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Home >> About Morocco >> History
 he early history of Morocco is shrouded in myth. The Atlas mountains were well known to ancient Greeks and Romans. By 3,000 BC, Morocco was inhabited by the Imazighen (known as Berbers), and around 1100 BC, the sea-faring Phoenicians from present-day Lebanon began to establish trading posts in Morocco , exposing the country to their Punic culture. After 146 BC, when Carthage was defeated by Rome , the Kingdom of Mauretania was established. It was later integrated into the Roman Empire and divided into Mauretania Tingitania (named after Tingis or Tangier, the capital, in northern Morocco ) and Caesaria (eastern Algeria ). Mauretania Tingitania became a province of Rome , with Tangier and Volubilis as major centers.
The major influence on Moroccan culture is Islam, brought to North Africa by Arab warriors. After the Berber population was largely converted, Idriss, a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed, escaped to Morocco and was proclaimed Imam by a Berber leader in Volubilis. He and his son founded the city of Fez to control the Taza Gap. Long after the Idrissid dynasty lost control, the Almoravids, a Berber sect of puritanical literalists from the southern Sahara , brought Morocco and much of North Africa and Spain under their control. Around 1070, they founded Marrakech and built the Ben Yussef Mosque and Almoravid Qubba (dome). The Amloravid dynasty was followed by the Almohads from the High Atlas. After they captured Marrakech in March 1147, they built the famous Koutoubia and sponsored famous scholars like Ibn Tufail and Ibn Roshd (known as Averroës in the West). They also built the Giralda minaret in Seville and started but never finished the Tour Hassan in Rabat . Their decline started with their defeat at Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212.
The Marinids, a Berber tribe from eastern Morocco , captured Marrakech and, with the help of Beni Wattas, extended control over the rest of the country. Choosing Fez as their capital, they founded Fes al-Jdid (New Fez) to house his government and the mellah (Jewish quarters). Toward the end of the 13 th century, the Marinids entered the typical phase of political decadence. The Iberian Christians began their daring raids on Moroccan coasts. On August 21, 1415 , the Portuguese seized Ceuta in northern Morocco .
The Marinids built many famous madrassas (colleges), sponsored major scholars such as the world-famous Ibn Khaldoun and the globe trotter from Tangier, Ibn Battuta, and exquisite architectural works. They also brought back ancient Arab manuscripts from Christian Spain.
The period of social disintegration that followed the Marinid and Wattasid reigns and the further loss of coastal towns to the Portuguese prompted the Saadians to take control. They captured Marrakech and Fez , united the country and built alliances with Spain to keep the Turks in Algiers at bay. On August 4, 1578, they defeated the Portuguese in the Battle of Oued al-Makhazeen (known in Europe as the Battle of Three Kings), dealing a major blow to Portugal. Out of this battle, the Saadian sultan Ahmed was given the title of Al-Mansour (the Victorious). He built the Badi palace in Marrakech and corresponded several times with Queen Elizabeth I. After his death in 1603, succession wars began. His son Zidan built the famous Saadian tombs, one of the very few remaining Saadian monuments in the country. But al-Mansour's palace, the Badi, would be looted by the Alawite king, Moulay Ismail.
The Alawites of Tafilalt, like the Saadians, are originally from Yanbô, in the Hijaz, and trace their lineage to the Prophet Mohammed. They captured Marrakech in 1669, built a new madrassa and sponsored the tradition of Sultan of Tolbas (Sultan of Students). The Sultan Moulay Ismail, son of a black woman, spent most of his rule fighting domestic dissidents and contenders, but that didn't prevent him from launching holy wars against Christians. He liberated Portuguese fronteiras and English strongholds (Tangier in 1684); reorganized the army and introduced the Black Guard; reduced the number of Christian renegades and used the ones he kept for administration, the operation of artillery, and as shock troops. He also made Morocco safe for travel, developed important trade relations with Europe , and sought a rapprochement with Louis XIV 's France against Spain and England . But the Morocco-based piracy was a problem. The Sultan derived great revenues from this activity, and Louis XIV didn't want to support Muslim attacks against Catholics.
The death of Ismail in 1727 was followed by a period of anarchy until Sidi Mohammed ben Abdellah (1757-1790) assumed leadership. He expanded trade partners ( Denmark , England , Sweden , Venice , and others). In 1767, he signed a peace treaty with Spain and a trade agreement with France . In 1777, he recognized the independence of the U.S. Ten years later (1787), the U.S. and Morocco signed a Peace and Friendship Treaty, the oldest in U.S. history. In 1789, George Washington wrote letters to Sultan Mohammed ben Abdellah, thanking him for helping release American sailors captured in Tripoli . To facilitate his trade agenda, Sidi Mohammed built the port of Essaouira (old Mogador) to handle international commerce.
By the 19th century, European powers had become stronger and more aggressive. In 1830, France conquered Algeria , and started provoking Morocco into territorial concessions. Morocco was now cut from the Sudan (“land of blacks,” sub-Saharan Africa ) and the East. Interior commerce declined. The government started borrowing money, leading to its dependency on European powers, particularly France . After a conference in Madrid in 1881, Morocco was forced to extend the status of “most favored nation,” until then limited to the British and the French, to eleven other countries, including the U.S. On March 30, 1912, Moulay Abdelhafid signed the Protectorate Treaty, ceding the government of the country to France and Spain . He later abdicated and was replaced by Moulay Yussef.
The occupation was met with fierce resistance. On November 18, 1927, Moulay Yussef's third son, Mohammed, who had led a quiet, sheltered life, was installed as sultan at the age of 18. The French had expected him to be passive and docile, but Mohammed V joined hands with the liberation movement and began negotiating for independence. He was exiled, but he returned to Morocco , which finally obtained its independence in 1956. The sultan changed his title to that of King. On July 9, 1957, his eldest son Hassan was legally proclaimed his heir. On February 26, 1961, Mohammed V died and was replaced by his son Hassan II. The latter ruled for more than 38 years, acquiring in the process the reputation of a complex king, benevolent, enlightened and exceptionally educated, but also feared by his opponents. In 1999, he died of a sudden heart attack at the age 70 and his eldest son, Mohammed VI, was swiftly enthroned. Affectionately dubbed as the “King of the Poor” by Moroccans, Mohammed VI (or M6, as he is known in Morocco ) traveled across the country, renewing people's allegiance and earning their affection with his kindness and simplicity. He has also embarked on as series of radical social, economic, and political reforms. So novel is his regime that by the end of 2004 his salary and palace expenses were publicly disclosed for the first time by the Moroccan weekly TelQuel.
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