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The Last Civilized Place: Sijilmasa and Its Saharan Destiny Kindle Edition

by Ronald A. Messier (Author), James A. Miller (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 ratings
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“[This] book reflects an effective integration of archaeological data with an urban history and can be model for the study of any pre-modern Muslim city.” —Jere Bacharach, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Washington, and author of Islamic History through Coins: An Analysis and Catalogue of Tenth-Century Ikhshidid Coins
 
Set along the Sahara’s edge, Sijilmasa was an African El Dorado, a legendary city of gold. But unlike El Dorado, Sijilmasa was a real city, the pivot in the gold trade between ancient Ghana and the Mediterranean world. Following its emergence as an independent city-state controlling a monopoly on gold during its first 250 years, Sijilmasa was incorporated into empire—Almoravid, Almohad, and onward—leading to the “last civilized place” becoming the cradle of today’s Moroccan dynasty, the Alaouites. Sijilmasa’s millennium of greatness ebbed with periods of war, renewal, and abandonment. Today, its ruins lie adjacent to and under the modern town of Rissani, bypassed by time.

The Moroccan-American Project at Sijilmasa draws on archaeology, historical texts, field reconnaissance, oral tradition, and legend to weave the story of how this fabled city mastered its fate. The authors’ deep local knowledge and interpretation of the written and ecological record allow them to describe how people and place molded four distinct periods in the city’s history. Messier and Miller compare models of Islamic cities to what they found on the ground to understand how Sijilmasa functioned as a city. Continuities and discontinuities between Sijilmasa and the contemporary landscape sharpen questions regarding the nature of human life on the rim of the desert. What, they ask, allows places like Sijilmasa to rise to greatness? What causes them to fall away and disappear into the desert sands?

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  1. Print length
    297 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
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  4. Publisher
    University of Texas Press
  5. Publication date
    June 15, 2015
  6. File size
    20097 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Messier and Miller are among the few Americans working on pre-modern North African topics. They are possibly unique in their role as joint practitioners of urban Islamic archaeology for North Africa. They are more qualified to write this type of book than any other combination of scholars I know. . . . [This] book reflects an effective integration of archaeological data with an urban history, and can be a model for the study of any pre-modern Muslim city from the Atlantic to the Indus Valley." (Jere Bacharach, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Washington, and author of Islamic History through Coins: An Analysis and Catalogue of Tenth-Century Ikhshidid Coins)

Review

"Messier and Miller are among the few Americans working on pre-modern North African topics. They are possibly unique in their role as joint practitioners of urban Islamic archaeology for North Africa. They are more qualified to write this type of book than any other combination of scholars I know. . . . [This] book reflects an effective integration of archaeological data with an urban history, and can be a model for the study of any pre-modern Muslim city from the Atlantic to the Indus Valley." (Jere Bacharach, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Washington, and author of Islamic History through Coins: An Analysis and Catalogue of Tenth-Century Ikhshidid Coins)

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00VU3YNG8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Texas Press; Reprint edition (June 15, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 15, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 20097 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 297 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 ratings

About the author

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Ronald A. Messier

Ronald A. Messier

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Ronald A. Messier is professor Emeritus in History at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) where he taught Islamic history and historical archaeology from 1972 to 2004 and was director of the Honors Program from 1982 to 1992. From 1992 to 2004, he was also adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University, and full time Senior Lecturer from 2004 to 2008. He received his MA and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan. He is president of the advisory board for the Atlantic Institute of Tennessee. His teaching and research focus on Islam and the history and archaeology of the Middle East and North Africa. From 1987 to 1998, he directed the excavation of the ancient city of Sijilmasa in Morocco, famous for its gold trade and its contacts with Timbuktu. In recognition of that work, he received MTSU's prestigious Outstanding Research Award in 1997. He is currently directing an archaeology project at Aghmat, near Marrakech, Morocco. He has published over two dozen articles, co-edited a book entitled Jihad and its Times. His recent publications include, The Almoravids and the Meanings of Jihad, and Jesus, One Man Two Faiths: a Dialogue between Christians and Muslims. His book The Last Civilized Place: Sijilmasa and Its Saharan Destiny, co-authored with James A. Miller and published by the University of Texas Press, was released in May of 2015. He has won several teaching awards including the CASE Tennessee Professor of the Year Award for 1993. Since 1992, he has been the lecturer for over forty study tours including twelve tours to Morocco, five to Israel, five to Spain, three to Syria and Jordan, three to Egypt, three to Tunisia, three to Turkey, one to Oman in the Persian Gulf, and two to Mali and Timbuktu.

Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
2 global ratings
This book illuminates the history of a fascinating city in beautiful detail.
5 Stars
This book illuminates the history of a fascinating city in beautiful detail.
The prologue of this book describes Ibn Battuta, one of Morocco’s most famous historical characters, arriving in Sijilmasa and preparing to cross the Sahara. It is a stunning beginning to a stunning book, as you feel as if you are there with him, visiting the city in its heyday. The book details the work of the archaeologists as they excavate the site over several years, sharing all their discoveries and conclusions. Side by side with the archaeology, there is a wealth of historical detail as we learn about the dynasties and power brokers who have been drawn to Sijilmasa, a city made wealthy by trade and gold that connected Africa to Europe. This book illuminates the history of a fascinating city in beautiful detail.
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Top reviews from the United States

M. Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars An enlightening read
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
I bought this book for research on a story I'm working on. It was an informative and enjoyable read, the perfect blend of history and archeology. I was specifically intrigued about the details about the relationship between Morocco and the Sahelian kingdoms of Ghana, Mali and Songhai. I highly recommend it for anyone researching the history of medieval North Africa, especially the history of Morocco.
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David P
5.0 out of 5 stars This book illuminates the history of a fascinating city in beautiful detail.
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2022
Verified Purchase
The prologue of this book describes Ibn Battuta, one of Morocco’s most famous historical characters, arriving in Sijilmasa and preparing to cross the Sahara. It is a stunning beginning to a stunning book, as you feel as if you are there with him, visiting the city in its heyday. The book details the work of the archaeologists as they excavate the site over several years, sharing all their discoveries and conclusions. Side by side with the archaeology, there is a wealth of historical detail as we learn about the dynasties and power brokers who have been drawn to Sijilmasa, a city made wealthy by trade and gold that connected Africa to Europe. This book illuminates the history of a fascinating city in beautiful detail.
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David P
5.0 out of 5 stars This book illuminates the history of a fascinating city in beautiful detail.
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2022
The prologue of this book describes Ibn Battuta, one of Morocco’s most famous historical characters, arriving in Sijilmasa and preparing to cross the Sahara. It is a stunning beginning to a stunning book, as you feel as if you are there with him, visiting the city in its heyday. The book details the work of the archaeologists as they excavate the site over several years, sharing all their discoveries and conclusions. Side by side with the archaeology, there is a wealth of historical detail as we learn about the dynasties and power brokers who have been drawn to Sijilmasa, a city made wealthy by trade and gold that connected Africa to Europe. This book illuminates the history of a fascinating city in beautiful detail.
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