Tiznit 7.17

Tiznit or Tiznet is a town in the southern Moroccan region of Souss-Massa, founded in 1881 by the sultan Hassan I. It is the capital of Tiznit Province and has a population of approximately 50,000. Jewish silversmiths moved into the town and established its reputation as the center of silver and silver handicraft in Morocco. Tiznit is well known for its silver jewelry, mint, daggers and sabres.Located near the coast, Sultan Moulay Hassan settled in the area in 1881 to exert his control over dissident Berber tribes of the Souss. In 1912, Ahmed al-Hiba (El Hib), a populist rebel overthrew the French government and proclaimed himself sultan of Tiznit in the town's mosque. He conquered the Sous by uniting the tribes of the Anti Atlas Mountains. He went on to attack Marrakech but was suppressed by the French.The province of Tiznit is part of west side area of the Anti-Atlas. Tiznit, some 80 km south of Agadir, is a strategic crossroads between the mountains and the Tafraoute region, the Atlantic coast and the great Moroccan Sahara.Historically speaking, Tiznit was the starting point of the famous dynasty of Almoravides who came to rule Morocco from Madrasa El Ouaggaguia in Aglou (a coastal village 14 Km from Tiznit). The history of the city is also linked to the particular importance the Sultans Alawites granted to the city. Sultan Moulay Hassan I visited Tiznit twice, the first time in 1882 and the second time in 1886.