In the 1590s, Saadi sultan Ahmad al-Mansur appointed Spanish military leader Judar Pasha to lead a campaign, conquering the Songhai empire in West Africa. Thanks to his army, Morocco took control of gold and salt trade routes.
In 1578, three of the most courageous kings marked history in one of the largest wars ever fought in North Africa between 1400 and 1700. Sultan Abd al Malik, the dethroned sultan Mohammed Al Motawakkil and the Portuguese King, Sebastian I were all killed in the battle known as Alcacer Quibir.
Sebastianism is a myth that emerged after the death of King Sebastian of Portugal in the 1578 Battle of Ksar El Kebir, fueled by the absence of his body and hopes of his return to save the nation. The belief, later politicized during Spanish rule and revived in 19th-century Brazil, came to symbolize unrealistic hope and denial of reality.
Ali Nadi, the last Moroccan goumier passed away a few days ago in his small village in the Atlas Mountains. Father of four children, Ali was one of the Moroccan soldiers who fought to liberate Corsica in 1943. He was decorated with the Legion of Honor and later elevated to the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor by Francois Hollande, the former French President in 2013.