Praise be to Allah and prayer and peace be upon the most honoured of His prophets and messengers, and the Prophet`s household, and his well chosen companions.
Most researches and historical studies have studied the political side and the economic or the two sides together without paying attention to the economic and , social and that give us enough glimpse about one of the fundamental elements out of which an important element in the life of Marrakech society has been formed in that period identified by the study , and we mean craftsmen who shaped part of the community, because of their important and influential role during the two ages of Murabeteen and Mowahdeen (454-668A.H/1062-1274A.D.)
Due to the importance of the city of Marrakech, we wanted to study the economic activities of the working groups and social links with each other or with the rest of the society , or even with the state itself, so the title of the thesis was ( crafts and artisans in the city of Marrakech during the two ages of Murabeteen and Mwahdeen (454-668 A.H -1062 to 1274 A.D)
Because of the nature of the study, it is divided into three chapters preceded by an introduction and followed by a conclusion. The first chapter came to explain ( the elements of the population and their social structure ) and it has included two sections; we have dedicated the first section to the study of the demographics of Marrakech, and the second section to explain the city authorities and the corporations managing those authorities in Marrakech
The second chapter is devoted to talk about the kinds of crafts and craft regulations prevailing in Marrakech, and this chapter has been divided into three sections.
The first section dealt with the crafts and their kinds and the second is dedicated to the study of the craft organization and craft groups operating there , and we highlighted first the craft arrangement which had included a clear graduation among the people of crafts, and we had dealt also with craft groups and collective labor relations
In the third section, we dealt with the link between authority and craft organizations, and monitoring the crafts , which were assigned to the comptroller, and monitoring the markets, trading commodities in Marrakchi markets under the direction of the judge; we talked about pricing and its conditions in the markets of Marrakech and also the system of imposing taxes.
The third chapter is devoted to the study of social and economical activities practiced by the craftsmen in Marrakech. The chapter includes three sections. The first section of it is devoted to the study the city’s economy during the two eras of Murabuteen and Muwahideen. As for the second section , it dealt with the study of the types of the markets in Marrakech and their organizations like temporary, permanent, and mobile markets. Hotels and stalls have been mentioned. It was also concerned with studying the geography of the markets, the craftsmen places and their locations, the models of their building, and their organizations and we also discussed in the third section the social life of craftsmen. The section also addressed the topic of geographical distribution of craftsmen, let alone the way the state and society look at craftsmen.
In conclusion, we have reached several findings, perhaps the most prominent of which:
After studying the subject of ( crafts and craftsmen in the city of Marrakech during the two ages of Murabeteen and Muwahedeen), and we have several outcomes, perhaps the most prominent are:
1 The crafts have played an important role in the life of the Marrakechi society through the great economic development that appeared during the two ages of Murabeteen and Muwahideen. and the most prominent of those crafts that made the Marrakechi society famous are tissues, spinners, soap industry, and others. The best indication of the prosperity of these crafts is the fact that the Murabeteen princes and Muwahedeen caliphs recruited craftsmen and creative manufacturers from Andalusia to the capital Marrakech
2 The study proved that the craft organization of craftsmen witnessed clear graduation among the people of crafts and trades , for there is the President of the craft, the corporal, manufacturer, the learner and the apprentice.
3-The city of Marrakech has known several types of craft and professional markets. The best of which are the permanent, temporary, mobile markets , stalls , and hotels whose breadth was an evidence of the greatness of the city of Marrakech on one hand and the joy of having interactive and distinctive economic movement on the other.
4-The study proved that taking care of the craftsmen in Marrakech was one of the points taken seriously by Murabeteen and Muwahdeen caliphs through the great attention they paid to those people.
