Thami El Glaoui | |
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Pasha of Marrakesh | |
In office 1909–1911 | |
Succeeded by | Driss Mennou |
Pasha of Marrakesh | |
In office 1912–1956 | |
Preceded by | Driss Mennou |
Personal details | |
Born | Thami El Mezouari El Glaoui 1879 Telouet, High Atlas, Morocco |
Died | Marrakesh, Morocco | January 23, 1956 (76-77)
Thami El Glaoui (Arabic: التهامي الكلاوي; 1879–23 January 1956) was the Pasha of Marrakesh from 1912 to 1956. His family name was el Mezouari, from a title given an ancestor by Ismail Ibn Sharif in 1700, while El Glaoui refers to his chieftainship of the Glaoua (Glawa) tribe of the Berbers of southern Morocco, based at the Kasbah of Telouet in the High Atlas and at Marrakesh. El Glaoui became head of the Glaoua upon the death of his elder brother, Si el-Madani, and as an ally of the French protectorate in Morocco, conspired with them in the overthrow of Sultan Mohammed V.
On October 25 of 1955, El-Glaoui announced his acceptance of Mohammed V's restoration as well as Morocco's independence.[1]
Perhaps el-Glaoui realised that his die-hard opposition to the ex-Sultan was no longer supported by the dignitaries and was merely contributing to the country's divisions. Thus he succumbed to the nationalist pressure, although not fully. Realising that the traditionalist dignitaries' strength was declining because of the rise of nationalism and feeling abandoned by France, el-Glaoui accepted the return of the ex-Sultan, who himself was at the apex of the traditional Muslim hierarchy, aiming to limit any further reduction of traditionalist force.