Tin Hinan, the queen of the Touaregs
A native of the Tafilalt in Morocco, Tin Hinan, who lived in the 4th century, is known for having unified the Touareg tribes. She leaves her tribe with her servant Takama to settle in Abalessa, in present-day Algeria. She is said to be at the origin of the matriarchal system of the Touareg of the Hoggar. Once in the Hoggar, she organizes the social life of the Touareg populations and will go as far as creating a trade network. The oral traditions surrounding her describe her as a tall woman of striking beauty, with fiery eyes, commanding respect and authority. In 1925, archaeologists uncover in the Hoggar a tomb at the summit of a mountain. They discover that the body belonged to a person who limped, matching the writings of Ibn Khaldoun designating the Touareg as the children of tiski, meaning the one who limps. Today, the Touareg of the Hoggar regard Queen Tin Hinan as their common ancestor. Songs and poems are dedicated by the inhabitants of the southern Maghreb to this great woman tied to the Touareg identity.
Fatima al-Fihri, the founder of the world’s first university
Fatima al-Fihri, daughter of the wealthy merchant Muhammad al-Fihri, is known in Morocco as a generous woman, devoted to the religious sciences and founder of the famous university of al-Quaraouiyine. At the beginning of the 9th century, she emigrates with her family from Tunisia to settle in Fes, Morocco. At that time, the city was renowned as a cosmopolitan metropolis. Upon their father’s death, Fatima and her sister Mariam inherit his great fortune, which they devote entirely to the service of the community. In 859, Fatima Al-Fihri founded the al-Quaraouiyine mosque and university, initially composed of a prayer hall, a library and a few classrooms. The university, which at first offered only religious teachings, began over time to give diversified courses covering Arabic grammar, mathematics, astronomy and music. Over the decades, the place grew, gained in importance and became one of the best universities in the world, attracting along the way several great scholars such as the historian and philosopher Ibn Khaldoun or the geographer Charif al-Idrissi. Today, the university of al-Quaraouiyine is recognized by UNESCO as the oldest university in the world still in operation.
Sayyida al-Hurra, the pirate princess.
Sayyida Al-Hurra is a princess of Moroccan-Andalusian origin who lived during the Wattasid reign. She spends her childhood in the kingdom of Granada but, having lived through the period of the Reconquista, she endures a forced exile that marked her deeply. Her family then settles in Morocco, where her father founds the city of Chefchaouen. At the age of 6, she was promised to Ali al-Mandri, a friend of her father and prince of Tetouan, 30 years her senior. She takes an active part in her husband’s reign and even succeeds him after his death in 1515. Having always sought to avenge the loss of the kingdom of Granada, Sayyida al-Hurra allies herself with the famous Turkish corsair Barbarossa. She raises a fleet and leads a piracy network tasked with foiling the invaders’ plans, plundering their fleets and imprisoning their men while demanding ransoms. The Spanish and the Portuguese had no choice but to ally themselves with al-Hurra, so as to attempt to negotiate the release of the captives. Sayyida al-Hurra succeeded in protecting her kingdom from the territorial ambitions of Spain and Portugal, and was, by the same token, feared and respected. She reigned over the city of Tetouan for 30 years before being deposed by her stepson. She will pass away around 1562 in Chefchaouen, her tomb lying at the Zawiya-Raissuniya.
Kharboucha, the rebel slave
A true icon of resistance in Morocco, Kharboucha was born toward the end of the 19th century in the Oulad Zayd tribe, in the Abda region. In her time, certain tribes were revolting against the central power in order to preserve their autonomy. Despite her illiteracy, she will lead a resistance within her tribe against Aissa Tamri ben Omar, who was Caid of a neighboring tribe. She will use her songs and poems as weapons to point the finger at the social injustices and the crimes committed by the tyrannical Caids. At the beginning of the 20th century, Aissa Tamri Ben Omar gives the order to disarm the men of the Oulad Zayd tribe and to confiscate their lands and their livestock. Kharboucha was captured, but Ben Omar decided to keep her at his side, taken with the beauty of her voice. He greatly enjoyed her songs and so decided to invite her to each of his ceremonies, so that she would sing and entertain the Caid’s noble guests. One day, he invited Kharboucha to come and sing, but she took advantage of her audience to denounce the Caid’s crimes through a provocative song. Seized with rage, he ordered Kharboucha to be tortured and, according to some versions, buried her alive.
It is as she was being buried that she sang her last verses.
This night is the night of torture.
Oh, father, how I suffer.
But nothing is eternal.
Oh, father, how I suffer.
The ultimate end is death,
Oh, father, how I suffer.
Touria Chaoui, the first female pilot in the Arab world
Touria Chaoui was born on December 14, 1936 in Fes. From an early age, she stood out at school thanks to her excellent academic performance. Around the age of 13, she accompanies her actor father on his tours and discovers the world of cinema, shooting her first film in Fes, entitled “La Septieme Porte”. She will, however, discover another passion: aviation. Wanting to become a pilot, she begins her training at only 14. It is on October 17, 1951 that she will officially become the first female pilot of Morocco and of the Arab world. She will thus draw the attention of the whole world: the newspapers will praise her exploits, while the royal family will welcome her to the palace to congratulate her. She will be assassinated by a bullet on March 1, 1956, at only 19, while bringing her little brother home from school. The motive for the murder remains unknown to this day, but her murderer, Ahmad Touil, had already assassinated several political figures before, suggesting that the reason for the murder was political. Touria Chaoui will have campaigned both for the improvement of women’s condition and for Morocco’s self-determination.
