Ouazzane

Ouazzane, city, north-central Morocco. It lies at the southwestern edge of the Rif Mountains. Ouazzane is situated on the northern slope of Mount Bouhelal, at an elevation of 1,066 feet (325 metres). It was founded in 1727 as a religious community on the site of a village named Dechra Jabal al-Rīḥān (“Village of the Mount of Myrtles”) by the Sharif Mawlāy ʿAbd Allāh, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad through the line of Idrīs II. ʿAbd Allāh was venerated as a saint, and after his death his tomb became a site of pilgrimage, a centre for the teaching of Sufi doctrines, and a sanctuary. The Sharifs of Ouazzane were among the most powerful religious figures in pre-Protectorate Morocco. They owned extensive lands around the town and were exempted from paying taxes. Cereals and cattle are raised in the vicinity of Ouazzane, and the city also serves as a local market centre. Pop. (2004) 57,972.