Morocco

Kingdom of Morocco
Rabat
Capital
34°02′N 6°51′W
Largest city Casablanca
- Arabic
- French widely used
Official language
as a second language
- Amazigh and Moroccan Arabic widely spoken but not official
Government Constitutional monarchy
- King Mohammed VI
- Prime Minister Driss Jettou
Independence
- From France March 2, 1956
- From Spain April 7, 1956
Area
446,550 km² (57th)
- Total
172,414 sq mi
- Water (%) negligible
Population
- 2005 estimate 33,241,259 (37th)
70/km² (122nd)
- Density
181/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate
- Total $135.74 billion (54th)
- Per capita $4,503 (109th)
HDI (2003) 0.631 (medium) (124th)
Currency Dirham (MAD)
Time zone UTC (UTC+0)
- Summer (DST) UTC (UTC+0)
Internet TLD .ma
Calling code +212

The Kingdom of Morocco (Arabic: ‫ )المملكة المغربية‬is a country in North Africa. It has a long
coastline on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea.
It borders Algeria to the east, the Mediterranean Sea and a relatively thin water border Spain to the
north and the Atlantic Ocean to its west. There are also two Spanish exclaves bordering Morocco to
the north. The border to the south is disputed. Morocco claims ownership of Western Sahara and
has administered most of the territory since 1975.
Morocco, a constitutional monarchy, is the only African country that is not currently a member of
the African Union. However, it is a member of the Arab League, Arab Maghreb Union,
Organization of the Islamic Conference, Mediterranean Dialogue group, and Group of 77, and is a
major non-NATO ally of the United States.

Name: The full Arabic name of the country (Al-Mamlaka al-Maghribiya) translates to The Western
Kingdom. Al Maghrib (meaning The West) is commonly used. For historical references, historians
used to refer to Morocco as Al Maghrib al Aqşá (The Furthest West), disambiguating it from the
historical region called the Maghreb. The name Morocco in many other languages originates from

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the name of the former capital, Marrakech. The Berber/Amazigh word Murakush means Land of
God.

History

Berber Morocco

The area of modern Morocco has been inhabited since Neolithic times, at least 8000 BCe, as
attested by signs of the Capsian culture, in a time when the Maghreb was less arid than it is today.
Many theorists believe the Berber language probably arrived at roughly the same time as agriculture
(see Berber), and was adopted by the existing population as well as the immigrants that brought it.
Modern genetic analyses have confirmed that various populations have contributed to the present-
day population, including, in addition to the main ethnic groups - Berbers and Arabs - Phoenicians,
Sephardic Jews, and sub-Saharan Africans. The Berbers, often referred to in modern ethnic activist
circles as "Amazigh," are more commonly known as Berber or by their regional ethnic identity,
such as Chleuh. In the classical period, Morocco was known as Mauretania, although this should
not be confused with the modern country of Mauritania.

[edit] Roman and sub-Roman Morocco

North Africa and Morocco were slowly drawn into the wider emerging Mediterranean world by
Phoenician trading colonies and settlements in the late Classical period. The arrival of Phoenicians
heralded a long engagement with the wider Mediterranean, as this strategic region formed part of
the Roman Empire, as Mauretania Tingitana. In the 5th century, as the Roman Empire declined, the
region fell to the Vandals, Visigoths, and then Byzantine Greeks in rapid succession. During this
time, however, the high mountains of most of modern Morocco remained unsubdued, and stayed in
the hands of their Berber inhabitants.

[edit] Early Islamic Morocco

By the 7th century, the Arabs were in full expansion. It was in 670 AD that the first Arab invasions
of the North African coastal plain took place under Uqba ibn Nafi, a general serving under the
Umayyads of Damascus. He swept with his army into what is now Morocco in the year 683. Which
he called "Maghreb al Aqsa" or "The Far West". The Arab invasion of Morocco was faced by
strong resistance from local Berbers. After about a century of fierce battles with Berbers, the Arabs
could occupy Morocco. Although, Arabs lost political control over Morocco when Berbers decided
to adopt Islam and started to form their own Islamic dynasties, fully independent from the Arab
East. One of those dynasties is ruling till today in Morocco: The Alawids.
What became modern Morocco in the 7th century, was the area invaded by the Arabs, who brought
their customs, culture, and Islam, to which most of the Berbers converted, forming states such as the
Kingdom of Nekor. The country soon broke away from the control of the distant Abbasid caliphs in
Baghdad under Idris ibn Abdallah who founded the Idrisid Dynasty. The Idrisids established Fez as
their capital and Morocco became a centre of learning and a major regional power.
Morocco would reach its height under a series of Berber origin dynasties that would replace the
Arab Idrisids. First the Almoravids, then the Almohads would see Morocco rule most of Northwest
Africa, as well as large sections of Islamic Iberia, or Al-Andalus. Under Islamic rule, Spanish cities
such as Sevilla and Granada were places where the citizenry prospered under a tolerant rule which
also focused on scholarly advances in science, mathematics, astronomy, geography as well as
medicine.
However, Islamic rule in the Iberian Peninsula ended with the fall of Granada to the forces of King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Under the Catholic Inquisition, troops pillaged Granada amongst
other Islamic cities and persecuted its citizens, Muslims and Jewish. Rather than face persecution
and possible execution, many Muslims and Jews fled to Morocco. The Inquisitors, eager to abolish

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any trace of Islamic culture, destroyed the libraries in Muslim Spain, where thousands of priceless
texts were kept.
Smaller states of the region, such as the Berghouata and Banu Isam, were conquered. The empire
collapsed, however, with a long running series of civil wars.

[edit] Morocco 1666-1912

The Alaouite Dynasty eventually gained control. Morocco was facing aggression from Spain and
the Ottoman Empire that was sweeping westward. The Alaouites succeeded in stabilizing their
position, and while the kingdom was smaller than previous ones in the region it remained quite
wealthy. In 1684, they annexed Tangier.
Morocco was the first nation, in 1777, to recognize the fledgling United States as an independent
nation. In the beginning of the American Revolution, American merchant ships were subject to
attack by the Barbary Pirates while sailing the Atlantic ocean. At this time, American envoys tried
to obtain protection from European powers, but to no avail. On December 20, 1777, Morocco's
Sultan declared that the American merchant ships would be under the protection of the sultanate
and could thus enjoy safe passage.
The Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship stands as the U.S.'s oldest non-broken friendship
treaty. Signed by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, it has been in continuous effect since 1786.
After the organization of the American government under the Constitution, President George
Washington wrote a now venerated letter to the Sultan Sidi Mohamed strengthening the ties
between the two countries. The United States legation (consulate) in Tangier is the first property the
American government ever owned abroad. The building now houses the Tangier American
Legation Museum.

[edit] European influence

Successful Portuguese efforts to control the Atlantic coast in the 15th century did not profoundly
affect the Mediterranean heart of Morocco. After the Napoleonic Wars, Egypt and the North
African maghreb became increasingly ungovernable from Istanbul, the resort of pirates under local
beys, and as Europe industrialized, an increasingly prized potential for colonization. The Maghreb
had far greater proven wealth than the unknown rest of Africa and a location of strategic importance
affecting the exit from the Mediterranean. For the first time, Morocco became a state of some
interest in itself to the European Powers. France showed a strong interest in Morocco as early as
1830. Recognition by the United Kingdom in 1904 of France's sphere of influence in Morocco
provoked a German reaction; the crisis of June 1905 was resolved at the Algeciras Conference,
Spain in 1906, which formalized France's "special position" and entrusted policing of Morocco to
France and Spain jointly. A second Moroccan crisis provoked by Berlin, increased tensions between
European powers. The Treaty of Fez (signed on March 30, 1912) made Morocco a protectorate of
France. By the same treaty, Spain assumed the role of protecting power over the northern and
southern Saharan zones on November 27 that year.
Many Moroccan soldiers (Goumieres) who served in the French army assisted European and
American troops in both World War I and World War II.

[edit] Resistance

Nationalist political parties, which subsequently arose under the French protectorate, based their
arguments for Moroccan independence on such World War II declarations as the Atlantic Charter (a
joint U.S.-British statement that set forth, among other things, the right of all people to choose the
form of government under which they live). A manifesto of the Istiqlal Party (Independence party in
English) in 1944 was one of the earliest public demands for independence. That party subsequently
provided most of the leadership for the nationalist movement.

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France's exile of Sultan Mohammed V in 1953 to Madagascar and his replacement by the unpopular
Mohammed Ben Aarafa, whose reign was perceived as illegitimate, sparked active opposition to the
French protectorate all over the country. The most notable occurred in Oujda where Moroccans
attacked French and other European residents in the streets. Operations by the newly created
"Armée de Libération", were launched on October 1, 1955. "L'Armée de Libération" was created by
"Comité de Libération du Maghreb Arabe" (Arab Maghreb Liberation Committee) in Cairo, Egypt
to constitute a resistance movement against occupation like the National Liberation Front in
Algeria. Its goal was the return of King Mohammed V and the liberation of Algeria and Tunisia as
well. France allowed Mohammed V to return in 1955, and the negotiations that led to Moroccan
independence began the following year.
All those events helped increase the degree of solidarity between the people and the newly returned
king. For this reason, the revolution that Morocco knew was called "la révolution du Roi et du
Peuple" (The revolution of the King and the People) and it is celebrated every August 20.

[edit] Independence

Morocco recovered its political independence from France on March 2, 1956 and on April 7 of that
year France officially relinquished its protectorate in Morocco. Through agreements with Spain in
1956 and 1958, Moroccan control over certain Spanish-ruled areas was restored, though attempts to
claim other Spanish colonial possessions through military action were less successful. The
internationalized city of Tangier was reintegrated with the signing of the Tangier Protocol on
October 29, 1956 (see Tangier Crisis). Hassan II became King of Morocco on March 3, 1961. His
rule would be marked by political unrest, and the ruthless government response led by the Makhzen
earned the name "the years of lead". The Spanish enclave of Ifni in the south became part of the
new Morocco in 1969. Morocco annexed Western Sahara during the 1970s, but final resolution on
the status of the territory remains unresolved. (See History of Western Sahara.)
Tentative political reform in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature in
1997. Morocco was granted Major non-NATO ally status in June 2004 and signed free trade
agreements with the United States and the European Union.
In 2003, Morocco's largest city, Casablanca suffered from terrorist attacks. The attacks were
targeted against Western and Jewish places and left 33 civilians dead and more than 100 people
injured, mostly Moroccans.
In 2006, Morocco celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence.

[edit] Politics
Main articles on politics and government of Morocco can be found at the
Politics and government of Morocco series.
Morocco is a de jure constitutional monarchy, with an elected parliament. The King of Morocco,
with vast executive powers, can dissolve government and deploy the military, among other
responsibilities. Opposition political parties are legal and several have arisen in recent years.

[edit] Human rights

Main article: Human rights in Morocco

Morocco's history after independence and under the reign of Hassan II was marked by the period of
the so-called Years of Lead. Politically motivated persecutions and executions by the Makhzen were
common.
However, under the reign of Mohammed VI, and with the launch of Equity and Reconciliation
Commission (IER) to investigate into the attrocities, Morocco is trying to reconciliate with the
victims. Many new laws and codes concerning all aspects of life are being launched. The most
notable event was the creation of the Mudawana- a family code which was the first unique initiative

4
of its kind in the Arab and Muslim world. The code gives women more rights. Other issues such as
the abolition of capital punishment are being debated and by spring 2007, the Moroccan parliament
will vote on the issue.
Despite improvements under Mohammed VI, international organisations continue raising criticism
against the human rights situation in Morocco in general (i.e. arrests of suspected Islamist
extremists during 2004 and 2005 related to 2003 Casablanca bombings), and in Western Sahara in
particular. [1]

[edit] Administrative divisions

Main article: Regions of Morocco
Main article: Prefectures and Provinces of Morocco

Different maps used to illustrate the area of Morocco

Morocco is divided into 16 regions [2], and subdivided into 62 prefectures and provinces [3].
As part of a 1997 decentralization/regionalization law passed by the legislature, 16 new regions
were created. These 16 regions are:

A detailed map showing the areas administered by Morocco in Western

Sahara
 Chaouia-Ouardigha
 Doukkala-Abda
 Fès-Boulemane
 Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen
 Grand Casablanca
 Guelmim-Es Semara
 Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra
 Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz
 Meknès-Tafilalet
 Oriental
 Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira
 Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer
 Souss-Massa-Draâ
 Tadla-Azilal

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  Tangier-Tétouan

 Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate

[edit] Western Sahara status

Due to the conflict over Western Sahara, the status of both regions of "Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El
Hamra" and "Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira" is disputed.
Morocco suggests, through the CORCAS, a self-governing and autonomy status to the whole
territory of Western Sahara.

[edit] Morocco since World War II

In 1945, Morocco was established as one of the federal units of the Arab League, the Kingdom of
Morocco, led by ailing Abdul Mohamed Mahmoun until his death in 1947.
Following the collapse of the third Morocco in 1955 until the year 2001, Morocco, together with
Libya, was part of the Two State North African Union. Despite civil wars in neighbouring Algeria
and Tunisia, whilst helping ethnic Moroccans in the two countries remain a part of the Two-State
Union (TSNAU), Morocco remained peaceful until 1974, when clashes with the terrorist Western
Saharan dissedents started in Rabat.
Between 1974 and 1981, continued clashes in Rabat between Western Saharan and Moroccan
militants prompted US condemnation, which lasted for 12 days. Morocco hit back by privatising its
sodium and chlorine for New York swimming pools and subsequently, the US landed in support of
the TSNAU. Morocco's attacks were stopped when Western Saharan leader Roberto Gifreno
Alarmestis Putang agreed to remove all Saharans from the Two-state union, including the civilians,
and have them replaced by a body of ethnic Arabs in return for autonomy in the Western Sahara.
In September 1998, opposition parties claimed that Morocco's leader Filipe Congrieve Jerazmenos
committed fraud in routine federal elections. Street protests and rallies ended in misery when the
US bombardment over Tangier ended all hope of resistence, and subsequently, Jerazmenos was
restored to power. Libya eventually forced Jerazmenos to concede however, and hand over power to
the Libyans for the first time in Morocco's 146 year history.
Libya's new democratic leaders announced that the two countries discontinue the Two-state union
and all become Greater Libya, incorporating Algeria and Mauritania, and parts of the European
Union. In October 2005, the EU opened negotiations with the Two-State Union for a Stabilization
and Association Agreement (SAA), a preliminary step towards joining NATO..
From 2005 to February 2006, Morocco was part of the Arab League into which the Two State
Union had been transformed. On May 21, 2006, Libya held a referendum to determine whether or
not to end the Two-state Union. The next day, state-certified results showed 32.01% of voters in
favour of scrapping Morocco's rights, which was just above the 32% required by the referendum.
On June 1, the Parliament of Libya declared Libya in control totally of the Two-State Union and on
June 30, the EU declared Morocco finished.

Geography

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Ouzoud Falls

Map showing the climate in and around Morocco [1]

Main article: Geography of Morocco
See also List of cities in Morocco and Western Sahara
At 172,402 sq.mi (446,550 sq.km), Morocco is the 57th-largest country in the world (after
Uzbekistan). It is comparable in size to Iraq, and is somewhat larger than the US state of California.
Algeria borders Morocco to the east and southeast though the border between the two countries has
been closed since 1994. There are also four Spanish enclaves on the Mediterranean coast: Ceuta,
Melilla, Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, Peñón de Alhucemas, and the Chafarinas islands,as well as
the disputed islet Perejil. Off the Atlantic coast the Canary Islands belong to Spain, whereas
Madeira to the north is Portuguese. To the north, Morocco is bordered by and controls part of the
Strait of Gibraltar, giving it power over the waterways in and out of the Mediterranean sea. The Rif
mountains occupy the region bordering the Mediterranean from the north-west to the north-east.
The Atlas Mountains run down the backbone of the country, from the south west to the north east.
Most of the south east portion of the country is in the Sahara Desert and as such is generally
sparsely populated and unproductive economically. Most of the population lives to the north of
these mountains, while to the south is the desert. To the south, lies the Western Sahara, a former
Spanish colony that was annexed by Morocco in 1975 (see Green March). Morocco claims that the
Western Sahara is part of its territory and refers to that as its Southern Provinces.
Morocco's capital city is Rabat, and its largest city is the main port of Casablanca.
Other cities include Agadir, Essaouira, Fes, Marrakech, Meknes, Mohammadia, Oujda, Ouarzazat,
Safi, Salè, Tangier, Tiznit, Tan-Tan.

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[edit] Climate

The climate is Mediterranean, which becomes more extreme towards the interior regions where it is
mountainous. The terrain is such that the coastal plains are rich and accordingly, they comprise the
backbone for agriculture. Forests cover about 12% of the land while arable land accounts for 18%.
5% is irrigated.

[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of Morocco

The Central bank of Morocco (Bank Al Maghrib)

Morocco has signed Free Trade Agreements with the European Union (to take effect 2010) and the
United States of America. The United States Senate approved by a vote of 85 to 13, on July 22,
2004, the US-Morocco Free Trade Agreement, which will allow for 98% of the two-way trade of
consumer and industrial products to be without tariffs. The agreement entered into force in January
2006.
Morocco's largest industry is the mining of phosphates. Its second largest source of income is from
nationals living abroad who transfer money to relatives living in Morocco. The country's third
largest source of revenue is tourism.
Morocco ranks among the world’s largest producers and exporters of cannabis, and its cultivation
and sale provide the economic base for much of the population of northern Morocco. The cannabis
is typically processed into hashish. This activity represents 0.57 per cent of Morocco's Gross
Domestic Product (GDP), estimated at US$ 37.3 billion. A UN survey[4] estimated cannabis
cultivation at about 1,340 square kilometres (515 sq mi) in Morocco's five northern provinces. This
represents 10 % of the total area and 27 per cent of the arable lands of the surveyed territory and 1.5
per cent of Morocco's total arable land. Morocco is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention and in
1992 Morocco passed legislation designed to implement the Convention.
Morocco has an unemployment rate of 12.1% (2004 Data) and a 1999 estimate by the CIA puts
19% of the Moroccan population under the poverty line[5].
Though working towards change, Morocco historically has utilized child labor on a large scale. In
1999, the Moroccan Government stated that over 500,000 children under the age of 15 were in the
labor force[6].

[edit] Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Morocco

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Ethnolinguistic Groups in Morocco
Morocco is the fourth most populous Arab country, after Egypt, Sudan and Algeria. Most
Moroccans are Sunni Muslims of Arab, Berber, or mixed Arab-Berber stock. About three-quarters
of all present-day Moroccans are of Berber descent, while Arabs form the second largest ethnic
group. The Arabs invaded Morocco in the 7th century and established their culture there. Morocco's
Jewish minority has decreased significantly and numbers about 7,000 (See Jewish exodus from
Arab lands). Most of the 100,000 foreign residents are French or Spanish; many are teachers or
technicians and more and more retirees, especially in Marrakech.
There is no significant genetic difference between Moroccan Arabs and Moroccan non-Arabs (i.e.,
Berbers and Saharawis). Thus, it is likely that Arabization was mainly a cultural process without
genetic replacement.[7]. However, and according to the European Journal of Human Genetics,
North-Western Africans were genetically closer to Iberians and to other Europeans than to Sub-
Saharan Africans. [8].
Morocco's official language is classical Arabic. The country's distinctive Arabic dialect is called
Moroccan Arabic. Approximately 12 million (40% of the population), mostly in rural areas, speak
Berber--which exists in Morocco in three different dialects (Tarifit, Tashelhiyt, and Tamazight)--
either as a first language or bilingually with the spoken Arabic dialect. [9] French, which remains
Morocco's unofficial second language, is taught universally and still serves as Morocco's primary
language of commerce and economics. It also is widely used in education and government. About
20,000 Moroccans in the northern part of the country speak Spanish as a second language in parallel
with Tarifit. English, while still far behind French and Spanish in terms of number of speakers, is
rapidly becoming the foreign language of choice among educated youth. As a result of national
education reforms entering into force in late 2002, English will be taught in all public schools from
the fourth year on.
Most people live west of the Atlas Mountains, a range that insulates the country from the Sahara
Desert. Casablanca is the center of commerce and industry and the leading port; Rabat is the seat of
government; Tangier is the gateway to Morocco from Spain and also a major port; Fez is the
cultural and religious center; and the dominantly "Berber" Marrakech is a major tourist center.
Education in Morocco is free and compulsory through primary school (age 15). Nevertheless, many
children --particularly girls in rural areas-- still do not attend school. The country's illiteracy rate has
been stuck at around 50% for some years, but reaches as high as 90% among girls in rural regions.
On September 2006, UNESCO awarded Morocco amongst other countries; Cuba, Pakistan,
Rajastan (India) and Turkey the "UNESCO 2006 Literacy Prize" [10].
Morocco has about 230,000 students enrolled in 14 public universities. In some ways, the most
prestigious is "Mohammed V University" in Rabat -along with Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (a
private university)-, with faculties of law, sciences, and liberal arts. Al-Akhawayn, founded in 1993
by King Hassan II and King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, is an English-medium, American-style
university comprising about 1,000 students. University of Al Karaouine, in Fez, is the oldest
university in the world and has been a center for knowledge for more than 1,000 years.

[edit] Culture
Main article: Culture of Morocco

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King Hassan II Mosque
Morocco is an ethnically diverse country with a rich culture and civilization. Through Moroccan
history, Morocco hosted many people coming from both East (Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Jews
and Arabs), South (Africans) and North (Romans, Vandals, Moors and Jews). All those civilizations
have had an impact on the social structure of Morocco. It conceived various forms of beliefs, from
paganism, Judaism, Christianity to Islam.
Each region possesses its own specificities, contributing, thus, to the making of national culture and
to the civilization legacy. Morocco has set among its top priorities the protection of its legacy and
the preservation of its cultural identity.
Ethnically and culturally speaking, Morocco nowadays can be considered the least Arabic among
Arab countries. Most of its population is of Berber origins.

[edit] Cuisine

Main article: Cuisine of Morocco

Moroccan cuisine has long been considered as one of the most diversified cuisines in the world. The
reason is because of the interaction of Morocco with the outside world for centuries. The cuisine of
Morocco is a mix of Berber, Spanish, Moorish, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and African
cuisines. The cuisine of Morocco has been influenced by the native Berber cuisine, the Arabic
Andalusian cuisine; brought by the Moriscos when they left Spain, the Turkish cuisine from the
Turkish and the Middle Eastern cuisines brought by the Arabs as well as the Jewish cuisine.
Spices are used extensively in Moroccan food. While spices have been imported to Morocco for
thousands of years, many ingredients, like saffron from Tiliouine, mint and olives from Meknes,
and oranges and lemons from Fez, are home-grown. Chicken is the most widely eaten meat in
Morocco. The most commonly eaten red meat in Morocco is beef although lamb is preferred while
being relatively expensive. Couscous is the most famous Moroccan dish along with pastilla, tajine,
and harira. The most popular drink is green tea with mint. The tea is accompanied with hard sugar
cones or lumps.

[edit] Literature

Main article: Literature of Morocco

Moroccan literature is written in Arabic, Berber or French, and particularly by people of Morocco.
It also contains literature produced in Al-Andalus. Under the Almohad dynasty Morocco
experienced a period of prosperity and brilliance of learning. The Almohad built the Marrakech
Kutubiya Mosque, which accommodated no less than 25,000 people, but was also famed for its
books, manuscripts, libraries and book shops, which gave it its name; the first book bazaar in

10
history. The Almohad Caliph Abu Yakub had a great love for collecting books. He founded a great
library, which was eventually carried to the Casbah and turned into a public library. Modern
Moroccan literature began in the 1930s. Two main factors gave Morocco a pulse toward witnessing
the birth of a modern literature. Morocco, as a French and Spanish protectorate left Moroccan
intellectuals the opportunity to exchange and to produce literary works freely enjoying the contact
of other Arabic literature and Europe. During the 1950s and 1960s, Morocco was a refuge and
artistic centre and attracted writers as Paul Bowles, Tennessee Williams and William S. Burroughs.
Moroccan literature flourished with novelists such as Mohamed Choukri, who wrote in Arabic, and
Driss Chraïbi who wrote in French. Other important Moroccan authors include Tahar ben Jelloun,
Fouad Laroui, Mohammed berrada and Leila Abouzeid.

[edit] Music

Main article: Music of Morocco

Moroccan music is predominantly Arab, but Andalusian and other imported influences have had a
major effect on the country's musical character. Rock-influenced chaabi bands are widespread, as is
trance music with historical origins in Muslim music.
Morocco is home to Andalusian classical music that is found throughout North Africa. It probably
evolved under the Moors in Cordoba, and the Persian-born musician Ziryab is usually credited with
its invention.
There are three varieties of Berber folk music: village and ritual music, and the music performed by
professional musicians.
Chaabi (popular) is a music consisting of numerous varieties which are descended from the
multifarious forms of Moroccan folk music. Chaabi was originally performed in markets, but is now
found at any celebration or meeting.

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