20 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The Mountain of Shemharus, King of the Ginn: Toubkal

Towering over the Atlas Mountains, Mount Toubkal is the highest peak in Morocco. Toubkal, the highest mountain in all of North Africa and the Arab world with its height of 4167 meters in Morocco, means “The Peak You Can See Everything” in the Berber language. According to the belief, the King of the Ginn, Sidi Shemharus, lives on this mountain.

Morocco is one of the favorite destinations of tourists with its different culture, deserts, and mountains. Among all these, the place of Sidi Shemharus, the King of the Ginn, is the most interesting and creepy. This is a pre-Islamic sanctuary located at an altitude of 2350m, 5km north of the summit of Jebel Toubkal.

Morocco is a geography where sorcery -magic works are quite common. In folk legends, Moroccan women are advised not being looked at too much into their eyes. Mount Toubkal, a few kilometers from Marrakech, is also a place that feeds on magic-related mysteries and is believed to be the place of Shemharus, the king of the Ginn.

Mount Toubkal is believed to be the place of Shemharus, the king of the ginn, who feeds on magic-related mysteries.

This mountain peak, consisting of volcanic rocks and surrounded by the Lac d’Ifni, Tizi n’Ouanoums and Tizi n’Ouagane passes, can be reached by going from Marrakech to Imlil. There are here traces of Amazig/Berber culture that has lived for thousands of years.

Tomb of the Ginn king

The most interesting legend about Toubkal; It’s about the Berbers believing that this place has always been very strongly connected with the sacred. This is considered to be the burial place of Sidi Shemharoush, the king of the Ginn.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



According to their beliefs, the Ginn king Sidi Shemharus lived on the slopes of the mountain here in old times. Over time, the place where he lived was turned into a mausoleum. A small village was established at an altitude of 2350 meters just around the living area, which is symbolized by a white-painted rock.

Morocco has been a place where sorcery and magical works have had a very strong presence since pre-Islamic times. Sidi Shemharuş became a visiting place site that started before Islam and continued to exist after. This is a place that has been fully attributed to ginn since its establishment.

People have been coming here for hundreds of years to treat their unexplained ailments. Sidi Shemharoush’s presence has always been kept alive with thousands of people visiting him, taking a vow, and seeking healing.

With the arrival of Islam in Morocco, Sidi Shemharoush was seen as the “Great Genie” among the Arabs who settled there, while maintaining its positive perception among the Berbers. A masjid was built next to it to symbolize the bond between humans and jinn and to make Toubkal even more legendary.

Sidi Shemharoush is revered as a saint by many prominent figures in some parts of Morocco. His tomb was built in the pre-Islamic period. He has a kind of shrine carved under a huge rock, said to contain his remains. It was also Islamized with the mosque built after Islam.

Sidi Shemharoush is said to have a complex communication network similar to a river with a thousand branches. With this river-like net, the king’s messages were carried to the jinn in the far reaches of the world. According to belief, Shemharus is still alive in his grave.

 Those captured by the jinn are brought to this tomb for healing and the help of the sultan of the jinn is asked.

In local belief, it is said that Shemharus met the Prophet Muhammad, met with various companions, and even made pilgrimages. There are also some narratives on the subject in various Ottoman sources, especially Köprülüzade.

Shemharus, the King of the Ginn, is still very popular in Morocco. Throughout history, Morocco and Andalusia have been important centers of mysterious and mystical subjects, magic and sorcery. There are many manuscripts on this subject that are not accessible to the public in libraries in Morocco, Egypt, and Turkey.

The mountain of Shemharus, the King of the Jinn: Toubkal, has been prepared by the author Hasan Mert Kaya, who has written articles on the informational History of Religions, Urban Memory & Istanbul, Anatolia, and the Middle East.

For those who want to reach other information about the author Hasan Mert Kaya, you can visit @kayamerthasan_

Related Articles

2,800-Year-Old Hallstatt Dagger Found on Baltic Coast— A True Work of Art

20 October 2025

20 October 2025

After powerful storms eroded a coastal cliff along Poland’s Baltic shoreline, nature itself unveiled a secret buried for nearly three...

A Roman bridge from the Republican era was discovered on Via Tiburtina

27 February 2022

27 February 2022

The remains of a rare Republican-era bridge have been discovered on the 12th kilometer of the Via Tiburtina, the ancient...

Sacred Seduction: Kamasutra Feminism and the Legacy of Ancient Erotic Temples

8 April 2025

8 April 2025

For many, the Kamasutra is merely a name linked to condom brands and erotic chocolates, often dismissed as just a...

The world’s largest Byzantine winepresses have been discovered in Israel

11 October 2021

11 October 2021

Archaeologists say they’ve discovered the world’s largest known Byzantine-era winery in the city of Yavne, south of Tel Aviv. The...

World treasure that cannot be displayed in the Local Museum in Pljevlja, Montenegro

30 July 2023

30 July 2023

Despite representing one of the most valuable portable cultural assets of Montenegro, the Pljevlja Diatreta is not accessible to visitors. The...

Exceptional Intact Etruscan Rock-Cut Tomb Discovered in Italy’s San Giuliano Necropolis

30 June 2025

30 June 2025

A remarkable discovery has emerged from the heart of Etruria: an intact Etruscan rock-cut tomb, sealed for over 2,700 years,...

A Second temple of the Second Temple period was discovered at Migdal

13 December 2021

13 December 2021

The University of Haifa reported on Sunday the discovery of a 2,000-year-old synagogue from the Second Temple era in Migdal,...

Archaeologists unearth the Torah Ark of the Great Synagogue of Vilna, destroyed in Lithuania

30 August 2021

30 August 2021

In Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, in excavation exposed the Torah ark and bimah (raised prayer platform) of the Great...

2,600-Year-Old Scythian Noble Warrior’s Tomb Unearthed in Siberia: Rare Battle Axe, Bronze Mirror, and More

24 August 2025

24 August 2025

Burial includes ornate belt, ram-headed buckle, bronze mirror, and horse harness elements, revealing the elite status of the Scythian Noble...

1900-year-old Child’s Nightgown with intriguing knots found in the Cave of Letters in the Judean Desert

5 October 2023

5 October 2023

The Cave of Letters in Israel is one such site that has yielded a large number of papyrus letters and...

Teymareh Petroglyphs, One of the World’s Largest Rock Art Collections, at Risk of Disappearing Due to Mining Activities

20 August 2024

20 August 2024

Petroglyphs are among the world’s oldest practiced art forms and are as diverse as the wide-ranging cultures and civilizations that...

Traces of 9300-year-old settlement unearthed near Volcanic Cappadocia in central Turkey

28 August 2022

28 August 2022

During the most recent excavations at Sırçalıtepe Mound (Sırçalıtepe Höyük) in Türkiye’s central Niğde province, archaeologists discovered traces of a...

Magical Roman Phallus Wind Chime Unearthed in Serbia

15 November 2023

15 November 2023

Archaeologists have unearthed a Roman phallus wind chime known as a tintinnabulum, during excavations at the ancient city of Viminacium...

3600-year-old lead weights were unearthed in the Kumluca Bronze Age Shipwreck, one of the oldest shipwrecks in the world

27 November 2022

27 November 2022

Underwater archaeological work continues in the Bronze Age shipwreck off Antalya Kumluca, one of the oldest shipwrecks in the world....

Hidden Roman Passage Unearthed Beneath Split: A Secret Gateway into Diocletian’s Palace Revealed

23 June 2025

23 June 2025

A groundbreaking discovery beneath Hrvojeva Street, near Diocletian’s Palace, is reshaping our understanding of Roman life and architecture in the...