Archives & Documents

275 pages of sovereign history: the juridical fortress of Ouchene (أوشن)

The Hassan Ouchen Archive

Documented by historian Abdelmajid Benjelloun and preserved by the private collection of Hassan Ouchen

The 275-page archive represents a complete administrative history of a "State within a State." It contains diplomatic correspondence with the Spanish Military Governors of Melilla (1850–1905), royal decrees (Dahirs) from the Sultan of Morocco, allodial land deeds, genealogical scrolls (Sajaras), and intelligence reports.

The archive was assembled and preserved by Hassan Ouchen (رحمه الله), the family's "Architect of Memory," who spent decades protecting these documents from the humidity of the Rif and the political shifts of the 20th century. Following his passing, the archive was digitized by Omar Ouchene and family members in Morocco and the Netherlands, using modern AI translation technology. A full republication in written and filmed form is forthcoming.

I

Pages 1–58

Section I: Foundational Deeds

Mulk Certificates

17th–18th century notarized deeds establishing absolute allodial ownership of Ait Mait and Ait Abdellah, written in Maghrebi script on thick parchment.

Sultanic Dahirs

Large-format pages with calligraphic seals of the Alawite Sultans, serving as certificates of tax immunity and judicial recognition delegating the administration of the Beni Said to Ouchene (أوشن).

Hydraulic Protocols

Sketches and charts detailing irrigation channel schedules (seguias), documenting the family's role as 'Masters of the Water.'

II

Pages 59–145

Section II: Diplomatic Correspondence

Spanish-Ouchene Dispatches

Bilingual correspondence (Arabic and Spanish) with the Comandancia General de Melilla, including protests from Sidi Mohammed ben Amar Ouchen during the 1893 Margallo War.

Royal Dahirs of Recognition

Large scrolls with the seals of the Alawite Sultans confirming Ouchene's (أوشن) tax exemptions and regional judicial authority.

Intelligence Reports

Handwritten notes from the family's informants regarding Spanish troop movements, providing evidence of a sophisticated intelligence network.

III

Pages 146–190

Section III: Genealogical Scrolls

The Great Sajara

Intricate diagrams tracing the descent from Mesopotamian scholars through Andalusian nobles to Rifian patriarchs, constituting the family's 'Golden Book of Nobility.'

Authentication Seals

Stamps of the highest religious judges (Qadis) of Nador, Tetouan, and Fez, certifying the lineage as authentic and noble.

IV

Pages 191–275

Section IV: Protectorate & Transition

Anti-Catastro Dossier

Detailed hand-drawn maps and legal rebuttals to the Spanish colonial land registry, containing the 'Hidden Borders' of the family estate.

Benjelloun Correspondence

Letters between the family and historian Abdelmajid Benjelloun, marking the transition from family vault to subject of historical record.

Migration Manifests (1960)

Passport copies and travel documents of Ali Ouchene, representing the 'Sovereignty in Exile.'