MOROCCO             

May 1904, Peddlers in Tangier

Thousands of years ago, the Berbers first settled on the land that is now Morocco.  Even the Roman colonization did little to change the peaceful Berber way of life.  It was not until the seventh century that the events leading to present day Morocco began.  Arab armies invaded and took control of most of Northern Africa, but it was soon won back by a fundamentalist Berber movement.  An independent Moroccan state was soon formed.

Many dynasties rose and fell quickly until the current dynasty, the Alawite dynasty was established in the 1630's.  In the 19th century, France colonized Morocco for its resources and position on the ocean. 

It remained under French control until a war for independence in the 1960s.  Most recently power was handed over from the father, King Hassan II (an absolute monarch), to the son, King Mohamed VI, who has promised more freedom to the Moroccan people.