THE Smara (Arabic: السمارة as-Samāra, Spanish: Esmara) is an important city in its part. Western Sahara controlled by Morocco, with a population of 57,035, as recorded in the Moroccan census in 2014. Served by Smara Airport and the local intercity bus station. It is the largest city in the province and was founded in 1869, as an oasis for travelers. In the center of the city are the ruins of a stone fortress, the Zawiy Maalainin, which surrounds a mosque. The Maalainin lived there from 1830 to 1912. It was transformed into a capital and religious center in 1902 by Sheikh Ma al-'Aynayn, during the Spanish occupation. The location of the city was intended to ensure that it would be transformed from a simple caravan crossing station into a regular urban settlement in the middle of the sparsely populated desert. Thus, in 1902, Sheikh Ma al-'Aynayn moved to Smara and declared it a sacred capital. Among other things, it established an important Islamic library and the city became a renowned center of religious learning.
In 1904 the sheikh proclaimed himself imam and called for a holy war (jihad) against French colonialism, which increasingly oppressed the local Sahrawi population. During the French campaign against Ma al-'Aynayn, Smara was overthrown in 1913 by the French Army and its library was destroyed. The city was then handed over to the Spaniards. In 1934 the city was destroyed again after the Sahrawi uprisings, this time against the Spanish occupation.