فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Taza – November 24, 2025
A rare historical photograph dating back to 1927 is being widely circulated on social media, showing hundreds of fighters from the Amazigh tribe “Beni Ouarain” (Béni Ouraïn), gathered under the walls of the city of Taza, armed with their traditional long rifles, in a state of full combat readiness.
The photo, taken by a French photographer and published as a postcard titled “Partisans Beni Ouraïn sous les murs de Taza,” is an important visual document reflecting the complex context of the French Protectorate years (1912-1956), when Taza was a crucial strategic crossing point between the Rif, the Fez plain, and the Middle Atlas.
Historical Context: Between Resistance and Auxiliary Forces
The Beni Ouarain tribe, originating from the Middle Atlas mountains and the Taza region, was part of the shifting tribal alliances of that period. At some stages, these tribes formed fierce resistance forces against French incursion, while at other stages, they enlisted as “auxiliary forces” (Partisans or Goumiers) in service of the French army for tribal, political, or economic reasons. This particular photo shows them in organized ranks under the walls, suggesting that at that moment they were part of forces loyal to colonial authorities, perhaps to confront other resistance in the region or to secure the city.
French Berber Policy: A Separatist Project Thwarted by National Unity
This photo comes in the context of implementing the French colonial policy known as the “Berber Policy,” which began before Morocco’s official occupation through:
- Establishing the French Scientific Mission in Tangier in 1904 and publishing sociological studies about tribes under the name “Berber Documents,”
- Issuing the newspaper “Al-Saada” to spread French propaganda,
- After the Protectorate: founding the Institute of Advanced Moroccan Studies in Rabat (1915), creating a division for Berber dialects, and issuing “Hespéris” magazine,
- Opening the Berber High School in Azrou in 1927,
- A series of dahirs starting from 1914 leading to the notorious dahir of May 16, 1930, which attempted to separate Amazigh customary law from Islamic Sharia, considered an attempt to fragment the Moroccan nation.
However, this colonial project faced widespread national opposition, led by the nationalist movement from Fez, Rabat, Tetouan, and Salé, through protest petitions and demonstrations that peaked with recitations of “Latif” prayers in mosques, forcing France to completely retreat from the Berber dahir and abandon the entire project.
The Photo’s Message Today
This photo remains a witness to a complex historical period, reminding us that Morocco’s unity was never a gift, but rather the result of popular resilience and deep national consciousness that thwarted the most dangerous colonial plan to divide the country ethnically and religiously. It is a permanent reminder that Morocco, with all its Arab and Amazigh components, remained united in the face of all attempts at division.
