Rissani

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City Gate		 risanni01.jpg (92225 bytes)
Typical buildings in town		 risanni02.jpg (51817 bytes)
Lots of these mud walls 		 risanni03.jpg (61410 bytes)
More of those donkeys
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Ksar Abbar - 19th century		 risanni19.jpg (36050 bytes)
Another view of the ksar		 risanni05.jpg (72154 bytes)
Inner courtyard		 risanni06.jpg (86074 bytes)
Lantern on wall
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Archway and large wooden door		 risanni08.jpg (90113 bytes)
Another archway and door		 risanni09.jpg (75198 bytes)
Residences behind the ksar		 risanni10.jpg (85476 bytes)
Narrow streets
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Airing the rugs		 risanni12.jpg (62687 bytes)
A child watching us		 risanni13.jpg (72014 bytes)
Women at the central well		 risanni14.jpg (60284 bytes)
Local greeting ??
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Fatima with her baby		 risanni15.jpg (65234 bytes)
Daughter - 12 years old		 risanni16.jpg (70173 bytes)
Son - 3 years old		 risanni18.jpg (61883 bytes)
Only piece of furniture in house
|  Sahara Desert 1
Rissani was an active center for trans-Saharan trade as early as the 8th century.  At the beginning of the 13th century, a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed, the cherif Hassan Ad-Dakhil, a native of Arabia, arrived into the Tafilalet area.  Legend has it that the tribal chiefs of the region called for his help, while he was still in Arabia, to end a terrible drought.  The cherif was successful and he settled in Rissani.  His descendants became the independent rulers of this Saharan province which was at the head of the caravan routes to and from the sources of gold and slaves.  After the decline of the Saadian dynasty, the Filali (Alaouite) family, aided by the powerful religious fraternities established in the Tafilalet, started open revolt against the central power in 1633, under Moulay Ali Cherif and his sons.  By 1670, the first Alaouite, a son of Moulay Ali Cherif, had established the new dynasty.  Moulay Ali Cherif has a magnificent mausoleum here, partially destroyed in 1955 by floods from the River Ziz, but restored immediately.

According to historical sources, the Ksar Abbar was a royal residence where the sultan Moulay Abderrahman kept some of his riches, protected by a series of walls and a cannon or two, and guarded by 500 slaves.  The building also housed an enormous harem in which the wives of the deceased sultans were kept.