- 34 minutes 18 secondsThe Corsairs of Salé (1610-1818): How Exiled Moriscos built a Pirate Republic in Morocco
In this episode, we dive into the true story of the Corsair Republic of Salé — a powerful port city built by exiled Moriscos after their expulsion from Spain in 1609. Discover how these refugees turned a ruined fortress on Morocco’s Atlantic coast into a self-governed pirate state that raided European ships, defied empires, and reshaped the history of the Mediterranean. A tale of exile, resistance, and forgotten power.
SOURCES :
Salé au XVIIème siècle, terre d'asile morisque sur le territoire atlantique marocain, by Laila Maziane
Histoire du Maroc, by J. Brignon
Histoire du Maroc, by Daniel Rivet
Les morisques et l'édification de la ville de Rabat, by Safaa Monqid
CONTACT :
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @ayahchoukri
Website: www.ayahchoukri.com
30 June 2025, 7:51 pm - 21 minutes 55 secondsAl Hafidiyya (1907-1909): the Coup & Civil War before Morocco’s Protectorates
In this episode we explore how Morocco lost its independence in the early 1900s. Through the power struggle between 2 royal brothers , rising foreign influences and a unique political and religious pact known as the Bay’a Hafidiyya, we trace the events that led to the French protectorate in 1912. Politics, betrayal, colonial pressure, and a turning point in Morocco’s history.
SOURCES
Histoire du Maroc, J. Brignon
Histoire du Maroc, M. Abitbol
Histoire du Maroc, D. Rivet
CONTACT
Instagram: @ayahchoukri
Email: [email protected]
Website : www.ayahchoukri.com
23 June 2025, 10:31 am - 37 minutes 1 secondThe Moroccan Constitution is a Story — Here’s How to Read it (Part 1) | MOROCCAN POLITICS 101
In this episode of Moroccan politics 101, the series where we break down how power works in Morocco one topic at a time, we begin a 2-part deep dive into the 2011 Constitution.
In this first part we unpack how the constitution came to be, what it is made of, the rights it lays out for Moroccan citizens and the King.
In part 2, we will move onto the institutions: the Parliament, the government, the judiciary, decentralisation, and the bodies meant to hold power accountable.
CONTACT
E-mail: [email protected]
Instagram: @ayahchoukri
15 June 2025, 7:49 pm - 23 minutes 42 secondsMohammed Al Burtughali (1505-1524): Morocco’s Wattasid Sultan Raised by the Portuguese
In this episode we look at the strange and little known reign of Mohammed Al Burtughali : the Moroccan Wattasid sultan who spent his childhood as a Portuguese hostage and returned to rule a sultanate in shambles. Caught between Iberian expansion, Sufi-led resistance and the collapse of Wattasid authority all over the country his story raises deeper questions about what it means to lead the ruins of empire.
SOURCES
- Les Wattasides, une dynastie de transition by Mohamed Mezzine
- Histoire du Maroc by J. Brignon, Abdelaziz Amine, Brahim Boutaleb, …
- Histoire du Maroc by Daniel Rivet
- Leon l’African’s “Description de l’Afrique”
CONTACT
E-mail: [email protected]
Instagram @ayahchoukri
13 June 2025, 12:04 am - 22 minutes 47 secondsWhy isn’t Morocco your “typical” monarchy ? || MOROCCAN POLITICS 101 (ep. 1)
In this first episode of the series “Moroccan politics 101”, we break down how Morocco works as a constitutional monarchy; at the very least on the surface. Whether you’re Moroccan or just curious, this episode gives you the essential tools to understand one of the most complex and resilient political systems in the region.
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram : @ayahchoukri
YouTube : Ayah Choukri | History of Morocco
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayah-choukri-289724196?
8 June 2025, 7:58 pm - 32 minutes 38 secondsAbou Mahalli vs. the Saadians: Religion, Power and Collapse in 1600s Morocco
In this episode, I unpack the rise and fall of Abou Mahalli—preacher, warlord, self-declared Mahdi—who nearly rewrote Morocco’s fate in the 17th century. His life is a window into a country unraveling after its golden age, torn between dynastic decay, foreign interference, and a people’s longing for salvation. This is the story of a man who tried to fill the silence left by collapsing empirewith God, with poetry, with war.
Sources
– Al Ifrani, Nozhet el Hadi: Chronicles of the Saadian Dynasty (d. 1743)
– J. Brignon, Histoire du Maroc
– A. Péretié, “Le Raïs El Khadir Ghailan,” Archives marocaines, published by the Scientific Mission of Morocco
2 June 2025, 10:42 pm - 19 minutes 20 secondsIDRIS I (788-791): Founder of the Moroccan Muslim State
In this episode, Idris I, the founder of the Idrisid dynasty in Morocco, takes center stage. After fleeing the Abbasid Caliphate, he established a new reign that shaped the future of Islamic North Africa. His influence marked a turning point in the region’s history, leaving a legacy that endures to this day.
SOURCES:
« Histoire des Berbères », by Ibn Khaldoun
« Les Idrissides: L'histoire contre son histoire », by Chafik T. Benchekroun
« Idrissisme et villes Idrissides », by M. Garcia-Arenal and E. Manzano Moreno
«Fès et sainteté: de la fondation à lave n'arment du protectorat » by Centre Jacques-Berque
« Le Maroc entre vocations et réalités » by M.
Fougerouse
4 October 2024, 9:14 pm - 28 minutes 1 secondBOU HMARA [3/3]: The Fake Sultan who Deceived Morocco | Moulay Abdelhafid, France, Spain & the End
The series is finally coming full circle: part 3 of Bou Hmara, the man who wanted to be sultan instead of the Sultan.
CONTACT:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @ayahchoukri
TikTok: @ayahchoukri
YouTube: Ayah CHOUKRI | History of Morocco
SOURCES:
« Lords of the Atlas : the rise and fall of the House of Glaoua, 1893-1956 » by Maxwell Gavin (page 82 onward)
« Bou Hmara’s European Connexion: The Commercial Relations of a Moroccan Warlord » by Ross E. Dunn
« Le Maroc d’ aujourd’hui » by Eugene Aubin
« Bou Hmara, faux sultan et vrai rebelle » by Mustapha Saha for La Une CED les Chroniques
27 September 2024, 3:52 pm - 22 minutes 41 secondsBOU HMARA [2/3] : The Fake Sultan who Deceived Morocco | From a masquerade to a civil war
CONTACT:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @ayahchoukri
TikTok: @ayahchoukri
YouTube: Ayah CHOUKRI | History of Morocco
SOURCES:
« Lords of the Atlas : the rise and fall of the House of Glaoua, 1893-1956 » by Maxwell Gavin (page 82 onward)
« Bou Hmara’s European Connexion: The Commercial Relations of a Moroccan Warlord » by Ross E. Dunn
« Le Maroc d’ aujourd’hui » by Eugene Aubin
« Bou Hmara, faux sultan et vrai rebelle » by Mustapha Saha for La Une CED les Chroniques
4 September 2024, 6:00 pm - 22 minutes 16 secondsBOU HMARA [1/3] : the Fake Sultan who deceived Morocco | The early days
In this new 3-parts series, I take you through the story of Bou Hmara, a con artist who shook Morocco’s Alaoui dynasty in the early 20th century at the dawn of the European protectorates. Pretending to be a long lost prince, the brother of Sultan Moulay Abdelaziz, Bou Hmara used strategy, clever schemes and a good dose of lies to gain power wealth & influence over thousands of people.
His rise to the top was filled with betrayal battles, & the brutal realities of colonial rule. An episode of Moroccan history you donnot
CONTACT:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @ayahchoukri
TikTok: @ayahchoukri
YouTube: Ayah CHOUKRI | History of Morocco
SOURCES:
« Lords of the Atlas : the rise and fall of the House of Glaoua, 1893-1956 » by Maxwell Gavin (page 82 onward)
« Bou Hmara’s European Connexion: The Commercial Relations of a Moroccan Warlord » by Ross E. Dunn
« Le Maroc d’ aujourd’hui » by Eugene Aubin
« Bou Hmara, faux sultan et vrai rebelle » by Mustapha Saha for La Une CED les Chroniques
30 August 2024, 5:05 pm - 20 minutes 37 seconds(1981) CASABLANCA BREAD RIOTS: the Protests, full Rundown of Moroccan Economy in 1960s-80s, Legacy
📖 SOURCES :
La synthèse complète du Rapport final établi par l’Instance (royale) de Reconciliation et d’Equité (IER), 2004
“Émeutes et mouvements sociaux au Maghreb” by Institut Maghreb-Europe (page 257)
“Le Maroc et la crise economique” by Marcel Amphoux for the “Revue d’économie politique”
“Profil de la croissance économique au Maroc : 1960 à 2004”, by fpl.ma
CONTACT:
Instagram: @ayahchoukri
TikTok: @ayahchoukri
YouTube: Ayah Choukri | History of Morocco
Email: [email protected]
23 August 2024, 6:25 pm - More Episodes? Get the App