8000 BC
Neolithic cultures spread through the region, leaving rock drawings in the northeast of Morocc

12th century BC
Phoenicians establish trading posts along Morocco’s coast.
146 BC
Carthage falls to Rome. Roman influence spreads west through North Africa. Volubilis becomes the capital of the Roman province of Mauretania Tingitana, ruled by Berber kings.
AD 24
Direct Roman rule under Emperor Caligula.
684
First Arab raids under the command of Oqba ibn Nafi.
711
Berbers embrace Islam and invade Spain under the Arab leader Tarik ibn Ziad.
Idrissid dynasty
788
Idriss I, exiled from Baghdad, is welcomed by Berber tribes in Volubilis and establishes Morocco’s first Islamic and Arab dynasty.
807
Idriss II founds Fez. Refugees arrive from Kairouan, Tunisia, establishing the important Kairaouine University

Almoravid dynasty
1060–1147
The Berber Almoravid dynasty sweeps up from the south. Youssef ibn Tashfin makes Marrakech his capital in 1062.
1106
Almoravid power is at its peak. Youssef ibn Tashfin dies.
Almohad dynasty
1147–1269
The Almohad dynasty rises from Tin Mal. At its peak, the Almohad Empire stretches from Spain to Tripoli

Merinid dynasty
1248–1465
The Berber Beni Merin tribe oust the Almohads, establishing the Merinid dynasty with its capital in Fez.

1269
Abu Yusuf Yaqub captures Marrakech and takes control of most of the Maghreb.
The Wattasids
1465–1549
The Wattasids, hereditary viziers of the Merinids, usurp the Merinids, but control only northern Morocco.
1492
Fall of Muslim Spain, heralding the decline of Moroccan power and influence abroad

Saadian dynasty
1554–1669
The Saadians reign (the first Arab dynasty since the Idrissids) having defeated the Wattasids at the battle of Tadla.
1578–1603
Reign of Ahmed el Mansour, ‘the Golden One’.
Alaouite dynasty
1664
The present Alaouite dynasty is founded by Moulay Rashid.
1672–1727
Moulay Ismail, the ‘warrior king’, moves the capital from Fez to the new imperial city of Meknes, built using thousands of slaves.
1873–94
Moulay el Hassan is the last of the notable pre-colonial sultans.
1894–1908
Moulay Abd el Aziz incurs foreign loans, leaving Morocco open to European encroachment

1906
The Act of Algeciras recognises France’s ‘privileged position’ in Morocco.

1912
The Treaty of Fez. Morocco is carved up between France and Spain. Tangier becomes an international zone.
1927
The beginning of the reign of Sultan Mohammed Ben Youssef – Mohammed V.
1953
Mohammed V goes into exile.
1956
The French Protectorate ends.
1961
Accession of Hassan II.
1975
The Green March: 350,000 unarmed Moroccans claim the Western Sahara for Morocco.
1976
The Polisario liberation movement, aided by Algeria, disputes Morocco’s claims on the Western Sahara.
1999
Hassan II dies and is succeeded by his son, Mohammed VI, who establishes the Equity and Reconciliation Commission to look into abuses of power during his father’s reign.
2004
Mohammed VI reforms the mudawana, or family code, granting unprecedented rights to women. Morocco signs free trade agreements with the EU and US and becomes a non-NATO ally