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Morocco in the "Book of All Kingdoms"

Last modified: 2017-11-11 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: fes | marrakech | sous | sijilmasa | pennant(ogival) | chessboard | lion(black) | palm(root) |
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Pennant of Fez

[Fez pennant 14th century] image by António Martins-Tuválkin and Eugene Ipavec, 20 Jan 2010

The 63rd flag mentioned and illustrated in the Book of All Kingdoms 1350 is attributed apparently to Fez (also known in English as Fes). This as depicted in the 2005 spanish illustrated transcription, a plain white flag in the ogival default shape of this source. The anonymous author of Book of All Kingdoms 1350 describes the flag as follows: "El rey dende á por señales un pendón todo blanco." (The king thereof has for device an all-white pendon.)
None of the flag of current Fes seem to be influenced by this - expect may be the mainly white cloth of the 1976-1997 regional flag? However plain white flags are given for the time frame of this source Book of All Kingdoms 1350 (actually, 9th to 17th cent.): the Almoravid banner, standing for an area of influence much wider than Fes (even than present day Morocco), but still according to Book of All Kingdoms 1350, this city is where the kings of "Benamarin" live and are crowned, a capital city in current terms.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 27 Nov 2007

Pennant of Marrakech

[Marrakech pennant 14th century] image by António Martins-Tuválkin and Eugene Ipavec, 11 Dec 2009 The 65th flag mentioned and illustrated in the Book of All Kingdoms Book of All Kingdoms 1350 is attributed to "Marruecos", which means "Morocco" in current Spanish but here the city of Marrakech is meant. This as depicted in the 2005 spanish illustrated transcription Book of All Kingdoms 1350, a red flag with a black and white 5×4 chequered square off set to the hoist, the flag in the ogival default shape of this source. The anonymous author of Book of All Kingdoms 1350 describes the flag as follows: "E el rey de Marruecos á por señales un pendón bermejo con un axedrez prieto e blanco atal." (And the king of Marrakesh has for device a red pendon with a black and white chess board like this.)
António Martins-Tuválkin, 27 Nov 2007

Information confirmed by Lux-Wurm 2001
Ivan Sache, 28 Nov 2007

Pennant of Morocco (according to Siegel)

[Morocco pennant 14th century] image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 7 Oct 2008

It is a red ogival pennant with a four times four white and black chess board in it's centre. some similar flags are already in our pages, this one has only 4x4 squares.
Source: Siegel 1912; flagchart 17; row 4; column 1 based on different edition of Book of All Kingdoms
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 7 Oct 2008

Pennant of Sous

[Sous pennant 14th century] image by António Martins-Tuválkin and Eugene Ipavec, 11 Dec 2009

The 66th flag mentioned and illustrated in the Book of All Kingdoms Book of All Kingdoms 1350 is attributed to Çucia, old Spanish for Sous. This as described (not as depicted) in the 2005 spanish illustrated transcription, a white flag with black lion, in the ogival default shape of this source. This image shows the flag diagonally stripped of yellow and white, which the text does not refer: The anonymous author of Book of All Kingdoms 1350 describes the flag as follows: "E el rey dende á por señales un pendón blanco con un leóón prieto." (The king thereof has for device a white pendon with a black lion.)
A flag for 19th century of Sous includes a lion on white background - almost surely a coincidence. Anyway, it is suggested that the Sous Kingdom was located in current Morocco-administered Western Sahara, but the cities mentioned seem to imply that it coincided approx. with 1968-1976 Agadir Province.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 27 Nov 2007

Pennant of Sijilmasa

[Sijilmasa pennant 14th century] image by António Martins-Tuválkin and Eugene Ipavec, 5 Jan 2010 The 67th flag mentioned and illustrated in the Book of All Kingdoms Book of All Kingdoms 1350 is attributed to Sulgumença, old Spanish for Sijilmasa. [editorial note: located in the southeast of Morocco near the Algerian border]This as depicted in the 2005 spanish illustrated transcription, a white flag with a green root outline, in the ogival default shape of this source. The anonymous author of Book of All Kingdoms 1350 describes the flag as follows: "E el rey d'ella á por señales un pendón blanco con una raíz de palma verde d'esta manera." (And its king has for devices a white pendon with a green palm root in this fashion.)
António Martins-Tuválkin, 28 Nov 2007


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