The Death of Abdelhaq El Merini: The Departure of the Voice of the Palace and the Memory of Moroccan History

ALDAR/

Morocco has lost one of its most prominent intellectual and cultural figures with the passing of Abdelhaq El Merini, the Kingdom’s official historian and spokesperson for the Royal Palace, at the age of 91, after a long and fruitful career dedicated to serving the nation, history, and the throne.

El Merini was born in Rabat al-Fath into a conservative family descended from the prestigious Marinid dynasty. He progressed through multiple academic and professional paths that made him one of the leading faces of the Moroccan elite. He was not merely a senior official but a witness to pivotal moments in Morocco’s history and a key figure in preserving the traditions and rituals of the Makzen (royal establishment), especially when he served as the Director of the Royal Protocol.

Abdelhaq El Merini was a prolific author, with one of his most notable works being the reference book “The Moroccan Army Through History”, in which he documented the role of the Moroccan military institution across various eras, especially its contribution to World War II. He highlighted this contribution during his participation in a media program dedicated to the army, which drew the attention of General Moulay Hafid Alawi, who invited him to the palace in appreciation of his insights.

His interests were not limited to military and political history; he also gave significant attention to Moroccan women in his writings, addressing them with admiration and fairness. Among his key works in this regard are “The Guide of the Moroccan Woman” and a book about the first Moroccan woman to pilot an airplane, who was also the youngest female pilot in the Arab world. Poetess Widad Ben Moussa considered his writings to have done justice to Moroccan women and highlighted their active contributions since the dawn of independence.

Early in his career, El Merini worked as an Arabic language teacher and was one of the pioneers in Arabizing education and promoting the Arabic language in post-colonial Morocco. Alongside his dedication to knowledge and writing, he had memorized the Quran from a young age and painstakingly copied the entire Holy Quran by hand over four years, preserving that handwritten Mushaf as an eternal spiritual keepsake.

With the passing of Abdelhaq El Merini, Morocco loses a cultured voice who remained loyal to the throne, devoted to the values of patriotism, and vigilant in preserving Moroccan memory—both the royal and popular facets. His name will remain etched in the record of men who wrote history with ink of loyalty and knowledge.