- For the Eleventh Century Talmudist, see Isaac Alfasi
Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi ha-Cohen - also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym Rif , was a Talmudist and posek . He is best known for his work of halakha, the legal code Sefer Ha-halachot, considered the first fundamental work in halakhic literature...
The
Rif (Berber:
, Arabic:جبال الريف) is a mainly mountainous region of northern
MoroccoMorocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 32 million and an area just under . Its capital is Rabat, and its largest city is Casablanca. Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the...
, stretching from
Cape SpartelCape Spartel is a promontory in Morocco about 1,000 feet above sea level at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, 12 km West of Tangier...
and
TangierTangier or Tangiers [
pronounce] is a city of northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000...
in the west to
Ras KebdanaRas Kebdana is a small Moroccan town that lies in the Mediterranean Sea. It's also a seaport and it's located in the province of Nador, and it belongs to the Rif area in northern Morocco....
and the
Moulouya RiverMoulouya River is a 520 km long river in Morocco. Its sources are located in Middle Atlas. It empties to the Mediterranean Sea west of Algeria at about . Water level in the river often fluctuates. The river is being used for irrigation....
in the east, and from the
Mediterranean SeaThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is technically a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it...
in the north to the river of Ouargha in the south.
It is part of the Cordillera Bética that also includes the mountains of Southern
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
. The Rif mountains are not part of the
Atlas MountainsThe Atlas Mountains are a mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about 2,500 km through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The highest peak is Jbel Toubkal, with an elevation of in southwestern Morocco. The Atlas ranges separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines...
but belong to the
Gibraltar ArcThe Gibraltar Arc is a geological region corresponding to an arcuate orogen surrounding the Alboran Sea, between the Iberian Peninsula and Africa. It consists of the Betic Cordillera , and the Rif ....
or
Alborán SeaThe Alboran Sea is the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, lying between Spain on the north and Morocco and Algeria on the south. The Strait of Gibraltar, which lies at the west end of the Alboran Sea, connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean.Its average depth is and maximum...
geological region.
The region's name comes from the Berber word
arif. Major cities in the Rif include
NadorNador is a northeastern Moroccan city located in the Rif region. The city is a Mediterranean port on the Bhar Amezzyan lagoon and a trading centre for fish, fruit, and livestock...
,
Al HoceimaAl Hoceima is a city and port in the north of Morocco and in the center of the Rif Mountains. The Al Hoceima city region has a population of 395.644...
(also called Biya), Azghenghan, Selwan,
AjdirAjdir is a small city in Morocco near Al Hoceima. It was the capital of the Republic of the Rif from 1922 to 1926 under the leadership of Abd el-Krim .-See also:*Republic of the Rif*Aith Ouriaghel...
, Tawrirt,
TazaTaza is a city in northern Morocco, about 100 km east of Fez. It has a population of 139,686 and is the capital of Taza Province.-Geography:...
, and
El JebhaEl Jebha is a little port town in the northern part of Morocco. This meditereanean coastal place is situated in the Rif Mountains, and across the route that takes traffic from the Northwestern part to the Northeastern part of Morocco...
. The Rif produces as much as one half of the world's
hashishHashish is a preparation of cannabis composed of the compressed stalked resin glands called trichomes, collected from the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than other parts of the plant such as the buds or the leaves...
.
History
The Rif has been inhabited by the Rifains since prehistoric times. As early as the 11th century BC, the Phoenicians began to establish trading posts on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, and founded cities such as Tetouan, Melilla and, in 5th century BC, Tangier. Later the Carthaginians replaced the Phoenicians as the major power in the region. After the
Third Punic WarThe Third Punic War was the third and last of the Punic Wars fought between the former Phoenician colony of Carthage, and the Roman Republic...
, Carthage was supplanted by Rome, and the Rif became part of the province of
MauretaniaIn Antiquity, Mauretania was originally an independent Berber kingdom on the Mediterranean coast of north Africa , corresponding to western Algeria, northern Morocco and Spanish Plazas de soberanía. The Mauri people were indicated with the Greek word mauros, black...
. When the latter was divided during the rule of Emperor
ClaudiusTiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was the fourth Roman Emperor, a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from 24 January AD 41 to his death in AD 54...
, Tangier became the capital of
Mauretania TingitanaMauretania Tingitana was a Roman province located in northwestern Africa, coinciding roughly with the northern part of modern Morocco and Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla. The province extended from the northern peninsula, opposite Gibraltar, to Chellah and Volubilis to the south, and as far...
. In the 5th century AD, the region was raided by the
VandalsThe Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Goth Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths and regent of the Visigoths, was allied by marriage with the Vandals as well as with the Burgundians and the Franks under .The Vandals are perhaps...
, and Roman rule came to an end. The region remained under Vandal control until the 6th century AD when the Byzantines reconquered parts of it.
In 710,
Salih I ibn MansurSalih I ibn Mansur , was an immigrant from Yemen who founded the Kingdom of Nekor, located in modern-day Morocco. He received the title of al-Himyari by caliphal grant and converted the local Berber tribes to Islam. Initially the local tribes resisted the restrictions of the new religion and soon...
founded the
Kingdom of NekorThe Kingdom of Nekor was an emirate in the Rif area of modern day Morocco, with its capital initially at Temsaman but later at Nekor. It was founded by an immigrant of Yemen, Salih I ibn Mansur al-Himyarī in 710 AD, by Caliphal grant...
in the Rif and converted most Berbers to Islam. Arabs then established more cities. By the 15th century, many Spanish
MoorsThe description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of Muslim people of Berber, Black African and Arab descent from North Africa, some of whom came to conquer and occupy the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. The North Africans termed it Al Andalus, comprising most...
were exiled from Spain and most of them lived in the Rif, bringing their culture,
Andalusian musicAndalusian music may refer to:*the music of Andalusia, a region of Spain*Andalusian classical music, which is today almost entirely associated with North African, especially Moroccan music....
, and even establishing Chefchaouen. Since then, the Rif had suffered a lot of battles between Morocco, Spain and Portugal. In 1415, Portugal invaded Ceuta, and in 1490 Spain invaded Melilla. There was period of peace after, but war
between Spain and MoroccoThe Spanish-Moroccan War of 1859, known as the African War in Spain , was a war from 1859-1860. It began with a conflict over the borders of the Spanish city of Ceuta and was fought in northern Morocco....
arose again in 1859 in Tetouan where Morocco was defeated. The Spanish-Moroccan conflicts didn't end. In the 20th century, under the leadership of
Abd el-KrimAbd el-Krim Abd el-Krim (1880, Ajdir –February 6, 1963, Cairo) Abd el-Krim (1880, Ajdir –February 6, 1963, Cairo) (Mulay Abdelkrim, full name: Muhammad Ibn 'Abd El-Karim El-Khattabi , was the Berber leader of the Rif, a Berber area of northeastern Morocco. He became the leader of a...
El-Khattabi, the Moroccan guerrilla leader, The Riffian Berbers
struggled against Spanish ruleThe Rif War of 1920, also called the Second Moroccan War, was fought between Spain and the Moroccan Rif and J'bala tribes.-Early Stages:...
and aimed to free Morocco from French and Spanish colonization. Abd el-Krim later established the
Republic of the RifThe Republic of the Rif , was created in September 1921, when the people of the Rif revolted and declared their independence from Spanish occupation as well as from the Moroccan sultan.Its capital city was Ajdir, its currency the Rif Republic Riffan, its national...
in 1921. The region was returned to Morocco after its independence in 1956.
Environment
The Rif mountains are not part of the Atlas mountain range. According to C. Michael Hogan, there are between five and eight separate sub-populations of the endangered
primateA primate is a member of the biological order Primates , the group that contains lemurs, lorisids, galagos, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes, with the last category including great apes. With the exception of humans, who inhabit every continent on Earth, most primates live in tropical or subtropical...
Barbary MacaqueThe Barbary Macaque is a macaque with only a stub of a tail. Found in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco with a small, possibly introduced, population in Gibraltar, the Barbary Macaque is one of the best-known Old World monkey species. Besides humans, they are the only primates that live...
,
Macaca sylvanus. The Rif mountains are also home to the honeybee
Apis mellifera major.
The Rif region receives more rainfall than any other region in Morocco, with some portions receiving upwards of 2000mm of precipitation a year. The western and central portions are more pluvious and are covered in forests of
Atlas CedarThe Atlas Cedar is a cedar native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco . It is variously treated as a variety or subspecies of Lebanon Cedar Cedrus libani var. atlantica Hook.f. or Cedrus libani subsp. atlantica Batt...
,
Cork OakThe Cork Oak is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section Quercus sect. Cerris, and the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses. It is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa....
and
Holm OakQuercus ilex, the Holm Oak or Holly Oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It takes its name from holm, an ancient name for holly. It is known by the names azinheira in Portuguese, encina in Spanish, carrasca or alzina in Catalan, and chêne vert or yeuse in French...
, as well as the only remaining forests of Moroccan Fir, a subspecies of the
Spanish FirAbies pinsapo is a species of fir native to southern Spain and northern Morocco. In Spain it is limited to altitudes of 1100-2000 m in the Sierra de Grazalema in the province of Cádiz and the Sierra de las Nieves near Ronda in the province of Málaga...
. The eastern slopes receive less rainfall, and there forests consist mainly of pines, particularly the
Aleppo PineThe Aleppo Pine is a pine native to the Mediterranean region. The range extends from Morocco and Spain north to southern France, Italy and Croatia, and east to Greece and northern Libya, with an outlying population in Syria , Jordan and Israel...
and the
Maritime PineThe Maritime Pine is a pine native to the western Mediterranean region.The range extends from Portugal and Spain north to southern and western France, east to western Italy, and south to northern Morocco, with small outlying populations in Algeria and Malta...
, as well as
TetraclinisTetraclinis is a genus of evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, containing only one species, Tetraclinis articulata, also known as Sandarac or the Barbary thuja, endemic to the western Mediterranean region...
.
Massive deforestation due to overgrazing, forest fires, and forest clearing for agriculture, particularly for the creation of
cannabisCannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa L., Cannabis indica Lam., and Cannabis ruderalis Janisch. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for medicinal purposes, and as a...
plantations, has taken place over the last century. This deforestation has led to soil degradation due to the washing away of
topsoilTopsoil is the upper, outermost layer of soil, usually the top to . It has the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms and is where most of the Earth's biological soil activity occurs. Plants generally concentrate their roots in and obtain most of their nutrients from this layer...
, which has aggravated the process.
External links