Smara | city, capital city of state/province/region

 city, capital city of state/province/region

as samarah, السمارة
capital of the Es Semara Province

The Maalainin lived there from 1830 until 1912. It was made a capital and religious center in 1902 by shaykh Ma al-'Aynayn. The location of the city was intended to ensure its becoming a caravan trade hub in the sparsely populated Sahara desert. The enlargement of Smara was carried out by local Sahrawis as well as craftsmen sent by the sultan Hassan I. In 1902, shaykh Ma al-'Aynayn moved to Smara and declared it his holy capital. Among other things, he created here an important Islamic library, and the town became a center of religious learning. In 1904 the shaykh declared himself an imam and called for holy war (jihad) against French colonialism, which was increasingly pressing into the Sahara at this time. During the campaign against Ma al-'Aynayn, Smara was sacked almost completely in 1913 by the French Army, and its library destroyed.In 1934 the town was once again destroyed after Sahrawi rebellions against the Spanish occupation. In 1975, Morocco took control of Saguia Elhamra as Spain withdrew, according to the Madrid Accords.


fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataille_de_Smara (in french)