Muhammad al-Muqri

Who was Muhammad al-Muqri?

Muhammad al-Muqri is more known as an adviser and grand vizier to several sultans of Morocco while that country was still under French colonial domination.

Of Algerian descent,born in the city of Fes, he began his career in government during the reign of Mohammed IV of Morocco, the father of Hassan I of Morocco. During this period of time, al-Muqri went to the opening of the Suez Canal where he met with Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. After the death of Hassan I, sultan, Abd al-Aziz seized the throne. At that time, Al Muqri was the country's representative to the 1906 Algeciras Conference at which Germany's demand for a say in Moroccan affairs was rejected in favor of France and Spain. In recognition of his efforts to resolve the Moroccan Crisis leading up to the international conference, Abd al-Aziz appointed al-Muqri as his Minister of Finance and in 1908, his Grand Vizier, a post he would hold on and off under each of the succeeding sultans until 1955. In 1909, the new sultan Abd Al-Hafid restored him to the post of Minister of Finance but promoted him to Grand Vizier in 1911. Al-Muqri resigned the post two years later, but was reappointed to it by Sultan Yusef, and was kept in the position by his successor, Sultan Muhammad, when he ascended the throne in 1927.