HIBAPRESS – Mohamed El Harouali
Historical documented testimonies revealed that the city of Safi, over the centuries, experienced repeated natural disasters due to floods in the Shaaba Wadi.
According to these testimonies, the floods caused significant human and material losses and changed the city's features.
These data were mentioned in the narratives of the jurist Al-Kannouni and republished as historical material about the city of Safi on a website specializing in the history of Moroccan Jews.
The narratives recorded a violent flood in 1647 that entered through the Shaaba gate after the Isha prayer, where the waters flooded vast neighborhoods and destroyed walls, shops, and houses near the market.
The testimonies also documented a night flood in 1791 that struck the city while the residents were asleep, resulting in more than a hundred deaths with significant material losses.
The sources recorded a flood in 1855 resulting from the mixing of rainwater with seawater, forcing the residents to use boats, and the event was associated with the name "Aissot," the name of the only victim.
In 1927, the city witnessed one of the most violent floods, as the water breached the Great Mosque and other religious institutions, leaving behind casualties and widespread destruction.
These testimonies confirmed that the Shaaba Wadi has remained a constant source of danger to the city of Safi throughout the centuries.
Collective memory has preserved these events as part of the city's history.
Researchers have linked these events to the circulation of the Amazigh word "Asif," which means wadi. This connection reflects the depth of the floods' presence in local awareness.
