Resilience and Adaptation of the Maṣmūda to a Challenging Climate: The Case of the Sūs al-Aqṣà
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30827/meaharabe.v74.30913Keywords:
Palaeoclimatology, Sūs al-Aqṣà, Agricultural production, Maṣmūda, Climatic anomaliesAbstract
The southern region of the Sūs al-Aqṣà, which encompasses important enclaves such as Māssa, Tārūdant or Iŷlī, is described in medieval Arabic sources as a prosperous area in terms of crops and resources. This article sets out to explore how this wealth develops in a challenging climatic environment. To do so, it will analyse the historical climate of the region, within the phenomenon known as the 'Medieval Climate Anomaly', and its relationship to agricultural production. Through this, it will be seen how its crops, based mainly on cereals, are subject to changes in oceanic fluctuations, which bring with them the possible rainfall on which cereal production depends. Other climatic factors, such as snowfall and aridity, which also impact on the region, will be discussed. It will highlight the efforts of the inhabitants of Sūs al-Aqṣà to make use of fertile land in a semi-arid climate, making use of water tables and benefiting from rainfall cycles. This example is able to demonstrate how the climate, on the one hand, and the specific orography of the territory itself, on the other, influence the development of the lifestyle of the populations, acting directly on the work in the fields and the production of food. The adaptation of these populations, especially the Maṣmūda, to all types of ecosystems will also be highlighted, and it will be seen how this will be a very useful weapon that they will use to defend themselves against possible invaders.
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