The region constituting Morocco has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era, more than 300,000 years ago. The Moroccan state traces its origins to the establishment of the Idrisid dynasty by Idris I in 788, although its historical territories did not coincide with those of present-day Morocco; the country is regarded as one of the world's oldest continuously existing states. Morocco was subsequently ruled by a series of other independent dynasties, reaching its zenith as a regional power in the 11th and 12th centuries, under the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties, both Berber kingdoms, when it controlled the southern and eastern Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Morocco faced external threats to its sovereignty, with Portugal seizing some territory and the Ottoman Empire encroaching from the east. The Marinid and Saadi dynasties otherwise resisted foreign domination, and Morocco was the only North African nation to escape Ottoman dominion. The Saadi dynasty expanded its territory through the conquest of the Songhai Empire in the late 16th century. The Alawi dynasty, which rules the country to this day, seized power in 1631, and over the next two centuries expanded diplomatic and commercial relations with the Western world. It is among the world's oldest reigning royal dynasties. Morocco's strategic location near the mouth of the Mediterranean drew renewed European interest. In 1912, France and Spain established protectorates over the country and designated Tangier as an international zone, while the Sultan remained the formal sovereign with limited authority under colonial control. Following intermittent riots and revolts against colonial rule, Morocco regained its independence and reunified in 1956 under the leadership of Sultan Mohammed V.
Since independence, Morocco has remained relatively stable. It has the fifth-largest economy in Africa and wields significant influence in both Africa and the Arab world; it is considered a middle power in global affairs and holds membership in the Arab League, the Arab Maghreb Union, the Union for the Mediterranean, and the African Union. It is one of the few countries in Africa ranking high on the Human Development Index and is Africa's leading industrial economy. Morocco is a unitary semi-constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The executive branch is led by the King of Morocco and the prime minister, while legislative power is vested in the two chambers of parliament: the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. Judicial power rests with the Constitutional Court, which may review the validity of laws, elections, and referendums. The king holds vast executive and legislative powers, especially over the military, foreign policy and religious affairs; he can issue dahirs, decrees which have the force of law, and he can also dissolve the parliament after consulting the prime minister and the president of the constitutional court. Morocco is classified as a hybrid regime and, as of 2025, holds the highest ranking in the Arab world, according to The Economist Democracy Index. Islam is both the official and predominant religion, with nearly all of the population identifying as Muslims. Arabic and Tamazight are the official languages, though the Moroccan dialect of Arabic (known locally as Darija) is widely spoken and considered the lingua franca. The culture of Morocco is a mix of Arab, Berber, Andalusian, and African cultures. Morocco is considered an important country of the Maghreb region of the Arab world.
The Mudawana (or Moudawana, Arabic: المدوّنة, lit.'code'), short for mudawwanat al-aḥwāl ash-shakhṣiyyah (مدونة الأحوال الشخصية, lit.'personal status code'), is the personal status code, also known as the family code, in Moroccan law. It concerns issues related to the family, including the regulation of marriage, polygamy, divorce, inheritance, and child custody. Originally based on the Maliki school of SunniIslamic jurisprudence, it was codified after the country gained independence from France in 1956. Its most recent revision, passed by the Moroccan parliament in 2004, was praised by human rights activists for its measures to address women's rights and gender equality within an Islamic legal framework.
Although there were calls for reform to the family law in the 1960s and 1970s, its religious origins made amending it a challenge, and no serious movement for reform emerged until the 1980s. As a result of newly created civil society organizations, including many women's organizations, and increased international attention on women's rights, modest reforms to the Mudawana were enacted in 1993 under King Hassan II. Following this initial change, increased activism resulted in the articulation of a Plan of Action for the Integration of Women in Development, which drew heavily from secular, rights-based frameworks. This sparked fierce debate and opposition within Moroccan political elites and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Moroccan society and culminated in two rallies in Casablanca and Rabat in March 2000 – one in support of reform and one in opposition to it. This occurred shortly after Mohammad VI succeeded his father as King, and within a year of the rallies, he announced the formation of a commission to further reform the Mudawana. In 2003, he announced his intention to replace the code entirely, citing his authority as both spiritual and political leader of the nation, and by January 2004, the Moroccan parliament had ratified the new version.
Major components of the reforms included raising the minimum legal age of marriage to 18 for men and women, establishing joint responsibility for the family among men and women, limiting the terms of polygamy and divorce, and granting women more rights in the negotiation of marriage contracts, among other provisions. Supporters of the reforms point to broad support for them among Moroccan society, especially among women, and cite the new law as a successful example of a progressive reform framed in indigenous, Islamic principles. Critics of the reforms point to the elitist roots of the movements that advocated for the reforms, the influence of Western secular principles, and the many barriers to the law's implementation within Moroccan society. (Full article...)
The following are images from various Morocco-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1Zaalouk is an eggplant dip served as a cold appetizer; made with eggplant, tomatoes, and aromatic herbs, and drizzled with olive oil, it is enjoyed throughout Morocco and across other Mediterranean cultures. (from Culture of Morocco)
Image 4A plate of Moroccan pastries. Almonds, sugar, honey are the sesame seeds and orange blossoms are the main ingredients for the preparations of sweets, cakes, pastries in Morocco (from Culture of Morocco)
Image 5The Berber entrepot Sijilmassa along the trade routes of the Western Sahara, c. 1000–1500. Goldfields are indicated by light brown shading (from History of Morocco)
Image 6Extent of the Saadian empire at the beginning of the 17th century (from History of Morocco)
Image 8Ahwach a traditional dance performed during Yennayer and symbolizing unity. The women all dance under the same long veil (from Culture of Morocco)
Image 9Taburida, a traditional Arab exhibition of horsemanship performed during festivals (from Culture of Morocco)
Image 11Sultan Abd-al-Aziz with his bicycle in 1901. The young sultan was noted for his capricious spending habits, which exacerbated a major trade deficit (from History of Morocco)
Image 13Tajine Djaj Zitoune; one of the numerous Moroccan Tajine and the most well known. It is made of chicken, olives and candied lemon (from Culture of Morocco)
Image 14Group of Moroccan women; some of them wear a Gandoura and others Jellabas. The Gandoura doesn't have a hood (from Culture of Morocco)
Image 23The sweet and savory luxurious Tajine Lham Bel Berkouk, made with lamb, prunes, apricots and almonds. It is a consumed during Moroccan weddings (from Culture of Morocco)
Image 24Idrisid dirham, minted at al-'Aliyah (Fes), Morocco, 840 CE. The coin features the name of Ali: a son-in-law of Muhammad, the fourth Caliph, and an ancestor of the Idrisids.
Image 27Pastilla/Bstlla is an other dish that can be either salty or sweet and savory. A regal dish from the city of Fez; it is a pie dusted with sugar and filled with beef (or pigeon, following the medieval recipe). A version with seafood, lemon, and vermicelli also exists. (from Culture of Morocco)
Image 30Zaazaa the traditional Moroccan avocado smoothie, it can be found in the street food stalls and restaurants in the city of Fes (from Culture of Morocco)
Image 31Two famous moroccan pastries: Chebakia (on the left) and the triangular Briouates. Chebakia are eaten dipped in the Harira Soup and Briouates both exist in a sweet version (the one we see on this picture) and salty (as an appetizer baked with brick puff pasty sheet with meat) (from Culture of Morocco)
Image 35The Almohad empire at its greatest extent, c. 1180–1212 (from History of Morocco)
Image 36Portrait of his excellency Mohamed Ben Ali abgali with Al sulham, ambassador of the King of Morocco to the court of Saint James. August 1725. He wears a traditional Moroccan Burnous. (from Culture of Morocco)
Image 46Couscous is traditionally enjoyed on Friday, the holy day in Islam. Garnished with vegetables and chickpeas, it is served communally. (from Culture of Morocco)
The city was founded circa 1070 by Abu Bakr ibn Umar as the capital of the Almoravid dynasty. The Almoravids established the first major structures in the city and shaped its layout for centuries to come. The red walls of the city, built by Ali ibn Yusuf in 1122–1123, and various buildings constructed in red sandstone afterwards, have given the city the nickname of the "Red City" or "Ochre City". Marrakesh grew rapidly and established itself as a cultural, religious, and trading centre for the Maghreb. After a period of decline, Marrakesh regained its status in the early 16th century as the capital of the Saadian dynasty, with sultans Abdallah al-Ghalib and Ahmad al-Mansur embellishing the city with an array of monuments. Beginning in the 17th century, the city became popular among Sufi pilgrims for its seven patron saints who are buried within it. In 1912, the French Protectorate in Morocco was established and T'hami El Glaoui became Pasha of Marrakesh and generally held this position until the independence of Morocco and the reestablishment of the monarchy in 1956. (Full article...)
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↑In the 2014 census, the High Commission for Planning gave the legal population of Casablanca as 3,359,818, which corresponds to the population of Casablanca Prefecture.
↑In the 2014 census, the High Commission for Planning gave the legal population of Fez as 1,112,072, which corresponds to the combined population of those parts of Fez Prefecture not within the cercle of Fez Banlieue ("suburbs").
↑In the 2014 census, the High Commission for Planning gave the legal population of Marrakesh as 928,850, which corresponds to the combined population of the municipality of Méchouar-Kasba and the five arrondissements of Annakhil, Gueliz, Marrakech-Médina, Ménara and Sidi Youssef Ben Ali.
↑In the 2014 census, the High Commission for Planning gave the legal population of Meknes as 632,079, which corresponds to the combined population of the municipalities of Meknes, Al Machouar – Stinia, Toulal and Ouislane.
↑In the 2014 census, the High Commission for Planning gave the legal population of Rabat as 577,827, which corresponds to the population of Rabat Prefecture.
↑The population figure refers only to the urban centre (HCP geographic code[fr] 09.001.05.09.3) of the rural commune of Drargua.
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