Itinerant court in Morocco: the unforgotten past

Occupation: Senior Lecturer
Affiliation: Institute of Asian and African Studies, Lomonosov Moscow State University
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow

Journal name

Asia and Africa Today

Edition

Issue 8

Pages

75-79

Abstract

The article is focused on the phenomenon of the itinerant court, or mobile government, in Morocco. This way of ruling the country was known in the Islamic Far West since the Middle Ages. The sultans travelled across the Empire in order to collect the taxes or tribute to hold a court and to arbitrate the conflicts between Moroccan tribes. The itinerant court was an effective mechanism that allowed the sultans to maintain their power in such isolated areas like the Atlas mountains and the Sahara desert.

The author shows that this tradition is still practiced today in Morocco: the king Muhammad VI travels across the country and takes part in different events which are not always of particular importance. This fact demonstrates that the king is eager to be present in everyday life of ordinary Moroccans, and this way of ruling the country goes back to the tradition of his monarchial ancestors. The participation of king in such events like opening a new airport or in a Friday prayer in local mosque allows to maintain his popularity among his subjects.

The phenomenon of «itinerant court» is an example of flexibility of Moroccan traditions, especially the manner of ruling the country. The king shows by his actions that he is open to his people and that the dynasty can adapt itself to the changing world. Moreover, it is supposed that this resilience of the ruling family is one of the main reasons of the political stability in Morocco.

Keywords

Morocco, tradition, modernisation, «itinerant court», collection of tribute

Publication date

10.08.2019

Number of characters

16730

Cite

GOST	Solovyeva D. «Itinerant court» in Morocco: the unforgotten past // Asia and Africa Today – 2019. – Issue 8 C. 75-79 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://asaf-today.ru/S032150750005790-1-1 (circulation date: 25.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S032150750005790-1
MLA	Solovyeva, Daria V. "«Itinerant court» in Morocco: the unforgotten past." Asia and Africa Today 8 (2019):75-79. DOI: 10.31857/S032150750005790-1
APA	Solovyeva D. (2019). «Itinerant court» in Morocco: the unforgotten past. Asia and Africa Today (8), pp.75-79 DOI: 10.31857/S032150750005790-1

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