Ba Ahmed

Ahmed bin Mūsa ash-Sharqī
أحمد ابن موسى الشرقي
Grand Wazir of Morocco
In office
1894–1900
MonarchMawlay Abd al-Aziz
Preceded byal-Ma'ti al-Jama'i [ar]
Succeeded byMukhtar bin Abdallah [ar]
Chamberlain of the Sultan
In office
1879–1900
MonarchMawlay Hassan I
Preceded byMusa bin Ahmed [ar]
Personal details
Born1840
Marrakesh, Morocco
Died13 May 1900
Marrakesh, Morocco
Cause of deathHeart failure
ParentMusa bin Ahmed [ar]
ReligionSunni Islam
NicknameBa Ahmed

Ahmed bin Mūsa (Arabic: أحمد بن موسى), known as Ba Ahmed (Arabic: با أحمد), was as-sadr al-a'atham  [ar] (Grand Wazir) of Morocco and de facto ruler of the kingdom between the 1894 and 1900. He became the country's true regent, after enthroning the son of Hassan I,[1] Abd al-Aziz, as sultan, who was a child at the time, despite there being older siblings. Ba Ahmed's rule, as the rule of Mawlay Hassan before him, of whom his was grand vizier, continued to entangle Morocco in financial and political crisis, with catastrophic reforms to the tax and duty systems, and deepened the dependency of the throne —who could hardly collect any taxes— on foreign powers to quell rebellions, pay soldiers and servants and ultimately stay in power.[1] He died in 1900.

Ba Ahmed's descendants, as members of the French colonial elite with strong links to the palace, continue to this day to play a key role in the political and economic life of Morocco. One of his grandsons, Chakib Benmoussa, has held several high profile posts under the current king of Morocco, Mohammed VI, who appointed him first as CEO of one his companies (SONASID) then as Minister of the Interior then head of the Conseil Economique et Social and then ambassador to France.

Described as a "short and fat man", he was responsible for expanding the Bahia Palace begun by his father.[2][3]

  1. ^ a b Barbe, Adam. "Quand la France colonisait le Maroc par la dette". Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  2. ^ Searight, Susan (1 November 1999). Maverick Guide to Morocco. Pelican Publishing. p. 404. ISBN 978-1-56554-348-5. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  3. ^ Wilbaux, Quentin (2001). La médina de Marrakech: Formation des espaces urbains d'une ancienne capitale du Maroc. Paris: L'Harmattan. ISBN 2747523888.