Tafilalt (redirected from Tafilet)

Tafilalt (täfē`lält), Tafilelt (täfē`lĕlt), or Tafilet (–lĕt), oasis in the Sahara, SE Morocco, c.530 sq mi (1,370 sq km). It has date groves and small trading settlements. After c.760 it was an independent kingdom for nearly two centuries, growing rich on the caravan trade with lands south of the Sahara. Sijilmasa (now in ruins) was the chief trade center and the capital of the kingdom. Since the Middle Ages the region has been noted for its dates and leather. It was the original seat of the ruling dynasty of Morocco, which came to power in the late 17th cent.

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Tafilalt

Oasis, southeastern Morocco. The country's largest Saharan oasis, it covers some 530 sq mi (1,370 sq km). It comprises six fortified villages and palm groves stretching for some 30 mi (50 km) along the Wadi Ziz. Its old capital was the prosperous Berber (Amazigh) stronghold of Sijilmassa, founded in AD 757 on the Saharan caravan route and finally destroyed in the 19th century. The oasis is noted for its groves of date palms.