Morocco’s Rich History
Morocco has a long, rich history of which it is justly proud.
Indeed, the oldest remains of anatomically modern human beings have been found in Jebel Irhoud. At 315,000 years old, these remains are of great scientific importance. Man-like hominids from Morocco date back even further, to 400,000 years ago, with bones found near Salé.
There are also remains of cavemen found in a cave system near Oujda, where evidence of mankind’s activities as old as 85,000 years have been found, as well as actual remains from 15,000 years ago. Seashell beads with drilled holes were found here, and these are the earliest known examples of human adornment—the very first jewelry, dating back 82,000 years. Around 5,000 years BCE, the area became too dry for these original peoples, who either died out or left the country.
Recorded history begins with the arrival of the Phoenicians, who sailed the Mediterranean and colonized parts of the Moroccan coast between the 8th and 6th centuries BCE, although the area had been home to the indigenous Berber people for a minimum of 2,000 years before the Phoenicians’ arrival. The Phoenicians built settlements at Chellah, Lixus, and Mogador, where fascinating archaeological sites can still be visited today. From their capital at Carthage (modern-day Tunisia), the Phoenicians paid annual tribute to the Berbers in exchange for exploiting Morocco’s raw materials.
Soon, Morocco became the independent Berber Kingdom of Mauretania, which began around the 3rd century BCE, and records show interactions with Phoenician and Carthaginian settlers and traders on the coast. The first known king was Bocchus I, who ruled from about 110 to 81 BCE.
Then, the Romans came, initially coexisting with the Carthaginians but eventually annexing Morocco in 33 BCE. It became a full Roman province in 40 AD after Emperor Caligula had the last Berber king, Ptolemy (grandson of Antony and Cleopatra), executed. It is said that Ptolemy wore a magnificent purple cloak to the Roman court, and Caligula had him poisoned out of jealousy. This led to an uprising in Mauretania, which was suppressed, and Morocco was divided into the two Roman kingdoms of Mauretania Tingitana and Mauretania Caesariensis (roughly equivalent to Morocco and Algeria today). Many Roman ruins can be visited in coastal regions and northern Morocco, though the Romans never ventured far south. The most famous site is at Volubilis, where the Triumphal Arch, shops, streets, and many fine mosaics can still be seen. Volubilis became a wealthy and powerful Roman settlement and the capital of Roman Morocco, though during the reign of Emperor Augustus, Berber kings such as Juba II ruled on behalf of Rome. In 278, the Romans moved their capital to Tangier, and the importance of Volubilis gradually declined.
Christianity was introduced in the 2nd century AD, and many Romans and Berbers began to convert. By the 4th century, the Roman-occupied northern areas had been Christianized, and many southern Berber tribes followed suit, sometimes converting en masse. The Jewish population in Morocco also grew significantly during this time.
The Arab conquest began in the middle of the 7th century and was completed by the early 8th century. The Berbers seemingly embraced Islam but were not as eager to adopt the Arabic language and rejected Arab rule. A revolt erupted and lasted from 740 to 743, resulting in the Arabs being expelled from Morocco and the country being divided into several Berber kingdoms. Among them, the Idrissid dynasty (789–974) is considered to have established the first Moroccan state. During this period, in 859, the Vikings arrived with 62 ships and defeated the Moorish army. They stayed for 8 days before leaving to plunder Spain instead.
In the 900s, the Fatimids arrived, and for many years, they, the Ummayads, and the Zenata Berber chieftains fought for control of the country.
From 1060 until 1549, a series of Berber dynasties, originating in the south, gradually expanded their influence northward.
First, the Almoravids defeated the Zenata and other independent Emirates to unify the country. They also defeated Christian forces in Al-Andalus (Spain), but after a defeat by the Portuguese, they lost Marrakech to the Almohad Dynasty in 1147. The Almohads went on to conquer Al-Andalus as well.
The Marinid dynasty took power after a four-year struggle between 1244 and 1248. They lost possession of the Iberian Peninsula and were succeeded by the Wattasid Dynasty in 1471, which also had Zenata Berber origins.
In 1549, the Arab Saadi Dynasty ended Berber rule. Like the succeeding Arab dynasties, the Saadis claimed descent from the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).
The current Alaouite Dynasty seized power in 1666 and has ruled Morocco ever since. Unlike previous dynasties, the Alaouites did not rely on any single Berber or Bedouin tribe. Instead, they depended on armies of slaves, often black Africans. Ismail ibn Sharif unified the country by driving the Spanish from Larache and the English from Tangier, where they had introduced tea to Morocco! After Ismail’s death, tribal conflict resumed until 1757–1790, when Mohammed III ruled. During this time, central government was rejected in favor of autonomous tribes ruling their respective areas.
On December 20, 1777, Morocco became the first country to recognize the independence of the United States from Britain, much to the annoyance of the British, who had not yet recognized it themselves.
Mohammed IV and Hassan I consolidated control over the Berber and Bedouin tribes, sought foreign trade deals, and fought a war with Spain in 1859. This conflict resulted in France gaining influence over Morocco, which was countered by Germany, leading to a series of confrontations until Morocco became a French protectorate in 1912 under the Treaty of Fes. A second treaty that year gave Spain control of some areas in the north and south. In 1923, Tangier became an international zone. While the Sultan was still considered ruler, he was essentially a puppet.
Moroccan troops fought for the French army in both world wars.
In 1921, the Republic of the Rif was declared in northern Morocco, but after inflicting heavy casualties on the Spanish, joint French and Spanish forces defeated the uprising in 1926. France’s exile of Sultan Mohammed V in 1953 led to protests and violence, eventually resulting in negotiations that granted Morocco independence in 1956. Mohammed V returned and began establishing a constitutional monarchy with an elected government under the control of a king. He officially became king in 1957.