Alaouite dynasty

The Alaouite dynasty, or Alawite dynasty (Arabic: سلالة العلويين الفيلاليين‎, Sulālat al-ʿAlawiyyīn al-Fīlālīyn), is the current Moroccan royal family. Sharif ibn Ali became Prince of Tafilalt in 1631. His son Mulay Al-Rashid (1664–1672) was able to unite and pacify the country. The Alaouites claim descent from a relative of prophet Muhammad and are the Arab ruling family of Morocco. The name Alaouites stems from caliph Ali son of Abu Taalib [15][16]

Alaouite dynasty Alawite dynasty سلالة العلويين الفيلاليين
Country	Morocco
Founded	1631
Founder	Moulay Ali Cherif
Current head	Mohammad VI
Estate(s)	Morocco

Sultanate of Morocco سلطنة المغرب
1665–1912
Flag
Capital and largest city	Fez
Common languages	Arabic, Berber Languages
Religion	Islam
Demonym(s)	Moroccan
Government	Islamic Sultanate
• 1631–1636	Sharif Ibn Ali (Prince of Talifat)
• 1665–1672	Al Rashid (First)
• 1908–1912	Abdelhafid (Last)
History
• Unification of Morocco	1665
• Treaty of Fez	30 March 1912
Population
• Estimate	6,000,000 (1900 estimates)
Currency	Moroccan Rial
ISO 3166 code	MA
Preceded by Succeeded by Saadi Sultanate French Protectorate of Morocco Spanish Protectorate of Morocco Spanish Sahara French Algeria French West Africa
Today part of	Morocco  Algeria  Mauritania  Mali

Kingdom of Morocco المملكة المغربية (Arabic) ⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ  (Standard Moroccan Tamazight)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  الله، الوطن، الملك  (Arabic) ⴰⴽⵓⵛ, ⴰⵎⵓⵔ, ⴰⴳⵍⵍⵉⴷ (Standard Moroccan Tamazight) "God, Homeland, King"
Anthem:  النشيد الوطني المغربي  (Arabic) ⵉⵣⵍⵉ ⴰⵏⴰⵎⵓⵔ ⵏ ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ  (Standard Moroccan Tamazight) (English: "Cherifian Anthem")
Dark green: Undisputed territory of Morocco Lighter green: Western Sahara, a territory claimed and occupied mostly by Morocco as its Southern Provinces[note 2]
Capital	Rabat 34°02′N 6°51′W
Largest city	Casablanca 33°32′N 7°35′W
Official languages	Arabic Berber
Spoken languages	Moroccan Arabic Hassaniya Arabic Berber French[note 3]
Foreign languages	English • Spanish[5]
Ethnic groups (2014[6])	Arab-Berber 99% Other 1%
Religion	99% Islam (official; virtually all Sunni, <0.1% Shia) 1% other (inc. Christians, Jews, and Baháʼís)[3]
Demonym(s)	Moroccan
Government	Unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy[7]
• King	Mohammed VI
• Prime Minister	Saadeddine Othmani
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	House of Councillors
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Establishment
• Kingdom of Mauretania	400 BC[8]
• Idrisid dynasty	788
• Alaouite dynasty (current dynasty)	1631
• Protectorate established	30 March 1912
• Independence	7 April 1956
Area
• Total	710,850 km^2 (274,460 sq mi) or 446,550 km^2^[b] (39th or 57th)
• Water (%)	0.056 (250 km^2)
Population
• 2020 estimate	37,112,080 [9] (39th)
• 2014 census	33,848,242[10]
• Density	50.0/km^2 (129.5/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2019 estimate
• Total	$332.358 billion[11]
• Per capita	$9,339[11]
GDP (nominal)	2019 estimate
• Total	$122.458 billion[11]
• Per capita	$3,441[11]
Gini (2015)	40.3[12] medium
HDI (2019)	0.686[13] medium · 121st
Currency	Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Time zone	UTC+1[14]
Driving side	right
Calling code	+212
ISO 3166 code	MA
Internet TLD	.ma المغرب.
^ Official religion. ^ The area 446,550 km^2 (172,410 sq mi) excludes all disputed territories, while 710,850 km^2 (274,460 sq mi) includes the Moroccan-claimed and partially-controlled parts of Western Sahara (claimed as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic by the Polisario Front) Morocco also claims Ceuta and Melilla, making up about 22.8 km^2 (8.8 sq mi) more claimed territory.

The Alaouites have ruled the Sultanate of Morocco, kept as Sultans during the French Protectorate of Morocco and the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco and ruled the Modern-day Kingdom of Morocco.

Centralised state

The organisation of the sultanate developed under Ismail Ibn Sharif (1672–1727), who, against the opposition of local tribes, began to create a unified state. Because the Alaouites had difficult relations with many of the country's Berber and Bedouin-Arab tribes, Isma'īl formed a new army of black slaves, the Black Guard. However, the unity of Morocco did not survive his death—in the ensuing power struggles the tribes became a political and military force once again.

During Muhammad III's reign (1757–1790) the kingdom was once again united and the administration reorganised. A renewed attempt at centralisation was abandoned, and the tribes were allowed to preserve their autonomy. Under Abderrahmane (1822–1859) Morocco fell under the influence of the European powers. After Morocco supported the Algerian independence movement of Emir Abd al-Qadir, it was attacked and defeated by the French in 1844 at the Battle of Isly and made to abandon its support.

European contact and the French protectorate

During the reigns of Muhammad IV (1859–1873) and Hassan I (1873–1894), the Alaouites tried to foster trading links, above all with European countries and the United States. The army and administration were also modernised to improve control over the Berber and Bedouin tribes. With the war against Spain (1859–1860) came direct involvement in European affairs. Although the independence of Morocco was guaranteed at the Treaty of Madrid (1880), the French gained ever greater influence. German attempts to counter this growing influence led to the First Moroccan Crisis of 1905–1906 and the Second Moroccan Crisis of 1911.

Eventually the Moroccans were forced to recognise the French protectorate through the Treaty of Fez, signed on December 3, 1912. At the same time the Rif area of northern Morocco was raised under Spanish control.

List of Alaouite rulers

From 1631 to 1666 the Alaouite dynasty ruled as princes of Tafilalt:

• Moulay Ali Cherif (1631–1635)
• Muhammad ibn Sharif (1635–1664)
• Al-Rashid (1664–1666)

In 1666 Mulay Al-Rashid was proclaimed Sultan of Morocco at Fez:

• Al-Rashid (1666–1672)
• Mawlay Ismail Ibn Sharif (1672–1727)
• Abu'l Abbas Ahmad II (1727–1728) (first time)
• Abdalmalik (1728)
• Abu'l Abbas Ahmad II (1728–1729) (second time)
• Abdallah (1729–1734) (first time)
• Ali (1734–1736)
• Abdallah (1736) (second time)
• Mohammed II (1736–1738)
• Al-Mostadi (1738–1740) (first time)
• Abdallah (1740–1741) (third time)
• Zin al-Abidin (1741)
• Abdallah (1741–1742) (fourth time)
• Al-Mostadi (1742–1743) (second time)
• Abdallah (1743–1747) (fifth time)
• Al-Mostadi (1747–1748) (third time)
• Abdallah (1748–1757) (sixth time)
• Mohammed III (1757–1790)
• Yazid (1790–1792)
• Mulay Suleiman (1792–1822)
• Abderrahmane (1822–1859)
• Mohammed IV (1859–1873)
• Hassan I (1873–1894)
• Abdelaziz (1894–1908)
• Abdelhafid (1908–1912)

Under the French protectorate (1912–1956):

• Yusef (1912–1927)
• King Mohammed V (1927–1961), changed title of ruler from Sultan to King in 1957. Deposed and exiled to Corsica and Madagascar (1953–1955).
• Mohammed Ben Aarafa, installed by France (1953–1955)

From Independence (1955 onwards):

• King Mohammed V (1955–1961)
• King Hassan II (1961–1999)
• King Mohammed VI (1999–present)

Timeline

Family tree

Moulay Ali Cherif

Mohammed I

Ismail

Rachid

Ahmad

Abdul Malek

Abdallah II

Mohammed II

Ali

Al-Mustadi'

Zin al-Abidin

Mohammed III

Al-Yazid

Hisham

Sulayman

Abd al-Rahman ibn Hicham

Mohammed IV

Hassan I

Aarafa

Abd al-Aziz

Abd al-Hafid

Youssef

Tahar

Mohammed Ben Aarafa

Mohammed V 3° spouse Lalla Bahia

2° spouse Lalla Abla bint Tahar

Lalla Fatima Zohra

Lalla Amina

Hassan II 2° spouse Lalla Latifa Hammou

Lalla Malika

Lalla Nuzha

Lalla Aicha

Abdellah

Lalla Meryem

Lalla Asma

Mohammed VI spouse Lalla Salma

Lalla Hasna

Rachid

Hicham

Ismail

Crown Prince Hassan

Lalla Khadija

See also

• Conflicts between the Regency of Algiers and the Cherifian Dynasties
• History of Morocco
• Order of Ouissam Alaouite
• List of Sunni Muslim dynasties
• Hashemites, Jordan’s ruling family that also claims descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad
• Dâr-al-Makhzen, Rabat, official residence of the royal family.
• Line of succession to the Moroccan throne
• List of rulers of Morocco

Notes

1. Solve the status issue under the leadership of United Nations' MINURSO[1]
2. Solve the status issue under the leadership of United Nations' MINURSO[2]
3. French language in Morocco is also used in official government documents and by the business community, although it has no official status: "French (often the language of business, government, and diplomacy)..."[3][4]

References

1. "MANDATE". UNITED NATIONS.
2. "MANDATE". UNITED NATIONS.
3. "Morocco". World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
4. "Présentation du Maroc". Ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères (in French).
5. "The teaching of English in Morocco".
6. "Morocco". World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Ethnic groups: Arab-Berber 99%, other 1%
7. "Constitution of the Kingdom of Morocco, I-1" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
8. Pennell, C. R. (2003). Morocco: From Empire to Independence. Oneworld. p. 6 to 8. ISBN 978-1-85168-303-1.
9. "Morocco Population, 1960-2019 - knoema.com". Knoema. 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
10. "Rgbh 2014" (in French). HCP. 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
11. "Morocco". IMF.
12. Africa's Development Dynamics 2018:Growth, Jobs and Inequalities. AUC/OECD. 2018. p. 179. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
13. Human Development Report 2020 The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 15 December 2020. pp. 343–346. ISBN 978-92-1-126442-5. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
14. "Morocco Keeps Clocks Steady on GMT+1". 28 October 2018.
15. Compagna, Lawrence (2019-03-06). Genealogy: Tools, Tricks and Tips for putting together your family tree. Candco Publishing, a division of the Candco Corporation.
16. Rézette, Robert (1975). The Western Sahara and the Frontiers of Morocco. Nouvelles Editions Latines. p. 47. Moulay Rachid who really founded the dynasty in 1664, was born in Tafilalet of a family that had come from Arabia

Further reading

• Waterbury, John. Commander of the Faithful

External links

• Morocco Alaoui dynasty