October 1963, when Jacqueline Kennedy visited Morocco one month before her husband’s assassination

In October 1963, the wife of the 35th US president arrived in Marrakech in one of her first private visits to Morocco. Jacqueline Kennedy’s trip to the Kingdom came just a month before her husband’s assassination and a few months after King Hassan II’s trip to Washington. Flashback.

Kippur War : Were Moroccan soldiers betrayed behind enemy lines by Syrian forces?

As part of the eight Arab countries that fought the October war, Morocco sent the one and only battalion it possesses in 1973 to Syria. Once there, Moroccan soldiers fought bravely on the Golan Heights even though they were betrayed by their Syrian counterparts. Flashback.

6th of October 1973 : When Morocco participated to the Yom Kippur war

Morocco was one of the eight Arab countries that participated to the Yom Kippur war, fought between from the 6th to teh 25th of October 1973. King Hassan II ordered Moroccan soldiers to take part of one of the deadliest Arab-Israeli wars in the history of the Middle East. Flashback.

History : When King Hassan II forbade Moroccans from celebrating Eid al-Adha

In 1963, 1981 and 1996, the late king Hassan II ordered Moroccans to call off Eid al-Adha. Not celebrating the annual feast was due to several reasons such as the economic crisis, drought and the state of the herd; however, these explanations convinced Moroccans only twice.

History : Abdelhalim Hafed’s astounding story about the 1971 attempted coup d’état

In Morocco, Egyptian singer Abdelhalim Hafed lived one of the scariest moments of his life. Invited by King Hassan II, he was held in Rabat’s main radio station taken over by rebels during the 1971 attempted coup d’état.

King Hassan II's unique Hijri calendar watch by Breguet and Chaumet

King Hassan II of Morocco, known for his elegance and refined taste, owned a unique luxury watch crafted by Breguet and Chaumet in 1985, featuring a Hijri instantaneous triple calendar. This masterpiece, designed with exceptional attention to detail and fit for royalty, was sold to the late King for 500,000 French Francs.

Lalla Latifa, a discreet legacy in Moroccan royalty

The life of Lalla Latifa, mother of King Mohammed VI and widow of late King Hassan II, was marked by her noble lineage and discreet presence within Morocco's royal family. 

Ousmane, the Amazigh Beatles who caught the ear of King Hassan II

Founded in the early 1970s, the short-lived Amazigh group Ousmane helped pave the way for a new generation of musical formations despite their brief time together. Considered by their fans to be the Beatles of Morocco, they were the first of their kind to perform at the prestigious Olympia in Paris.

King Mohammed VI's former manor in France has not been listed for sale [Erratum]

King Hassan II of Morocco, the first monarch to patent an invention in the United States

In 1989, King Hassan II of Morocco received a patent for a groundbreaking medical invention: a device utilizing video technology to analyze heart performance. This achievement solidified him as the first monarch to ever secure a patent in the United States.