Prehistory

The oldest fossil of Homo sapiens was found in Morocco in 2017. The discovery shook the history of the origin of humanity, suggesting that our species actually goes back 300,000 years and has evolved in several hotspots on the African continent.

Archaeologists are able to date the arrival of the first ancestors of the current Berber populations at 9,000 years BC. Neolithic sites near Skhirat and Tetouan show early traces of sedentary lifestyle and the birth of agriculture.

From the Phoenicians to the Greeks of Byzantium.

The Phoenicians were the first to explore Morocco, as early as the 11th century BC, by establishing trading posts. The cities of Tangier, Lixus, Sala, Mogador (Essaouira) were Phoenician trading outposts. The Phoenician influence was followed by the Carthaginian influence, which took advantage of the coastal areas to venture and establish themselves deeper inland. The Carthaginians founded outposts in Tangier and Essaouira, while building a city on the site of present-day Rabat.

In 40 AD, the northern region of Morocco was annexed to the Roman Empire. Volubilis is the most important ancient Roman site in Morocco, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. The presence of Rome on Moroccan soil lasted until the 3rd century. At the beginning of the 5th century, the country shifted to become under the domination of the Vandals, of Germanic origin, until the middle of the 6th century, a period which saw the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I annihilate the Vandal kingdom.

Arab Conquests and Successive Dynasties

The end of the 7th and the beginning of the 8th century are marked by the consolidation of the Arab conquests, under the reign of the Umayyads, and the Byzantine withdrawal. The Arabs brought their language – Arabic – and most importantly their religion – Islam – which was to impose itself throughout North Africa.

C'est la première dynastie royale à régner sur le Maroc. A l'origine, un prince arabe issu d'Ali, gendre du prophète, réfugié dans le Moyen Atlas, que les Berbères locaux portent à leur tête en 789 sous le nom d'Idriss 1er. Son fils posthume, Idriss II, fonde alors la première dynastie royale du Maroc, avec Fès pour capitale. On doit aux Idrissides la mosquée Al Quaraouiyine et celle des Andalous à Fès, les mausolées d'Idriss 1er à Zerhoun et d'Idriss II à Fès, ainsi que la mosquée du vieux Ténès en Algérie.

A Berber dynasty, formed from a nomadic clan from the Sahara, the Almoravids settled in 1058 and dominated an empire extending from the eastern confines of the Maghreb to Andalusia for a century. They carried out a remarkable unification process these different territories, based mostly on Islam and the notion of holy war. They also promoted a refined civilization, influenced by the Andalusian culture, to which they were close. They founded Marrakesh, the second imperial city of Morocco, after Fez. Marrakesh then lent its name to the country. Many buildings date from this period, the Great Mosque of Tlemcen, the mausoleum of the Abbadid King of Seville, Al Mutamid ibn Abbad in Aghmat (30 km from Marrakesh, at the foot of the High Atlas) or the Almoravid Qubba in Marrakech.

The Almohad movement was founded in the High Atlas by a scholar by the name of Ibn Toumert who preached the return to the sources of Islam and opposed the Malikite rite practiced by the Almoravids. They overthrew the Almoravids and ruled over the Moroccan empire, including North Africa and Muslim Spain for a century; they made Rabat their imperial city. They have left an important trace in the history of this region by the brilliant culture they have been able to develop. The Almohads have left architectural treasures, both in Morocco (the Tinmel Mosque 100km from Marrakech, classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the Hassan Tower in Rabat, the Koutoubia in Marrakech) and in Spain (the Golden Tower in Seville, now the Navy Museum, the Giralda in Seville).

The Merinids bequeathed a large number of historical monuments to Morocco, most of them in their capital, Fez, but also in other cities, the Chellah necropolis in Rabat and the Massourha mosque in Tlemcen, Algeria. The Merinid era was the era of the medersas, which were built in large numbers, making Morocco the Muslim country with the most medersas. We can mention the medersa Seffarine in Fez (called the school of boilermakers), Bou Inania of Meknes and Attalaâ of Salé.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the Saâdians, Berbers from the Draâ valley, tired by the Christian offensives, revolted against the Marinids and drove them out of power. They founded their own dynasty and fought against the Portuguese. That’s how they took back Agadir. The final battle against the Portuguese took place on 4 August 1578, near Ksar el-Kébir (or Alcazar Quivir). This battle, called the “Battle of the Three Kings,” led to the annexation of Portugal by Spain two years later. The Saadians left us with a magnificent legacy in Marrakesh, the Saadian Tombs, a royal necropolis of great architectural richness.

The Alaouite take their name from their kinship with Ali, the Prophet’s son-in-law. Coming from Hejaz, they settled in Tafilalet. The Alaouites became sultans of Morocco following a period of instability following the death of the last sultan of the Saadian dynasty in 1659. It was Moulay Rachid, the third Alaouite prince of Tafilalet, who reunified the country between 1664 and 1669 and re-established a central power, thus marking the beginning of the Alaouite dynasty of Morocco. His son, Moulay Ismaïl, moved his capital to Meknes, 60 kilometers from Fez. He repelled various European offensives while fighting against rebellious Berber tribes in the mountains.

Meknes is by far the first great work of the dynasty, a city in the Hispano-Moorish style surrounded by high walls pierced by monumental gates; it reflects particularly well the harmony of Islamic and European styles.

Modern Morocco (1956 to the present)

From the day of the independence, the sultan took the title of king, under the name of Mohamed V. On 26 February 1961, his son Hassan II succeeded him until his death on 23 July 1999. His son, Mohammed VI became the twenty-third monarch of the Alaouite dynasty and the third to bear the title of King of Morocco.

On the border between Africa and Europe, Morocco has been cradled throughout its two thousand years of history by diverse influences. The Berbers, the original inhabitants of Morocco, have mixed throughout history with Jews and nomadic tribes from the south of the Kingdom. The latter have carried a unique language, Hassani. The Arabs conquered the country between the 7th and 11th centuries, when it was populated mainly by Berbers and Romano-Berbers. Today, Arab-Berbers represent 98% of the population; they are Sunni Muslims. Sub-Saharan come from what was once the empire of Ghana, which covered Senegal, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Gambia and 85% of Mali. Descendants of Europeans joined Morocco after the Arabs withdrew from Europe in the 15th century.