a mosque and various ruined
buildings.
Historical sources trace the time
of its construction to the reign of Sultan Moulay Ismail
Alaoui.
It is surrounded by a large enclosure "Tabiya, "
which ends with the curtain towers, oblong.
Inside the kasbah we can distinguish several components:
- The structures of a mosque.
- The mechouar: it is protected
by a second wall and a moat that was filled with water from
the Oued Tensift. The interior of michouar houses several ruined
structures, whose function currently escape us.
- The monument is currently in very poor condition.
- The Mellah: The enclosure
of michouar ends on the south by a section that extends to the
walls of the Kasbah. This was probably the mellah.
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Moulay Ismaïl
is also known as a fearsome ruler and used at least 25,000 slaves
for the construction of his new capital Meknes.
His Christian slaves were often used as bargaining counters
with the European powers, selling them back their captured
subjects for inflated sums or for rich gifts. Most of his slaves
were obtained by Barbary pirates in raids on
Western Europe. Over 150,000 men from sub-Saharan Africa
served in his elite Black Guard. By the time
of Ismail's death, the guard had grown tenfold, the largest in
Moroccan history.
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