Mouha ou Hammou Zayani

See also: Moha Ou Hammou Zayani (commune)

Mouha ou Hammou Zayani
ⵎⵓⵃⴰ ⵓ ⵃⵎⵎⵓ ⴰⵥⴰⵢⵢⵉ
Born1857 (1857) or 1863 (1863)
Middle Atlas, Morocco
DiedMarch 27, 1921(1921-03-27) (aged 63–64) or (57–58)
Resting placeBen Cherro near Tamalakt
OfficeQaid of the Zayanes
PredecessorMoha Ou Aqqa
ChildrenRabaha el Zayania
Hassan ould Mouha Ou Hammou Zayani
Ytto el Zayania[1]
Amahrok ould Mouha Ou Hammou Zayani
Military career
Battles / warsBattle of El Herri

Mouha Ou Hammou Zayani, by his full name: Mohammed ou Hammou ben Akka ben Ahmed, also known as Moha Ou Hamou al-Harkati Zayani (c.1863 – 27 March 1921) was a Moroccan Berber military figure and tribal leader who played an important role in the history of Morocco. He was the leader (Qaid) of the Zayanes people of Khénifra region. His full name was Muhammad Ou Hammou ben Aqqa ben Ahmad, and he is also known as Moha Ou Hamou al-Harkati Zayani. He was the son of Moha (or Mouha) Ou Aqqa, the tribal leader of Ayt Harkat.[2]

Biography

Mouha was born in 1857[3] in the Middle Atlas. His father Moha (Mouha) ou Aqqa was the tribal leader of Ayt Harkat. After the death of Ou Aqqa, his oldest son, Said, succeeded him and extended his dominance over his tribe and the Zayane confederation. Mouha succeeded his brother after his death, in 1887.[4] The Sultan Moulay Hassan I gave Mouha the title of Qaid in 1880[4] or 1886.[3] After the Treaty of Fes (1912), which put Morocco under the French Protectorate, Zayani, at the head of the Zayanes tribe, started a guerrilla war, known as the Zaian War. He managed to unite several Berber tribes of the Middle Atlas and fought smaller battles. The town of Khénifra was lost to the advancing French forces in June 1914, but in November of the same year, the Battle of El Herri took place and Zayani inflicted heavy losses (around 600 casualties) upon the French military. The battle was later dubbed the 'Moroccan Dien Bien Phu' in reference to the decisive battle in the French Indochina War. Despite the victory, Zayani could not secure Khénifra and retired to the region of Taoujgalt, where he recruited more men and prepared for further attacks against the French army. In May 1920, his sons Hassan and Amharoq who then led the Zayan tribe, surrendered to General Poeymirau.[5] His daughter Rabaha married Sultan Abd al-Hafid.[6] He is the grandfather of Lalla Latifa and great grandfather of the current king of Morocco Mohammed VI of Morocco.

Death

On 27 March 1921, Mouha was killed in a battle at Azelag N'Tazemourte against his son Hassan, who led a Zayane detachment.[7]

Burial

He was buried at Ben Cherro near Tamalakt.[8]

References

  1. ^ Femmes du Maghreb (in French). Presses Univ. du Mirail. 1999. p. 69. ISBN 978-2-85816-461-5.
  2. ^ Zayani, Mouha (January 2011). "Zayani, Mouha Ou Hammou". Mouha ou Hammou. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-538207-5. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  3. ^ a b Gershovich, Moshe (2012). French Military Rule in Morocco: Colonialism and its Consequences. Routledge. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-136-32587-8.
  4. ^ a b Boum, Aomar (2012). Akyeampong, Emmanuel K.; Gates Jr., Henry Louis (eds.). Dictionary of African Biography. OUP USA. p. 231. ISBN 978-0-19-538207-5.
  5. ^ Bidwell, Robin (1973). Morocco Under Colonial Rule: French Administration Of Tribal Areas 1912–1956. p. 40. ISBN 9780714628776.
  6. ^ "Morocco (Alaoui Dynasty)". 29 August 2005. Archived from the original on 29 August 2005. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  7. ^ Gershovich, Moshe (2012). French Military Rule in Morocco: Colonialism and its Consequences. Routledge. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-136-32587-8.
  8. ^ Boum, Aomar (2012). Akyeampong, Emmanuel K.; Gates Jr., Henry Louis (eds.). Dictionary of African Biography. OUP USA. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-19-538207-5.