At the 31st edition of the International Book Fair, a conference gathered three historians and professors to discuss the explorations undertaken by Moroccans over the centuries.
The panel, led by Mustapha El Ghachi, Abdelali Dmyani, and Boushayb Sawri, moderated by Shuayb Halifi, elaborated on the historic travel texts of great Moroccan travellers, such as Ibn Battuta, Ibn Sabah al-Shatibi and Ibn Uthman al-Meknassi.
Morocco has maintained a special fondness for travel for more than one thousand years, reflected in journeys across distant lands from the East to al-Andalus and Sub-Saharan Africa.
These explorations were motivatedby various reasons, including pilgrimage, seeking knowledge, trade and diplomacy.
This long tradition resulted in texts documenting the customs of different regions, the state of cities and roads and routes.
Thanks to these travellers, Morocco is considered a pioneer in the field of exploration in the Arab world.
The session shed light on the role of Moroccan travel literature in self-representation and the discovery of the other, showing that being Moroccan means honoring one’s heritage while blending with others.
