The heritage of Morocco
A plural memory, written and living.
Manuscripts and archives, languages and stories, gestures and crafts, rituals of hospitality: Moroccan heritage is both a memory to preserve and a living force to pass on.
Eight tributaries, one civilization
The Constitution of the Kingdom describes a national identity “forged by the convergence of its Arab-Islamic, Amazigh and Saharan-Hassani components”, enriched by its African, Andalusi, Hebraic and Mediterranean tributaries.
The IRFAN Foundation places this plurality at the heart of its work: none of these heritages is an ornament; each is part of the shared memory.
ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ — an ancient root
Amazigh is one of Morocco’s oldest roots. Its language, an official language of the Kingdom alongside Arabic since 2011, is written in Tifinagh, one of the oldest alphabets on the African continent.
Oral literature and poetry, collective music and dance, weaving and jewelry, the architecture of ksour and collective granaries (igoudar), agricultural and pastoral knowledge: this heritage is immensely rich, and much of it is still passed on orally.
Documenting these memories — recording, describing and making them accessible with respect for the communities who carry them — is part of the Foundation’s mission. Khizana will give Amazigh works and knowledge a place of their own.
What the Foundation preserves
Written
Manuscripts, rare books, archives, correspondence, periodicals, maps, family papers.
Oral
Stories, poetry, songs, testimonies, the memory of elders, languages and dialects.
Spiritual & intellectual
Zawiya libraries, religious knowledge, sciences, medicine, philosophy and Sufism.
Artistic & artisanal
Calligraphy, architecture, weaving, ceramics, metalwork, the arts of the table.
Living
Gestures, rituals, festivals, crafts, hospitality: what is passed from hand to hand.
Contemporary
What we photograph, write and record today — tomorrow’s heritage.
Morocco in the heritage of humanity
Morocco is among the countries whose intangible heritage is most widely recognized by UNESCO: the cultural space of Jemaa el-Fna square in Marrakech, the Moussem of Tan-Tan, the argan tree and its know-how, the Taskiwin of the High Atlas, Gnawa, Tbourida and Malhoun, among others.
These recognitions recall an obvious truth: this heritage is alive, and its transmission depends on us.
From manuscript to gesture, from gesture to artwork
Khizana
The digital library of Morocco gathers manuscripts, Qur’ans, books, archives, maps, photographs, films, music and memories and makes them accessible.
Discover Khizana →
Marrakech Coffee & Tea Festival
The festival honors the Moroccan art of welcoming — the tea ceremony, the crafts of the table, the transmission of gestures.
Discover the Festival →
Art Factory Marrakech
The art and design fair brings today’s artists into dialogue with the crafts, calligraphy and arts of Morocco.
Discover Art Factory →Do you hold part of this memory?
A manuscript, family archives, photographs, knowledge, a testimony: let the Foundation know. Every exchange is careful and confidential.