I am a black Moroccan. It bothers me to hear the word slave, while my ancestors were free. The son of the castle of Taourirah. What is wrong with you, O Africans?
"Moulay" is not the name of the sultan, his name was "Ismail" but while "Moulay" is a title like "your excellency" so it's "his excellency Sultan Ismail". Also the "black" wern't all from Subsaharian decendents, but also from Sahraoui Berber/Amazigh Moroccans which are black due the nature of their environment.
@@laconnaissance6273 you mean you the foreigners liying about Morocco? 😂 wanting to rewrite our Moroccan history because your subsaharians history is not interesting? The inferior complex make want to be someone else 😂
Diop: Arab/Islamic Invasion of Africa “A Figment of the Imagination” Much has been made of Arab invasions of Africa: … in Black Africa they are figments of the imagination. -Cheikh Anta Diop
@@thevisitor1012 yes I have come across numerous content relating to Aksum, Nubia and other east African kingdoms. However very little on north Africa considering it's proximity to the Mediterranean I imagined there should have been a stronger resistance to Islamic influence
@@odupitanmichael6072 Wouldn't North Africa's geographical positioning make it even easier for it to get arabized? You can enter Egypt through Sinai for example, or you can just use a boat to enter through the Mediterranean Sea.
Good video. I was going to say something about that as well. As you said is using the word slave even an accurate description of the status of blacks? These 'slaves' had more power than the average citizen.
Yeah, its something they always do when talking about black people in the muslim world. The truth is those guard where the military elite of those nation, right below the calif.
the slave word comes from the oath they take, infact their name in Arabis is Albukhari's slaves, they were named like this because they took an oath towards the Moroccan sultan on Albukhari's Book(the Prophet's sayings), hence Albukhari's slaves, but not realy slaves
This is a very slippery slope. Slavery is Slavery. Everyone has the right to be free. There were slaves in the USA that had nice lives. There are also slaves that recieved payment. Does that diminish the horror of the slave trade ?
@@Personincrowd not really a slipperu slope, it's prett easy to understand, USA slavery was based on race, they were considered animals not humans. Slavery in Morocco wasn't based on race, there were as much European slaves as there were were black ones, and the salves wee not considered as non-humans or lesser beings, and they had rights and even with that slavery was still a disgusting act. but the video talks about the black guard of Morocco, not all the slaves there, these black guards were not slaves, at one point they held as much political power as the sultan himself, they were basicaly the police and army of the country.
@@Personincrowd I'm not talking about the USA though. I'm talking about this particular situation. You have a specific situation where 'slaves' have more power than the average citizen. How can you be a slave if you have more power than most people? That's not the same as having a nice life, that doesn't mean you have power. It just means they choose to treat you with more respect.
Fun fact, they were still a thing in Morocco not long ago, as a matter of fact most of the ppl who were living the the King's palaces all over the country were black ppl, families of these ppl working in the palaces and mantaining them generation after generation
@@MoorFas-gy3dw they were not slaves, they had wages, their own private houses, families, kids, wives..etc they had no alliegence to any Arab or berber tribe, so they were the Moroccan sultans trusted ppl, many governors of entire regions some bigger than many modern European countries were blacks, many vizirs, they even had black sultans and princes...etc calling the blacks of Morocco as slaves is ridiculous and racist, yes there was slaves in Morocco like any place on earth, but it was not based on race, as a matter of fact there were as mutch of not more European slaves than black slaves
Europeans... Mainly English speaking Europeans. Other European language speakers, have their own words for the inhabitants of Northern Africa (i.e., the Latin word Mauri).
I feel like Malay's black soldiers were mercenaries instead of slaves, given that they're given compensation for their work and held an equal/elevated status to other people in the society, It also would've been impractical to rely on a slave army for as your main form of protection. How would you keep them in control? I feel like African history is still seen with a Eurocentric perspective, where black people have to be slaves/second class citizens when present in great kingdoms/empires.
I concur! So well articulated on your part. I would add that to the Western Diaspora; "African history is still seen with a Eurocentric perspective" as well. The Diaspora has been generationally socialized to submit to the Western definitions of terms like "slavery" and "Black". We (as I am also an American of primarily African ancestry) trigger on the these terms, which in turn evokes a purely visceral and emotional response. "Haratin" (a term generally translated as 'freed blacks' or 'free blacks'), especially in the Maghreb area, are _recent_ descendants of what Euro/Anglos call "Sub-Saharan/Black" Africa. Depending on where in the Maghreb, a reduced sub-Caste is known as "Sahrawi". At some point, until very recently, this group were indentured in a few parts of the Maghreb. Living in Morocco, I have had the privilege of being exposed to this group(s). The important aspect is they have been indeed socially marginalized, but NOT on "race" (skin color), but on ethnic generational origin. Moreover, we should re-brand the term "slavery" from the lexicon, to exclusively refer to the savage and barbaric chattel slavery perpetuated by Euro/Anglo cultures (notice I did not say "white" people?) . As a side note, "Haratin" Women - in my opinion - are incredibly beautiful.
The other name for the Black Guard was “Jaysh Al Abd”-literally “Slave Army”. Thomas Pellow who was an English sailer that was kidnapped and conscripted into Moulay Ismail’s army wrote that many of them were executed for trivial matters, sometimes seemingly at random, and that the slaves in the army weren’t given actual steel weapons-many had to make their own. They were slaves.
The post- Colonialized North African Maghreb and Levant has been somewhat indoctrinated to reflect Anglo/Euro culture. But in practice, I submit your statement is not accurate.
@@shotelco I've heard from many that modern Egyptians don't even consider themselves to be African. Some white North Africans even call their black counterparts "slaves" which is ironic given the history of white slavery conducted by these arab empires.
@@thevisitor1012 From my experience in North Africa, what you state is somewhat correct. I have been commenting on this a lot on this video presentation, as I have some exposure to the North African environment from an outsider looking in. Please understand that, as part of the "Arab Spring," a lot of these cultural biases were brought to light. It's a very complex issue. Bottom line from my perspective is that we, as members of the Western Diaspora, must begin to deconstruct the term "slavery". HTH points out the distinction between Euro/Anglo _Chattel Slavery_ and other forms of institutionalized *compelled servitude.*
on the contrary, it's the subsharan africans who try to detach themselves for North Africa, Moroccans have always been proud of being Africans and with deep links to subsaharan Africa, yet all we see in the internet is blacks insulting us with the most disgusting things
The Almoravid and Almohad dynasties were Zenaga Berber - Senegalese. They weren't anyone's troops or slaves. They controlled the gold trade, and the Kings of West Africa controlled the gold mines.
Only almoravids were Sanhaja (Lamtuna tribe specifically), they were based in southern Morocco/ Northern Mauritania and are not Senegalese. They used slave soldiers from the Sudan in general, they used shock troop slave soldiers from Senegal.
@@vaktus3380 No, people from Senegal made up the Almoravids too. These people were from the Gudala tribe. I doubt the black soldiers were all slaves, it would've been unrealistic and impractical given that they'd have no way to control them for long due to entire divisions and factions being composed of them.
@@vaktus3380 you’re objectively wrong..not only was northern Senegal and mali almoravid at one point, ancient takrur literally United with the almoravids as the Moroccans were our primary traders, we gave you gold and soldiers. Edit: also grain from the Sahel In general.
Before enslaving all black Moroccans, most of the black guard were from the Pashilik of Timbuktu who had full allegiance as a moroccan Vassal. They were not a hemegony of the Moroccan army, they were a major pillar along with Guich and berber armies of the Riff. Interestingly the black Guard who were inspired by the Janissaries actually fought the Janissaries in two major unsuccessful invasions of ottoman Algeria. Unlike the Janissaries they were not elite troops who were well trained, these failures were the beginning of the end.
How do you know that they were not elite, especially coming from Timbuktu; the Timbuktu Mandigos were well built and highly skilled with the sword, not to mention their impressive educational process coming out of Timbuktu! your analysis is misleading at times with some aspect of thruth!
What your saying is right in terms of them, West Africans, not being native to Morocco but lets put your analysis in its proper prospective; there is only one race that has always been singularly native to the African continent, the so called black race; all non blacks only existed as a result of these prehistoric black Africans migrating out of the continent; as a result, these prehistoric migration of so called black Africans eventually physically changed into their current non black status but in the past these depigmented humans eventually began invading their anthropological parents`, African continent, and others just simply returned back to their black parents continent and resettled so why should Morocco at that time period stand to be any different? In fact, the oldest prehistoric rock paintings, inside of Morocco and North Africa in general, exhibited the same prehistoric rock paintings of black Africans so the light skinned Arabs and white looking Berbers came from outside of the African continent and then resettled back into their anthropological black parent's continent; note, the white looking Berbers arrived back into the continent before the Arabs had conquered that area; my point is that really since those West Africans were on their original continent, even if they settled Morocco, it was still theirs as just like the black African Berbers could lay claim to West Africa, also!
This is my opinion in the north there is a mixture of African Arabs and Berbers and before migration of the Arabs the Berbers were there and there was interaction between them and the Africans
These Moroccan blacks that you speak of since when Morroc existed, this thing that white color is better than black came later when the blacks lost power and look, I have heard a story and it is modern. There is a man from my tribe called Muhamad Lamin Drammeh and you can even find him on the internet the man france was looking for years and they declared him wanted his general is a berber
No they are not , proven to Berber and Arab , blacks were slaves part of the army garrisons when moors expanded into west Africa through Islam you Afro Centric twit
It depends what parts of North Africa you're talking about. Along the coast, they would've looked Mediterranean. Further south, Afro-Asiatic-European and darker.
Just an aside Blacks in Morocco and North Africa go back to prehistoric times(i.e. "Ancestral North African"). It's everyone else who came later. The ancient Mauri people(from whom the word Moor comes) for example were literally named Blacks and described as Black skinned along with the Numidians.
And in addition, black as used in the ancient times(words like aithiops, mauri/mauros, melas) meant people literally almost black as night, and not the broad meaning of light brown to very dark skin tones it means in the West now. So there are ancient North African tribes and peoples described as less sunburnt or less black back then who'd absolutely be considered black today.
@@sonofnok2153 our detractors know this though and hence they try to catch us up in stupid word games and using sources out of context and goalpost moving when you shut them down. It's pretty pathetic actually, nevermind the fact that Black people have to have their arguments water tight, credentials on display and their sources rigorously documented to even be halfway taken seriously. These guys on the other hand can watch youtube for five minutes and be seen as authorities.
@@donnprivate8090 All black Africans were known as Ethiopians to the ancient Greeks, as the fifth-century B.C. historian Herodotus tells us, and their iconography was narrowly defined by Greek artists in the Archaic (ca. 700-480 B.C.) and Classical (ca. 480-323 B.C.) periods, black skin color being the primary identifying physical characteristic. Ethiopians were considered exotic to the ancient Greeks and their features contrasted markedly with the Greeks own wellestablished perception of themselves.
Some people should understand that in the Middle East as well as in many parts of Europe the child is always judged by the father's religion and if your father is Arab and your mother is black then yes you are Arab in Morocco.
Let’s try and be specific here bro SAHELIAN not “black” sahelian with most being from modern day Senegal, mali, and Guinea. I’m sure if they were from Benin you’d say Benin.
@@Rebelconformist82 There is also a commonly used term among the Berbers, especially in the souss valley region in southern Morocco. This term is asuqi (black). Berbers had generally two terms to designate black people: asuqi and aharadani (Hartani). Asuqi could have been used as a neutral term to mean all blacks, but currently the two are used interchangeably. Or it could be that originally Berbers used the terms to differentiate between a free black (Hartani) and a black slave (Asuqi) or (Ismkhan),
@@Rebelconformist82 oh ok. I feel like in the speaking English world morrocans are more opened minded to this type of conversation Morrocans in Nederlands Belgium of France when they come across this type of videos they look at it as nonsense and deem that as cultural afro centric appropriation. It's just sharing history of mankind that's all. At the end of the day morroco no longer predominantly black so what's the deal smh
The original "black troops" of the Moorish empire were local converted black and Saharan North Africans, such as the ancestors of the Tuareg. And "Berber" is a language that originated in Africa, likely crossing from East Africa and existing among nomadic populations in the Sahara, extending all the way to parts of West Africa. The Almoravid black armies were not slaves but the black Zenaga berbers from West Africa and the basis of the name Senegal. It wasn't until much later in Moroccan history, after the destruction of Sijilmassa, when much of the trade between West Africa and Morocco started to dry up that various groups of black Africans from Guinea were imported as slaves. It was around the beginning of the modern dynasty that rules Morocco, the Alawi dynasty, one of their rulers, Moulay Ishmael (himself black/part black), created the "black guard" made up of Haratin (black moroccans) and Africans from West Africa.
Excellent Episode 👍 During the Civil War in Spain in the 30,s Generalissimo Franco drew upon Black Colonial Troops in Morocco to help him win the Civil War!
“The Invention of the Berbers: History and Ideology in the Maghrib” by Ramzi Rouighi. A lot of authors spent a lot of time on a French imperial project that omits the Africans from the history of the Saharan and Mediterranean states. Rouighi outlines part of that project from its inception and reveals the consequences of just one “identity theft” by peoples claiming to have been somewhere since the beginning of human history - even if their migration history is well known.
One thing to note, many people in Muslim countries go by paternal lineage so it’s not that it seemed these people mentioned in the video who were half sub Saharan African from their maternal side didn’t recognize their maternal side, but it was rather they went with the paternal label. Scientifically this makes sense too because as far as I know the Y chromosome (which we I get it from our father) never changes.
Berber was a Roman Adjective/Noun *pejorative* that means *Barbarian* which can also be anyone whether native to Afrika or not.. Almost similar to calling someone Arab.. I for one wouldn't claim that name.. IMHO
@@smelly1060 Awm, stick to the Subject please which is Etymology of the word Berber.. Also the word Amazigh means *Foreigner* (Ancient Egyptian) they aren't Native to North Afrika.. Especially the White ones..
@@natronmeans6264 Amazigh is a North African word which is translated to Freeman, in the amzighi language. We use daily to describe ourselves or a freeman in general.
@@oubayheot8843 That still doesn't change the Etymology or original meaning of the Nomenclature by the Ancient rmtch.. You're arguing about present which is Anachronistic.. "The Berber name “Amazigh” (plural Amazighen) comes from an ancient Egyptian term meaning *“The Foreigner”.* The Berber name appears in a 1st century Greek narrative. Arab genealogists mention it in the 8th century."
Not black ppl, western European in the Americas made up that term. Before this Europe called anyone from Africa Moors. The African were Moors, the Arabs were Saracen. FYI
@@moncef9778 Moors were anyone from Africa that was moslems at the time viewed by Europeans. At that time most of western African from Mali to Morocco were called Moors. Moroccans today are a mixture of Arabs, Berbers, western African and even Europeans. But ultimately the term Moor is a European term, used to describe ppl darker than them, and Moslem.
Black Africans or The Sudan, Ethiopians from Bilad Al-Sudan also made up the Moorish army. That's why sometimes people use the term Black Moors to distinguish from the Arabs or White Moors.
Moulay*, means His Majesty, his name is Ismain, we call him Moulay Ismail. And yes after the death of every king in Morocco, we always had this period where the great scholars of the nation, the shrines, leaders of the tribes and the solders of the capital ( Mostly Fes) spend time to choose the next king, which they base it on who the perivious king wanted to be the next one (Mostly is the one that represents his father in Marrakesh ), or who is the most informed in the Islamic studies. And the ones that make it difficult to have a new king id the shrines and the tribe leaders, but for the solders of the soltan are always clear on who they support ( The Marrakesh prince ), cause they always loyal to the king and his orders. But sometimes it's tricky when the prince don't want to be a king, so it takes a civil war between the tribes and the supporters of the shrines to choose the new one.
@@oubayheot8843 Although I am not as familiar with the more contemporary processes for choosing kingship in the Eurocentric colonial times (1400s onwards), the times I am referring to predate these times and it is well documented in many archival records of the Mali Empire in which rules of primogeniture were not necessarily standard.
@@gjone1 I know this about the Mali Empire ( primogeniture is not necessarily standard for ruling ), but I don't think it has ever occurred in Morocco, besides if a civil went otherwise and new person mostly an islamic scholar had the support of many tribes which start the beginning of a new dinasty.
صحيح ان اغلبنا يعتقد انه عربي لكن هذا غير صحيح علميا و تاريخيا أولا لان الأصل يجب أن نقول أننا أفارقة لاننا في إفريقيا .. حتى يتثبث العكس و علميا أتبثث الكثير من البحوث أن الأمازيغ أو أغلب سكان شمال إفريقيا هم تحت تحور E1b1b و أفارقة جنوب الصحراء تحت التحور E1b1a يعني نحن نلتقي مع الصوماليين قبل 30000 سنة ومع جل الافارقة قبل 50000 سنة في سلف مشترك و أما سبب الفرق في البشرة فهو بسبب ان تزوج أجدادنا من نساء أوروبيات ... ولون البشرة و الشكل ليس معيار هناك الكثيير من السود الامريكين من أصول أب أوروبي وهذا معروف ونفس الأمر موجود. في نواحي دولة الكاميرون بضبط في قبيلة تسمى الهوسا ... انهم سود البشرة ولكن أسلافهم أوروبيين جائو هناك قبل سنين طويلة .. لا توجد عنصرية في المغرب لكن بهذه الفيديوات التي تدعم الكذب الذي جاء به الموريش الامريكيون سيخلق لكم مشاكل في شمال افريقيا ... أتحذث عن أفارقة جنوب الصحراء ... نحن في المغرب نعرف المغاربة بهويتهم و ليس بلون بشرتك يعني إذا قمت بجلب رجل اجنبي اسود و مغربي اسود سأعرف المغربي بطرفة عين لأن المغاربة السود لديهم هويتهم و ثقافتهم الساحرة التي تميزهم عن جميع سكان العالم و كذالك رجال الشرق في المغرب و رجال الجنوب و رجال الشمال و أخيرا رجال الوسط و أنا منهم ... كل له ميزة تميزه في المغرب ... يعني انتم الاجانب السود الدين ستجدون مشاكل هنا ان لم تتوقفو عن هذا الهراء لا فرق بين عربي ولا أعجمي إلا بالتقوى هذا ما يقوله الاسلام ... إتقو الله وحاولو الاستيقاض من الغفلة و الجهل قبل ان يرجع الاوروبيون و يستعبدوننا مرة اخرى .
Bro, who are you speaking for? Every situation where there were black people in North Africa was because they were enslaved? Nah, bro. There's too much information out there that shows the contrary. You're not coming correct bro.
@@soda8736 but it does confirm my point. " Sub-Saharan " or " black" Africans were always present in North Africa. Unless you believe the current concept of anti-black racism existed 20,000 years ago with a " white" population in north Africa dominating and subjugating " black" people. That would sound a lot like the concept of white supremacy/black inferiority that we know today. Also, as an aside, no I don't think there was a mass population of " black " people indigenous to the americas and that they are the direct ancestors of modern day " black" people in America.
@@omayemigatling4112 well we have the trans Saharan slave trade , the research I've read said the North African sub Saharan mix is more recent , . Also the suhant desert is a huge area that served as a natural border of sorts . We no the Nubians were up there and at times they ruled like the 25 dynasty , but they were slaves as well as other times. .. can you name an. Indeginous North African tribe or nation?
A soldier from the Moulay Ismail in 1695 by François Pidou de Saint Olon, although recruited with the status of slaves of the king, the Abid Al-Bukhari were to make the most powerful class of the country and serve their master with similar devotion. A linguistic testimony of this particular status was the use of the term Wisfan 'servants "to designate those who had the traditional slave status. The Abid were now this class apart. Windus, a contemporary European trip describes this devotion of black warriors to their Sultan: they are taught to worship and obey the successor of their prophet, and, being raised in the blood from their earliest childhood, (...), they execute It has been suggested that the Moulay Ismail, which was a black mother and whose main woman was black led almost, according to some contemporary testimonies, the country influencing her husband, had granted so much to be able to black by a kind of racial solidarity Some of them could exceed in the hierarchy and power of Arab dignitaries; They could for example be premiers or governors of the Moulay Ismail, whose reign was about to mark the peak of the power of Morocco. According to seagull, a French captive, whites, although (Aboriginal) of the country were not as estimated by the King as blacks and those with copper skin to whom confiding his personal care. An Nasiri, a posterior historian, described as to him the social rank in which these blacks had received in Morocco: their power and their wealth, the greatness of their homes and their palaces, the number of their horses of race, the choice of their weapons, the Moduette, also declares about them: these blacks are so superb, because of the trust that the king has in their people, that all the Moors tremble before them and respect them as lords. According to Estelle, the French consul: This prince rendered his authority and that of his blacks so great that the whites, who are the inhabitants of his kingdoms, became their slaves. The same author, however, prevented that the king's death, Moroccan whites would seek to lift up against blacks and reverse this condition. After Moulay Ismail Abid Al-Bukhari will turn into real regents and then made of kings, making and undoing the sultans practically to their guise leading to real instability in the country against sultans who often tried to affirm They will put on the throne the Moulay Ahmad Adh-Dhahabi before sending him back from the throne for failing to pay for them their salary and install his brother Abd Al Malik in his place; Then reinstall it by discovering Abdel Malik's intention to get rid of them by opposing them to the Berbers of the Kingdom. This action of the Abid Al Boukhari was going to bring the threat of a quasi-racial war between the black army of the Moulay Ahmad Adh-Dhahabi and the White, Moulay Abdel Malik. A letter from a contemporary said on this subject: the people are very irritated against (Moulay Ahmad Adh-Dhahabi) of what he has (thrown away) between the arms of the Negroes who ruled throughout the reign (of the Moulay Ismail), which The mulatto troops (Moulay Ahmad Adh-Dhahabi) go up 25 thousand Negroes, all whites are for his brother and we can not say the number. The advantage returned to Moulay Ahmad Adh-Dhahabi who finally executed his brother. But he died soon after and the Abid helped to elect another sultan, the Moulay Abdallah, but he turned against them killing almost all their leaders and about 10000 of them. The Abid turned again against him and some of them decided at first to file it for another sultan. Factions were spent on the choice between Ali Al-Araj, and Mohammed Al-Irbiya before falling back to Abd Allah, and then leaving him and following defeats, to join him again. This period of instability would be improved under the reign of Sultan Sidi Mohammed (1710-1790) which would however considerably weaken their influence and control of the country. In the 19th century, their number was going to be reduced, but they would continue to hold positions of importance and to constitute a part of the royal guard. Their descendants, after leaving the central power to settle among different ethnic groups of the kingdom, would mark, by organic and cultural miscegration in Morocco this black but glorious black share of the history of this country. Bibliography: * "Black goat" against "white ram". The Army of the Abid Al-Bukhârî of Sultan Mawlây Ismâ'I (1672-1727) / Roger Botte in boot, Roger and Alessandro Stella (dir.) - SLAV colors
I don't remember where I heard that to be Arab you must have an Arab father. Also, there is supposed to be no illegitimacy in Islam. I cannot attribute these statements since I can't remember the source.
@@bratwurststattsucuk4517 they weren't. They were generals,warriors ,slavrs, concubines, chefs.they formed sultan moulay ismail,s Black guard. He used blacks over berbers because they had no tribal affinities in Morocco
In Morocco, they call black people Azzi. This comes from the word azizi (translation: my favourites), a nickname given to the black royal soldiers by Sultan Moulay Ismail during the middle ages.
Morocco was and still its major population are black. The last king of Morocco thrown down by the arabs was called the Black sultan of Morocco. The arabs took over after dethroned him.
@@mcamara488 why would I need to explain to someone who's already hellbent on stealing someone's history? Get over it mate find another culture to associate yourself with
Al-Bukhari's army consisted of slaves, and it was in a specific period of the time of the Alawites, and most of Al-Bukhari's army were killed in battles against Amhawish, the leader of the Middle Atlas Berber tribes alliance.
I believe you've done videos on the moors before, but it'd be interesting if you went into detail on the formation of the Almoravid empire. It seems the Almoravids and their leaders were purely west African in origin as evidenced by their backgrounds and their depictions(look up Abu Bakr Ibn Umar for example).
Almoravids were Berber tribes operating from the Atlas Mountains to the Senegal river, they were not black or they were black berbers, their tribes are still alive today in Morocco and Mauretania ;v
Berbers span from the coasts into Northern Nigeria. Berbers are the original inhabitants of North Africa and are not West Africans. There is a divide of West African genetics and East Africa. Berbers are part of the East African migration and speak a Afroasiatic language, which all derive from East Africa. Its a misconception that there are only dark people in relation to West Africans when it comes to North Africa. The entire southern region of North Africa is dark, and are native Berber people.
you forget captain zorg of planet x267 he saved Morocco from the Portuguese invasion during the battle of the 3 kings, thanks to him for sending us 3 nuclear fission destroyers
