Morocco has a rich tapestry of history dating back to before the Carthaginian era. When Hannibal was finally defeated, the Carthaginian Empire fell under Roman control. The now abandoned ruins of  Volobulis, located close to the city of Meknes, was the southernmost corner of the Roman Empire. Many of the structures were severely damaged or buried by the Lisbon earthquake of 1755.  In contrast to some other countries with similar heritage, Turkey for example, there has been little investment in cleaning and restoring the ruins for meaningful interpretation by visitors. With some archaeological investment,  the site could be restored to make it easier to imagine its former glory.  Unfortunately, without a change in attitude, the  current  ruins will soon cease  to be attractive or interesting to visitors.

In  the  early centuries after the Roman invasion, Christianity held sway, until the  Arab and Muslim influences spread westward in the 9th and 10 centuries. Different Berber/Arab groups  or clans held sway over Morocco in subsequent centuries. In the 16th century, European powers, Spain and Portugal in particular began to encroach on Moroccan  territory.  However, both were  less interested in establishing colonies, but rather more interested in establishing trading centres that would also serve as control  points over Mediterranean and Atlantic trading routes. Essaouira is one such port that has passed between Spain and Portugal, but is now part of Morocco.

In the 20th century France became a player across north Africa - Morocco was a French Protectorate from 1912, till independence in 1956. Although relatively short lived, the French influence is still much in evidence today, with French being spoken widely in government, business and finance. French patisseries complement traditional Middle Eastern desserts such as baklava or feteer.

On the Mediterranean coast there are two Spanish protectorates Ceuta and Melilla - that is they are part of Spain, although on the African continent. Just as Spain is not impressed with Britain holding on to Gibraltar, the Moroccans are not impressed with Spain holding on to these two protectorates. Given that they are part of Europe, these cities have become focal flash points in the refugee migration route from Africa to Europe.