The Economic Role of Women in Handicrafts within Maghrebi Cities during the Marinid Era: A Reading of Hisbah Records

Abstract

This study investigates the profound economic role of women in Moroccan urban centers during the Marinid era (7th-9th AH / 13th-15th CE), positioning them as structural partners in urban development rather than marginal figures. The research problem lies in the stark contradiction between the recorded "female productive momentum" in technical sources and the "historiographical silence" in classical narratives, which predominantly focused on political elites. Adopting a socio-historical analytical approach, the study critically interrogates "Hisba" manuals (specifically the treatise of Ibn Abd al-Rauf) and "Nawazil" (legal fatwas), most notably al-Wansharisi’s Al-Mi'yar al-Mu'rib, to reconstruct the "forgotten history" of female laborers. The findings reveal that female artisanal activity—particularly in textiles, "Siqilli" embroidery, and distillation—evolved from mere domestic subsistence into a "regulated institutional professionalism." This production was subject to rigorous quality control standards enforced by the Hisba institution through the "Arifat" system (female overseers), granting it formal legal status. Furthermore, the study highlights the ingenuity of Marinid women in transforming the "private sphere" (the home) into an "integrated micro-industrial unit" that served as a strategic buffer for the urban economy against political fluctuations. Legally, the research confirms that women enjoyed full "financial autonomy," enabling them to own complex means of production and litigate for their financial rights, leading to the accumulation of independent female capital. Ultimately, the study concludes that the feminine artistic touch was the cornerstone of the Marinid "industrial identity," providing Moroccan exports with high competitiveness in Mediterranean and Eastern markets, thereby cementing women's status as a strategic pillar in medieval Moroccan civilization.