Editing History of Morocco (section)

== Saadi dynasty (1549–1659) ==
{{Main|Saadi dynasty}}
[[File:Saadiens - Carte fin XVIe siècle (revised).jpg|thumb|left|Extent of the Saadian empire at the beginning of the 17th century<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Sluglett|first1=Peter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XjxyBgAAQBAJ&dq=peter+sluglett+islamic+atlas&pg=PA58|title=Atlas of Islamic History|last2=Currie|first2=Andrew|date=2015-01-30|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-58897-9|pages=58|language=en}}</ref>]]
[[File:Kasbahs in Aït Benhaddou.JPG|thumb|The city of [[Aït Benhaddou]] photographed in the evening]]
Beginning in 1549, the region was ruled by successive Arab dynasties known as the Sharifian dynasties, who claimed descent from the prophet [[Muhammad]]. The first of these polities was the [[Saadi dynasty]], which ruled Morocco from 1549 to 1659. From 1509 to 1549, the Saadi rulers had control of only the southern areas. While still recognizing the Wattasids as Sultans until 1528, Saadians' growing power led the Wattasids to attack them and, after an indecisive battle, to recognize their rule over southern Morocco through the [[Treaty of Tadla]].<ref name="Bagley_102">H. J. Kissling, Bertold Spuler, N. Barbour, J. S. Trimingham, F. R. C. Bagley, H. Braun, H. Hartel, ''The Last Great Muslim Empires'', BRILL 1997, p.102 [https://books.google.com/books?id=-AznJs58wtkC]</ref>

In 1590, [[Sultan]] [[Ahmad al-Mansur]] sent an expedition to the [[Songhai Empire]], which resulted in a [[Saadian invasion of the Songhai Empire|victory]] and collapse of the empire,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fall of Africa's Greatest Empire {{!}} History Today |url=https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/fall-africas-greatest-empire |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=www.historytoday.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Black |first=Jeremy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=neUKEvaYPZYC&dq=defeat+of+the+songhai+empire&pg=PA10 |title=The Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: Renaissance to Revolution, 1492-1792 |date=1996-03-28 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-47033-9 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Black |first=Jeremy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pyBdDwAAQBAJ&dq=defeat+of+the+songhai+empire&pg=PA163 |title=Mapping Shakespeare: An exploration of Shakespeare's worlds through maps |date=2018-05-31 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-84486-515-4 |language=en}}</ref> [[Pashalik of Timbuktu]] was established to take control over the territory centered on [[Timbuktu]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Fage |first1=J. D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q3mx8aAo6x0C&dq=pashalik+of+timbuktu&pg=PA152 |title=The Cambridge History of Africa |last2=Gray |first2=Richard |last3=Oliver |first3=Roland Anthony |date=1975 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-20413-2 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1659, [[Mohammed al-Hajj ibn Abu Bakr al-Dila'i]], the head of the [[zaouia of Dila]],<ref>E. George H. Joffé, ''North Africa: nation, state, and region'', Routledge 1993, p. 19</ref> was proclaimed sultan of Morocco after the fall of the Saadi dynasty.<ref name="EB">Michaël Peyron, [http://encyclopedieberbere.revues.org/2260 « Dila‘ »], in: Gabriel Camps (dir.), Encyclopédie berbère – Chp. XV. Édisud 1995, pp.2340–2345 ({{ISBN|2-85744-808-2}})</ref>