Jewish pilgrimage in Morocco #1 : Khalifa Ben Malka, the saint of Agadir’s old cemetery

Every year, Jews gather in Morocco to conclude tomb pilgrimage. One of the tombs visited annually by the Moroccan Jewish community is the one of rabbi Khalifa Ben Malka who lived in the 17th century in Agadir.

History : When Moulay Ismail forcibly enslaved Haratin to establish a «black army»

By the end of the 17th century, sultan Moulay Ismail decided to forcibly enslave all «blacks» in the Kingdom, including those who were free. Inspired by the Saadi dynasty, the sultan wanted to create an army based on slavery which angered Muslim scholars in Fez.

Algeria : When Abdelaziz Bouteflika adopted a conciliatory stance towards Morocco

When Abdelaziz Bouteflika won presidential elections in Algeria, he promised to restore diplomatic ties with Morocco. However, once in power, the politician adopted a conciliatory stance towards the Kingdom.

History : When Moulay Ismail put Christian slaves to hard labor in Meknes

In the seveteenth century, sultan Moulay Ismail grouped Christian slaves in Meknes to build him a palace that would outshine «Louis XIV’s at Versailles». Trying to escape hard labor, these slaves paid smugglers to flee the powerful Alaouite sultan.

History : The UK feared Gaddafi would launch an air attack on Gibraltar through Morocco

The UK feared Gaddafi would launch an air attack against Gibraltar through Morocco. Unclassified documents, revealed that London took the threats seriously, giving military guidelines to its forces on the Rock.

History : When King Hassan II reached an agreement with Bouteflika on the Sahara issue

In 1999, and months after he passed away, King Hassan II reached an agreement with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on the Western Sahara conflict, US Department of State document reveals. 

Isaac de Razilly, when a member of the French navy blockaded Rabat and Salé

In 1629, French navy member Isaac de Razilly sailed to Morocco to free Christian subjects, enslaved by Rabat and Salé’s corsairs. Razilly blockaded the two cities, leading to a civil war that weakened the country’s pirates.

History : When Thami El Glaoui was turned away during Queen Elizabeth II's coronation

In June, 1953, Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation took place in London. Pasha Thami El Glaoui was one of the figures who attended the ceremony, during which he was humiliated and turned away.

History : When a foreign merchant described the atrocities of the 1799 plague in Mogador

In his 1820 account, a foreign merchant in Mogador described the fear, calamities and deaths that accompanied the 1799 plague. James G. Jackson's detailed letteres addressed the rise, progress and decrease of the epidemy that killed thousands of people in Morocco.

History : When Morocco’s communist party backed the creation of Israel

After David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the state of Israel, the Soviet Union was quick to recognize the entity as a new nation. This decision influenced communist parties in the Arab world, including the Moroccan communist party.