The Maghreb through its plants (1/2)
Nature is a slow and omnipresent witness to the history of men. It can be a source, vector, or produces the interaction of people with the earth. Nature, in its wild slope, does not know any other limits apart from those which it draws itself according to reliefs and climate. The Maghreb “From Agadir to Gabès” to use Malek Bennabi’s expression, is a suitable illustration of these three axioms, by its unity and its topographic, climatic and therefore botanical continuity.
The Maghreb space is bordered to the north by the Mediterranean coast which extends from the Fahs to Tangier to Bizerte via the Mitidja. It is made up of steep reliefs, which directly facing the sea, nested with narrow coastal plains themselves connected to the interior plains in places, as in terms of Angad or Maghnia.
In contrast, the Atlantic facade has few reliefs, alternating between intensive agriculture on the one hand, and forests of binding oaks, argan, acacias, and euphorbes, on the other hand, before giving way to the Saharan regs and ergs.
Atlantic coasts as much as Mediterranean are major populations with temperate climate and arable land. The sedentarization of populations has led to the emergence of a rosary of port cities with both marine and continental anchoring.
Inside the land, the Maghreb is a mountainous block. Atlas, Rif, Atlas Tellian then Saharan, overlap with the enclosure and the harsh climate in winter.
Beyond, start high arid plains swept by the wind- blad chih wa rih – to low vegetation, conducive to breeding, hunting for hawk Slutli (Breed of dogs specific to North Africa).
Further south, the Sahara, then the Hoggar massif, formerly traversed with caravans, carrying as much goods as religious currents.
The Maghreb forest cover is like its contrasting geography, the strata of its history, its exploitation by men, and especially its territorial transversality.
From trees to high pea to the undergrowth, let’s start pell-mell with the cork oak that is found in the Maâmora around Rabat and at the level of the Subéraie de Collo. It is renowned for its bark used by fishermen and horticulturalists. The Kermès oak, smaller in size than its fellow, finds a suitable land in the Rif, the Beni Snassen, the Tell Constantine, and the Cap Bon. It owes its name to the small parasitic insect whose eggs serve as red dye to dye tarbush,, fezAnd chechia. Finally, some green oaks are visible in Tangier, Kabylia and Kroumirie.
Another species with several variants, the pines are divided between the Aleppo pine which finds in the Maghreb an optimal soil and climate, the maritime pine seen paradoxically in the Middle Atlas, and the black pine of the Djurdjura and the Western Rif. From the pine, the Maghrebs pull, the turpentine used to make jewelry, and seeds for food use. The fir trees are found in Talassemtane near Chefchaouen, as well as at the crests of the Babors massif.
The cedar, majestic tree of the mountains of North Africa, is present in the Tazzeka as in the Aurès, arrow or tabular for the oldest specimens. By its longevity, cedar has long been a benchmark for Berber tribes as for the military. Worked, its wood is that of emblematic constructions such as the door of the great kairouan mosque built at 7th century, or the ceilings of the Sidi Haloui mosque in Tlemcen and the awning medersa Al-Tetterine in Fez at 14th century, as well as the pyramidal dome of the medersa Ben Youssef in Marrakech at 16th century. Cedar also provides a natural tar, quitused among others to brush the interior of the jugs in view of these antiseptic properties.
The Thuya of Berbèrie, almost exclusively seen in North Africa, is trying to Essaouira to Cap Bon via Oranie. Appreciated for its magnifying glass, growths which are formed at the level of the collar of old trees, and which are used for the manufacture of a multitude of craft objects and rope instruments (lute, rbab) by the cabinetmakers of Rabat, Algiers or Tunis.
If Thuya is rarely present in other regions of the world, the Arganier as for the place only exists in the Maghreb. Made famous by its oil with food and cosmetic virtues. It is described from the 11thth century by El Bakri, then by El Idrissi and El Ichbili at 12th century, ibn al baytar at 13th century, and Leon the African at 16th century, under the name of Luz al-Barabir (the almond of the Berbers) at the origin of many preparations such as amlu,, BSIS, ... The argan tree is endemic to the coastal coastline of Haut-Atlas and Anti-Atlas with locations up to the level of hamadasraised and desert rocky trays.
In the case of ash, encountered in Kabylia and in the Atlas, it is sought after for its wood used in carpentry as well as its supposed seeds to have invigorating and aphrodisiac properties. They are as such one of the components of M’SKHEN (heated preparations) and ras-el-hanoutmixture of spices specific to the Maghreb.
Another emblematic case of the unity of the Maghreb landscapes, the carobier is present in the Rif, the Zerhoun, the Zemmour, the Kabylia, the region of Tlemcen, the Medjerda, the Jbel Zaghouan. Like ash, these seeds carry in them nutritional qualities, and also have metric use. Indeed of very constant weight, they used to serve for the weighing of gold and precious stones; And we draw from their name, Carat, the unit of measurement used in jewelry equivalent to a fifth of gram.
Eucalyptus, for its part, very widespread in North Africa, was only introduced at the end of 19th century. Coming from Australia, the initial objective of its promoters was to dry up the swamps of Gharb, Mitidja and Tunis among others. Eucalyptus is widely used today to produce pulp and also masonry posts. The Mimosa also from Australia, is found in particular on the Mediterranean coast of Kroumirie, in Tangier, via Algerian.
Side undergrowth, heather, broom, thyme and oregano indifferently called za’terrosemary, lavender, and especially Alfa, constitutes the essentials of the vegetation of matorrals and steppes. The largely predominant Alfa is used in basketry and sparte by the craftsmen of Mecheria, Aïn Oussera, Aïn Sefra, Tekrouna, Jradou, Sefrou, Nabeul, Somâa, … here and there dwarf palm trees, doumcomplement the landscape and offer by their fins, a suitable raw material to attach as much donuts sold in rosary, as to hinder the pasta of mules, not to mention a large number of handicularly life crafts: floor mats – floor mats – hsira – or wall – hiti -, basket – quffa -, bissacs – chwari -, bread basket – tbeq -. New objects more in tune with more contemporary needs have appeared lately, demonstrating the capacity for adaptation of both the material and the craftsmen: table sets, beach carpets, blinds … The dwarf palm, long unloved in the region, has taken its revenge, becoming an ornamental plant in its own right.
Further south, tamarisk is an important tree of interaction between man and nature in the desert. It is used for the tanning of the leather of the ceremonial bags, the interior slippers, and the stools. He made the renown of the leather of Tafilalet, Oued Zousfana, Rheris, and Touat as well as craftsmen of Fez, Marrakech, Tlemcen, Tunis, and Kairouan. Another characteristic plant of these large spaces, the white honey sagebrush that we find especially in the Guecif regions, Taza, Debdou or Tiaret.
Finally, ergs continuously reshaped by the wind and rocky regs of the Saharan areas, constitute the privileged space for grazing, with vegetable formations in the bed of dried wadis from the Atlantic shore to the Hoggar.
The Maghreb also has a rich plant heritage of poisons, such as glu thistle, juice, daturas, belladones, mandragore, … and poisoning for political or military purposes starting with Idriss 1er, Founder of the Idrissides dynasty, victim of an emissary from Haroun Ar-Rachid. The pink laurel, a plant with highly toxic flowers, is appreciated also for its stems particularly resistant to the attack of rodents, as well as its very flammable coal used to prepare cannon powder for traditional rifles, Moukahla.
Finally, let’s not forget in this non -exhaustive review of the forest expanses of the Maghreb, the red juniper, the oxychedral, the Cypresses in Futaie, the Poplar, Saules and Aulnes on the edge of the wadis, the micocoulier, as well as the jujube tree present in the region of Sidi Belabbes and which gave its name to the city of Annaba (the Jujubes). The catering of the regions of Oued Amlil, Seddouk, and Bejaïa; the myrtle reported by the Morisques of Spain; The cistus found to the amphora of the Roman site of Volubilis, the Narcissus trumpet of Medusa present at the Rif as well as at the Mont Zaccar de Miliana, also bring color to this necessarily incomplete fresco.
In view of this naive and primitive plant work, heterogeneous and coherent at the same time, from which the Maghrebs knew how to take advantage of it without being the owners; We find as far as we can return in time an agricultural tradition and landscapes shaped by man which will be the subject of a 2th part.
