Morocco
An introduction to the exhibition
Morocco, bordered by two seas and a desert, cleft by mountain ranges, with caravan routes, steppe-like plateaus and coastal plains filled with figs, olives and vines, the land of kasbahs, ksars, minarets and mosques, where craft traditions live on in colourful ceramics, harmonious mosaics, delicate woodcarving and impressive jewellery, the domain of Berbers and Arabs, Muslims, Jews, Christians and Africans, a colourful mixture - that Morocco has a uniquely rich and varied culture.
In the Arabic-Islamic world Morocco is known as Al Maghrib Al Aqsa, the Far West. It was not by chance that the previous king, Hassan II, built one of the largest mosques in the world on the most westerly point in Africa, in Casablanca. For Europe, however, Morocco, a corruption of the famous city Marrakech, has always been the Nearest East.
The European powers divided Africa between them in the 19th century, but Morocco remained independent until 1912. Forty-four years of being a French and Spanish protectorate in the 20th century undoubtedly left their mark, but Moroccan society absorbed these influences in its own way, just as it had thousands of years earlier with the Carthaginian, Roman, Jewish, Christian and Arabic-Islamic influences.
The Netherlands and Morocco
Relations between the Netherlands and Morocco have a long history. The first official contact between the young republic and the sultanate of Morocco came about in 1605. This led to an official treaty in 1610, which made it possible for Dutch ships to seek shelter in Moroccan ports where they were safe from the notorious pirates of Salé, an ancient fortress north of the present Rabat. Moreover, this was a blow against the common enemy, Spain.
Relations took on an entirely different dimension with the arrival of Moroccan immigrants in the 1960s. By 2004 over 300,000 people who were born in Morocco or had Moroccan parents were living in the Netherlands.
The land of Morocco
Morocco is an 'island' surrounded by three seas: the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Sahara. From each of these seas came new peoples, with new traditions and customs which were absorbed in Morocco and produced a unique society. Furthermore, the land is crossed by three great mountain ranges including the northern Rif, the Central and Southern Atlas, which cleaves through almost the whole country, and the southern Anti-Atlas, beyond which lies the Sahara.
As a result of these geographical factors, Morocco is at the crossroads of civilisations. It belongs to the Mediterranean world, to which the climate, population and way of life are very similar. Morocco was subject to the influence of the Carthaginians, was part of the Roman Empire and formed links with the Arab world after Arabisation and Islamisation in the 8th century. But Morocco is also an Atlantic country, with several ports which were often windows to the west. And for centuries it was in touch through the caravan routes across the Sahara with the Bilad as-Sudan, the Land of the Blacks.
The earliest history and the first visitors
In Greek mythology Morocco is presented as a legendary garden of delight. It was not by accident that the Greeks situated the famous Garden of the Hesperides here. This was where Heracles stole the golden apples. Research has shown that in the earliest times Morocco was a region with a rich flora and fauna inhabited by an indigenous population. Some remarkable objects from this period form the start of the exhibition. From the 10th century BC the ships of the Phoenicians and later the Carthaginians appeared off the coasts. They established the first trading settlements at strategic points on the coast such as Tangier, Lixus and Sala. The kingdom of Mauritania slowly came into being; it included almost the whole northern half of the country. After the fall of Carthage, Morocco came under Roman rule. In 46 BC the entire royal family was taken to Rome, where the son of the king, Juba II, was brought up at the court of the Emperor Augustus. In 25 BC Augustus gave the country back to the young Juba II, who married Cleopatra Selene, the daughter of Mark Anthony and the famous Cleopatra. The bronze portrait of the young Moroccan king is one of the highlights of the exhibition, together with a large group of impressive bronzes from the Archaeological Museum of Rabat. After 42 Morocco became a Roman province, Mauretania Tingitana. Rome's profound influence is best seen today in the imposing remains of the once powerful city of Volubilis, close to modern Meknès. The exhibition offers an unusual view of this aspect of Morocco, which is not widely known: splendid Roman jewellery, large mosaics and the impressive group of bronzes already mentioned.
After the fall of the Roman Empire in 429, Morocco was ravaged by the Vandals, a Germanic tribe, and several places on the coast were occupied by the Byzantines.
Islamisation and the great dynasties
The coming of the Muslims after 647 brought about enormous change. Islam took the place of all the existing religions, although they did not disappear completely. Judaism, in particular, which had existed for centuries, survived and flourished. A large part of the exhibition is devoted to this period of Islam: the rich earthenware from Fès, with its unique colours and patterns, the splendid woodcarving on ceilings and windows, the opulent jewellery of the Berbers and the precious treasures from the mosques and the Koran schools, i.e. the medersas.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is the minbar (the pulpit from which the imam delivers his sermon during Friday prayers) from the Medersa Abû Inanya. The delicate woodcarving on this national treasure from Fès, dating from 1350, reveals the fabulous skill of the Moroccan craftsmen. Also on view are the objects associated with the flourishing of Moroccan science in the Middle Ages, such as the rare astrolabes from the 11th to the 15th century. Using these instruments, the Arabs were the first to study the heavens. A separate section of the exhibition is devoted to the rich costumes of Morocco. The costumes of the various Berber peoples, with their elaborate accessories such as head ornaments, daggers and necklaces, are as diverse as the country itself.
The history of Islamic Morocco is also the history of the great dynasties. The rulers were responsible for the founding of the royal cities and the growth of a thriving economic and cultural climate. This took place between 711, the year in which the Islamic armies moved into Spain and 1492, the year of the fall of Granada, the last Moorish kingdom in Spain. "Al Andalous" became one of the most flourishing centres of Islamic civilisation. The sultans of Morocco were often involved in developments in Andalusia and large parts of the region were provinces of the Moroccan kingdom. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the golden age of Andalusian civilisation, poets, writers, scientists, physicians and philosophers made huge contributions to culture on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Morocco's independence ended in 1912 when it was made a protectorate of France and Spain. Moroccans continued to fight for their independence, and in 1956 this finally resulted in the present kingdom.
Mohammed VI, the present young king, is from the Alawi dynasty, which has ruled Morocco since the middle of the 17th century. The dynasty comes from the southeast and is descended from the Prophet Mohammed, so the Alawids also enjoy great religious prestige to this day. Sultan Mulay Ismaïl (1672-1727), in particular, was to 17th-century Morocco what Louis XIV was to France and the rest of Europe. He founded his own Moroccan "Versailles" in the royal city of Meknès. His descendant Mohammed V (1927-1961) achieved independence for Morocco, while his son, Hassan II (1916-1999), the father of the present king, turned it into a modern state.
Berbers, Arabs, Jews and Christians: Morocco the melting pot
It is often thought that Morocco has two peoples, Berbers and Arabs, of which the former were the original inhabitants. The reality, however, is much more complex. First there is the matter of who and what Berbers are. They call themselves Imazighen, the free people. While historically they form the basic population, they are not a homogenous group. So it is more correct to refer to Berber speakers and Arabic speakers. Over time this distinction has come to coincide with the urban part of Morocco (influenced by the Arabic and French languages and culture) and the largely Berber-speaking rural population. Again, however, these Berber speakers do not form an entity, because there are three Berber languages in Morocco.
The Imazighen left their mark on Morocco through the Berber dynasties that ruled the country. Once they had control, they adopted the Arabic structure of the system of power, but at the same time remained true to their Berber traditions.
The advent of Islam at the beginning of the 7th century coincided with the Arabisation of Morocco, on the one hand because Arabic was made the official language of religion, government and education, and on the other through the arrival of Arabic speakers from the East and much later from Spain.
The first Jews came from Palestine long before the Christian era and followed in the footsteps of the Phoenicians. They were the forefathers of the large Jewish communities that existed in Morocco up to the middle of the 20th century and were scarcely distinguishable from their Islamic countrymen. In the 15th and 16th centuries they were joined by large groups of Andalusian Jews who had been driven out of Spain. They settled mainly in the cities and played an important part in international trade. In 1956 nearly 300,000 Jews were living in Morocco. Most have since the left the country, the majority going to Israel. In the exhibition there are a number of objects associated with this group.
New groups also came from the Sahara, first as slaves, later as hirelings and labourers in the southern oases. These people in turn brought colour to Moroccan society through their music, dance and weaving.
Between 1912 and 1956 the protectorate ensured that there was an influx of European inhabitants and customs. French and Spanish influences mixed with Moroccan traditions, which were in turn reflected in colonial architecture and art.
Morocco has thus succeeded in continually incorporating people, cultures, languages and religions into its culture and society. The fascinating outcome of this ability to absorb and mix is on display in the nearly 300 objects in the exhibition. Together they testify to the flexibility and continuity of Moroccan culture over thousands of years. A land with three calendars, where traditional, national music blends with the Andalusian heritage, Arabic music and Western pop. A land where contemporary buildings bear the stamp of age-old traditions with a heritage of an ancient history in which the call of the past is clearly heard.
This is a shortened version and summary of the essays in the catalogue by Herman Obdeijn, Paolo de Mas, Abdelaziz Touri, Aomar Akerraz and Ahmed Siraj.
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