Doukkala

Doukkala (دكالة) is a natural region of Morocco made of fertile plains and forests. Nowadays it is part of the Casablanca-Settat administrative region.

It is a plain stretching from the Atlantic Ocean south of Sidi Rahal Chatai up to some 50 km further southward and the same distance eastward.

The main urban centers are Sidi Smail, Sidi Bennour, Had Ouled Frej, and Zemamra. Sidi Bennour is the fastest developing center of the four.

It is mainly an agricultural region, with few tourist attractions.

History
Historically, Doukkala referred to a confederation of Berber tribes which occupied the territory between the rivers of Oum Er-Rbia River and Tensift and from the Atlantic Ocean to Jbilate near Marrakesh. They were part of the much larger tribal confederation of Barghawata that stretched from Anfa to Tensift and were an independent state from 744 AD to 1058 AD.

The Doukkalas were a mix of majority Masmuda: the Ragrâga, Hazmîra, Banû Dghûgh, Banû Mâgir, and Mushtarayya (Mouchtaraia), together with the SanHâja. The SanHâja occupied the Atlantic coast between Azemmour and south of El Jadida.

When the Almohads under Abd al-Mu'min captured the town of Marrakesh in 1147, the Doukkals sided against them and in favor of the Almoravid dynasty. They were subsequently defeated by al-Mu'min, and purged, with women and children being sold into slavery. Al-Mu'min brought in less fractious Arab bedouin tribes as immigrantes to settle the area, including the Banu Hilal, a coalition of whom he had defeated earlier in Tunisia. Later immigrants included the al-Ma'qil.

By 1250, of the Doukkala, only the Ragrâga had survived intact after their conquest and the subsequent immigration of eastern tribes.

Ever since the first installation of the Banu Hilal, there has been continuous mixing of both populations. It was possible to clearly distinguish the native Berber element from the Arab one as recently as the 16th century. However, the Arabisation is now complete.

It is also worth mentioning that there are two factions: Chiadma who are related to the Chiadma et Chtouka from the Chtouka Ait Baha that were re-located to Doukkala North of the Oum Er-Rbia River.

At the end of the French protectorate (ca 1950), there lived in Doukkala 372,269 Muslims, 2,680 Europeans and 3,933 Jews.

Geography
Doukkala is divided in three sub-regions, parallel to the seacoast.
 * The "Oulja" (Arabic: الولـجة), along the beach, with garden-crops.
 * The "Sahel" (Arabic: الساحل), some 20 km inside, a stony region, only suiting to sheep breeding.
 * The rich plain, with wheat, sugar beets, and intensive cattle breeding.

The only mountain to be seen is at the border with the plain of Rahamna called "Jbel Lakhdar" (Arabic: جبل لخضر) meaning "Green Mountain".

The plain is subject to flooding. A temporary natural lake between Sidi Bennour and Larbaa Ouled Amrane called "Ouarar" (Arabic: ورار) only fills in rainy years. Its largest surface was noted in 1916, 1966 and 2008.