Sijilmasa — Trans-Saharan Gold Entrepôt Draa

Why it mattersKey Miknasa Kharijite → Almoravid → Marinid caravan city (Ibn Battuta) ancient-city with stratified sequence and regional typology.

Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.

Built

757 CE; Great Mill 10th c.; walls 1055 Almoravid

Period

Midrarid Kharijite foundation 757 CE to Alaouite 1818 destruction

Culture

Miknasa Kharijite → Almoravid → Marinid caravan city (Ibn Battuta)

Purpose

Trans-Sahara gold city (100 ha, Ibn Battuta 1352) with 14 ha mint quarter and Midrarid walls — gold caravan terminus 400 yrs

Rediscovered

Modern excavation 1916

Excavation

Excavated

1. c. 1500 BCE major extension

   Major expansion / refurbishment at Sijilmasa — Trans-Saharan Gold Entrepôt Draa

2. 757 CE; Great Mill 10th c.; walls 1055 Almoravid

   Initial construction / first occupation at Sijilmasa — Trans-Saharan Gold Entrepôt Draa

3. 1970 excavation

   Modern rediscovery and scientific excavation of Sijilmasa — Trans-Saharan Gold Entrepôt Draa

• Sijilmasa — Trans-Saharan Gold Entrepôt Draa — Principal Structure

  structure

  structure at Sijilmasa — Trans-Saharan Gold Entrepôt Draa — primary structure

  31.2817° N · 4.2674° W

• Sijilmasa — Trans-Saharan Gold Entrepôt Draa — Northern Complex

  complex

  complex at Sijilmasa — Trans-Saharan Gold Entrepôt Draa — primary structure

  31.2829° N · 4.2687° W

• Sijilmasa — Trans-Saharan Gold Entrepôt Draa — Southern Rock Art

  rock art

  rock art at Sijilmasa — Trans-Saharan Gold Entrepôt Draa — subsidiary complex

  31.2836° N · 4.2674° W

• Sijilmasa — Trans-Saharan Gold Entrepôt Draa — Eastern Structure

  structure

  structure at Sijilmasa — Trans-Saharan Gold Entrepôt Draa — hydraulic feature

  31.2823° N · 4.2667° W