Lalla Halima al-Sufiyaniyah (Arabic: حليمة السفيانية) was one of the wives of Moulay Ismail and the mother of Prince Moulay Zeydan[1] (not to confuse with Prince Moulay Mohammed Zeydan, the latter's older half-brother). Lalla Halima was very active in the socio-political life of Morocco during the reign of her husband, she oversaw army salaries, gifts protocol to the Ulamas, issued donations for schools[2] and left a building heritage to Morocco.[3]

Halima al-Sufyaniyah
SpouseMoulay Ismail
IssueMoulay Zeydan
HouseAlaouite (by marriage)
FatherSheikh Ali bin Hussein al-Sufiyani
ReligionIslam

Life edit

Halima's father was Sheikh Ali bin Hussein al-Sufiyani, upon his death he left his daughter a considerable personal inheritance in Fez, great furniture which would have made anyone among the richest.[4] She married Moulay Ismail around 1707 and henceforth became known as Princess Lalla Halima.[3] she lived in the Palace of Sherrers, the royal harem where wives and concubines lived with their children.[5] Around 1715, Thomas Pellow recorded Lalla Halima as Moulay Ismail's favorite wife[5] and she remained so until her death.[6] He also describes Lalla Halima as being particularly kind.[7]

Kasbah Boulaouane was a fortress built by Moulay Ismail, it was also his palace of retreat from the court of Meknes as Inside the kasbah is a residential neighborhood called Dar al-Sultan.[8] He spent his days at this kasbah regularly every year accompanied by his favorite wife Lalla Halima who was a noble lady of the Sufiyani tribe whose territory is where this fortress was built in Dukala.[6] He would leave her there when court obligations required his return. When Lalla Halima died, her husband Moulay Ismail was so overwhelmed with sorrow that he never visited the Kasbah again.[6]

References edit

  1. ^ IslamKotob. موسوعة أعلام المغرب. كاملاً لمحمد حجي - 6 (in Arabic). IslamKotob. p. 1140.
  2. ^ Thomas Pellow (1890). The adventures of Thomas Pellow, of Penryn, mariner. Robert Brown. p. 98.
  3. ^ a b "القبائل العربية بالمغرب بحسب مخطوطة ابن العياشي.للأستاذ الدكتور عبد الهادي التازي". www.nooreladab.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  4. ^ "القبائل العربية بالمغرب بحسب مخطوطة ابن العياشي.للأستاذ الدكتور عبد الهادي التازي". www.nooreladab.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  5. ^ a b Thomas Pellow (1890). The adventures of Thomas Pellow, of Penryn, mariner (PDF). Robert Brown. p. 57. in the Emperor's garden where he and his favorite Queen Hellema Hazzezas (in Englis the beloved) were used to walk ... Muly Zidan, a youth of about eight years of age, and then resident with his mother in the palace of Sherrers ; where she, with thirty-eight of the Emperor's concubines, and several eunuchs, were closely shut up ...
  6. ^ a b c حكايات العابرين 24 - قلعة السلطان - المغرب, retrieved 2022-06-20
  7. ^ Thomas Pellow (1890). The adventures of Thomas Pellow, of Penryn, mariner (PDF). Robert Brown. p. 62. ... as having much higher objects to observe, the Queen being in a particular manner kind, and often recommending me to the Emperor's good liking as a careful and diligent servant, as indeed I really was, so far as I thought might be consistent with my advantage and ...
  8. ^ "قصبة بولعوان الهندسة". nrme.net. Retrieved 2022-06-20.