The Structure of Food and Human Behavior in the City of Taza in Modern Morocco

(A Reading in Historical Geography)

Abstract

The mountain has played a key role in shaping many of Morocco’s urban centers, including the city of Taza, which is a quintessentially mountainous city. Its location—nestled among several mountain ranges—enabled it to assume significant political, cultural, economic, commercial, and social roles that deeply influenced the course of Moroccan history. Indeed, the mountainous environment directly or indirectly contributed to the making of the city’s economic and social history since its foundation.

In this context, Ibn Khaldun, in his famous Muqaddimah, spoke of the influence of climate on human complexion and conditions of life, highlighting its effects on crafts, food, clothing, morals, temperament, and colors. He compared the mountain dweller with the inhabitant of the plains, emphasizing how geography shaped their social and economic relations. Ibn Khaldun’s idea invites us to reflect on the role of the mountain in forming the character and behavior of the Moroccan person, and in shaping historical events—especially when the mountain is tied to a city like Taza, surrounded by mountains on all sides.

This Khaldunian insight leads us into a broader sociological domain related to the nature of Taza’s social system, its mountain inhabitants, and the dominant structures of production and social relations. From this perspective, travel literature fills a gap often left by chronicles when it comes to the history of the mountains. While historical accounts focus mainly on events and prominent figures, they tend to overlook the geographical environment, habitats, and ways of life. Thus, understanding the material conditions of people’s lives, their means of livelihood, and the historical relations between individuals and groups in both plains and mountains can only be achieved through consulting geographical works, as these constitute essential sources for historical geography and the economic history of Morocco and the Islamic world.