Makhzen
Encyclopedia
Makhzen is the governing elite
in Morocco
and in pre-1957 Tunisia
, centered around the king and consisting of royal notables, businessmen, wealthy landowners, tribal leaders, top-ranking military personnel, security service bosses, and other well-connected members of the establishment
.
synonymous with the elite. It is likely a metonymy
related to tax
es, which the makhzen used to collect; the term may also refer to the state, but this usage is increasingly rare and is primarily used by the older generation. Recently, the term is also being used to describe the police.
The word has also been adopted into Spanish
, Portuguese
with a different meaning, as almacén and armazem (with addition of the Arabic article
al-
), and into French
and Italian
as magasin (meaning "store") and magazzino. It came into the English language
from Middle French
as magazine, originally referring to a storehouse
for ammunition and later to publications
.
. Resident-General General Lyautey
(in office 1912-25) a fervent proponent of indirect colonisation, especially in Berber
-speaking areas, kept that role and even enhanced it by given an important role to local notables such as T'hami El Glaoui
, to act as a relay between the population and the French authorities to govern the country.
Elite
Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...
in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and in pre-1957 Tunisia
Beylik of Tunis
-Ottoman beylik:The Beylik of Tunis was founded on July 15, 1705, after the Husainid Dynasty led by Al-Husayn I ibn Ali at-Turki defeated the Turkish Deys....
, centered around the king and consisting of royal notables, businessmen, wealthy landowners, tribal leaders, top-ranking military personnel, security service bosses, and other well-connected members of the establishment
The Establishment
The Establishment is a term used to refer to a visible dominant group or elite that holds power or authority in a nation. The term suggests a closed social group which selects its own members...
.
Etymology
The word makhzen literally means "warehouse" (from ḵazana ‘store up.’), where the king's civil servants used to receive their wages; but this usage of the word became in Moroccan ArabicMoroccan Arabic
Moroccan Arabic is the variety of Arabic spoken in the Arabic-speaking areas of Morocco. For official communications, the government and other public bodies use Modern Standard Arabic, as is the case in most Arabic-speaking countries. A mixture of French and Moroccan Arabic is used in business...
synonymous with the elite. It is likely a metonymy
Metonymy
Metonymy is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept...
related to tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
es, which the makhzen used to collect; the term may also refer to the state, but this usage is increasingly rare and is primarily used by the older generation. Recently, the term is also being used to describe the police.
The word has also been adopted into Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
with a different meaning, as almacén and armazem (with addition of the Arabic article
Definite Article
Definite Article is the title of British comedian Eddie Izzard's 1996 performance released on VHS. It was recorded on different nights at the Shaftesbury Theatre...
al-
Al-
is the definite article in the Arabic language; a particle whose function is to render the noun on which it is prefixed definite. For example, the word kitāb 'book' can be made definite by prefixing it with al-, resulting in al-kitāb 'the book'...
), and into French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
as magasin (meaning "store") and magazzino. It came into the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
from Middle French
Middle French
Middle French is a historical division of the French language that covers the period from 1340 to 1611. It is a period of transition during which:...
as magazine, originally referring to a storehouse
Magazine (artillery)
Magazine is the name for an item or place within which ammunition is stored. It is taken from the Arabic word "makahazin" meaning "warehouse".-Ammunition storage areas:...
for ammunition and later to publications
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
.
Makhzen in Morocco
The Makhzen is a very ancient notion in Morocco, it roughly coincides with the notion of the ancien feudalist state predating The French protectorateFrench Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
. Resident-General General Lyautey
Hubert Lyautey
Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey was a French Army general, the first Resident-General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925 and from 1921 Marshal of France.-Early life:...
(in office 1912-25) a fervent proponent of indirect colonisation, especially in Berber
Berber languages
The Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
-speaking areas, kept that role and even enhanced it by given an important role to local notables such as T'hami El Glaoui
T'hami El Glaoui
El Haj T'hami el Mezouari el Glaoui , better known in English-speaking countries as T'hami El Glaoui or Lord of the Atlas, was a Berber Pasha of Marrakech from 1912 to 1956...
, to act as a relay between the population and the French authorities to govern the country.