Chief town of Almoravids (1040-1147), the city of Marrakech will be taken by the Almohads (1121-1269), which previously made Tinmel their fief. Indeed, it is from there that the Allied tribes of Mahdi Ibn Toumert (1078-1130) will lead decisive incursions in the ocher city, which then became capital of the new dynasty, with the vast expanses in North Africa and Al-Andalus. Professor of archeology and historian of Islamic architecture, Ahmed Saleh Ettahiri is one of the scientists who supervise a project of excavations on the scene, where the work resumes in this month of May.
Responsible for the work for the National Institute of Sciences of Archeology and Heritage (INSAP), the professor describes an immersion in the origins and the beginnings of this pivotal period of history, to learn more about the local organization and the extent of its influence on the other cities, the other territories and even on the royalties that have succeeded since. “This historic site is known for its eponymous mosque, but Tinmel extends far beyond this civilizational benchmark, considering that it is the capital of the Almohade dynasty,” he told Yabiladi.
Impacted by the 2023 earthquake, the city now reveals unpublished artifacts, uncovered by a Moroccan and French team of researchers. Ahmed Saleh Ettahiri recalls that this work is carried out within the framework of a program coordinated by the mixed team, under an international cooperation agreement involving the Insap of Rabat, the Chouaïb Doukkali University of El Jadida, as well as the University of Paris-Sorbonne I, with the participation of the National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research in France.
We know the Tinmel mosque, but much less the eponymous city
Until then, the available documents show that the Tinmel site “was visited for the first time in 1901 by Edmond Doutté”, which highlighted the imperial mosque. “Around 1922, first publications were devoted to this place, given its monumentality and its symbolism linked to the spiritual founder of the Almohade Empire,” said Ahmed Saleh Ettahiri. But since then, “studies have focused particularly on this benchmark, without being interested in other vestiges of the archaeological site”.
In addition to the commemorative mosque built in memory of Mahdi Ibn Toumert, there is indeed “Madinat Tinmel”, also called “the white city”. “Generally, we therefore know the mosque, without knowing more about the city space as a whole,” explains the archaeologist with our editorial staff. In this sense, the in progress excavations are not accidental, since they are based on a previous work which makes it possible to trace the movements of the supporters of the Almohads.
“As part of an international scientific research program, we first started working on the cradle of the dynasty, which is the site of Igiliz, 68 km southeast of Taroudant. Archaeological excavations have enabled us to highlight tangible evidence of the origins of this dynamic which upset the region and the Muslim West with its two banks, while giving rise to the creation of an extensive empire from Morocco to Al-Andalus, to the West Libyan, “said Pr andtahiri.
Following this program launched in 2009, archaeological excavations revealed “the oldest evidence of the beginning of the Almohade movement”. Following this, the program focused on Tinmel completes the scientific elements of the historic story, “since we know that Ibn Toumert settled in Igiliz, before moving to Tinmel, from Anti-Atlas to Haut-Atlas in Haouz, with the support of several tribes in the region”. “It was there that he prepares the first incursions and attacks against Marrakech and the Almoravids, from 1122-1123 of our era,” recalls the researcher.
Arrived in Tinmel, Ibn Toumert also founds a small mosque, where he is buried, on his death. His successor, the Sultan Abd al-Mumin (1130-1163), will engage in a merciless war against the Almoravids. Around 1147, he decided to erect, from the initial building, “this large and monumental mosque that we know today”. It is in this sense that Hmed Saleh Ettahiri tells us that “current archaeological excavations are unpublished in more than one title, since they will be the first, after some surveys inside in the early 1980s by our researchers Joudia Hassar-Benslimane and Abdelaziz Touri, accompanied by a team of German archaeologists, upstream of the restoration of the ONA, 1994 “.
Indeed, the rest of the site has not been invested until then by archaeological work. “The current project will therefore enlighten us on the first years of the dynasty, which we know practically nothing nowadays,” says Pr Ettahiri.
“We are interested in the material culture of the city of Tinmel, its domestic architecture (habitat), military (defensive works), knowing that this dynasty has extended its imprint to our large cities, as evidenced by Bab Rouah in Rabat, the fortress of the Oudayas, Bab Agnaou in Marrakech, the Kasbah, the Grande Mosque de Taza, Salé and de Fez … seen from this perspective, Tinmel turns out to be a city whose contribution is considerable at the level of our civilization, both in Morocco and Andalusia, where we recognize Giralda, or the Palais de Seville. “
Pr Ahmed Saleh Ettahiri – intact
Study the whole of the material culture of the Almohads
The objective of the work is thus to study, from excavations, “the whole of the material culture left by the Almohads, during their installation on the site of Tinmel, by focusing on the spatial and social organization”, in a context where catering projects are always in progress, following the 2023 earthquake.
From the exhumed elements, the researchers will just as much reconstruct the puzzle of the industries, local economic activities, urban organization with its different institutions, or the defensive system, part of which is still visible, among others. “We will also study the ancestors of this defensive architecture of the Almohads found in Marrakech, Seville, Rabat, Taza and other fortresses,” said Ahmed Saleh Ettahiri, in his interview in Yabiladi.
At the end of the site, the researchers will be able to inform in an unprecedented manner on “the connections between this company and the rest of the region, at the level of the micro-territory and the vast territory, to verify the possible opening of this population of its decision-makers on the Haouz, the Souss and the Anti-Atlas, as well as the assets that allowed this movement to overthrow the Almoravid power …”
It is a question, for the researcher, of establishing “material evidence on the beginnings of the Almohad movement and the installation of this society at the heart of Tinmel, as well as his relations with the other populations before the taking of the capital, Marrakech”. Beyond excavations in themselves, the accumulation of these scientific data will be able to support historical and heritage work at various scales.
Restored in the 1990s, the Great Mosque of Tinmel was impacted by the 2023 earthquake. After new reconstruction works, the place remains on the UNESCO indicative list, since 1995. As an audioologist, Ahmed Saleh Ettahiri estimates that in the current state of things and in the light of new discoveries, “there will always be necessary to support the classification file in the World Heritage”.
“Let us not forget that this historical and spiritual landmark constitutes the archetype of almohad religious architecture. The Tinmel mosque played a decisive role, which has shaped the future of this architecture, even after the Almohads. It therefore has a special feature and authenticity. We hope to be able, thanks to this multidisciplinary research program, to discover other artefacts and structures which would contribute to the place to be classified as World Heritage of UNESCO. ”
Pr Ahmed Saleh Ettahiri
In the meantime, the researcher can only assert the ongoing discoveries “let us indeed admit that exceptional finds will give rise to a better understanding of evolution, not only of Almohad civilization, but also of the whole of the civilization of Morocco, during the 12th century and beyond”.
This is one of the main objectives, initially defined by the research team. At this stage, Professor Ahmed Saleh Ettahiri tells us about his optimism “on the contribution of this program, from a material point of view, concerning the evolution of our culture during the medieval period”. As such, he insisted on the city of Tinmel as “the Haut-Lieu of the history of our country which deserves a major highlight”.
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