Gharb (Morocco)

Gharb is a historical and geographical region in northern Morocco. It is a great plain, an area of about six thousand square kilometers in central Morocco, northeast of Rabat and northwest of Meknes, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the hills of pre-Rif.

History

The Gharb was first inhabited by Berber tribes and potentially was part of the Barghawata Confederacy. However, with the rise of the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties they were exterminated making the area uninhabitable. The Almohad ruler Yaqub al-Mansur settled Arab tribes of the Riyah belonging to the Banu Hilal in the Gharb and it has largely been inhabited by Arab tribes since. These tribes served the Makhzen until the end of the 19th century as military tribes and were nomadic and pastoral up until the French protectorate where the Gharb transformed into a prosperous agricultural district.
Historically, the region was also known as Azghar. Historical author and diplomat Leo Africanus places Azghar under the Kingdom of Fez and writing about Azghar said:

The Gharb is largely inhabited by tribes of Arab origin: