CHAPTER I
.
_Geographical Divisions of the Empire of Marocco._
The empire of Marocco,[7] including Tafilelt,[8] is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean sea; on the east by Tlemsen,[9] the Desert of Angad, Sejin Messa,[10] and Bled-el-jerrêde;[11] on the south by Sahara (or the Great Desert); and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. It may be divided into four grand divisions.
1st, The northern division, which contains the provinces of Erreef,[12] El Garb, Benihassen, Temsena, Shawia, Tedla, and the district of Fas;[13] these are inhabited by Arabs of various tribes, living in tents, whose original stock inhabit Sahara; to which may be added the various tribes of Berebbers, inhabiting the mountains of Atlas,[14] and the intermedial plains, of which the chief clans or Kabyles are the Girwan, Ait Imure, Zian,[15] Gibbellah, and Zimurh-Shelluh.
The principal towns of this division are, Fas (old and new city, called by the Arabs Fas Jeddede and Fas el Balie), Mekinas, or Mequinas, Tetuan, Tangier, Arzilla, El Araiche, Sla, or Salée, Rabat, Al Kassar, Fedalla, Dar-el-beida, and the Sanctuary of Muley Dris Zerone, where the Mohammedan religion was first planted in West Barbary.
2d, The central division; which contains the provinces of Dukella or Duquella, Abda, Shedma, Haha, and the district of Marocco.[16] The chief towns being Marocco, Fruga, Azamore, Mazagan, Tet, Al Waladia, Asfie, or Saffee, Sueerah, or Mogodor.[17]
3d, The southern division; containing the provinces of Draha and Suse; which latter is inhabited by many powerful tribes or Kabyles, the chief of which are Howara, Emsekina, Exima, Idautenan, Idaultit, Ait-Atter, Wedinoon, Kitiwa, Ait-Bamaran, Messa, and Shtuka; of these Howara, Wedinoon, and half of Ait-Bamaran are Arabs; the others are Shelluhs. The principal towns of this division are Terodant, Agadeer,[18] or Santa Cruz, Inoon, or Noon, Ifran, or Ufran, Akka, Tatta, Messa, and Dar-Delemie.
4th, The eastern division, which lies to the east of the Atlas, and is called Tafilelt; it was formerly a separate kingdom. A river of the same name passes through this territory, on the banks of which the present Emperor’s father, Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah, built a magnificent palace. There are many other adjacent buildings and houses inhabited by sherreefs, or Mohammedan princes of the present dynasty, with their respective establishments.[19]
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 7: Marakusha in the original Arabic; and called by the Spaniards Marruecos.]
[Footnote 8: Commonly called Tafilet.]
[Footnote 9: In many maps called Tremecin.]
[Footnote 10: Commonly called Sigelmessa.]
[Footnote 11: Commonly called Biledulgerid.]
[Footnote 12: It is through this province that the chain of mountains called the Lesser Atlas passes, viz. from Tangier to Bona, in the Kingdom of Algiers.]
[Footnote 13: Commonly called Fez.]
[Footnote 14: The Atlas mountains are called in Arabic Jibbel Attils, i.e. the mountains of snow; hence, probably, the word Atlas.]
[Footnote 15: Zian is a warlike tribe; it lately opposed an imperial army of upwards of thirty thousand men. This Kabyle is defended from attacks by rugged and almost inaccessible passes.]
[Footnote 16: By the negligence of authors Marocco has been called Morocco, as Mohammed or Muhammed has been transformed to Mahommed, and Mohammedan to Mahommedan.]
[Footnote 17: Sueerah is the proper name; Europeans have called it Mogodor, from a saint who was buried a mile from the town, called Sidy Mogodool, which last word, from oral tradition, has been corrupted to Mogador, and sometimes to Mogadore.]
[Footnote 18: Agadeer is the Arabian name, Guertguessem the ancient African name, and Santa Cruz is the Portugueze appellation.]
[Footnote 19: The modern Arabs divide Northern Africa into three grand divisions: the first extends from the Equator to the Nile el Abeede, or river of Nigritia, and is called Soudan, which is an African word indicative of black, the inhabitants being of that colour: the second extends from the river of Soudan to Bled-el-jerrêde, and is denominated Sahara, from the aridity and flatness of the land: the third division comprises Bled-el-jerrêde, the maritime states of Barbary, Egypt, and Abyssinia. Some authors have affirmed that Bled-el-jerrêde signifies the Country of Dates; others, that it signifies the Country of Locusts; dates certainly abound there; but the name does not imply dates. Jerâad is the Arabic for locusts; but it is a different word from Jerrêde, which signifies dry.]
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