History

Morocco is a long, narrow country curving over the northwest corner of Africa. With the Atlantic Ocean down one side and the Mediterranean Sea at the top, Morocco – about the size of Texas, including the disputed territory of the Western Sahara – shares a land border with Mauritania in the south and Algeria in the east, with the Sahara blazing between them. It is a country with roots in Africa and branches in Europe: Spain is a nine-mile hop away, across the Straight of Gibraltar. Its topography is dominated by the mountain ranges that cross the country diagonally. The 400-mile-long High Atlas mountain range, which once funneled gold and slaves from West Africa, divides the fertile coastal region from the arid desert interior.

Morocco’s location at the crossroads of Europe and Africa, West and East long has left the country vulnerable to external cultural imposition. The legacies of such varied influence over centuries forms the extremely rich and surprisingly harmonious tapestry of modern Morocco. Residents of North Africa long before the Romans arrived around 150 BC, the Berbers were joined in 685 by Arabs, who were inspired primarily by their desire to spread Islam throughout the World but who also undoubtedly were attracted to North Africa by the endless stretches of desert sand that to them felt like home. “Modern” Morocco was founded in the 10th century, when a Berber-Muslim dynasty established a kingdom eventually stretching from Spain to Senegal. European encroachment began in 1415, when Portugal battled with Morocco over northern provinces. Beginning in 1492, driven out by finally victorious Catholic Spain, upwards of 3 million European Muslims and Jews emigrated to or through Morocco, thus cementing Morocco’s renowned reputation for hospitality. An important ally of the United States, Morocco was the first country to recognize the United States of America in 1776. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the strategic importance and economic potential of Morocco once again excited the European powers, sparking an intense, often violent, rivalry among France, Spain, and Germany. France won out as Morocco became substantially a French protectorate in 1912 and remained so until independence in 1956. Despite this relatively short colonial regime, the country remains remarkably French, most notably in the widespread use of French as a second language, as well as in the delicious pastries.

Today with a population of more than 30 million, Morocco is ruled by a constitutional monarchy where ultimate authority rests with the king, who can trace his lineage back to the Prophet Mohammed. Following independence from the French, King Hassan II succeeded his father King Mohammed V in 1961 and built a new model of government that introduced selective elements of western-style democracy, including an elected parliament and a system of multiparty politics. Western governments respected King Hassan II as a moderate Arab leader and skilled international power broker; the king played an important role in the Middle East peace process, and Morocco is one of the few Arab countries that has maintained continuous commercial ties with Israel. King Hassan II died in 1999. He was succeeded by his son King Mohammed VI, who accelerated the reforms of his father to stimulate economic development through privatization of state industries, infrastructure for tourism and film production, and exploitation of national resources and usher in innovative social policy including improved education to rural areas, health care, and women’s and children’s rights. In 2002, amid a multi-day national celebration, Morocco’s beloved King Mohammed VI married Salma Bennani, a computer engineer from an old family of Fez, symbolizing acceptance of an increasingly modern role for women. In 2004, the government adopted landmark changes to the Moudawana, or Family Law, aimed at “lifting the inequity imposed on women, protecting children’s rights, and safeguarding men’s dignity.” The new legislation grants unprecedented rights and protections for women concerning marriage, divorce, and custody of children.

Morocco has emerged as one of the Islamic world’s most important artistic and cultural centers. Travelers extol the country's unique living history, from the thriving medinas of Fez and Marrakech to the Roman ruins of Volubilis. Morocco has enlisted the help of international organizations such as UNESCO, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund to help in the preservation of its abundant historic sites that are a unique window onto the past. The preservationist policies used in Morocco have become models for safeguarding medieval cities throughout the Middle East, such as medieval Cairo and Damascus, and Moroccan experts are currently working under UNESCO in Oman, aiding the preservation of several historic fortresses. A fascinating combination of both old and new, nowhere else in the world can a visitor find such extraordinary diversity, from romantic old-world cities, to glittering beach and ski resorts, to the majestic windswept Sahara. The medieval labyrinthine medinas of Marrakesh are what Morocco is all about for many, but don't be surprised to hear the ring of a mobile phone or see a sign pointing down some darkened alley to the nearest internet cafe. Today’s visitors and residents alike enjoy contemporary advances mixed with traditional merits.