So many beliefs and myths surround the sanctuary of Sidi Chamharouch (Marrakesh – Safi region). Some stop there before reaching the summit of Jbel Toubkal, others spend a few days to purify themselves in the lair of the king of the Djins.
During the last century, Sidi Chamharouch, the sultan of geniuses, left his mark on the history and the life of the small tribe of Aït Mizane, nestled in a steep valley of the Atlas. Over the years, its influence has spread to the rest of the kingdom and many pilgrims come for its healing virtues of female sterility, rheumatism and spiritual illnesses.
“From Aremd, the last village at the head of the Aït Mizane valley, it takes an hour’s walk to reach the sanctuary located at an altitude of 2300 meters. Difficult to access, visitors are forced to rely on their own energy or that of the mules”, can we read in the book “The Sultan of others” by anthropologist Hassan Rachik.
“Just before arriving at the sacred place, we cross a river, then a narrow alley lined with small shops behind which are built modest dwellings rented to pilgrims. At the end of the alley, a small bridge appears which connects the two banks of the site.
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The sanctuary of Sidi Chamharouch. / Ph. DR
The high season period takes place during the summer period and the Achoura festival. This “saint” would have started to attract pilgrims since the beginning of the 20th century, well before the creation of the Toubkal National Park in 1942, indicates the daily Maroc Today. “Sidi Chamharouch is in fact only a rock painted white which merges during the winter with the snow”, adds the same source.
Sultan of geniuses
Sidi Chamharouch, according to the legend, does not belong to the world of humans “there are ”others” (…), a euphemism which designates geniuses. But he is not to be confused with these invisible beings, he is their sultan”, writes Hassan Rachik.
According to the same source, the power of the sultan of the djins is limited, since he “only governs once a week, on Thursdays”. However, the death of Sidi Chamharouch raises the debate within the local population. Some doubt his death and do not know where he is buried.
In the “Sultan of others”, the anthropologist goes on to say that a “sentence inscribed, in Arabic, on the tombstone erected above the door of the sanctuary is categorical: ”Sidi Chamharouch, sultan of geniuses and humans , lived for centuries. The Saint is therefore dead.”
This mysterious and legendary place, lost in the middle of a lunar landscape, will make you travel in the particular esotericism of certain tribes in Morocco.