The wonder of Morocco

bn Batuta, an Islamic scholar, travel historian and explorer, had spent 29 years in travel, starting from Tangiers in Morocco, travelling to he river Volga in the North and to Guangzhou in the east. Stepping forth from Morocco, he might have been influenced by the Moroccan poverb,” hewho has nothing to die for, has nothing to live for.”

- NANDITA CHATTERJEE

For years, scholars have not ceased writing on this north African nation. Among the prominent publications, ” Morocco since 1830: A history” authored by C R Penell,(2000), provides a detailed historical account of Morocco against the backdrop of increased engagement by the European countries. Susan G Miller followed with “A History of modern Morocco” in 2013 and “ Jewish Morocco: A History from Pre Islamic to Post Colonial times” by Emily Benichou Gottreich was published in 2015.

Moroccois rightly described as ajewel in the crown of Africa. Located at the juncture of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and separated from South of Europe by the Strait of Gibraltar, it’s a primary gateway to the European continent.

Officially known as the Islamic kingdom of Morocco, this country is located in the Maghreb region of Northern Africa. Morocco’s history goes way into the past, as early as the 788 BC, being established by the Idrisid dynasty. It flourished in the Mand 12th centuries, under the patronage of the Almoravid and the Almohad dynasties, controlling most of the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb region. Despite increasing threats from the Ottoman empire and the Portuguese, Morocco succeeded in fending off the Ottoman aggression, under the leadership of the Marinid and the Saadi dynasties. In 1631, the Alwai dynasty came into power and continues to reign in present day Morocco, regaining independence in 1956 from the Spanish and Portuguese protectorates in Tangiers,and,rising to become one of the largest economies in the continent of Africa.