Abdallah al-Ghalib Billah (Arabic: عبد الله الغالب; b. 1517 – d. 22 January 1574, r. 1557–1574) was the second Saadian sultan of Morocco. He succeeded his father Mohammed al-Shaykh as Sultan of Morocco.
| Abdallah al-Ghalib عبد الله الغالب | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sultan of Morocco | |||||||||
| Reign | 1557 – 1574 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Mohammed al-Shaykh | ||||||||
| Successor | Abu Abdallah Mohammed | ||||||||
| Born | c. 1517 Marrakesh Morocco Saadi Sultanate | ||||||||
| Died | 22 January 1574 (aged 56–57) Marrakesh Morocco Saadi Sultanate | ||||||||
| Burial | January 1574 | ||||||||
| Issue | Abu Abdallah Mohammed II Saadi | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| House | Saadi Dynasty | ||||||||
| Father | Mohammed al-Shaykh | ||||||||
| Mother | Sayyida Rabia Al-Sâadiya of Tidsi[1] | ||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||||||
| Military career | |||||||||
| Battles / wars | Battle of Wadi al-Laban (1558) | ||||||||
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Biography
editEarly life
editWith his first wife Sayyida Rabia, Mohammed al-Shaykh had three sons, but the two oldest had died while he was still alive (in 1550 and in 1551). Abdallah, the third, was 40 years old when he became sultan and received the name al-Ghalib Billah. Before that he had been vice-king of Marrakesh and governor of Fes.
Shortly after Abdallah came to power, three of his younger brothers fled the country and joined the Ottoman Turks. Abd al-Malik and Ahmad, both future Sultans of Morocco, spent 17 years in exile in the Ottoman Empire, moving between Algiers and Constantinople, where they were trained by the Ottomans.[2]
Battle of Wadi al-Laban
editHe fought the invading Turks in 1558 at the Battle of Wadi al-Laban. The Ottomans then had to retreat because the Spaniards launched an expedition on Oran.[3] The Moroccan ruler formed an alliance with the Spanish against the Ottomans.[3] After his victory he even occupied Tlemcen for a short period. In 1568 he supported the insurrection of the Moriscos in Spain.
Architecture
editDuring his reign, Abdallah al-Ghalib Billah resided in Marrakesh. He was a prolific builder who was responsible for building, among other projects, the Mouassin Mosque, a maristan (a hospital usually attached to a mosque), and the Ben Youssef Medrassa. He repaired and restored the originally Almohad-built Kasbah Mosque and he is also believed to have begun the first mausoleum of the Saadian Tombs located behind the mosque.[4][5]
Death
editAbdallah al-Ghalib Billah died on 22 January 1574 of an asthma attack. After his reign, a period of civil war was to follow that lasted four years. He was succeeded by his son Abdallah Mohammed, despite a Saadian inheritance rule that decreed that the throne pass on to his eldest surviving brother, the exiled Abd al-Malik.
Notes
edit- ^ "Sayyeda Rabia Al-Sâadiya de Tidsi". geni_family_tree. 1494. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
- ^ The last great Muslim empires: history of the Muslim world by Frank Ronald Charles Bagley, Hans Joachim Kissling p.103
- ^ a b Abun-Nasr, Jamil M. (1987-08-20). A History of the Maghrib in the Islamic Period. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521337670.
- ^ Deverdun, Gaston (1959). Marrakech: Des origines à 1912. Rabat: Éditions Techniques Nord-Africaines.
- ^ Salmon, Xavier (2016). Marrakech: Splendeurs saadiennes: 1550-1650. Paris: LienArt. ISBN 9782359061826.