RIF

see also: Etymology of RIF

The Rif - “ has Rif ” Rifain (“ end”) is the mountainous northern area of the Morocco. It is a chain of medium mountainss which extends from the Cape Spartel (in Rif Western, with the Western point of Tangier) to the town of Ahfir (in Rif Eastern, at the Algerian border). The area culminates with the djebel Tidirhine with: 2450m.

The inhabitants, the Riffian , are mainly berbérophone speaking the Rifain (“ your rifit ” or the “zenatia”). In the north of Morocco, the Berbères are called themselves “ I Mazighen ” or “ I Rifiyen ”. The Riffian folklore rises from the warlike traditions of this population. Thus the music Reggada (or âarfa ) there finds its origin. Indeed the movements of shoulders and rifle represents the Riffian combatants, the kicks on the ground represents the membership of the ground, Rif in fact. amazigh (Berber) of the Zénétes. Indeed the tribes amazigh of Rif and the extreme Algerian North-West (wilaya of Tlemcen) have many joint things, most famous among it being obviously the music and celebrates it reggada for the Rif and the allaoui of with dimensions of Tlemcen, two appreciably similar style of music. It should be noted that in small towns of the wilaya of Tlemcen as Ghazoauet Nedroma much of anybody can speak the Riffian language. -->

Parmis more the big cities of Rif, one can quote: Al Hoceima, Nador, Tetouan, Oujda, Tangier or Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. The tourist cities of Rif are very appreciated tourists, such Saidia, Kétama or Chefchaouen.

History

With the the Middle Ages, Rif was the Royaume of Nekor.

The War of Rif

Abdelkrim El Khattabi was born in the small village from Ajdir in a family intellectuals. He worked in Mellilia where he was imprisoned following a misunderstanding with the Spaniards and returned to his native area close to Al Hoceima to prepare his revenge. In 1921, the Berber tribe of the Has Wayaghel area of Al-Hoceima, under the control of the young person Abd el-Krim, raises against the Spanish . The Sylvestre general has then a powerful army, strong of: 60,000 Spanish soldiers, to counter the Blessed Wariaghel . In June, almost the totality of this army finds death in the Bataille of Anoual. Vis-a-vis this disaster, the general commits suicide.

In July 1921, Abd El-Krim proclaims the République confederated of the Tribes of Rif. The Riffian ones hope to rejoin the tribes of the zone under Protectorat French.

In 1925, Abd el-Krim lance an offensive towards the south against the French forces of the general Lyautey which are beaten without difficulty and must be folded up on Fès and Taza. Paris sends Philippe Pétain then by granting the means to him which had been refused in Lyautey. The victorious of Verdun , combined with the general Primo de Rivera, lance a massive onslaught. The conflict, extremely hard, pushes the men of Abd-el-Krim to be requested from their chief to engage of the negotiations. Talks begin with Oujda but, vis-a-vis the intransigence of the French and the Spaniards, Abd el-Krim is constrained with rendering.

Abd el-Krim is exiled with the Réunion. Authorized to go to France, it joined Marseilles from where it will manage to escape and join Cairo (Egypt), where it dies in 1963.

For the Nationalist S of the world, the war of Rif remains today still a symbol of the fight against the Colonialisme.

Since independence

The Moroccan army violently represses a Riffian rising in 1958 (close to: 8,000 dead). The area finds in fact excluded from the Moroccan political life during all the reign of Hassan II. The second rising occurred in this area in 1984 and because according to the various sources of tens of deaths. This rising was propagated with the whole of the kingdom thereafter. In spite of the relative insulation of this area the massive emigration towards European countries (Netherlands, Belgium, France, and recently Spain) allowed a relative improvement of the living conditions of the local populations.

Geology

Born from the collision of the continental plates of Africa and Europe, the Riffian mountains echo the Sierra S Andalusian of which they are separated from only a few tens of kilometers on the level of the Straits of Gibraltar.

The Clay and the Schiste dominate, giving progressive reliefs and round-offs. Some solid masses Calcaire S shelter superb Canyon S (area of Tahar-Souk in particular).

In 2004, a violent one earthquake devastated the Al Hoceima surroundings.

Climate and vegetation

The parts Western and central, exposed at the same time with the oceanic and Mediterranean disturbances, are very sprinkled (up to 150 cm of water per annum towards Ketama), with a snowing up prolonged above 2000 meters altitude (Jbel Tidirine is generally snow-covered from December to March).

The Cedar, tree demanding out of water and light, the shape of vast forests above 1500 meters, the Sapin extends on a surface from 3500 hectares to Talassemtane, Tissuka, and Tassaout meadows of Chefchaouen (the single drill natural of the fir tree in Africa). Low, it is the field of the Holm oak, and more with the east, resistant to the dryness, that of the pine.

The culture of the Cannabis is intensive in the central part, between Chefchaouen and Targuist.

References

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