Mohammed esh Sheikh el Mamun also spelled Muhammad al-Shaykh al-Ma'mun, (b. 1566 – d. 1613) among other

transliterations Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → and → the digraph , Cyrillic → , Armenian → or L ...

; also known as Abu Abdallah Mohammed III, ) was a member of the Saadian dynasty who ruled parts of

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

during the succession conflicts within the dynasty between 1603 and 1627. He was the son of

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

Ahmad al-Mansur Ahmad al-Mansur (; 1549 – 25 August 1603), also known by the nickname al-Dhahabī () was the Saadi Sultanate, Saadi Sultan of Morocco from 1578 to his death in 1603, the sixth and most famous of all rulers of the Saadis. Ahmad al-Mansur was an ...

by one of his harem slave

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

s named Elkheizourân (some cite her name as Eldjauher). He was the full-brother of Abu Faris Abdallah and the half-brother of

Zidan Abu Maali Zidan Abu Maali () (died September 1627; or Muley Zidan) was the embattled Saadi Sultan of Morocco from 1603 to 1627. He was the son and heir of Ahmad al-Mansur by his wife Lalla Aisha bint Abu Bakkar, a lady of the Chebanate tribe. He ruled on ...

. Muhammad al-Shaykh al-Ma'mun had been designated by his father,

, in 1579 and again in 1584 to be his successor. He was, however, also imprisoned by his father at some point for rebellion. When

died in 1603, his two brothers refused to recognize him as the successor and immediately presented rival claims to the sultanate. Mainly,

's party was stronger as his birth right was supported by the

Mufti A mufti (; , ) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...

of Fez, Al Qassâr, and the Grand

Qadi A qadi (; ) is the magistrate or judge of a Sharia court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minors, and supervision and auditing of public works. History The term '' was in use from ...

of Fez, Al Nuaim. They held

as the rightful heir as he was born to a legitimate wife of his father Ahmad al-Mansur, whose birth they stated would always surpass in legitimacy than that of the son of a harem slave concubine. It was during the reign of Muhammad al-Shaykh al-Ma'mun that arose the division of the Saadian realm: one part ruled from the main capital in

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

, and the other from Fez in the north. Control of both regions changed hands multiple times. In 1604, Muhammad al-Shaykh al-Ma'mun defeated his brother

who was ruling from Fez, and thus he in turn ruled the northern part of

until 1606 or later. His position quickly weakened, however, and he tried to obtain support first from

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

and then from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. In 1608, around the time that his brother Zidan Abu Maali reasserted himself in Marrakesh, he fled to Spain. There he signed a treaty with

Philip III of Spain Philip III (; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain and King of Portugal, Portugal (where he is known as Philip II of Portugal) during the Iberian Union. His reign lasted from 1598 until his death in 1621. He held dominion over the S ...

whereby he obtained military support in return for ceding the northern Moroccan port of

Larache Larache () is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast, where the Loukkos River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Larache is one of the most important cities of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. Many civilisations and cultures have ...

(''al-ʿArāʾis̲h̲''). He thus returned to Morocco with Spanish aid in November 1610 and forced at least some of the local leaders and officials in Fez to support him, under the threat of Spanish force. However, his concession of Larache to the Spanish quickly eroded his political support and also weakened the larger Saadian dynasty's prestige, resulting in local religious leaders and ''marabouts'' increasingly challenging Saadian rule. He was finally assassinated in 1613, after which his son

Abdallah al-Ghalib II Abdallah al-Ghalib II (died c. 1623) was a member of the Saadian dynasty who ruled parts of Morocco during the succession conflicts within the dynasty between 1603 and 1627. He was the son of Muhammad al-Sheikh al-Ma'mun, who was in turn the son ...

continued to rule in Fez.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohammed Esh Sheikh El Mamun People from Fez, Morocco Sultans of Morocco Saadi dynasty 17th-century Moroccan people 17th-century monarchs in Africa 1566 births 1613 deaths 17th-century Arab people 16th-century Arab people Sons of sultans

See also

References