, built in 1323–25 during Abu Sa'id Uthman II's reign. Abu Sa'id Uthman ascended to power after a tumultuous period during which the Marinids had survived a dangerous rebellion in
Ceuta, a long conflict with the
Kingdom of Tlemcen and a severe check from
Ferdinand IV of
Castile, who, in the previous year (1309–10), had seized
Gibraltar and
laid siege to Marinid-owned
Algeciras. Pious and preferring peace, Abu Sa'id Uthman refrained from any great enterprises. In 1313, hoping to divest himself of any entanglements on the
Iberian Peninsula, he returned the towns of
Algeciras and
Ronda to the
Naṣrid ruler
Nasr of
Granada. In 1315, Abu Sa'id Uthman faced a rebellion by his son and designated heir, Abu Ali, who ensconced himself in
Fez. At first not enthusiastic about a confrontation, the sultan entered into negotiations which would pass the Marinid state over to his son and leave himself as governor of
Taza. But Abu Sa'id Uthman gained courage when he heard Abu Ali had fallen ill, and hurried to lay siege to
Fez and secure his son's capitulation. Abu Ali was removed from the line of succession, in favour of another son,
Abu al-Ḥasan Ali. However, Abu Sa'id Uthman granted Abu Ali an
appanage centered on
Sijilmasa in present day southern Morocco, which he would rule as a quasi-independent state for the next couple of decades. In 1316, Yahya ibn Afzi, governor of
Ceuta, revolted against the Marinid sultan, and managed to maintain Ceuta as effectively independent for nearly a dozen years, before returning to the fold. In 1319, facing a renewed challenge from
Castile, the
Naṣrid ruler
Ismail I of
Granada appealed to the Marinid sultan for assistance, but Abu Sa'id Uthman imposed such onerous conditions that the Granadines decided to handle the matter without him. In 1320 his son Abu Ali renewed his revolt against his father. From his base in
Sijilmasa, Abu Ali seized control of much of southern Morocco (including
Marrakesh), threatening to split the Marinid dominions in two. In 1322, the Marinid sultan Abu Sa'id Uthman marched against the south and defeated Abu Ali at the
Oum er-Rebia. But, once again, he reconciled with his son and allowed him to retain
Sijilmasa. Abu Sa'id Uthman built three significant
madrasas in
Fez: Fez al-Jedid (1320), Es-Sahrij (1321) and
Al-Attarine (1323). In 1329, pressed by an invasion from
Abdalwadid sultan Abu Tashufin of
Tlemcen, the
Ḥafṣid ruler
Abu Bakr of
Ifriqiya appealed to the Marinid sultan Abu Sa'id Uthman for assistance, offering his daughter Fatimah as a bride for the Marinid heir
Abu al-Ḥasan. Satisfied by the terms, Abu Sa'id Uthman arranged a diversionary raid against
Tlemcen from the west, while dispatching a Marinid fleet to support the Ḥafṣid efforts in the east. In August 1331, while arranging for the reception of the Tunisian princess, Abu Sa'id Uthman fell ill and died in the environs of
Taza. He was succeeded by his son and designated heir
Abu al-Hasan, although his other son Abu Ali retained his quasi-independent appanage in the south. ==References==