Rabat – Igudar, collective granaries used centuries ago by Amazigh communities in Morocco, are considered to be the world’s oldest form of banking.
Following a short video report by Reuters, Iguidar, which is plural of “Agadir,” have caught international media’s attention, with reports by Yahoo! News and other foreign media outlets.
Many researchers consider these Amazigh granaries as some of the oldest banking systems in human history. They were used to store grains such as barley or wheat, legal documents, and even jewelry.
“These collective granaries may be the first indication of the emergence of banks, because when we say a bank, it’s a secure place to protect property,” the research professor Khalid Alaroud told Reuters. “These are as old as these mountains, it is difficult to even determine the date of their establishment.”
Locals managed the granaries through the use of boards, sometimes referred to as tablets, which according to Alaroud, dictated how such institutions are to be managed. Written in 1492, the Agadir Oujarit tablet is the oldest known tablet to researchers, Alaroud noted.
Read also: Amazigh Identity and Morocco’s Multicultural Challenge
Said Oufkir, the deputy head of the Taskdelt group, explained to the Arabic newspaper Emarat Al Youm, that these early-banks were managed by a secretary referred to as “Lamine,” as well as by a committee of about 10 people, called the “Inflas,” the committee was made up of the representatives of various tribes.
Mostly concentrated around the southern city of Agadir, but also found in other Moroccan regions, Igudar’s use went beyond regular storage and safekeeping. They also often served as water tanks, food warehouses, housing, mosques, and keeper’s lodges.
Additionally, Amazigh tribes used them as shelter for both themselves and livestock during times of war or natural disasters such as droughts, famines, epidemics, and locusts.
Earlier this year, Morocco launched an initiative to include the collective granaries to the list of UNESCO’s world heritage sites. The move is part of a wider effort to reassess the list of proposed national heritage sites for UNESCO recognition.
“Among the elements selected are the Igudar, whose candidacy naturally constitutes recognition of the role and place of this institution, which is rich in its material and intangible heritage in Moroccan society, particularly Amazigh,” said Othman El Ferdaous, Morocco’s Minister of Culture.
