The culture of Morocco is primarily a blend of Arab, Berber and Andalusi cultures, with Mediterranean and Hebraic influences. It represents and is shaped by a convergence of influences throughout history. This sphere may include, among others, the fields of personal or collective behaviors, language, customs, knowledge, beliefs, arts, legislation, gastronomy, music, poetry, architecture, etc. While Morocco started to be stably predominantly Sunni Muslim starting from 9th–10th century AD, during the Almoravid period, a very significant Andalusi culture was imported, contributing to the shaping of Moroccan culture. Another major influx of Andalusi culture was brought by Andalusis with them following their expulsion from Al-Andalus to North Africa after the Reconquista. In antiquity, starting from the second century A.D and up to the seventh, a rural Donatist Christianity was present, along an urban still-in-the-making Roman Catholicism. All of the cultural super strata tend to rely on a multi-millennial aboriginal Berber substratum still present and dating back to prehistoric times.
The linguistic landscape of Morocco is complex. It generally tends to be horizontally diverse and vertically stratified. It is though possible to broadly classify it into two main components: Arab and Berber. It is hardly possible to speculate about the origin of the Berber language, as it is traced back to low antiquity and prehistoric times. The Semitic influence, on the contrary, can be fairly documented by archaeological evidence. It came in two waves: Canaanite, in its Punic, Carthaginian and Hebrew historic varieties, from the ninth century B.C and up to high antiquity, and Arabic, during the low Middle Ages, starting from the seventh century A.D. The two Semitic languages being close, both in syntax and vocabulary it is hard to tell them apart as to who influenced more the structure of the modern Moroccan Arabic dialect. The Arab conquerors having certainly encountered large romanized urban Punic population as they advanced. In any case, the linguistic and cultural identity of Morocco, just as its geography would predict, is the result of the encounter of three main circles: Arab, Berber, and Western Mediterranean European.
The two official languages of Morocco are Modern Standard Arabic and Standard Moroccan Berber. According to the 2024 general census, 92.7% of Moroccans speak Moroccan Arabic, while 24.8% speak a Berber language, in its Tarifit (3.2%), Central Atlas Tamazight (7.4%), or Tashelhit (14.2%) varieties. The census also indicated that 80.6% of Moroccans consider Arabic to be their native language, while 18.9% regard any of the various Berber languages as their mother tongue.
History
Prehistoric The remains of early Homo sapiens were found at Jebel Irhoud in 1991. Using modern dating techniques in 2017, they were found to be at least 300,000 years old, making them the oldest known examples of Homo sapiens discovered anywhere in the world.
Classical antiquity
Major early settlements of the Phoenicians and Carthaginians included those at Chellah, Lixus and Mogador along the Atlantic coast by the 8th century BC. A temple to Melqart found in the vicinity of Lixus points to some presence of the Canaanite religion.
Some events and figures in the traditions of Greco-Roman mythology are associated with the territory that is now Morocco. Atlas is associated with the Atlas Mountains and is said to have been the first king of Mauretania, and Hercules was given the 12 impossible tasks including stealing "golden apples" from the garden of the Hesperides, purported to have been in or around Lixus.
During the pre-Roman era in Morocco (the Kingdom of Mauretania), numerous tribes inhabited the region. Strabo provides details about one of the major confederations known as the Mauri (or Maurusians). These people were nomadic, with each tribe led by a clan chief. They maintained distinct aesthetic customs, such as wearing elaborate adornments, gold jewelry, and ostrich feathers. They wore their hair braided and beaded, and kept their beards tightly curled. Like their neighbors in the Numidian kingdoms (the Masaesyli and Massyli), they were skilled warriors who wielded the machaera (a short sword) and the javelin, and were adept horsemen. Cavalry has always played a vital role in the culture of North African lands.
Berber leaders of and especially the kings of Mauretania (and Numidia) like Bocchus I practiced polygamy, maintaining large numbers of wives and fathering dozens of children, depending on their resources.
Muslim conquest of the Maghreb In the period after the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, the territory experienced Berber rebellion, which created smaller independent principalities independent of the Umayyad Caliphate, such as the Barghawata. This period was also the beginning of Arab migrations and gradual process of Arabization.
Language Modern Standard Arabic and Standard Moroccan Berber are the official languages of Morocco, while Moroccan Arabic is the national vernacular dialect; Berber languages are spoken in some mountain areas, such as Tarifit, spoken by 3.2%, Central Atlas Tamazight, spoken by 7.4%, and Tashelhit, spoken by 14.2%. Berber is a prominent element of the Moroccan cultural heritage. According to the 2024 census, 99.2%, or almost the entire literate population of Morocco, could read and write in Arabic, whereas only 1.5% of the population could read and write in Berber. Varieties of Judeo-Arabic have also traditionally been spoken in Morocco. Foreign languages, particularly French, English, and Spanish, are also spoken in urban centers such as Tangier or Casablanca. With all of these languages, code-switching is an omnipresent phenomenon in Moroccan speech and media.
Arabic Classical Arabic, a formal rather than natural language, is used primarily in formal, academic, and religious settings. Moroccan Arabic, in its various regional and contextual forms, is used more often in casual situations, at home, and on the street. Hassaniya is another dialect of Arabic spoken in the south of Morocco.
Berber languages There are three main varieties of Berber languages spoken in Morocco. Tashelhit (also known locally as Soussia) is spoken in southwest Morocco, including the High Atlas and the Sous valley. Central Atlas Tamazight is spoken in the Middle Atlas and southeast Morocco; for example, around Khenifra and Midelt. Tarifit is spoken in the Rif area of northern Morocco in towns like Nador, Al Hoceima, and Ajdir.
Literature
Moroccan literature is the literature produced by people who lived in or were culturally connected to Morocco and the historical states that have existed partially or entirely within the geographical area that is now Morocco. Most of what is known as Moroccan literature was created since the arrival of Islam in the 8th century. Moroccan literature was historically and mainly written in Arabic.
Music
Moroccan music is characterized by its great diversity from one region to another. It includes Arabic music genres, such as chaabi and aita in the Atlantic plains (Doukkala-Abda, Chaouia-Ouardigha, Rehamna), melhoun in the cities associated with al-Andalus (Meknes, Fez, Salé, Tétouan, Oujda...), and Hassani in the Moroccan Sahara. There is also Berber music such as the Rif reggada, the ahidus of the Middle Atlas and the Souss ahwash. In the South there is also deqqa Marrakshia and gnawa. In addition, young people synthesize the Moroccan spirit with influences from around the world (blues, rock, metal, reggae, Moroccan rap, etc.).
( lit. "joy of the instrument") is a celebrated musical style in Morocco, a result of a large migration of Muslims from Valencia to Moroccan cities and especially Fez. The Fessi āla style uses the Moroccan forms of the Andalusi nubah melodical arrangements. While this musical style is sometimes popularly referred to as Andalusi music, specialists prefer the name āla ( "instrument") to differentiate it from the Sufi tradition of samā, which is purely vocal, and to deëmphasize its relationship with Europe. Mohammed al-Haik's 18th century songbook Kunnash al-Haik, is a seminal text of the āla tradition. Traditional songs such as Shams al-'Ashiya are still played at celebrations and formal events. Dar ul-Aala in Casablanca is a museum and conservatory dedicated to this musical heritage. Another style of music derived from the musical traditions of al-Andalus is Gharnati music.
A genre known as Contemporary Andalusian Music and art is the brainchild of Morisco visual artist/composer/oudist Tarik Banzi, founder of the Al-Andalus Ensemble.
Chaabi ("popular") is a music consisting of numerous varieties which are descended from the multifarious forms of Moroccan folk music. Chaabi was originally performed in markets, but is now found at any celebration or meeting.
Popular Western forms of music are becoming increasingly popular in Morocco, such as fusion, rock, country, metal and, in particular, hip hop.
Morocco participated in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest, where it finished in the penultimate position.
Visual arts
The decorative arts have a long and important history in Morocco. One of the traditional elements of artistic expression in Morocco is Maghrebi-Andalusian art and architecture. Carved plaster Arabesques, zellige tilework, carved wood, and other expressions of Islamic geometric patterns are typical features of this style. Maghrebi Arabic script is an important feature of the history of visual art in Morocco. While some aspects of Maghrebi script are codified and prescribed, there have also been innovations, such as those by the 19th century calligrapher Muhammad al-Qandusi. Muhammad Ben Ali Rabati was one of the first Moroccans to paint in a European style.
Modern art Hamid Irbouh identifies three groups within Moroccan modernism: the Populists, the Nativists, and the Bipictorialists. Among the Populists—usually self-trained artists who received support from French and American patrons and depicted everyday vernacular life—were artists such as Ahmed Louardighi, Hassan El Glaoui, Ahmed Drissi, and Fatima Hassan El Farouj. The Nativists—active in the 1960s and led by Farid Belkahia and other members of the Casablanca School, such as Mohamed Melehi and Mohamed Chabâa—sought to break entirely with the West in general and with France in particular. The Bipictorialists, including Ahmed Cherkaoui and Jilali Gharbaoui, entered in dialog with Moroccan, French, and Western influences, working toward a reconciliation of the various dimensions of postcolonial Moroccan identity.
Contemporary art Contemporary art in Morocco is still developing. with considerable potential for growth. Since the 1990s–2000s Moroccan cities have welcomed institutions that contribute to the diffusion of contemporary art and the visual arts: L'appartement 22 and Radio Apartment 22 in Rabat, the Cinémathèque de Tanger in Tangier, La Source du Lion in Casablanca, Dar Al-Ma'mûn residency and center, the Marrakech Art Fair, and the Marrakech Biennale, all in Marrakesh.
Local art galleries such as Galerie Villa Delaporte, Atelier 21, Galerie Matisse and Galerie FJ are also platforms showing contemporary artwork and contributing to its development.Bérénice Saliou. . Contemporary Art Magazine, Issue 6
The global art market also influences the development and visibility of contemporary art in Morocco; international exhibitions such as "Africa Remix" (2004) and "Uneven Geographies" (2010) featured contemporary artists from North Africa, including Moroccan ones. Regional events such as the Dakar Biennale (or Dak'Art – Biennale de l'Art Africain Contemporain), a major contemporary African art exhibition, gives greater visibility to artists from the African continent.
Moroccan artists and their initiatives