Thami El Glaoui

Who was Thami El Glaoui?

Thami El Glaoui or El Haj T'hami el Mezouari el Glaoui, better known in English-speaking countries as T'hami El Glaoui or Lord of the Atlas, was the Pasha of Marrakech from 1912 to 1956. His family name was El Mezouari, from a title given an ancestor by Sultan Moulay Ismail in 1700, while El Glaoui refers to his chieftainship of the Berber Glaoua tribe of Southern Morocco, based at the Kasbah of Telouet in the High Atlas and at Marrakech. He became head of the Glaoua upon the death of his elder brother, Si el Madani, and as an ally of the French in Morocco conspired with them in the overthrow of Sultan Mohammed V.