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HISTORY OF MOROCCO Situated at the western end of North Africa, also known as Africa Minor, Berbery, or Maghreb, the Kingdom of Morocco has a coastline that stretches from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic: a natural frontier. The Mediterranean coast is rugged, but the Atlantic side is much less so and has many fine beaches. A large fertile plain abounding in valleys and hills stretches between the Atlantic and the mountains. The Atlas Mountains -the peak at Toubkal reaches a height of 4,165 metres- are the spinal column of western Morocco, and the Rif mountains encircle the Mediterranean area. Man's presence in this country dates from prehistoric times, as is shown by the discovery of fossilized human skeletons near Rabat, Casablanca and other cities, dating from the earlier and mid-paleolithic age and belonging to a human race with the same characteristics as Neanderthal man. It would appear that Morocco was inhabited during the later Palaeolithic age by a race very similar to homo sapiens. During the Neolithic age Phoenicians and Carthaginians reached northern Africa and Morocco entered history as a country. Afterthe arrival of the Berbers, Morocco was occupied by the Romans, Vandals and Byzantines. But the real history of Morocco began with the Arab conquest and the establishment of Islam at the end of the 3th century by Sherif Moulay Idris, great-grandson of AN, son-in-law of Mohammed. It was Idris II, the posthumous son of Moulay Idris, who founded the first kingdom of Morocco. Later on the Berber kingdoms of Berghouata, in what is now Chaouia, and Sijilmassa in the region of the oases, and the Arab kingdom of the
Idrisids were created. When Idris II died at the beginning of the 9th century Berber kingdoms were again established in Morocco. There was later a second Arab invasion, and in the 10th century the Almoravides founded a great empire in what is now Morocco. In the 12th century, the Almohade Ibn Toumert founded a new dynasty. His successor, Abd al Mumin, conquered the Moroccan Atlas and the main cities of Algeria, Tunisia and Andalusia. His son and grandson expanded the empire further, but the whole Almohade empire fell in the 13th century. Then came the Marinids and the Saadis, whose respective dynasties helped to establish Morocco's artistic and cultural heritage. In the middle of the 17th century, the Alawis replaced the Saadis and founded a dynasty, established by Moulay Ismail in Meknes, which had the honour of founding modern Morocco. Its independence was recognized by Mohammed V, rejecting the protectorates imposed by France and Spain. His son, His Majesty Hassan II, when he reintegrated the territory of the Sahara to his kingdom in 1975, consolidated the independence of the country. |
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