Morocco: An Arab Monarchy with Strong Jewish Ties

It was from this land that Muslim – mainly Berber – forces invaded the Visigothic kingdom in what is now Spain in 711. The event is also known as the Moorish invasion and was the starting point for the almost thousand-year Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula.

The Islamic expansion northward was welcomed by Spain’s Jews, who under Visigothic rule had no opportunity to advance in society without converting to Christianity. The pro-Moor stance was so pronounced that there is a Christian tradition that it was Jews who finally opened the gates of the strategically important city of Toledo to the Moors after a protracted siege. Under Muslim rule, known as al-Andalus, Jews gained a strong position in society and were often appointed as ministers, advisors, diplomats, and tax collectors.

Reconquista: For almost eight hundred years, the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula fought to regain territory from Muslim rulers. The tile painting depicts Alfonso VI’s entry into Toledo on May 25, 1085 – one of the most significant events of the Reconquista. The conquest of the former Visigothic capital shocked the Muslim world and marked a clear shift in the balance of power. According to a later Christian legend, Toledo had already been lost in 711 when the city’s Jews opened the gates to the Muslim army. Photo: CarlosVdeHabsburgo

When the present-day Moroccan monarchy, the Arab Alaouite dynasty, came to power in the 17th century, Spain and Portugal had already conquered Ceuta and Melilla. In 1694, Sultan Moulay Ismail made a major attempt to retake the cities. A Moroccan army besieged Ceuta for 33 years – one of the longest sieges in history. New attempts to retake the enclaves in the 19th century only allowed the Spanish to expand the borders around Ceuta and Melilla.

The Alaouites, who are directly descended from the Prophet Mohammed, continued the tradition of close cooperation with the region’s Jews and later also with the State of Israel. The sultans kept court Jews, who served as the monarchy’s bankers, administrators, diplomats and tax collectors – a tradition that was strong until the founding of the State of Israel, when a large proportion of Morocco’s Jews emigrated.

In 1777, Morocco became the first country to recognize the independence of the United States, and eleven years later, Monarch Mohammed III signed a treaty of friendship with the new American state. This was the start of a close partnership with the United States that under President Donald Trump is stronger than ever.

During the 19th century, the Alaouite dynasty continued to rule Morocco, while Spain and France increased their influence over the country. In 1912, Morocco was divided into a Spanish and French protectorate, respectively, while the Sultan continued to be Morocco’s head of state on paper.

Flourishing Jewish life: When the Moors invaded Spain, Jewish culture flourished and gave birth to some of the most important philosophers, Talmudists and Kabbalists of modern Judaism. The statue depicts Maimonides, one of Judaism’s most important teachers, who in the 12th century wrote the Mishneh Torah – a systematic compilation of Jewish law. Under the more religiously strict rule of the Muslim Almohads, he was forced to flee south and spent some time in Morocco before finally settling in Egypt. After the Reconquista, the Jewish cultural center that had characterized al-Andalus was largely shifted to North Africa, not least Morocco. The statue stands in the Plaza de Tiberíades in the historic Jewish quarter of Maimonides’ birthplace of Córdoba in southern Spain. Photo: Makinal

When the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, General Francisco Franco was stationed in the Spanish Protectorate and attacked the Bolsheviks with a large Moroccan army loyal to him. This soon turned into effective propaganda for the Bolsheviks, who painted a picture of the Nationalists letting in black-faced foreigners who plundered Spain and raped Spanish women.

In 1956, Morocco regained its independence and the following year, Mohammed V – grandfather of the current king – renounced the title of sultan and instead ruled Morocco as king.