The colorful, tolerant North African Kingdom of Morocco has been attracting artists, writers, filmmakers, stars, hippies, designers, culture-lovers and famous retirees for over a century. From a brief look at Morocco’s geographical situation and cultural influences, it is easy to see why. Morocco is in the north-west corner of Africa, where the continent pushes up almost to Spain only 13 miles/20 km away across the Straits of Gibraltar, making it easily accessible from many European cities.
Morocco has a long western coastline bordering the Atlantic, and a shorter northern shore along the southern Mediterranean Sea. Only a little bigger than California, which in some ways it resembles, its 32 million people live mainly in the coastal areas, while the rest of the country is dominated by spectacular mountain ranges or dramatic stretches of desert.
The Rif Mountains behind the north coastal plain, the Atlas ranges including the snow-capped High Atlas in the centre and south, and the stretches of untamed Sahara desert in the south-east of Morocco combine to offer an enormous variety of scenery. Along with all this comes a climatic range from Mediterranean to warm desert and semi-desert, making Morocco very attractive to Europeans in search of sun and exotic cultures all year round, but especially during the winter months.
Morocco’s Early Cultural Influences
Because of its geographical position, with Arab countries to the east, Mediterranean Europe to the north and sub-Saharan Africa to the south, Morocco has been open to many cultural influences in its long history. Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans all left their mark, particularly in the coastal areas, leaving the mountains and desert to the Berber people. Then, in the 7th century, waves of Arab invaders brought Islam and the Arabic language to the whole of North Africa.
Dominant Arab and French Cultural Influences in Morocco Today
The form of Islam practiced in Morocco is Sunni, which is traditionally tolerant and open to ideas from other cultures.
Arab rule established powerful, wealthy states (caliphates) along the coast, based on trade (often involving piracy and slavery) with the Middle East and sub-Saharan West Africa.
These states encouraged fine architecture and craftsmanship, and in the case of Morocco the most powerful state evolved into a monarchy.
The Kingdom of Morocco became a protectorate of France in 1912, and did not regain its independence until 1956.
French influence can be seen in the retention of French as Morocco’s second language, the increasing use of the euro as well as Morocco’s own currency, the dirham, and many cultural ties with France.
