Ba Ahmed

Ahmed ben Moussa commonly known as Ba Ahmed (died 1900) was grand vizier and de facto ruler of Morocco, between the 1894 and 1900. He became the country's true regent, after enthroning his nephew[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 Moulay 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]

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]

References
  1. 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.
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