Morocco
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Allal Ben Abdellah
Guercif, Morocco
Archival Overview
Moroccan nationalist artisan and martyr whose daring solitary attack against the French-installed puppet Sultan Ben Arafa in 1953 ignited the nationwide armed resistance of the Revolution of the King and the People.
Biographical Record
Allal Ben Abdellah (c. 1916–1953) was an artisan painter from Guercif living in the Akkari quarter of Rabat. In August 1953, the French colonial regime forcibly exiled legitimate Sultan Mohammed V to Madagascar, installing the illegitimate puppet Mohammed Ben Arafa on the throne, which outraged the Moroccan nation.
On Friday, September 11, 1953, as Ben Arafa rode in an open car toward the Ahl Fas mosque for prayers surrounded by imperial cavalry, Ben Abdellah charged the motorcade in a battered Ford car and lunged at the puppet with a dagger. Shot dead on the spot by French paratroopers, his sacrifice electrified Moroccan youth and launched the Black Crescent armed urban resistance.
Key Life Milestones
Attack on Puppet Sultan Ben Arafa
Sacrificed his life in daylight in Rabat to reject the French deposition of Sultan Mohammed V.
National Martyrdom Recognition
Posthumously honored by King Mohammed V upon his triumphant return from exile.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialRabat, Morocco