Morocco Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Morocco appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 18 different states, among them Morocco, Idrisid Caliphate, Mauretania, Almoravid dynasty, Morocco (France).
MoroccoExplore the history of Morocco in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Morocco as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Morocco, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
| Map | Main states on this land |
|---|---|
| 500 BC | Carthaginian Empire 13% |
| 400 BC | Carthaginian Empire 13% |
| 323 BC | Carthaginian Empire 13% |
| 300 BC | Carthaginian Empire 13% |
| 200 BC | Mauretania 54% |
| 100 BC | Mauretania 60% |
| 1 BC | Roman Empire 19% |
| AD 100 | Roman Empire 19% |
| AD 200 | Roman Empire 19% |
| AD 400 | Western Roman Empire 19% |
| AD 600 | Eastern Roman Empire 4% |
| AD 700 | Saharan Nomadic Tribes 46% · Barghawata 38% · Umayyad Caliphate 2% |
| AD 800 | Idrisid Caliphate 96% |
| AD 900 | Idrisid Caliphate 94% |
| 1000 | Caliphate of Córdoba 60% |
| 1100 | Almoravid dynasty 100% |
| 1200 | Almohad Caliphate 52% · Berber Tribes 48% |
| 1300 | Morocco 58% |
| 1400 | Morocco 58% |
| 1492 | Wattasid Caliphate 27% |
| 1500 | Wattasid Caliphate 27% |
| 1600 | Wattasid Morocco 90% |
| 1650 | Morocco 90% |
| 1700 | Morocco 90% |
| 1783 | Morocco 85% |
| 1800 | Morocco 85% |
| 1815 | Morocco 85% |
| 1880 | Morocco 100% |
| 1900 | Morocco 100% |
| 1914 | Morocco 96% · Spanish Morocco 4% |
| 1920 | Morocco 100% |
| 1930 | Morocco 100% |
| 1938 | Morocco (France) 100% |
| 1945 | Morocco 100% |
| 1960 | Morocco 100% |
| 1994 | Morocco 100% |
| 2010 | Morocco 100% |
Historic cities in Morocco
Famous people of Morocco
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 1126 – 1198 | Averroes (Ibn Rushd) | Philosopher |
| 1138 – 1204 | Maimonides | Jewish philosopher and physician |
| 1304 – 1369 | Ibn Battuta | Traveller |
| 1332 – 1406 | Ibn Khaldun | Historian |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Morocco?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Morocco belonged to Morocco, Idrisid Caliphate, Mauretania, Almoravid dynasty, Morocco (France), Wattasid Morocco, along with 12 other states.
What was Morocco part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Morocco lay within Caliphate of Córdoba.
What was Morocco part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Morocco lay within Wattasid Caliphate.
What was Morocco part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Morocco lay within Morocco.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.