Preserving the memory of Morocco. Transmitting its future.
The IRFAN Foundation for Heritage works to preserve, document, digitize, promote and transmit Moroccan heritage, in all its depth and all its plurality — through research, a digital library, festivals and cultural gatherings.
Morocco has preserved its identity while welcoming many heritages. This continuity is never guaranteed.
Morocco is a continuous civilization. For more than two thousand years, it has preserved its identity while welcoming and integrating multiple heritages: Arab, Islamic, Amazigh, Saharan-Hassani, Andalusi, African, Hebraic and Mediterranean.
This continuity, rare in the history of nations, is a precious inheritance. It must be protected, documented, transmitted and reinterpreted with respect. The IRFAN Foundation for Heritage was created to meet this responsibility.
Our mission: to preserve, document, digitize, promote and transmit Moroccan heritage in all its dimensions — written, oral, spiritual, intellectual, artistic, artisanal and living. Founded in Marrakech, the Foundation does not replace existing institutions: it connects, complements and contributes.
A unity forged by the convergence of its Arab-Islamic, Amazigh and Saharan-Hassani components, enriched by African, Andalusi, Hebraic and Mediterranean influences. This is the heritage, in all its plurality, that the Foundation is committed to serving.
Inventorying, protecting and documenting Morocco’s written, oral and living heritage.
Digital tools in the service of Moroccan memory, with full respect for the rights and agreements established with holders.
Supporting research, researchers and the production of knowledge on Morocco and its civilization.
Festivals, gatherings, cultural programs, publications and educational initiatives that make Moroccan heritage known and pass it on across generations.
A digital library dedicated to Morocco, its civilization, its knowledge and its authors. Manuscripts, Qur’ans, books, archives, maps, periodicals, photographs, films, music and memories — brought together in a unified digital space, conceived as a gateway to Moroccan memory.
Project under development
An international gathering created by the IRFAN Foundation, dedicated to coffee, tea, hospitality and Moroccan savoir-faire. Its first edition, on 6–8 December 2025 at Mossalla Sidi Amara, welcomed nearly 10,000 visitors and 150 exhibitors and partners.
Second edition: 5, 6 & 7 November 2027, Marrakech.
A contemporary art and design fair initiated by the IRFAN Foundation: a biennial platform where today’s art meets the aesthetic, craft and spiritual traditions of Morocco, Africa and the international scenes.
First edition: 3, 4 & 5 November 2028, Marrakech — alternating with the Marrakech Coffee & Tea Festival.
Libraries, universities, research centers, cultural institutions, heritage holders, patrons and international organizations: every partnership serves the preservation and transmission of Moroccan memory.
Become a partner →Propose a manuscript, report an archive, share a testimony, join the advisory council, volunteer anywhere in Morocco or support a project.
Contribute to the mission →“IRFAN. In Arabic, عرفان means both deep knowledge and gratitude. To know what has been handed down to us, and to be grateful for it: that is the whole meaning of the Foundation that bears this name.”
Karim Ramzi, Founder & President
Read the letter →The IRFAN Foundation for Heritage announces the creation of Art Factory Marrakech, a contemporary art and design fair whose first edition will take place on 3, 4 and 5 November 2028 in Marrakech.
Read more →The IRFAN Foundation for Heritage announces the postponement of the second edition of the Marrakech Coffee & Tea Festival. Originally scheduled for 14 to 16 November 2026, it will take place on 5, 6 and 7 November 2027 in Marrakech.
Read more →The IRFAN Foundation for Heritage opens its institutional website: irfanfoundation.org.
Read more →Institutions, researchers, families, heritage holders, partners: the IRFAN Foundation welcomes your message.
