Ba Ahmed

Aḥmad bin Mūsa al-Sharqī
أحمد ابن موسى الشرقي

Grand Wazir of Morocco
In office
1894–1900
Monarch| Mawlay Abd al-Aziz
Preceded by| al-Ma'ti al-Jama'i [ar]
Succeeded by| Mukhtar bin Abdallah [ar]
Chamberlain of the Sultan
In office
1879–1900
Monarch| Mawlay Hassan I
Preceded by| Musa bin Ahmed [ar]
Personal details
Born| 1841-2
Marrakesh, Morocco
Died| 17 May 1900
Marrakesh, Morocco
Cause of death| Heart failure
Parent| Musa bin Ahmed [ar]
Religion| Sunni Islam
Nickname| Ba Ahmed

Aḥmad bin Mūsa bin Aḥmad al-Sharqī al-Bukhārī (Arabic: أحمد بن موسى بن أحمد الشرقي البخاري), known as Bā Aḥmad (Arabic: با أحمد) or Bā Ḥmād (Arabic: با حماد), was as-sadr al-a'atham [ar] (Grand Wazir) of Morocco and de facto ruler of the kingdom between 1894 and 1900. He became the country's true regent, after enthroning the son of Hassan I, Abd al-Aziz, as sultan, who was a child at the time, despite there being older siblings. He favoured Abd al-Aziz as he was responsible for his education.[1] He died on 17 May 1900 and was buried in the royal mausoleum of Moulay Ali al-Sharif. His death meant that a young Abd al-Aziz could have more power leading to his lavish spending widening the trade deficit.[1][2]

His grandfather was born as a black slave belonging to Moulay Slimane but he became his hajib. Similarly, Ba Ahmed's father became the hajib of Muhammad IV then grand vizier under Hassan I. He had a miserable reputation but was very wealthy. He began the construction of the Bahia Palace. He had several children including Ba Ahmed.[1]

Ba Ahmed first became hajib to Moulay Ismail who was the khalifa in Fez of his brother Hassan I then hajib of Hassan I. He became grand wizier when Abd al-Aziz inherited at the age of 14 and leaving him to his childish pleasures, Ba Ahmed was able to exercise real power in the state and prevented Morocco from falling into anarchy.[1]

Ba Ahmed's descendants, as members of the French colonial elite with strong links to the palace, continue to this day to play a key role in the political and economic life of Morocco. One of his grandsons, Chakib Benmoussa, has held several high profile posts under the current king of Morocco, Mohammed VI, who appointed him first as CEO of one his companies (SONASID) then as Minister of the Interior then head of the Conseil Economique et Social and then ambassador to France.

He was responsible for expanding the Bahia Palace begun by his father. He had everything built on the ground floor because he was "short and fat".[3][4] He enlarged the Bahia on the site of some 60 houses and purchased 16 gardens to form its parkland. He also constructed in Marrakesh the reservoir of the Agdal which bears his name along with other public works in the towns.[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e Gibb, H. A. R.; Kramers, J. H.; Lévi-Provençal, E.; Schacht, J.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch., eds. (1960). "Bā Ḥmād". The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume I: A–B. Leiden: E. J. Brill. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_8381. OCLC 495469456.
2. ^ Barbe, Adam. "Quand la France colonisait le Maroc par la dette". Retrieved 9 February 2017.
3. ^ Searight, Susan (1 November 1999). Maverick Guide to Morocco. Pelican Publishing. p. 404. ISBN 978-1-56554-348-5. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
4. ^ Wilbaux, Quentin (2001). La médina de Marrakech: Formation des espaces urbains d'une ancienne capitale du Maroc. Paris: L'Harmattan. ISBN 2747523888.

Preceded by

al-Ma'ti al-Jama'i

|  Grand Wazir of Morocco
1894–1900  | Succeeded by

Mukhtar bin Abdallah

|
|

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