1 . the origins
Morocco is rich in Paleolithic remains ( pebble , Acheulean bifaces ,
Mousterian facies ) , including specific tips Aterian of North Africa (
until about 10 000 years) and the Sahara.The
people who settled shortly after in the region are probably native to
Europe and Asia, and give birth to the ancestors of the Berbers . We know little about these people, whose language is almost
indecipherable called Libyan and has similarities with the Tuareg
Tifinagh .The history of Morocco is the first foreign institutions in coastal areas ; Phoenicians founded trading posts on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa in the seventh century BC. AD on sites with names of Berber origin and become major ports such Tingi (Tangier ) , Casablanca or Russadir ( Melilla ) . Although
we attribute to the Carthaginians the introduction of iron and culture
of the vine, the Phoenician civilization remains marginal , and its
influence seems not to have penetrated much inland where Berber kingdoms
are based : the Mauretania , appeared in the fourth century BC. BC in northern Morocco , and that of Masaesyles to the east.
2 . Rome and Byzantium
The conquest of Carthage by the Roman Empire in the second century BC. BC Romans ensures the domination of the African coastline bathed by the Mediterranean to the Straits of Gibraltar.From this time practically the territorial division of the Maghreb between what later would become Morocco and Algeria . Romans
combine with Bocchus , Berber king who reigns over the entire region
west of the Moulouya to break the resistance of his son Jugurtha , which
dominates Algeria. Jugurtha was finally defeated in 105 BC. BC During the Roman period , the area is development : roads are built , cities such Volubilis are based . Agriculture grows, while the prosperous trade.From 25 to 23 BC. AD, Juba II , a Berber ruler administers Mauretania ( Algeria , Morocco ) . To 42 AD. AD, the Emperor Claudius I. Annex throughout the Mauretania to the Roman Empire ; it
is divided into two provinces , separated by the Moulouya : Mauretania
Tingitane ( Tangier ) , corresponding to the current Morocco , and led
by the son of Juba , Ptolemy of Mauretania and Caesarean section ( in
Algeria ) . The
Romans, who truly control the northern part of the country ( Volubilis )
due to the hostility of the mountain Berbers, fold in the area of
Tangier, which is attached to the reign of Diocletian, in southern
Spain ( 285 ) .429 , Morocco was invaded by the Vandals, who are based in local communities. The Byzantine general Belisarius resumes region 533 and it imposes the laws of the Byzantine Empire. However, the reconquest is limited in space , only the North is securely held .
3 . The Arab conquest
After
the conversion of Emperor Constantine I the Great in the fourth century
, Christianity has grown into Romanized regions , that is to say
essentially the cities and coastal plains. However, these regions resent the omnipotence of imperial officials
and extreme centralization of the system , will welcome the ideas of
financial and commercial independence made by Islam.It
seems that in their offensive against the Byzantines, the Arab-Muslim
troops led by Uqba ibn Nafi reached the Atlantic from 681 . But
the mountain Berber tribes ( Confederation Masmouda established in the
Western High Atlas , Anti- Atlas , the Rif and the Atlantic plains,
Sanhadja , Middle Atlas , and Zenata , Eastern Morocco ), which n have not accepted more Byzantine rule than Rome , forcing them to retreat.The
real conquest begins twenty years later, between 705 and 707, under the
leadership of Musa ibn Nusayr who skilfully play cleavages between
Berber tribes . Promoting equality among all believers , supporters of the new religion lack administrative frameworks ; they
often find in mawalis ( freedmen, clients) , Christian scholars and
indigenous Jews , Berbers practicing Judaism , many of which eventually
converted, thereby avoiding the imposition affecting dhimmis - people of
the Book, Christians and Jews, protected by Islam, but subject to taxes to compensate for the ban was imposed on them to bear arms. Arabic implantation is however long and hard.Several Muslim dynasties , referring to religious reasons and prestige to an Arab origin, then rule the country. However , resistance to Islamization and the Arab domination is intense in some Berber regions . In
particular, it takes the form of Kharijism , a protest and egalitarian
Muslim movement based on a strict reading of the Qur'an and rejecting
the mode of succession of the caliphate , which emphasizes belonging to
the lineage of the Prophet or one of the first companions ( Ansar ) . In 742, a revolt shakes the Moroccan mountains . Tafilalet
( current region of Erfoud in the Southeast) , a Kharijite kingdom with
its capital remains long Sijilmassa trading post at the crossroads of
trade between the empires of the black African roads - Ghana and Mali -
and the Muslim world.In 788 , Idris I , a descendant of Ali, the Prophet's son , who fled Saudi , founded the dynasty Idrissid . It
is in this period that the foundation of the city of Fez , which became
an important religious and intellectual center during the reign of
Idris II. At his death in 828 , the kingdom Idrisid entering a period of decline. While
East undergoes raiding nomads , the Shiites of Egypt and the Umayyads
of Cordoba Fatimids , taking advantage of internal divisions that weaken
the dynasty, compete to extend their domination over Morocco. The Fatimids bear the
fatal blow to Idrisid dynasty in 917 ; recovery occurs from the Sahara.
4 . The first Berber dynasties
The
Almoravids (from the Arabic al- Murabitun ; murabit is the one who
practices the defense of Islam by arms and leads a pious life , the
Ribat are fortified convents installed on the front line between Islam
and non-
Muslims) , legalistic warriors of Islam , the movement was born in the
south of present-day Mauritania among nomadic Sanhadja , will dominate
the region from 1062 , when they founded Marrakech at the crossroads of
trade routes between the Arab world and the Sahara. Their expansion is both head of Muslim Spain , where they were called by a Muslim factions in power, and black Africa. In 1086 , they beat at Zellaca , King Alfonso IV . South , they win, in 1077 , a decisive victory over the Empire of Ghana , and taking control of the gold trade .In the early twelfth century , the Almoravid empire includes Muslim Spain, central and western Maghreb and the Sahara. But a new reform movement initiated by Ibn Tumart in the first half of the twelfth century , stands against them. This last fight against any deviation and preaches the oneness of God . The
coming to power of his disciples, the Almohads ( Arabic al- Muwahhidun ,
Unitarians ) in 1147 marked the triumph of sedentary Berbers Anti-
Atlas under the aegis Abd al -Mumin (1130 - 1163 ) . At
the height of their power, the Almohads exercise authority over the
current Algeria , Tunisia , Libya, as well as a part of Portugal and
Spain . The Islamic Maghreb takes the opportunity to also release the guardianship of the East.In
1212 , the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, on Spanish soil , in which
the Christian armies defeated the Muslim troops , marks the beginning of
the decline of the Almohads and Muslim Spain . Beni Merin , Arabized Berbers who were pushed to the south of Morocco by the Arab invasions, took the opportunity to raise. In 1269 , the Marinids manage to impose on the throne ; they fix their capital at Fez, they are overtaken by a new city , Fez el- Djedid (Fez -la- Neuve) . Mérinides can still maintain the Maghreb Almohad empire . They
lose control of the Saharan routes and engage in costly military
operations in the Iberian Peninsula , struggling against the advancing
Christian princes or taking sides in conflicts between Muslim princes. The Reconquista ( "reconquest" ) soon wins Moroccan territory itself. Spanish
and Portuguese coasts share spheres of influence : the Mediterranean
shores back to Spain and the Atlantic coast in Portugal falls . In 1415 , the port of Ceuta is taken Andalusian Muslims by the Portuguese ; Melilla fell to the Spaniards in 1497.
5 . The sharif dynasties
Progression of Europeans causes burst of Beni Saad (or Saadi ) . Claiming
the lineage of the Prophet, the sheriffs , or chorfas ( title given by
the Muslim descendants of Muhammad Ali and Fatima) , settled in the
south, in the valley of the Sub around Taroudant. They lead a holy war ( Jihad see ) against the Portuguese, they hunt Agadir in 1541 , then Safi. They then attack successors Merinids Wattassides . In 1549 , they seized Fez . Wattassides seek help Turks present in Algeria , but the Saadian make themselves masters of the country in 1554.Cautious , the Saadian sultans adopt an equilibrium between the Ottoman Turks and Westerners policy. In
1591 , the Saadian seeking the salt mines of the Sahara and gold from
Sudan, launched an expedition through the desert against the Songhai
Empire , established in the Niger valley . Sultan
Ahmad al- Mansur did not withdraw money hoped, but thereafter ,
Moroccan nationalists will build on this victory to claim the entire
region between Morocco and the northern shores of the Niger (North- Mali ) and Senegal ( Mauritania). The country benefits from immigration of nearly a million Moors (see Moors ) and Jews expelled from Spain after 1492. Morocco is the Saadian unified and relatively prosperous ; architecture and Moroccan arts experiencing significant growth at this time .Shortly
after the arrival of the first Saadian Saudi , immigrants claiming
descent from Hassan, one of the son of Ali , settled in the Tafilalet,
close to the desert . Using
the prestige accorded to them the Alawite descent, they are based on
the desire for independence locals to pose as pretenders to the throne .
In 1664 , Moulay Rachid founded the Alawite dynasty that still reigns today in Morocco.The dynasty reached its peak under Moulay Ismail (1672-1727) , the builder of Meknes. It
engages in the reconquest of the country on Christians ( Spaniards and
Portuguese ports occupant ) and leading the fight against the Ottomans. His reign was followed by a long period of family rivalries ,
punctuated with brief interludes of peace and relative prosperity .At
the end of the eighteenth century , only the northern third of Morocco
remains under the administration of the Sultan : the Bled el- Maghzen ,
countries subject to tax , so the chérifienne authority , while the rest
of the country is in quasi- disobedience ( Bled al- Siba , "country of dissent ").
