Morocco has been influenced by several civilizations since Antiquity. Each has marked the land with an indelible imprint. This has produced an incomparable historical heritage.

The different civilizations which have followed on from each other in Morocco have each influenced our identity. Which undoubtedly explains the tolerance and open-mindedness of Moroccans. There are no culture clashes here, just meetings and sharing.

According to legend it was Hercules who created Morocco when he opened the Strait of Gibraltar. Whatever the case, the presence of mankind here has been shown to date back 300,000 years. Originally inhabited by Berbers, the country opened up to Phoenician and Carthaginian influences, before submitting until the 5th century to the Romans. They would leave relics, such as the site at Volubilis, testifying to the prosperity which came from agricultural production. From 647, the Arab and Islamic conquest began.

In 788, Idriss I, contesting the power of Baghdad, founded the Idrisid kingdom in Volubilis. There followed the Almoravid dynasties, the Berber conquerors of the south, then the Almohads whose power extended into Muslim Spain, and finally the Merinids, Berbers from the high plateaus.

Religious tolerance, Andalusian heritage, and the prosperity of these dynasties created treasures which now constitute the cultural, artistic and architectural richness of the country. From the 16th century, the empires of Arabic, Saadian then Alaouite origin ensured the unity and independence of Morocco. Today, Morocco is ruled by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, crowned on July 30th, 1999; he is the 23rd king in the Alaouite dynasty which came to power at the beginning of the 17th century. The monarchy ensures the unity of the country, and the reign of Mohammed VI is marked by a desire to build a unified and modern democratic state, which respects its traditions and its identity.