sl00 - history of morocco

7/31/2019 SL00 - History of Morocco

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MOROCCO

History, Culture and Emigration


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Table of contentsTable of contents ........................................................................................................................ 2

History of Morocco .................................................................................................................... 3

Arrival of Islam in Morocco ................................................................................................... 4

Time of international importance and strength ...................................................................... 5

Decline and Isolation .............................................................................................................. 5

Colonialism Begins ................................................................................................................ 6

Independance .......................................................................................................................... 7

CULTURE ................................................................................................................................. 8

Religions, languages and people in Morocco ......................................................................... 9

Cuisine of Morocco .............................................................................................................. 10

SPORT ..................................................................................................................................... 11

Sad Aouita ........................................................................................................................... 12

Nawal El Moutawakel .......................................................................................................... 13

Hicham El Guerrouj ............................................................................................................. 14

MUSIC ..................................................................................................................................... 15Berber (Amazigh) music ...................................................................................................... 16

Gnawa Music ........................................................................................................................ 17

Ra ........................................................................................................................................ 17

Andalusian Music ................................................................................................................. 17

EMIGRATION ......................................................................................................................... 18

BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................... 20


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History of Morocco


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The beginning

In this text, we are going to use the word Morocco . It means the geographical region

where the events of this text took place. It means the modern name of the country too.

Around 15000 BCE (Before the Common Era), Paleolithic people were living in present-dayMorocco.

Around 3000 BCE, agriculture was limited, because of the growth of the Sahara.

Around 1100 BCE, trading posts began to appear in Morocco. The Phoenicians, people who

came from present-day Lebanon, created these trading posts.

The Phoenician empire ended around 200 BCE. However, the trading posts continued to

grow.

Around 0, a Berber Kingdom was founded in northwestern Morocco.

Around 42 CE, the Roman Empire took control of the Moroccan coastal region. Morocco was

a part of a province called Mauretania Tingitana. There was much local resistance and many

wars.

The Roman occupation of Morocco ended around 253.

Around 429, Morocco was occupied by a Germanic tribe, the Vandals.

In 533, Byzantine rule was established in north and northwest in Morocco.

Arrival of Islam in Morocco

681 saw the beginning of Islam in Morocco. Ubqa Ibn Nafi and his Muslim troops spread

Islam in Morocco.

In 683, Ubqa Ibn Nafi was defeated by the Berbers and he left Morocco.

In 710, Musa Ibn Nasr, an Arab, was the governor of the central area, in Morocco. Islam and

Arab culture began to be very important in Morocco.

In 767, Moulay Idriss, a Shi'i, established an Arab State in central parts of Morocco. Idriss 1

was an Imam. He started the Idrissid dynasty.

In 807, after the death of Idriss 1, Moulay Idriss 2, the son, became the new King. During his

20 years of reign, he extended his control to the northern mountains and to the Atlas

Mountains. Fez was the capital of his kingdom.

The Idriss dynasty ended in the 10th

century. Morocco split up into smaller regions.


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Time of international importance and strength

In 1062, Morocco was reunified under the Berber Almoravids dynasty. This dynasty lasted

for 83 years. The Almoravids extended the Moroccan territory to present-day Libya, to part of

present-day Spain and to the north of the Sahara.

In 1090, the ruler Yousef took control of present-day Spain. Because of that, his army was

overstrained and the Almoravids ascendancy declined.

In 1145, a Berber tribe from the High Atlas decided to fight against the Almoravids. They

described the Almoravids lifestyle as immoral because women were allowed to ride horses

and to drink wine. Ibn Tumart, the leader of the High Atlas tribe, claimed to be the Mahdi,

the final prophet of Islam. He began to build a large army. After his death, this army was

powerful enough to defeat the Almoravids. At this time, the leader was Abdu-l-Mumin. The

new dynastys name was Almohads.

In 1147, the Almoravids were still in Marrakech. This year, they were defeated by the

Almohads. It was the total end of the Almoravids dynasty.

In 1195, Yakubu-l-Mansur, the third Almohad sultan, took control of the southeast of present-

day Spain.

In 1212, Muhammadu n-Nasr, the fourth Almohad sultan, lost the battle of Las Navas de

Tolosa. The result of this was the division of Morocco into many smaller parts. Each part was

controlled by a local tribe.

Decline and Isolation

In 1248, a local Moroccan tribe, the Merenids, conquered Fez and Marrakech. This was the

beginning of three centuries of political decline.

In 1415, the port of Sebta (Ceuta) was conquered by the Portuguese.

In 1465, the Wattasids took control over Morocco. The Wattasid dynasty lasted for 45 years.

In 1492, one million Jewish and Muslim people came from Spain, fleeing the Spanish

inquisition. Their arrival heralded a big economic growth in Morocco.

In 1554, the Merenid dynasty ended and the Saadien dynasty began. Taroudannt was chosen

as the capital.

In 1578, the famous battle of the three kings took place. This was a war between King

Sebastian of Portugal, the ruling sultan of Morocco, Abd-el-Malik, and the previous, deposed

sultan Muhammad. Sebastian wanted to impose the Christian religion in Morocco. Morocco

won the war. After the war, the sultan Abd-el-Malik died and was replaced by Ahmad 1

Mansur.


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With Ahmad 1 Mansur came the twenty best years of Moroccan history. The invasion of

Timbuktu was the only profitable war that he did. (Why were these the best years? Because

there were no wars, because it was peaceful??)

During the 16th

century, a few Moroccan ports, like Sale, were involved in piracy.

In 1603, sultan Ahmand died. He left three sons, who were rivals for the throne. Thus, there

was civil war in Morocco, which split into smaller sultanates.

In 1660, the Sharifian, also named Alaouite, dynasty replaced the Saadians. Nowadays, the

Alaouite dynasty is still present in Morocco.

In 1672, Moulay Ismail became sultan. Meknes was his capital. Moulay Ismail's rule lasted

until 1727.

In 1790, the sultan Sidi Mohammad died. Once again, civil war began in Morocco. This war

lasted a few years until Moulay Slimane decided to control Fez and Marrakech, which wereoverrun by anarchists.

In the beginning of the 19th

century, Moulay Slimane demonstrated that he was a bad

politician. He cut off relations with Europe, and the economy became weak.

In 1860, Morocco was defeated by Spain. According to the Treaty of Tetouan, Sidi Ifni was

given to Spain. It was Morocco's first defeat by European countries in 200 years.

In 1880, according to the Madrid Conference, Morocco was forced to put Tangier into a

international zone. Before that, France and Spain had been interfering in Moroccan politics

for many years. Morocco was too weak to do anything against that.

In 1894, sultan Moulay Hassan died. Abdu-l-Aziz, his son, became sultan at only ten years

old. Because of this situation, Europeans became very powerful in Morocco.

Colonialism Begins

In 1904, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and other Europeans countries decided to divide

Africa. France was chosen to control Morocco.

In 1907, Oujda was occupied by France. Algeria was already occupied. Oujda is near the

Algerian border.

The same year, the French invaded Casablanca. Moulay Hafiz took the place of his brother,

the deposed sultan Abdu-l-Aziz. But Moulay Hafiz was unable to stop the French.

In 1909, Spain took control of Melila. Nowadays, Melila is still an enclave in northeastern

Morocco.

In 1912, sultan Moulay Hafiz was forced by the French, to sign the Treaty of Fez. This treaty

gave the Frenchthe right to 'defend' Morocco. A similar Treaty was signed with Spain. Spainoccupied the northern coast and part of the south of Morocco.


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In 1921, there was a rebellion against France and Spain in the Rif mountains. The leader of

this rebellion was Abdu-l-Karim. He was stopped five years later by a troop of 360 000

French and Spanish soldiers.

In 1943, France capitulated to Germany during World War II. Moroccan nationalists calledfor the total independence of Morocco.

In 1953, sultan Muhammad 5 was forced to seek exile in Madagascar. He didn't want to

cooperate with the French and he joined the rebellion.

The French wanted Thami-l-Glaoui, a Berber Pasha, to be the new ruler of Morocco.

However, this wasn't successful. Unrest was present everywhere in the country.

Because of unrest in Morocco, the French allowed sultan Muhammad 5 to return to Morocco

in 1955. It was a big defeat for France.

Independence

In March 1956, France was fighting with Algeria and gave total independance to Morocco.

Algeria, with more natural resources, was more interesting to France than Morocco. Sultan

Mohammed 5 took over Morocco.

One month later, Spain recognized the independance of Morocco.

In October 1956, Tangiers became Moroccan again.

Mohammed 5 died, in 1961, and his son, King Hassan 2, took over the kingdom.

Spain decided, in 1969, to give back Ifni to Morocco. Ifni was controlled by Spain. Today,

there are still Spanish enclaves in Morocco: Ceuta, Mnilla.

In 1970, Hassan 2 survived two attempts on his life, during an attempted Coup dtat.

Morocco annexed two thirds of Western Sahara due to The Green March in November

1975. A lot of Moroccan people walked, without weapons, in the Sahara. Morocco has always

seen this part of Sahara as its possession.

In 1979, Mauritania renounced the last third of Western Sahara.

Mauritania and Morocco had political problems concerning Western Sahara, but in 1989, a

ceasefire was signed.

In 1992, Western Sahara, for the first time, participated in local elections.

In July 1999, King Hassan 2 died. His son, Muhammad 6 took over Morocco.


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CULTURE


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Religions, languages and people in Morocco

The main religion of Morocco is Islam, the Sunni Islam.

But, old practices, such as marabouts, are still present in Morocco.

Christianity is present, with about 100,000 members, in Morocco. Christians are generally

French from the colonial time or immigrants.

Before the creation of Isral, there were a lot Jewish people in Morocco. Today, Judaism still

exists in Morocco, with 5000 people living in Casablanca and Marrakech.

A lot of Moroccans think they are Arabs, but they are ethnically Berbers with Arabic

language and culture.

The two main languages in Morocco are Arabic and Berber.

65 % of the Moroccans speak Moroccan Arabic. Its not the same language as the Arabic

language from Middle-East.

In Western Sahara, people speak Hassaniya Arabic. This language is spoken in Mauritania.

Only 5000 speakers, mainly in Casablanca and Marrakech, speak Judeo-Moroccan Arabic.

This language is dying.

Tachelhit is a Berber language spoken by three million people in southwestern Morocco.Tachelhit Berbers speak Moroccan Arabic and sometimes French too.

Tamazight, a Berber language, is spoken by three million people in Middle Atlas and eastern

High Atlas.

In the northern part of Morocco, in the Rif mountains, Tarifit, another Berber language, is

spoken by 1,5 millions people.

Everywhere in Morocco, a lot of people speak French as a foreign language.

In the north, near the Spanish enclave Melilla, Spanish language is spoken by 20 000 people

as first language.ETHNIC GROUPS

Arabs andArabizedBerbers

26,000,000 80%

Berbers 6,000,000 20%

Sahrawis 250,000 0.8%

EuropeansandAmericans

100,000 0.3%

Tuareg 10,000 0.03%


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Cuisine of Morocco

Morocco produces a lot of Mediterranean fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, Morocco

produces a lot of spices. Cumin, tumeric, ginger, pepper, paprika, coriander, parsley, saffron

are all extensively used in Moroccan food.

The cuisine of Morocco is very diversified, its a mix of different cuisines, different cultures.

Because of history, Arab, Berber, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, European and African

cuisines have all influenced Moroccan cuisine.

In Morocco, for many years, royal kitchens have been cooking delicious cuisine. The royalkitchens are still today a laboratory, where the cuisine of tomorrow is developped.

According to Paula Wolfert, the specialist of Moroccan cuisine:

To my mind four things are necessary before a nation can develop a great cuisine. The first is

an abundance of fine ingredientsa rich land. The second is a variety of cultural influences:

the history of the nation, including its domination by foreign powers, and the culinary secrets

it has brought back from its own imperialist adventures. Third, a great civilizationif a

country has not had its day in the sun, its cuisine will probably not be great; great food and a

great civilization go together. Last, the existence of a refined palace lifewithout royal

kitchens, without a Versailles or a Forbidden City in Peking, without, in short, the demands of

a cultivated courtthe imaginations of a nation's cooks will not be challenged. Morocco,

fortunately, is blessed with all four.

Four typical Moroccan meals are couscous, tajjine, pastilla and harira.

Kaab El Ghzal, gazelles horn, is a well-known Moroccan pastry. There are a lot of

Moroccan pastries. In Morocco, its a tradition to cook pastries during the religious month of

Ramadan.

Green tea with mint is the most popular drink in Morocco. Its a ritual to drink tea with family

or friends. People drink tea at least one time per day.


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SPORT


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Sad Aouita

Sad Aouita is a Moroccan athlete. He was born on November 2, 1960 in Kenitra, Morocco.

During the 80s, Sad was the best runner for the distances between 800 meters and 1500meters. From September 1983 to September 1990, he won 115 out of 119 races.

In 1983, during the World Championships in Helsinki, he finished third in the 1500 meter

race.

In 1984, during the Los Angeles Olympics Games, he won the 5000 meter race.

In 1985, Aouita achieved two world records. He ran 13:00.40 for the 5000 meter and 3:29.46

for the 1500 meter races.

In 1987, he ran the 2000 meter race in 4:50.81. It was a new world record.

Six day after this record, he broke his own 5000 meter world record with 12:58.39. He was

the first man to run under 13 minutes.

The same year, during the World Championships, he won the 5000 meter race.

Then Aouita, for the Olympics Games in 1988, decided to run the 800 meter race instead of

the 5000 meter race. He finished third because he was injured.

In 1989, Sad won the 3000 meter race during the World Indoor Championships. The same

year, running the same race, he broke the world record with the time of 7:29.45. It was his last

world record.

In 1992, Aouita succeeded a new 3000 meter indoor world record in Athens. But, the IAAF,

International Association of Athletics Federations, refused this record. (Why??)

Then, it was the end of his athletic career.

Today, he is an athletics coach.


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Nawal El Moutawakel

Nawal El Moutawakel was born on April 15, 1962 in Casablanca.

She is a Moroccan athlete.

She won the 400 meter hurdles at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She was the

first Muslim and African female Olympic Champion.

In 1995, she was elected to be a member of the International Association of Athletics

Federation (IAAF). Since 1998, she has been a member of the International Olympic

Committee (IOC).

She was president of a special evaluation commission of the IOC. This special commission

decided that London will hold the Olympics Games of 2012.


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Hicham El Guerrouj

Hicham El Guerrouj was born on 14 September 1974 in Berkane, Morocco.

His first international victory was in 1992, when he won the bronze medal at the 5000 metrejunior World Championships in Seoul.

In 1995, during the World Championships in Gothenburg, he finished second in the 1500

meter race (3:35:28) behind the Algerian Noureddine Morsali.

In July 1996, Hicham set a new personal record in the 1500 meter race in 3:29:59. Thanks to

this result, Hicham was the favourite for the Olympic Gold Medal. However, at the 1996

Summer Olympics Games, Hicham El Guerrouj finished 12th

because he fell down. He

wanted to challenge Noureddine Morsali, the 1500 meter champion.

One month later, in September 1996, El Guerrouj became the first runner to defeatNoureddine Morceli in the 1500 meter race. Before that, Noureddine Morceli had been

undefeated for four years.

In 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003, Hicham won four world titles.

At a meeting in Rome in 1998, Hicham broke Morceli's 1500 meter world record (3:27:37).

He set the new one at 3:26:00.

In July 1999, El Guerrouj broke the world mile record. The same year, he broke the 2000

meter world record. He did the second best world time on 3000 meters this same year.

In 2004, during the Olympics Games in Athens, he won the 1500 and 5000 meter races. In

May 2006, Hicham announced his retirement.

Hicham El Guerrouj was decorated by King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

Now, he does humanitarian activities as a UNICEF Ambassador. Furthermore, he is a

member of the International Olympic Committee.


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MUSIC


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Berber (Amazigh) music

The Berbers are an ethnic group in Morocco and generally in North and West Africa.

Berber culture is vast. There are a lot of musical styles, which are sometimes combined with

African rhythms. Berber music is a big part of Moroccan music.

Berber music and tradition have been kept alive by artists who travel across Morocco.

Ammuri Mbark is a famous Berber singer. During the 70th

, he modernised Berber music. At

that time, Berber music wasn't acknowledged.

Umalu is another excellent Berber artist. Classical music, flamenco, French music and

African ra are his inspiration.


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Gnawa Music

If you mix African, Berber and Arabic religious songs and rhythms and add acrobatic

dancing, you will obtain Gnawa Music. This music comes from sub-Saharan Africa and

particularly from the Sahel. But, today, this music is mainly present in Morocco and Algeria.

In a Gnawa song, a few words are repeated over and over again with a musical

accompaniment. A song can last several hours without interruption.

Gnawa music is related to rituals. During a Gnawa ceremony, a genesis of the universe is

represented by music and acrobatic dance. There are invocations of supernatural entities .

Today, Gnawa music is less spiritual and more commercial. For example, there is the Gnawa

World Music Festival of Essaouira. At this festival, it is a profane context. Nowadays, we can

find an interesting blend of Gnawa Music and jazz, blues, reggae and hip-hop.

There are a lot of interesting Gnawa musicians. Brahim Belkane, for example, played with

Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page and a lot of other musicians. Mahmoud Guinia played with Carlos

Santana and Jimi Hendrix spent a few months in his house to play music with him.

Ra

Ra is a type of music which comes from Algeria. Ra means opinion. Its a mix of Spanish,

Arabic, French and African music.

Ra reflects the history of North Africa. Spain invaded, centuries ago, Algeria. The Frenchcolonized Algeria.

Khaled and Faudel are well-known Ra artists.

Algerian Ra, in Morocco, is really popular. This music inspires a lot of Moroccan musicians.

Andalusian Music

Andalusian Music is a style of Arabic music which is mainly found in Morocco. However,

this music exists in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya too.

In a part of todays Spain, in Cordoba, Andalusian music evolved during the Muslim rule. Its

a mix of Christian music and Arabic music.

Andalusian music uses instruments like lute, rebec, tambourine and violin.

Fez, a Moroccan city, is well-known for her andalusian music.


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EMIGRATION

In Western Europe, Moroccans are one of the largest emigrant communities. Today, about

two million Moroccans live in Western Europe. Lasting more recent years, Moroccans have

emigrated to Canada and the United States too. Each year, Morocco receives 3.6 billion

dollars from its emigrated citizens.

Morroco was colonized by the French between 1912 and 1956. This period was the beginning

of the migration to France because therewas a lack of manpower in France. Morrocans were

recruited for factories, mines, etc. During the two World Wars, 166,000 Morrocans were

soldiers for the French army. The majority of these migrants didnt remain in France

afterwards.

Not only Morrocans were recruited, but Algerians and Tunisians too. However, during the

Algerian War of Independence, France stopped recruiting Algerians. Thats why themigration from Morroco increased. Between 1949 and 1962, the number of Morrocans in

France rose from about 20,000 to 53,000.

The previous migrations were nothing compared with the years 1962-1972. During the sixties,

there was a very big economic growth in Western Europe. The result of this was an important

demand for unskilled labor. This time, Morrocans were recruited not only by France but by

West Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. The governments of those countries signed

agreements with Morroco. In 1975, the number of Morrocan emigrants in Europe was about

400,000 (see Table 1).

Table 1: Evolution of Migrant Stocks in Selected Countries in Western Europe (RegisteredPopulation, Regardless of Nationality, Including Second and Third Generations)

Year France Netherlands Belgium Germany Spain Italy Total

1968 84,000 13,000 21,000 18,000 1,000 NA 137,000

1972 218,000 28,000 25,000 15,000 5,000 NA 291,000

1975 260,000 33,000 66,000 26,000 9,000 NA 394,000

1982 431,000 93,000 110,000 43,000 26,000 1,000 704,000

1990 653,000 184,000 138,000 62,000 59,000 78,000 1,174,000

1998 728,000 242,000 155,000 98,000 200,000 195,000 1,618,000

20051,025,000

(2002)316,000

214,000

(2002)

73,000

(2004)397,000

253,000

(2004)2,278,000

Sources: El Mansouri 1996 (F, NL, B, G 1968 - 1990); Basfao & Taarji 1994 (IT 1982,

1990); National Statistical Services (B and F 1998; N, G, ES, IT 1998 and 2005); Lpez

Garca 1999 (ES 1968-1990) ; IOM and Fondation Hassan II 2003 (B and F 2002).

Morocan Jews had a different emigration. They emigrated to Isral, Qubec and France.

Before the emigration, the number of Jews in Moroco was 250000. Today, its about 5000.


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In 1973, there was the oil crisis, which means the end of the enormous economic growth in

Western Europe. Unemployment rose and the demand for unskilled laborers dropped. The

borders were closed.

Western European governments, the Morrocan government and the emigrants themselves hadalways maintained that the migration was a temporary situation. But, after 1973, migrants did

not return to Morroco. There were two main reasons for this situation. The first reason was

the poor economic situation in Morroco. In addition, Western European countries voted

restrictive immigration policies. Returning to Morroco and not being able to come back was

an economic risk.

During the 1970s and 1980s, through massive family reunification, the population of

Morrocanmigrants increased to over one million in 1992.

From the 1990s to today, immigration has continued thanks to marriages between the children

of workers and Morrocan nationals.

Furthermore, more and more Morrocan migrants have asked for European nationality.

Figure 1. Number of Naturalizations of Moroccan Migrants in Belgium, Denmark, France,

Italy, Netherlands, Norway, and Spain, 1992-2001

From the 1990s to today, the number of undocumented labour migrants has increased a lot,

particularly in Italy and Spain. Italy and Spain have replaced France as a destination for

Morrocan migrants because of the immigrations laws. A lot of these migrants are

undocumented, but there are a lot of documented women too. They work in agriculture, small

industries and as cleaners, etc.


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BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://lexicorient.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Morocco

http://www.ugr.es/~ghailan/nord.htm

http://www.migrationinformation.org/

http://www.cuisinedumaroc.com/

http://www.musique-maroc.com

www.google.fr

http://images.google.fr
http://lexicorient.com/http://lexicorient.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Moroccohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Moroccohttp://www.ugr.es/~ghailan/nord.htmhttp://www.ugr.es/~ghailan/nord.htmhttp://www.migrationinformation.org/http://www.migrationinformation.org/http://www.cuisinedumaroc.com/http://www.cuisinedumaroc.com/http://www.musique-maroc.com/http://www.musique-maroc.com/http://www.google.fr/http://www.google.fr/http://images.google.fr/http://images.google.fr/http://images.google.fr/http://www.google.fr/http://www.musique-maroc.com/http://www.cuisinedumaroc.com/http://www.migrationinformation.org/http://www.ugr.es/~ghailan/nord.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Moroccohttp://lexicorient.com/

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