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Morocco’s Ambassador to the UK has met his predecessor from over 400 years ago this week in Birmingham. During a visit to the Barber Institute of Fine Arts at the University of Birmingham, diplomat Hakim Hajoui encountered the portrait of Moroccan Ambassador Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud ben Mohammed Anoun.
Anoun led an embassy to London in 1600 to strengthen trade and diplomatic ties between Britain and Morocco. During this historical visit, it is believed that Anoun inspired William Shakespeare’s renowned character, Othello.
Anoun’s portrait, currently displayed at the Barber Institute gallery, is the earliest known British painting of a Muslim figure.
«This portrait is a powerful symbol of the deep historical ties between Morocco and the United Kingdom, dating back over eight centuries», said Ambassador Hajoui, who was visiting the University of Birmingham to explore its connections to Morocco and the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region.
The current Moroccan Ambassador to the UK 'met' his historic predecessor on campus this week!
His Excellency Hakim Hajoui visited @BarberInstitute to view the renowned portrait of the Moorish Ambassador (1600).
Find out how their meeting went! https://t.co/XqRHn1Ou6D pic.twitter.com/o46EAbPJHo— Uni of Birmingham (@unibirmingham) January 14, 2025
«We are honored to welcome His Excellency to our beautiful Birmingham campus as we mark our 125th anniversary this year. We are a global civic university committed to improving people’s lives, and we are proud to provide world-class education, research, and civic leadership to the MENA region through the University of Birmingham Dubai», commented University of Birmingham Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Tickell.
Saadi Sultan Ahmed al-Mansour sent his principal secretary, Anoun, who later became ambassador to the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1600. Under the orders of the Saadi Sultan, Anoun visited London with a delegation to promote the new alliance and negotiate a joint invasion of Spain.
With 16 diplomatic officials from the North African dynasty, the ambassador arrived in Dover, a town and port in southeast England. During his six-month stay in England, Anoun met the Queen twice—on August 19th and again on September 10th.
In 2022, the University of Birmingham lent Anoun’s portrait to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art as a key part of the touring exhibition The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England. The painting was also showcased at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio, and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco in 2023.
Anoun’s portrait belongs to the University’s Research and Cultural Collections and has been on loan to the Barber Institute—its art museum and collection—since June, with the display running until January 27.
