View source for Sous

{{for multi|the king of Sparta|Soos (king of Sparta)|the French coin|French sol}}
{{short description|Region of Morocco}}
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|{{native name|ar|بلد سوس }}
|{{native name|shi|ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵔⵜ ⵏ ⵙⵓⵙ}}
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| image_caption            = The Sous, here northeast of [[Taroudant]], with [[Argan]] trees interplanted with cereal crops
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| subdivision_name1        = [[Souss-Massa]], [[Guelmim-Oued Noun]]
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The '''Sous region''' (also spelt '''Sus''', '''Suss''', '''Souss''' or '''Sousse''') ({{langx|ar|سوس|sūs}}, {{langx|shi|ⵙⵓⵙ|sus}}) is a historical, cultural and geographical region of [[Morocco]], which constitutes part of the region administration of [[Souss-Massa]] and [[Guelmim-Oued Noun]]. The region is known for the endemic [[Argania|argan]] tree (which has become a symbol of Souss) as well as for being the capital of the [[Shilha people|Shilha]] Berber ethnic group. It is a major commercial and tourist agricultural region of Morocco. Vegetable production, shared between very large farms and small producers, contributes to the economic development of the region. The Souss plain produces 40% of Moroccan [[citrus]] fruits, and 60% of the production of early vegetables.<ref name="Brill" /> It is historically a stage of [[trans-Saharan trade]].{{Citation needed |date=June 2024}}

== History ==
Medieval Arab geographers generally divided the Sous region into two distinct sub-regions: '''''as-Sūs al-Aqṣā''''' ({{Lang|ar|السوس الأقصى}} 'the far Sus'), and '''''as-Sūs al-Adnā''''' ({{Lang|ar|السوس الأدنى}} 'the near Sus').<ref name="Brill">{{cite book |last1=Lévi Provençal |first1=E. |title=Brill Encyclopaedia of Islam, First Edition |date=1913–1936 |isbn=978-9004082656 |url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-1/al-sus-al-aksa-SIM_5549 |access-date=8 March 2022 |format=Web |chapter=al-Sūs al-Aḳṣā}}</ref><ref name="Mohamed 2012">{{cite book |last1=Mohamed |first1=Mohamed Hassan |title=Between Caravan and Sultan: The Bayruk of Southern Morocco: A Study in History and Identity |date=2012 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden, Boston |isbn=978-9004183827 |pages=19–20 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zbQyAQAAQBAJ&dq=%22sus+al-aqsa%22&pg=PA110 |access-date=8 March 2022}}</ref><ref name="Coppée 1881">{{cite book |last1=Coppée |first1=Henry |title=History of the Conquest of Spain by the Arab-Moors: With a Sketch of the Civilization which They Achieved, and Imparted to Europe, Volume 1 |date=1881 |publisher=Little, Brown, & Company |location=Boston |pages=68, 190, 351 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZtcPAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Sus+al-Aksa%22&pg=PA68 |access-date=8 March 2022}}</ref> ''Sus al-Aqsa'' consisted of the southern/western part, and ''Sus al-Adna'' consisted of the northern/eastern part; however, there were never any precise boundaries between the two.<ref name="Coppée 1881"/> The capital of the Sous was at [[Igli, Morocco|Igli]].<ref name="Jenkins 1979">{{cite book |last1=Jenkins |first1=R. G. |editor1-last=Willis |editor1-first=John Ralph |title=Studies in West African Islamic History: Volume 1: The Cultivators of Islam, Volume 2: The Evolution of Islamic Institutions & Volume 3: The Growth of Arabic Literature |date=1979 |publisher=Routledge |location=Abingdon |isbn= |pages=81–3 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rD0sBgAAQBAJ&dq=%22sus+al-aqsa%22&pg=PA81 |access-date=8 March 2022 |chapter='Abd Allāh b. Yāsīn and the Almoravids}}{{ISBN?}}</ref> There was also a [[ribat]] at [[Massa, Morocco|Massa]] near the Atlantic coast.<ref name="Jenkins 1979"/>

Around 683, [[Uqba ibn Nafi]] conquered the Sous region, but after his death in 688 his conquests in Morocco slipped out of Muslim control.<ref name="Jenkins 1979"/> The Sous was reconquered around 20 years later by [[Musa ibn Nusayr]], who began the spread of Islam among the local population.<ref name="Jenkins 1979"/>

==Bibliography==
*Boogert, Nico van den. ''The Berber Literary Tradition of the Sous: with an edition and translation of 'The Ocean of Tears' by Muḥammad Awzal (d. 1749)'', Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten, 1997. {{ISBN|90-6258-971-5}}
*Montagne, Robert. ''Les Berbères et le Makhzen dans le sud du Maroc; essai sur la transformation politique des Berbères sédentaires (groupe Chleuh)''. Rabat: Dar Al-Aman, 2013 {{ISBN|9954-561-35-8}}.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050921090812/http://www2.unesco.org/mab/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?code=MOR+01&mode=all UNESCO Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.euratlas.net/history/europe/1600/entity_15001.html Euratlas Periodis Web - Map of Suss in Year 1600]

{{coord|30|18|N|9|20|W|region:MA_dim:100000|display=title}}
[[Category:Natural regions of Africa]]
[[Category:Geography of Morocco]]