FLAG OF MOROCCO: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY

The flag of Morocco is the national symbol of this Arab kingdom of North Africa. It is made up of a red cloth with a green five-pointed star, called the Seal of Solomon, located in the central part. This has been the only flag that Morocco has had since its establishment in 1915.

Morocco, with different denominations, has historically been an independent country. Its first flags came during the Idrisi dynasty and later, with the Almoravids and Almohads. Since then, the color red predominated in the symbols until the Alawite dynasty, which chose it as predominant.

Flag of Morocco. (Denelson83, Zscout370).

It was not until 1915 when the Moroccan flag added the seal of Solomon, a green five-pointed star that is identified with hope and courage. Also this symbol is associated with the five pillars of Islam. Since the country's independence from the Spanish and French protectorates in 1956, the flag has remained the national symbol unchanged.

History of the flag

The history of the settlement of present-day Morocco is very old, calculating no less than 700 thousand years. However, the Phoenicians were one of the first external contacts that the region had. Coming from present-day Lebanon, they established settlements in present-day Morocco around the 11th century BC. C.

Flag of Phenicia. (Gustavo ronconi), Later, from Carthage, in present-day Tunisia, the region began to gain new influences, which lasted for more than a thousand years. Later, cultures such as the Maures were inherited from African, Atlantic, and Mediterranean cultures. It was not until the 4th century BC. C. that one of the first states was founded: the Kingdom of Mauretania. This new state centered its power around a king.

Before the expansion of Rome, the Kingdom of Mauretania became its ally. This relationship made Mauretania end up being a Roman vassal state. Later, the Romans took control for a few years until the kingdom fell to a Numidian dynasty, led by King Juba II, who married Cleopatra Selena, daughter of Cleopatra and Marco Antonio. In this way, a new Mauretanian civilization emerged in the area.

Roman and Byzantine Empire

After the assassination of King Polomeo by the Roman Emperor Caligula, an expedition was carried out in which the then territory of Mauretania was taken, which was later annexed by the Emperor Claudius to the Roman Empire. Roman domination focused mainly on the coastal areas and not in the interior of the country.

Vexillum of the Roman Empire. (Ssolbergj)

The connection of the Berbers with the Roman Empire was even military, as they were part of its troops in Europe. The region, like the Empire, was Christianized, but this status quickly declined. After the division of the empire, the Mauretania region remained in the Western Roman Empire, for which it also received barbarian invasions.

This situation led to the Byzantine invasion, an empire that took over the territory in 534. The new state maintained tense relations with the Maures and the region came to depend, within the Byzantine political division, on Carthage.

Arab conquest

From the year 649 the Arab conquest of the Maghreb began, but it was not until the year 684 that they reached the current Moroccan territory. That arrival was opposed by the Berbers, who demanded demands from the Umayyad caliph. The flag of this caliphate consisted of a white cloth.

Flag of the Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad. (Ch1902).

The Berber demands were not answered and they stood up for the following century, even taking power at certain times after the revolt. As a result, the Barghawata Confederation was formed, a Berber emirate founded in 744 that ended up deviating from the rigor of Islam before the proclamation of King Salih ibn Tarif as prophet. This state did not maintain a conventional flag and existed until 1147.

Idrisi dynasty

However, the Barghawata Confederation was located only on a part of the Atlantic coast. The rest of the territory was conquered by the Idrisí dynasty. The Umayyad Caliphate had been replaced by the Abbasid. A Shiite Arab prince, as a consequence, fled to present-day Morocco, where he founded the city of Fez in 789 and proclaimed himself an imam with the name Idris I.

The confrontation with the Abbasid Caliphate grew until Idris I was assassinated by Caliph Haroun ar-Rachid. However, he was succeeded by the child his pregnant wife was expecting, who took the dynastic name of Idris II. Their power lasted until 985, when they lost power and the territory was gradually conquered by three great tribal confederations: the Maghraouas, Banou Ifren and Meknassas.

During the Idrisid dynasty, a white flag continued to be used as a symbol of Islam. However, they also kept a silver colored flag with a rounded tip on the far right.

Flag during the Idrisi dynasty. (Flad).

Almoravids

After the different tribes that occupied the territory, the Almoravids rose up in the conquest of present-day Morocco and its surrounding areas. Its emergence came as a result of a religious movement that re-established the foundations of Islam in the area. Consequently, the Almoravids did face off against African tribes or kingdoms of black Africa such as the Empire of Ghana.

The Almoravids, over time, became one of the most important states that have preceded present-day Morocco. Its dominion over the area was total, ending the Berber Barghawata Confederation and occupying the south of the Iberian Peninsula, Al-Andalus. The Almoravid religious model was strict Malekite Sunism.

The weakening of this dynasty occurred after the death of the monarch Youssef Ibn Tachfin in 1106. However, the Almoravids from 1073 used as a flag a silver-colored flag, like the one previously used in the Idrisi dynasty, but on which it rested an inscription in Arabic.

Flag of the Almoravid Empire. (1073). (Flad).

Almohads

As opposed to the strict Almoravid religiosity, Mohammed Ibn Toumert began to conquer territories in North Africa, raising another vision of Islam. His first confrontations against the Almoravids failed and he died in 1130.

One of his disciples, Abd El Moumen, succeeded him in the fight together with alliances of different tribes. From 1140 a new fight began against the Almoravids that gradually conquered cities and lasted until 1147, when the city of Marrakech was captured.

El Moumen proclaimed himself Caliph and the new Almohad dynasty spread throughout the entire North African area, occupying all Arab territories after Egypt. However, the Almohads did not enjoy the same power in the Iberian Peninsula and they were deeply weakened before the beginning of the Reconquest.

The Almohad religious doctrine began to decline before more radical positions. The Almohad caliphate finally fell in 1276 with the conquest of Tinmel.

Almohad flag

The Almohad dynasty kept a red cloth as a flag with a square in the central part. This was composed, in turn, of black and white squares. Red symbolized the blood shed by religion and the paintings were the symbol of dialectics and the victory of Islamic arguments.

Flag of the Almohad Empire. (1147)

Merini dynasty

The Benimerí or Meriní Sultanate was the dynasty that succeeded the Almohads as a great state. The biggest difference with his predecessors was that his way of coming to power corresponded more to tribal conquests of territory and not to a religious identity. Its origin is in the Berber zenata tribe, which had been nomadic before.

The Merinids were gaining support from other tribes, who were emerging from nomadism. From 1216 they conquered the first cities, but over the following decades they conquered the northern half of the country. However, they did not succeed in taking the Almohad capital, Marrakech, until 1268. The situation of weakness in the Iberian Peninsula did not change after the conquest of the Merinis.

The dynasty presented problems in the succession to the throne, as well as difficulties to maintain cities that were previously independent such as Rif, Ceuta and Tangier. All of this generated an anarchic situation that led to the decline of the dynasty. By 1372, the kingdom was divided in two, before which piracy and anarchy in the social order developed. After successions, regencies and assassinations, in 1465 the Meriní dynasty came to an end.

Meriní flag

During this period, a flag was incorporated. It was again a red cloth, with a thin rectangular yellow border. In the center, the silhouette of the Rub el hizb or Star of Solomon, a Koranic symbol to indicate the end of a sura, was added. They were two overlapping squares and their color was yellow.

Flag of the meriní, wattasida and saadí dynasty. (Flad).

Moroccan Imperial Flag

In addition to the Meriní flag, a flag associated with the imperial office of the reigning monarch arose. Around the 14th century the Moroccan imperial flag was unveiled. This is also a red field, but its border is white triangles. Also, in the central part he kept two crossed swords, which could represent the Mohammedan heritage of the ruling families.

This flag had particular preponderance in the world of navigation, from which it began to be recognized. It is estimated that its use could have extended until 1895.

Moroccan imperial flag. (1350). (Charlie010n).

Wattasid dynasty and Portuguese Morocco

Like the Merinids, the Wattasids were a Berber tribe who seized power in a non-religious way. Its origin is in the current Libya, but they were spreading their power through the Merinis, who were imposed. After their defeat, the Wattasids were the dominant but not absolute dynasty, because in the north Andalusian emigrants conquered certain areas to confront the Spanish and Portuguese.

The great weakness of the Wattasids was in the coastal domain, which were losing to the Portuguese and British. Ceuta was Portuguese from 1415 and later, Tangier became the main existing Portuguese port city, translating that into its name as the capital of the Algarve of Africa. In addition to that, the Portuguese maintained total control of almost the entire coast, with the exception of Salé and Rabat.

However, over time, the Portuguese possessions in the area declined before the growth of the Spanish, who took Ceuta and other Mediterranean places. By 1580, Spain and Portugal were unified in the Iberian Union. For its part, the Wattasid dynasty kept the Rub el hizb pavilion, in addition to the imperial one. The end of the empire came at the hands of the Saadians in 1554.

Portuguese flags

The Portuguese in Ceuta used as a flag the flag of San Vicente, with black and white fields, representing the Dominican order, and the Portuguese shield in the central part. With variations and low Spanish sovereignty, it still remains.

Ceuta flag. (Ulaidh).

In addition, Portugal at that time only used a shield in which the arms of its monarchy were identified.

Flag of the Portuguese Empire. (1385). (Nuno Tavares).

Saadian dynasty

The great successor dynasty in present-day Morocco was the Saadí. This was an Arab dynasty of the Jerifian type. This indicates that he would be a descendant of Muhammad through his daughter Fatima. Their dominance of the Moroccan region came from 1511 and they ruled from Marrakech which they established as their capital. Faced with the threat of the advance of the Ottoman Empire, the Saadian caliph allied himself with Spain, which helped them defend the territory.

Despite their opposition to Ottoman expansion, the Saadians acquired a hierarchy similar to that of the Turks. Finally, in 1576 the Ottoman claims to Moroccan territory came to an end. Before that, the Saadí dominion began to extend towards the Songhai Empire of Mali, which they end up destroying. At the end of the 16th century, Saadian Morocco became an ally of the British against Spain.

Already by 1659, the dynasty entered into decline. The country split into local tribal fractions with national ambitions. During the Saadian dynasty, the flag continued to be used with the Rub el Hizb, as well as the imperial one.

Alawite dynasty

Gradually, the Alawite dynasty took control of present-day Morocco. Their strategy of detecting the weaknesses of others made them realize their territorial conquest in the middle of the 17th century. Militarily, the Alawis enlisted the support of different groups in the country, in exchange for tax breaks and agricultural land.

Despite the different alliances that were raised at the beginning, the monarch Ismael faced the rebellious tribes and the European powers, which began to occupy regions: the Spanish with Larache and the British with Tangier, as well as the Ottomans in the east. However, the Alawite dynasty spread with the Maures into present-day Mauritania.

Again, anarchy became the norm in Morocco. In the 18th century this was seen through the dispute over the succession to the throne, which lasted almost half a century. However, with the reign of Mohammed III, the situation returned to its course with an economic opening and good international relations, even with countries that were being born like the United States.

Weakening of the Alawite dynasty

However, with Moulay Sulayman as monarch, the situation shifted to economic and political isolationism. The reality became even more precarious after the French invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in the early 19th century, but their fight continued to be against the Ottomans.

Later, the first conflicts with the Europeans began, before the French invasion of Algeria. Between 1859 and 1860, a Spanish-Moroccan war took place that ended with a heartfelt loss for the Arabs.

In conferences such as Madrid in 1880 or Algeciras in 1906, the great powers certified the independence of Morocco, but raising the pressure on commercial activities. Attempts at constitutional reform were attempted from Morocco in 1908, but much of the control of the territory had already been lost and there were even threats of US intervention.

Faced with the precarious economic and institutional situation, in 1912 the French and Spanish protectorates were established over Morocco, which ended the country's independence.

Red flag during the Alawite dynasty

Red continued to represent Morocco, although now, with a different composition of flags. By 1895, a completely red cloth was established as a Moroccan symbol. This was a monarchical symbol, but it began to present problems to be recognized in the naval and merchant area.

Flag of Morocco. (1895). (Flad).

French protectorate

In 1912 the French protectorate treaty for Morocco was signed, which began to take effect on March 30, 1912. The government was led by a resident general appointed from France, while the sultan became a decorative position. The importance of Casablanca was very great in the French colonial Empire and emigration to that area increased.

The economic situation continued to be profitable, but was altered by the world wars. Especially during the Second World War, the French protectorate passed into the hands of Vichy France, a Nazi puppet state. However, the sultan showed his support for Charles de Gaulle's Free France.

During the war the seeds of independence were sown again, which began to be seen as possible by different sectors. In addition to the French tricolor, the French protectorate in Morocco used a particular flag. This was an adaptation of the Moroccan flag established in 2015, to which the French tricolor was added in the canton.

Flag of the French protectorate of Morocco. (Flad).

New Moroccan flag of 1915

The only red flag generated multiple confusion in its use in the naval field. For this reason, on November 17, 1915, the sultan added the Khatam Sulaymane to the flag, which would be the Seal of Solomon in green. This was constituted as a five-pointed star, in which the lines intersect to form a pentagon inside.

Despite all the political changes, this Moroccan flag has remained unchanged until today and inspired the rest of the colonial flags.

Spanish protectorate

The other political entity that was established was the Spanish protectorate in Morocco. This was established in October 1912 and maintained two parts: the north, whose coast was frontal to that of Spain, and the south, formed by Tarfaya and Río de Oro, which bordered the then Spanish Sahara.

The Spanish maintained a system of organization similar to the French, with the appointment of a high commissioner from Madrid. The territory was of particular importance because from there the uprising that generated the Spanish Civil War began. The Spanish protectorate maintained a flag, composed of a red cloth and the Seal of Solomon in white on a green square in the canton.

Flag of the Spanish protectorate of Morocco. (Xiquet).

Rif War

Before the Spanish Civil War, the great conflict that the Spanish protectorate had to face was the War of the Rif, one of its regions in the northern part. By 1921, the Berber tribe of the Beni Ouriaghel rebelled against Spanish power and proclaimed the Confederate Republic of the Rif tribes. This new state established institutions such as the assembly and the army, in addition to a flag.

The objective of the new republic was to conquer French and Spanish areas. Before the advance, the French troops were forced to defend themselves, while the Spanish dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera also sent troops. This concluded with the capitulation of the Rif troops in 1926.

The flag of the Confederate Republic of the Rif tribes was also a red cloth that in its central part included a white rhombus. Inside it, a half moon and a green six-pointed star, symbols of Islam, were added.

Flag of the Confederate Republic of the Rif Tribes. (1921-1926). (Mysid).

Tangier International Zone

In addition to the French and Spanish protectorates, the other territory in which Morocco was divided was the International Zone of Tangier. This was a particular status in which the city government was administered by a commission of foreign powers. In addition to France and Spain, the United States, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal and even the Soviet Union were present after World War II.

Like the other territories, the International Zone of Tangier also had its flag. This was a red cloth that in its left half imposed the shield of the city, while in the right it did the same with the seal of Solomon, in green.

Flag of the International Zone of Tangier. (Flad).

Kingdom of Morocco

From the 1930s, the first independence parties began to emerge, both on the Spanish and French sides. However, it is not after the Second World War that the flag of independence begins to be raised again. This was led from 1947 by the call of Sultan Mohammed Ben Youssef to independence.

By 1953, the sultan had to go into exile and was replaced by a septuagenarian, Mohammed ben Arafa. The Moroccan nationalist movement turned into an armed struggle with the creation of the National Liberation Army, which maintained its own guerrilla actions. The situation became tense until the French government recognized the principle of Moroccan independence and allowed the re-entry of Sultan Ben Youssef.

Negotiations for independence began in 1956, and independence was proclaimed on March 2. On April 7, Spain ended its protectorate and on October 29, the Tangier International Zone joined the new state. The Kingdom of Morocco was reunited and kept the same flag from 1915, until today.

Meaning of the flag

The Moroccan flag contrasts with many other Arab flags by its predominant red color. However, this has a royal origin, since it has been used since the Almohads and is the color of the Alawite dynasty, still reigning. It has also been linked to the blood shed by Moroccans at different historical moments.

However, the characteristic symbol of the Moroccan flag is the Khatam Sulaymane, or Seal of Solomon. This five-pointed star with each of them marking their lines in green can symbolize the courage, hope, health and prosperity of the country.

In addition, his choice also corresponded to a religious symbolism, since the five points represent the five pillars of Islam: profession of faith, prayer, charity, fasting and pilgrimage to Mecca. In this way, Morocco related a religious symbol as an identification of the country.

References

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The redaction of Le Desk. (July 27, 2019). An activiste rifain poursuivi pour avoir hissé le drapeau de la République du Rif. Le Desk. Recovered from ledesk.ma.
Miller, S. (2013). A history of modern Morocco. Cambridge University Press. Recovered from books.google.com.
Mouline, N. (2014). Drapeau marocain, insigne ou symbole? Zamane. 62-67. Recovered from academia.edu.
Oulmouddane, A. (November 19, 2015). La fabuleuse histoire des drapeaux marocains. Le Desk. Recovered from ledesk.ma.
Rami, A. (nd). Le drapeau «alaouite» n'est pas marocain! Ahmed Rami. Recovered from rami.tv.
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FLAG OF MOROCCO: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025