Ouazzane

34.8 - 5.5833333333333Koordinaten: 34 ° 48 ' N, 5 ° 35 ' ​​W

Ouezzane (or Wezzane, Wazzane or Ouazzane; Arab وزان, Wazzan DMG ) is a city in northern Morocco, north of Fes in the region of Gharb- Chrarda- Beni Hsen located, with about 58,000 inhabitants ( 2004).

The city is known for its Sherif and a resident Sufi brotherhood as one of the most important religious centers of Morocco or "holy " city.

Ouezzane is a holy site for Moroccan Jews. Nine kilometers northeast of the city, in the Rif mountains, the mountain village Asjen with the tomb of Rabbi Imran Ben Divan, also called " Moul Anrhaz " who died on a trip from his home in Hebron in the Holy Land in 1782 here. Typical of the religious culture of the inhabited regions of Berbers in Morocco is the fact that both Muslims and Jews worship this man to this day as a saint. The pilgrimage in honor of this marabout means hiloula among Muslims moussem, among the Jews.

Green-eyed Prophetenabkömmlinge

The city and local lines of the descendants of the Prophet Mohammed said to have been founded by one of the sons Idris II, who had settled Ouezzane, in the 9th century, according to legend. Officially, however, the foundation goes back only to the Idrisids Mulay 'Abdallah in 1727. For many of his descendants today - in contrast to most Arabs and Berbers - green eyes typical. The accumulation of these genetic characteristics in northern Morocco can not be explained with frequent mixing with the Spanish and French, as well as the tribe of Beni Sliman, who live mostly in space Casablanca is mostly green-eyed and in Ouezzane joined this phenomenon even before the colonial period. In contrast to the rest of Morocco Ouezzane was not occupied until 1920 by colonial troops. 1925 failed an attempt by the insurgent Rif Kabyles to conquer Ouezzane. 1937 but it was a brief uprising against the colonial power, in the also a native of Ouezzane patriotic politician Muhammad Hassan al - Wazzani was involved.

The main Sherif families in Ouezzane are the Dar and Admana. Also today Moroccan royal family calls itself Alawites ( Aliden ), ie Descendants of Muhammad, Ali, Fatima and Hassan. At least in parts of the "real" Sherifs of Ouezzane but these agreements stem is questioned under their hands. The Alawites who immigrated in the 13th century, when in Morocco descended from the Idrisids Marinids came to power and began to promote the Sherif.

Noteworthy is the fact that King Mohammed V died in 1961 shortly after a visit to Ouezzane. At that time the rumor of poisoning came up. The only certainty is that his successor Hassan II had never visited Ouezzane. Hassan's successor, the present King Mohammed VI. , Although undertook after taking office, an extended journey through all the cities of the country, but Ouezzane had calculated the exception of and shunned until now.