Lalla Batoul, modern Morocco’s first female political prisoner

In 1910, Lalla Batoul was arrested and tortured alongside her husband, the former Pasha of Fez. Her story rose to fame as she was considered modern Morocco’s first female political prisoner.

Ghailan, the restless warlord of northern Morocco

Ghailan or Guyland is a Moroccan warlord who dreamed of building his own emirate in northern Morocco. With his strong men, he won several battles and tried to seize English Tangier before being put to death by Moulay Ismail.

1554, when the Ottoman Empire briefly occupied the city of Fez

In January 1554, the Ottoman Empire and the Wattasids conquered the city of Fez and occupied it briefly before it was seized by the Saadi dynasty. The move was an attempt to add Morocco to its North Africa colony.

In the early 1900s, Moroccan entertainers performed in Broadway

Through a company called Hassan Ben Ali Arabs Co., a number of Moroccan entertainers left for the United States to perform in Broadway. They acted, danced and performed acrobatic feats in New York in several plays and shows during the beginning of the 20th century.

Mohammed Awzal, this Souss poet and his prominent Tashelhit manuscripts

Mohammed Awzal is seen as an important figure in the Tashelhit-language literary tradition. The Sufi poet was behind a number of manuscripts written in Tamazight during the 18th century.

In 1898, Spain wanted to sell the Sahara to the Austro-Hungarian Empire

After it was defeated by the United States, Spain decided to get rid of its colonies. In 1898, it planed to sell the Sahara to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

History : Hagia Sophia in the eyes of Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta

In his travelogue, Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta described the former basilica Saint Sophia, which has since become a museum. The building has made headlines recently because of its conversion into a mosque.

In 1624, an intense earthquake wrecked Fez and killed hundreds of its inhabitants

On May 11, 1624, the city of Fez was almost completely destroyed by one of the worst natural disasters in the history of Morocco. An intense earthquake hit the city, wrecked most of its districts and killed thousands of people.

Juan de Prado, the Franciscan executed by a Moroccan sultan

In 1631, a Spanish Franciscan was executed by Saadi sultan Al Walid ben Zidan. The latter ordered that the priest be burned after he came to Morocco to preach and comfort Christian slaves.

Hadj Mohammed Mesfewi, the Morocco serial killer who escaped crucifixion

In 1906, Marrakech-based shoemaker Hadj Mohammed Mesfewi was arrested for killing 36 women, stealing their money and burying them under his shop and in his garden. After he escaped crucifixion, Mesfewi was tortured and walled up alive.