[...]... AND CUSTOMS OF MOROCCO Quarish (or Quraysh) family of Mecca The founder of the Idrissi dynasty, known as Idrissi I, was known for his piety and charisma and enthusiastically welcomed by the Berbers Some of the major landmarks of the dynasty included the establishment of the city of Fes between 807 and 808 C.E and the founding of the popular Kairouyine University of Fes, one of the leading centers of. .. the country and the northern fringes of the Sahara in the south In the south and southeast, the land is poor, with rocks and desert encroachments, and is sparsely inhabited by nomads As a study on the geography of Morocco notes, the agriculturally rich areas of Morocco the coastal plains and plateaus and the north and west of the Atlas ranges—are known as inner Morocco, or what the French and Spanish... Shia and Sunni sects of Islam led to the establishment of the first dynasty, the Idrissi (788-987), in Morocco Idris Ibn Abdullah (died 791), a great-great-grandson of Ali (son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad and the fourth succeeding caliph to Muhammad), fled to Morocco after a defeat by the Sunni supporters of Ali's rival, Muawiya, a leader of a powerful branch of Muhammad's kinsmen, the 14 CULTURE AND. .. The arable lands support the production of cereal crops such as barley, wheat, and corn Other significant cash crops include different types of citrus fruits, 10 CULTURE AND CUSTOMS OF MOROCCO wine, vegetables, and olives Moroccans also raise livestock to meet their domestic needs The developing industrial sector provides a large number of jobs Morocco is one of the world's leading producers of phosphates... number and visibility It is important to understand the history of the diaspora and the newer migrants, as well as the roots of the culture and customs of the places from where they come It is equally important to understand others in order to be able to interact successfully in a world that keeps shrinking The accessible nature of the books in this series will contribute to this understanding and enhance... HISTORY Early History The historical evolution and development of Morocco has been marked by different groups of settlers and conflicts This region of Africa is quite remarkable for its distinctiveness and role as the center of several medieval empires that at various times controlled much of North Africa and the southern parts of Spain Unlike much of North Africa, Morocco did not fall under Ottoman Turkish... tribal authorities and Sufi orders held authority over the rest of the country The Wattasids established a chain of Islamic colleges to promote teaching and learning in the empire In 1492 an influx of both Jews and Moors fled the Inquisition in Spain The influx of the refugees increased the local population and benefited both the economy and the culture of Morocco In this period, artistic and architectural... hundreds of small linguistic communities In the past, most of these subnationalities were independent and self-sufficient Today, ethnic boundaries are becoming less salient with centuries of miscegenation and the predominance of Arabic as the language of power and identity Thus, Berber or Arab identity has become more of a reflection of personal behavior rather than of membership in a distinct and delimited... the most dominant form of language in North Africa and most of the Middle East, is one of the most historical languages in the world, widely recognized in the ancient cuneiform records of Mesopotamia Its classical (Modern Standard Arabic) and popular (Moroccan Arabic) forms are spoken in the inner cities, plains, and mountains of Morocco Modern Standard Arabic, the language of the Quran, is widely... flattened oil drums, bits of lumber, and corrugated iron, in which the poorest and most recent rural migrants take shelter RESOURCES, OCCUPATIONS, AND ECONOMY Morocco is blessed with arable land, abundant water with fish and salt deposits, and generous quantities of phosphates and other minerals such as iron ore, manganese, lead, and zinc Its scenic beauty has also made a vigorous and ongoing tourist trade . h1" alt="" Culture and Customs of Morocco Morocco. Cartography by Bookcomp, Inc. Culture and Customs of Morocco <^0"^> RAPHAEL CHIJIOKE NJOKU Culture and Customs of Africa. London Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Njoku, Raphael Chijioke. Culture and customs of Morocco / by Raphael Chijioke Njoku. p. cm. — (Culture and customs of Africa, ISSN. readers can see their own cultures in a dif- ferent perspective, understand the habits of Africans, and educate themselves about the customs and cultures of other countries and people. The hope