Doha – The funeral of Abdelhak El Mrini, historiographer of the kingdom and spokesperson for the Royal Palace, took place Tuesday at the Achouhada cemetery in Rabat. Prince Moulay Rachid attended the ceremony.
Following the Al Asr and funeral prayers at the Achouhada Mosque, the funeral procession made its way to the cemetery where El Mrini was laid to rest. Family members, royal advisors, and numerous civil and military figures were present at the ceremony.
Verses from the Quran were recited and prayers were offered for the deceased. Attendees also prayed for the long life of King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, asking for divine protection for the monarch and blessings upon Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, Prince Moulay Rachid, and all members of the royal family.
King Mohammed VI also sent a message of condolences to El Mrini’s family, expressing “deep affliction and great sadness” at the passing of his “faithful servant” during the blessed days of Dou Al Hijja. The King stressed the intellectual’s valuable contributions to Moroccan heritage.
“The regretted has enriched the national library with several pertinent and singular works and publications,” the sovereign wrote.
These works “will forever remain a living testimony of his intellectual eminence, his passion for knowledge, his selfless service to his homeland, and his sincere and unwavering attachment to the nation’s constants and sacralities and to the Glorious Alaouite Throne,” he added.
Lifelong royal historian and cultural guardian
El Mrini died Monday in Rabat at the age of 91. Born on May 31, 1934, he memorized the Quran at a young age and later studied at Moulay Youssef High School.
He graduated from the Institute of Higher Moroccan Studies in 1960 and earned various academic degrees, including a doctorate from the University of Strasbourg in 1973 and a State doctorate from Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fez in 1989.
His professional career began in teaching before he joined the royal palace in 1965.
El Mrini served as an advisor to the Ministry of the Royal Household, director of protocol and chancellery in 1998, was named the kingdom’s historiographer in 2010, and was appointed spokesperson for the Royal Palace in 2012, a position he held until his death.
As a renowned historian, El Mrini authored several reference works, including “The Moroccan Army Through History” (1968), “Renaissance of a Nation,” and “Mohammed V: Studies and Testimonies.”
His contributions to Moroccan literature earned him the Morocco Book Prize in 1968 and the Abdellah Guennoun Prize in 1997.
