History History

Appearance of the first human tracks in North Africa. Humans feed mainly on gathering and hunting. Fossil remains and stone tools bear witness to their presence in the Casablanca region.

At the end of the Ice Age, several nomadic peoples flocked from the Near East, attracted by these new fertile lands. Coming from the lineage of the Egyptians, they are the ancestors of the Berbers.

During the Bronze Age, the Berbers, a mixture of these nomadic populations, appeared in Morocco, in the mountainous regions of the Atlas Mountains. Dating from this period, the numerous rock engravings discovered in the caves and caverns of the High Atlas bear witness to their presence and provide information on the pastoral activity of these Berbers, whose daily life was limited to hunting and fishing.

Then came the Phoenicians who established trading posts on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco. They were colonized two centuries later by the Carthaginians, who took control of the Mediterranean coast and gradually extended to the Atlantic coast. In the south, Ethiopian nomads live in the heart of troglodytic dwellings while the Atlanteans, whose origin is still mysterious, occupy the centre of the Atlas Mountains. This cohabitation takes place in a rather peaceful way.

The Romans slaughter the Carthaginian Empire, then begins the conquest of Morocco by these emperors.

The kingdom is divided into two provinces: Caesarean Mauritania in the west, whose capital is Cherchell, and Tingitan Mauritania, with Tangier as its capital.

Highly appreciated by the indigenous populations, Juba II was chosen by Rome to rule Mauritania in 25 BC and married the daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. An astute king and a bit of a conqueror, he pacified his provinces, founded businesses on the island of Mogador, off the coast of Essaouira, and began exploring the Canary Islands, where a large Berber colony later settled. A man of culture, he also supported scientific research, the performing arts, literature and even geography by exploring unknown parts of Morocco.

Fall of the Roman Empire. The country is invaded in turn by the Vandals, Goths and Turks, among other peoples. Disorganized and nomadic, they stay there for a short time.

Sixty years after the Hegira, the beginning of the Muslim era, Arab conquerors spread the word of the Prophet Muhammad to Central Asia and North Africa. The Umayyad leader Sidi Oqba ben Nafi undertakes a series of raids in Morocco.

End of the Berber resistance. According to legend, Sidi Oqba reached the Souss and then set off on horseback into the sea shouting that only the ocean would prevent him from extending his conquests! Submissive, the Berbers obtain the creation of independent kingdoms, placed under the protection of Arab chiefs.

On the vast territory conquered by the Arabs, several distensions are born and Morocco is divided into several kingdoms, with sometimes different religious doctrines. Threatened with death by the Abbasid reign of Baghdad, Idriss ibn Abdallah, descendant of the Prophet, fled Baghdad and found refuge in Volubilis. Recognized as an imam (religious leader) by the Berbers Aouraba, he undertakes a reconciliation between the Arab and Berber tribes of the Middle Atlas. He will be poisoned in 793 before having completed his project.

Resulting from a marriage with a Berber, Idriss II carries out the reconciliations of the tribes of the Middle Atlas. He developed the city of Fez, founded by his father, established a strong and centralized state, while continuing the Islamization of Morocco. On his death, the Idrissa dynasty sank into family quarrels and rivalries between the Umayyads of Cordoba and the Fatimids of Egypt.

Led by Abu Bekr, the Almoravids went all the way back to Fez, after having subdued the Draa, the Tafilalet and the Souss. They come from a Berber tribe of veiled camel drivers, the Lemtounes, who came from monasteries in the desert of present-day Mauritania and converted to Islam. They settled in the plain of Haouz, but very quickly, Abou Bekr was called to fight in the South and entrusted the reins of his territory to his cousin, Youssouf ibn Tachfine.

Foundation of the city of Marrakech by Youssouf ibn Tachfine. He turned it into a real fortified city, feared throughout the territory, and from this hideout, he set out to conquer northern Morocco and southern Spain. At his death, Marrakech is a capital of a peaceful and very rich kingdom, stretching from Castile to Tafilalet. Under the reign of his son, Ali ibn Tachfine, Marrakech became a capital of intellectual renown, frequented by great scholars. The first irrigation system for the palm grove was invented there, making it possible to supply the oasis and the city with water and to drain the rains from the mountains surrounding the imperial city.

Capture of Marrakech by the Almohads, disciples of Ibn Toumert, known for his rigorous vision of the Koran. His disciple Abd el-Moumen led the fight to the end, putting an end to the Almoravid dynasty. He then began the reconquest of Morocco, Algeria and Spain in the name of a profound reform of morals. Abd el-Mounen ensured Marrakech's glory in the Muslim world by building the Koutoubia, designed to become the most beautiful mosque in the Maghreb. Then succeeded generations of great builders who left Morocco its most beautiful walls, in Marrakech, Fez and Rabat as well as majestic monuments such as the Hassan Tower in Rabat. Under the reign of Mohammed en-Nasir, the decline of the Almohad dynasty began.

The Mérinides, named after the Berber tribe of the Beni Mérin in eastern Morocco, fought long before taking power. Starting from the northern border with Algeria, they successively took Meknes, Taza, Fez and Rabat, which gave them control over almost all the north of the country. In 1269, the leader of the Merinid Berbers, Abdou Youssef Yacoub, rejecting like his predecessors the religious influence of the Almohabis, seized Marrakech, which he quickly abandoned in favour of Fez. The city prospers in particular thanks to the Quaraouiyine University which radiates to Europe. In 1349, Abu Inan, son of the sultan and of a Christian slave who had converted to Islam, tried to restore to the country its unity lost due to innumerable internal quarrels. In vain, he dies without an heir, opening an era of regency ensured by the tribe of the Blessed Ouattas.

Installation of the first Portuguese counters on the Atlantic coast as stopovers on the sea route to Brazil and Portuguese India.

Marrakech is taken over by a new dynasty, the Saadians, originally from Saudi Arabia and descendants of the Prophet. Under the influence of Sultan Moulay Abdallah, the city again became the capital of provisionally reunified Morocco. Mosques and medersas multiply on the territory, while the medersa Ben Youssef, in Marrakech, spreads its fame throughout the Maghreb. Under the reign of Ahmed el-Mansour, nicknamed Ahmed the Golden, El-Badii Palace was built to celebrate the victory over the Portuguese army in 1578. The sultan extended his influence to Sudan and Timbuktu, with the aim of bringing back gold and slaves, and maintained good diplomatic and peaceful relations with Europeans. The last king of the Saadians, Mohammed XII, also initiated a policy of openness towards Europe, which would lead to the return of a fundamentalist Islamist wave.

Descendants of the Prophet, the Alaouites have been settled for four centuries in Tafilalet. Like a large part of the population, they are overwhelmed by the Christian influence on Moroccan soil and by the general anarchy. They thus put an end to years of civil wars under the command of Moulay Rachid. Having become master of the Rif, he was proclaimed sultan in 1666, after the capture of Fez, which for a time became the capital of the country. He advocates the return to a firm, austere and poor Islam.

Moulay Ismaïl succeeded his brother, Moulay Rachid, for 55 years. He is the true founder of the Alaouite dynasty. He left Fez for Meknes, which very quickly became an imperial city with great monuments. He extended his power over the entire empire thanks to a large army of Sudanese slaves, whom he forced to reproduce with the women of a gigantic harem.

His successor, Moulay Abderrhaman, attracted the wrath of France by supporting the Emir of Algiers, Abdelkader, in his fight against the French colonists. General Bugeaud ordered a muscular intervention by the French army, which crushed the Moroccan troops at the Battle of Isly. Tangier becomes the royal residence.

Weakened, Morocco becomes a tempting prey for European countries eager for colonial expansion. Agreements are signed between the two parties at the Madrid conference, granting advantages on Moroccan soil to Western powers.

The unstable situation in Morocco, to say the least, is prompting France to make incursions there from Algeria. Germany took a very negative view of this French takeover and William II went to Tangier to meet Sultan Abd al-Aziz to give him his support.

The crisis is still unresolved, contrary to what Germany thought, and the Algeciras conference is an opportunity for the European powers to settle their colonial disputes. France and Spain share Morocco.

The Saharan leader El-Hiba engages the resistance and the situation turns into chaos. A series of riots and anti-French attacks is perpetrated in Casablanca. The French army, led by General Mangin, intervenes in the main Moroccan cities.

Melilla War, between Spain and Morocco, which ended with the defeat of the European power, including that at the Battle of Ravin-Aux-Loups, the bloodiest in its history.

The French army called to the rescue to stop the rebellion of the Berber tribes, Morocco signs the protectorate treaty.

Belonging to the African Army, these infantry units depend on the French Army. The North African troops are made up of Zouaves, African hunters, Spahis and Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian skirmishers. They fought for France from 1915 to 1956 at the time of the French Protectorate in Morocco. Moroccan riflemen distinguished themselves at the front during the First World War, but also during the Second World War. The seven regiments that enlisted from 1942 to 1945 were awarded the Fourragère and were decorated with the Croix de Guerre 1939-1945.

The Rif War breaks out, led by Sultan Abdelkrim. Spain suffers another defeat.

France intervenes in the conflict to defend its interests. As the rebels advance around Taza, the government withdraws Lyautey from command of the troops and entrusts them to Marshal Pétain, who leads them to victory a year later.

Louis-Hubert Lyautey came from a military family from Lorraine and entered the Saint-Cyr military school. He had his first contacts with Africa, in Algeria, where he served in the army cavalry. He travelled to several countries before returning to Algeria where he was promoted to the rank of general. As Morocco was unstable, he made a few trips to the country before being appointed general resident commissioner in Morocco in 1912. Under the protectorate, he gradually extended the French control zones in Morocco, around Casablanca, Rabat and Fez, among others. He delegated certain responsibilities to local officials and tried to ensure that the customs of the populations were respected. In order to avoid disturbances, he forbade non-Muslims to enter mosques. He was appointed Marshal of France in 1921, before being replaced by Pétain. In addition to his most deserving military career, he was also a recognized man of letters.

With Morocco in the hands of the Vichy government, the Allies landed in the Bay of Anfa, in Casablanca, which they delivered after 3 days.

Casablanca Conference between Roosevelt, Churchill, Giraud and de Gaulle to prepare the continuation of the Allied strategy after the Second World War.

Sultan Sidi Mohammed ibn Youssouf calls for independence in a speech in Tangier and appeals to young people to mobilize for liberation.

Betrayed by the Glaoui of Marrakech, the sultan was deposed from power and exiled with his entire family to Corsica and then Madagascar.

Return from exile of Sultan Sidi Mohammed ibn Youssouf and members of the royal family.

Morocco obtains its independence and Sidi Mohammed ibn Youssouf takes the name of Mohammed V. He appoints his eldest son, Prince Moulay Hassan, Chief of Staff of the Royal Armed Forces.

A member of the Alaouite dynasty, and therefore a descendant of the Prophet, Mohammed ben Youssef acceded to the Moroccan throne, under the French protectorate, at the age of 18. Shy and self-effacing at first, he became involved in the country's affairs when he ratified the French situation in Morocco in 1939. Despite being made a Companion of the Liberation by De Gaulle, he changed his mind in Tangier in 1947, claiming the independence of his country. Having become the leader of the nationalist opposition, the Sultan became dangerous for French interests in Morocco. Although he tries to cooperate again, his ideas of independence take over and he is dismissed on August 20, 1953. France exiled him for two years in Madagascar, then, in the face of the uprising of the people who expressed their support, repatriated him in 1955. He then declared the end of the French protectorate and the " advent of an era of freedom and independence ". The new king of Morocco then took the name of Mohammed V, and prepared the Constitution of his country, which illness prevented him from completing.

After the death of Mohammed V, Hassan II succeeded his father.

Hassan II submits to the people by referendum the draft Constitution prepared by his late father. The yes vote wins with 80% of the votes.

The Green March: 350,000 volunteers undertake a long and peaceful march to Western Sahara to speed up the departure of the Spanish colony that has occupied the territory since 1884. Following their withdrawal, Mauritania, along with Morocco, occupies the Sahrawi territory. An armed conflict then arose between the two African countries and the independence movement of the Polisario Front, created in 1973, which claimed ownership of these lands. The Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) was proclaimed a year later by the independence movement.

The Polisario Front is pushing Mauritania to accept a peace agreement. Morocco finds itself alone in the conflict against the Saharawi independentists.

Hassan II founds the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), an autonomous economic entity, with Mauritania, Libya and Tunisia.

Morocco and the Polisario Front sign a ceasefire. After negotiations, the Security Council wishes to hold a referendum on self-determination the following year. This referendum has always been pending to define the status of this shared territory.

Morocco adopts a new constitution.

Signing of the GATT agreements in Marrakech, promoting free trade with other countries.

Sanitation campaign against drugs, smuggling and corruption.

King Hassan II appoints for the first time an opposition Prime Minister, Mr. Abderrahmane el-Youssoufi, until then First Secretary of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces.

Hassan II receives in the throne room the members of the government of M.A. Youssoufi, who instituted, for the first time in the history of the kingdom, the principle of alternation.

Death of King Hassan II (1929-1999), succeeded by his son, Mohammed VI, at the age of 36.

Twenty-third monarch of the Alaouite dynasty, he is the supreme leader of the armies and Amir al-Mu'minin (Commander of the Believers) in his capacity as a direct descendant of the Prophet. Muhammad VI faces major economic, political and social challenges, while striking a balance between tradition and modernity. By reforming the family code, he made considerable progress in the area of women's rights. But in a country where Islamism is gaining ground, Mohammed is torn between the traditional mentality and a youth that aspires to a better world. Nevertheless, he continues to modernize the country with several projects underway: health system, compulsory health insurance, pension system, trade union rights.

King Mohammed VI marries Salma Bennani, a beautiful 24-year-old commoner.

Crisis between Spain and Morocco over the Peregil-Leïla islet, a small territory under Spanish sovereignty 200 m from the Moroccan coast. The situation normalizes six months later.

The legislative elections confirm the rise of the Islamists of the PJD (Justice and Development Party), who have become the country's leading political force.

Casablanca is shaken by a series of attacks that left 45 people dead.

The Moudawana, the Moroccan family code, is being reformed, enshrining a certain equality between men and women. Women can now divorce, claim alimony and share custody of children, among other social advances. Morocco is becoming one of the most progressive countries in the Muslim world in terms of women's rights. However, there are still many rights that are violated in the country.

An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale shook the Al-Hoceima region, killing 571 people and injuring 405. It is the most violent earthquake in Morocco since 1964.

Fourteen African emigrants were killed by Moroccan and Spanish forces as hundreds tried to enter the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. They will not be the only ones. In 2005, the Moroccan authorities arrested more than 28,000 candidates for illegal immigration from more than 380 mafia networks.

Terrorist suicide bombings are committed in Casablanca, killing one person and injuring four.

Following the legislative elections, Mohammed VI appointed his new government, led by Abbas el-Fassi, in September. Of the 30 or so ministerial portfolios, seven are held by women, including Olympic track and field champion Nawal Moutawakil (1984 Los Angeles Olympics), who heads the Ministry of Sports.

Only 51 per cent of the population participates in communal elections. Many Moroccans refuse to vote because they consider the candidates dishonest.

As the Moroccan Government and the Polisario Front resume negotiations, new skirmishes erupted in Western Sahara, leaving eleven people dead. The situation is once again deadlocked.

The "20 February" movement is gathering thousands of people in several Moroccan cities to demand more "justice", "freedom", and "dignity".

Suicide attack on the Argana café in Marrakech: 17 dead and 20 injured.

King Mohammed VI calls for a referendum to strengthen the powers of the Prime Minister and Parliament. The "yes" vote wins by a majority of 98%.

The Justice and Development Party (Islamist) won the legislative elections with 27.08% of the votes.

The bill for the introduction of a Job Loss Compensation is ratified. The law comes into force on December ¹, 2014.

On the occasion of the 38th anniversary of the Green March, King Mohammed VI reaffirms Morocco's diplomatic line regarding Western Sahara through the so-called "4 no" speech.

Statements by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the situation in Western Sahara during his visit to the region are causing a diplomatic crisis.

Marrakech is hosting COP22, the conference on global warming, for more than a week.

The Heads of State of the African Union are in favour of Morocco's return to the organization. The Cherifian kingdom had left it in 1984 because of the integration of a new member, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

The number 2 of the PJD, Saad-Eddine Al-Othmani, is appointed by King Mohamed VI, head of government.

The oldest fossil of Homo sapiens was discovered in Jebel Irhoud, near Marrakech, by the scientist Matthew Skinner and pushes back the origin of modern man by 100,000 years.

The accidental death of two miners provoked numerous protests in the streets. Moroccan authorities close 2,000 clandestine shafts in the former mining city of Jerada.

Two young Scandinavian tourist hikers are murdered in the small village of Imlil, in the High Atlas. Four main suspects are arrested and sentenced to death at the trial. A terrorist cell is dismantled where nineteen suspects are sentenced to between 5 and 30 years in prison.

Morocco won three awards from the African Football Confederation, including the best player and the best coach of the year 2018. The Moroccan team is eliminated in July at the African Cup by Benin in the Round of 16.

For the first time, the Cherifian kingdom presides over the Peace Council and the African Union for one month.

The UN Security Council renews for one year its mission to hold a referendum on the future of Western Sahara.

Morocco launches a military operation in the buffer zone of Guerguerat, near Mauritania, to restore road traffic, blocked by Sahrawi independence fighters. Tensions are rekindled between the two parties.

New Security Council on the Sahara. The situation remains at a standstill, pending the appointment of a new personal envoy of the UN Secretary General to Western Sahara.

Legislative elections. The ruling Islamist party suffered a real defeat at the hands of the liberal parties of the National Rally of Independents (RNI) and the Authenticity Party, as well as the more center-right Istiqlal Party. In total, they won 257 of the 395 seats. King Mohammed VI appointed the leader of the RNI, Aziz Akhannouch, whose party won the election.

In the Western Sahara conflict, the UN calls for the resumption of negotiations, a resolution is passed with only 13 votes. It calls on the parties to "cooperate fully" with the UN mission, Minurso, whose mandate has been renewed until October 31, 2023.

Morocco was hit overnight by the most powerful earthquake in its history, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was located in the High Atlas mountains, more than 70 km southwest of Marrakech. The toll was heavy: almost 3,000 dead and 5,674 injured. Numerous aftershocks followed, some reaching a magnitude of 4 on the Richter scale.

During the night, projectiles were fired at residential areas in Es-Semara, more than 200 km east of Laâyoune, killing one person and wounding three others. The Polisario Front was quick to claim responsibility for the attack. For its part, the UN Security Council renewed its peacekeeping mission in the region for another year, while calling on the parties concerned to resume negotiations.