Sijilmassa

Sijilmassa, also spelled Sijilmasa, is an ancient city in present-day Morocco. Located in the Tafilalt oasis along the Ziz River, near the town of Rissani in the Drâa-Tafilalet region, it grew into a major urban and commercial center from the 8th to the 14th centuries. The site represents one of the most important nodes on the trans-Saharan caravan routes, connecting sub-Saharan gold, salt, and other goods with markets in North Africa and beyond.

Historically, Sijilmassa served as a key entrepôt and gateway between sub-Saharan and Maghrebi commerce. Its walls, gates, caravanserais, mosques, and markets supported large-scale trade and attracted merchants, pilgrims, and scholars. Medieval geographers such as al-Bakri noted its wealth and strategic importance, and later travelers described it as a thriving cosmopolitan town at the eastern edge of the Maghreb. The city could also function as a regional political center within broader Maghrebi polities.

Decline began in the 14th and 15th centuries as trade routes shifted and political power centers shifted elsewhere, diminishing Sijilmassa’s role as a hub of long-distance commerce. By the early modern period, the city had largely declined into ruins, though its memory persisted in historical and literary sources as a quintessential caravan city.

Today, ruins of Sijilmassa remain near Rissani, comprising remnants of fortifications and urban structures. The site is cited in discussions of early trans-Saharan trade and urbanism in North Africa, illustrating the rise and fall of a crucial medieval caravan city.