Sebou (
Berber
Berber or Berbers may refer to:
Ethnic group
* Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa
* Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages
Places
* Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile
People with the surname
* Ady Berber (1913–19 ...
: Asif en Sbu, ar, سبو) is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...
in northern
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...
. At its source in the
Middle Atlas
The Middle Atlas (Amazigh: ⴰⵟⵍⴰⵙ ⴰⵏⴰⵎⵎⴰⵙ, ''Atlas Anammas'', Arabic: الأطلس المتوسط, ''al-Aṭlas al-Mutawassiṭ'') is a mountain range in Morocco. It is part of the Atlas mountain range, a mountainous region ...
mountains it is known as the Guigou River (Berber: Asif n Gigu). The river is 496 kilometers long and has an average water flow of 137 m
3/s, which makes it the largest North African river by volume. It passes near the city of
Fes and discharges to the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
at
Mehdya. Sebou is navigable for only 16 km as far as the city of
Kenitra
Kenitra ( ar, القُنَيْطَرَة, , , ; ber, ⵇⵏⵉⵟⵔⴰ, Qniṭra; french: Kénitra) is a city in north western Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey from 1932 to 1956. It is a port on the Sebou river, has a population in 201 ...
, which has the only
river port
An inland port is a port on an inland waterway, such as a river, lake, or canal, which may or may not be connected to the sea. The term "inland port" is also used to refer to a dry port.
Examples
The United States Army Corps of Engineers ...
in Morocco. Its most important tributaries are the
Ouergha River
The Ouergha River or Oued Ouerrha ( Berber: Asif n Wergha)(Arabic:واد ورغة) is a watercourse in Morocco that is tributary to the Sebou River.
History
The Ouergha River was a key battle site in the French invasion of Morocco in the year 192 ...
,
Baht River
The Baht River is a watercourse in Morocco that is tributary to the Sebou River. Also known as the Oued Beht, this river rises in the Middle Atlas mountain range.
The river is impounded by the El Kansera irrigation dam about 20 kilometres (12 mi ...
and
Inaouen River
The Inaouen River is a watercourse in Morocco. It is tributary of the Sebou River. The river rises in the Middle Atlas mountain range. A major dam, the Idriss I, was constructed on the Inaouen River in 1973.
Natural history
In the upper parts of ...
. The river supports
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...
in Morocco's most fertile region: the
Gharb.
History
Sebou was known in antiquity as Sububus. Pliny the Elder states that it was "magnificus et navigabilis" (grand and navigable), flowing near the towns of
Banasa (near the city of
Mechra Bel Ksiri
Mechra Bel Ksiri ( ar, مشرع بلقصيري) is a town in Sidi Kacem Province, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overl ...
) and
Thamusida
Thamusida was a Berber, Carthaginian, and Roman river port that was near the present-day towns of Kénitra and Mehdia in Morocco. Under the Roman Empire, it formed a part of the province of Mauretania Tingitana.
Name
The Punic form of the name ...
.
There is scant historical reference to the Sebou being used for navigation after the
Islamic conquest; nevertheless, its
river mouth
A river mouth is where a river flows into a larger body of water, such as another river, a lake/reservoir, a bay/gulf, a sea, or an ocean. At the river mouth, sediments are often deposited due to the slowing of the current reducing the carrying ...
was an important harbor and shipyard in the
Almohad
The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire fou ...
period.
In 1669–1670, the
Alaouite
The Alawi dynasty ( ar, سلالة العلويين الفيلاليين, translit=sulālat al-ʿalawiyyīn al-fīlāliyyīn) – also rendered in English as Alaouite, Alawid, or Alawite – is the current Moroccan royal family and reigning d ...
sultan
Moulay Rashid built a bridge over the river near Fes which has been preserved today.
During the precolonial period, the Sebou was renowned for its
Twait shad
The twait shad or twaite shad (''Alosa fallax'') is a species of fish in the family Clupeidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea and is an anadromous fish which lives in the sea but migrates into fresh water to ...
which was highly prized by the people of
Fez, but due to pollution the shad became extinct on the Sebou.
In the first years of the
French protectorate an expedition successfully navigated the Sebou from Sidi Ali Ben Sliman to the city of Fez on a small steam boat Le Dantec.
Environmental issues
A number of
water pollutants enter the Sebou River, notably including
pesticide
Pesticides are substances that are meant to control pests. This includes herbicide, insecticide, nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, microbicide, fungicide, and ...
s and fertilisers from agricultural
runoff
Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to:
* RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program
* Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed
* Runoff or run-off, a stock marke ...
and untreated
sewage
Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from reside ...
from towns along the river.
[Thieme, Michele & Abell, Robin & Stiassny, Melanie & Skelton, Paul. (2005). ''Freshwater Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment''. Bibliovault OAI Repository, the University of Chicago Press. 1-431.]
See also
*
Idriss I (dam)
The Idriss I Dam, also known as the Idriss the First Dam, is a gravity dam on the Inaouen River, a tributary of the Sebou River. The dam is situated in the Gharb Basin and is located northeast of Fes in Taza and Taounate Province, Morocco. The d ...
References
Rivers of Morocco
{{Morocco-river-stub