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Muhammad al-Hajj saw in al-'Ayyashi an
impediment in his gaining control of Sala, his
natural outlet on the ocean. AVAyyashi's persecution
ofthe Andalusians was therefore used
as the pretext for fighting him. In 1640 the
Dala'iyya army occupied Meknes, which was
within al-'Ayyashi's zone of influence. Then
after a protracted conflict between al­
'Ayyashi's predominantly Arabian army and
the Dala'i;yya Berbers, the outcome was decided
in an engagement on the Sibu river in April
1641. Al-'Ayyashi was killed, and his followers
were dispersed...
Al-' Ayyashi's defeat enabled the Dala'iyya
to occupy Sala.
...in Sala for tenyears after its occupation, the
Dala'iyya chief (or sultan as he became called)
preserved the And.alusians' autonomy. They
knew better how to deal with Europeans, and
indirect contacts with the Christians did not
unduly compromise the chief's religious standing,
while securing the merchandise he needed,
especially arms.
In the ten years (1641-51) when the
Andalusians controlled Sala under nominal
Dala'iyya rule, European agents, sent mostly
to deal with questions arising from piracy or
connected with commerce, dealt directly with
them. From 1643 there was a Dutch consul in
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Sala. and in 1648 the French government
appointed a substantive consul to reside there,
after having been satisfied since 1629 with
having a merchant living in Marseilles act as
consul while having an agent in Sala. In 1651
Muhammad aI-Hajj appointed his son
'Abdulla as governor of Sala. As 'Abdulla also
acted as the superintendent of the Dala'iyya
state's foreign affairs, his appointment suggests
that relations of the Dala'iyya with Europe
had become sufficiently important for them to
be entrusted to a member of the ruling
But the Andalusians continued to influence the
conduct offoreign relations by acting as interpreters
and secretaries, drafting 'Abdulla's letters
to foreign rulers and advising him on the
treaties he negotiated with some of them.
The most intimate ofthe Dala'iyya foreign
relations was with the Dutch. Lengthy negotiations
between 'Abdulla and the Dutch over
the provisions of a treaty signed in 1651, and
revised in 1655 and 1659, suggest that the
Dutch conducted an active trade with
Morocco in the 1650's. A recurring problem in
these negotiations arose from the dual character
of Sala as a centre of trade and a base for
piracy. The Dutch were ready to recognize the
right of the Sala corsairs to attack the ships of
their common Christian enemies. the
Spaniards, while obtaining the promise that
their own ships would not be molested. At the
same time they were opposed to the friendly
relations which the Sala pirates and the
Dala'iyya chiefs maintained with the rulers of
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