|Alawi Dynasty in Morocco| The dynasty’s name was derived from
the name of its ancestor, Mawlay Ali al-Sharif of Marrakesh.
Mawlay Rashid (667–722), the first Alawite ruler of Morocco, is
considered to be the founding father of the dynasty. The name
Alawi is also used in Morocco in a more general sense to
identify all descendents of Ali, who was the cousin and son-in-
law of the prophet Muhammad. At the time the Alawi surfaced in
Morocco, sultan kings with absolute power had ruled Morocco for
almost four centuries. In the 16th century, Morocco’s sultan
kings had been forced to make decisions about foreign trade.
While the rulers wanted the gunpowder and arms that trading with
Europe could bring, they were hesitant to trade with the
continent that Moroccans knew as the “land of infidels.” Weapons
were particularly important for Morocco at that time, because
the country was facing Iberian expansion along the Atlantic and
Mediterranean coasts. Members of the Alawi dynasty were also
cognizant of the possibility of