Saadi dynasty


The Saadi dynasty or Saadian dynasty was an Arab Moroccan dynasty, which ruled Morocco from 1549 to 1659.
From 1509 to 1549, they had ruled only in the south of Morocco. Although still recognizing the Wattasids as Sultans until 1528, Saadian's growing power led the Wattasids to attack them and, after an indecisive battle, to recognize their rule over southern Morocco through the Treaty of Tadla.
Their reign over Morocco began with the reign of Sultan Mohammed ash-Sheikh in 1554, when he vanquished the last Wattasids at the Battle of Tadla. The Saadian rule ended in 1659 with the end of the reign of Sultan Ahmad el Abbas.

Origins

The Banu Zaydan claimed descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through the line of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatima Zahra. They came from Tagmadert in the valley of the Draa River. The family's village of origin in the Draa was Tidzi. They claimed Sharifian origins through an ancestor from Yanbu and rendered Sufism respectable in Morocco. The name Saadi or Saadian derives from "sa'ada" meaning happiness or salvation. Others think it derives from the name Bani Zaydan or that it was given to the Bani Zaydan by later generations and rivals for power, who tried to deny their Hassanid descent by claiming that they came from the family of Halimah Saadiyya, Muhammad's wet nurse. Their putative ancestor is Zaydan Ibn Ahmed a Sharif from Yanbu. The most famous sultan of the Saadi was Ahmad al-Mansur, builder of the El Badi Palace in Marrakech and contemporary of Elizabeth I. One of their most important achievements was defeating the Portuguese at the Battle of Ksar El Kebir, and defending the country against the Ottomans. Before they conquered Marrakech, they had Taroudannt as their capital city.
The Saadian Tombs were rediscovered in 1917 and can be seen in Marrakech.

Chronology

1509–54: Saadian princes of Tagmadert

Main Saadian rulers, based in Marrakesh:
Splinter faction based in Fes, with only local power:
After the fall of the banu zaydan dynasty, their last sultan Abdullah ibn Muhammad retired with his family in the Draa desert, the very place from where, many years ago his Great-grandfather Mohamed Al Qaim had raised as the chief leader of the sultanate. Nowadays, his descendants live in the region of Draa, far from the glory of their prestigious ancestors who ruled Morocco.

Timeline


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from: 1509 till: 1554 color: w text:Princes of Tagmadert and Souss
from: 1554 till: 1603 color: a text:Sultans of Morocco
from:1603 till: 1628 color:n text:"Succession War"
from: 1628 till: 1659 color: a text:Reunified rule
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from:1509 till: 1517 color:w text:"Abu Abdallah Muhammad al-Qaim bi-Amr Allah"
from:1517 till: 1544 color:w text:"Ahmad al-Araj"
from:1544 till: 1554 color:w text:"Mohammed ash-Sheikh"
from:1554 till: 1557 color:a text:"Mohammed ash-Sheikh"
from:1557 till: 1574 color:a text:"Abdallah al-Ghalib"
from:1574 till: 1576 color:a text:"Abu Abdallah Mohammed II"
from:1576 till: 1578 color:a text:"Abd al-Malik I"
from:1578 till: 1603 color:a text:"Ahmad al-Mansur"
from:1603 till: 1608 color:v text:"Abou Fares Abdallah"
from:1608 till: 1627 color:v text:"Zidan el Nasir"
from:1603 till: 1613 color:g text:"Mohammed esh Sheikh el Mamun"
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from:1627 till: 1628 color:a text:"Zidan el Nasir"
from:1628 till: 1631 color:a text:"Abd al-Malik II"
from:1631 till: 1636 color:a text:"Al Walid ibn Zidan"
from:1636 till: 1655 color:a text:"Mohammed esh Sheikh es Seghir"
from:1655 till: 1659 color:a text:"Ahmad el Abbas"
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