The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted by UNESCO in 2003. It protects the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and know-how "that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognise as part of their heritage".

Morocco ratified the Convention as early as 2006. It has sat twice on the Intergovernmental Committee — from 2010 to 2014, then from 2020 to 2024 — and chaired the 17th session of that Committee, held in Rabat in 2022.

This page lists the sixteen elements, ordered from the most recent to the oldest. Each element opens a detailed page — history, geography, transmission, sources.

ii. Representative list and urgent safeguarding

UNESCO distinguishes two main lists:

• The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which gathers the practices states wish to see recognised for their representative value.
• The List of Urgent Safeguarding, which sets apart elements whose viability is threatened and which call for international mobilisation.

For Morocco, 15 inscriptions concern the representative list; only one — the taskiwin dance, inscribed in 2017 — appears on the urgent safeguarding list. The taskiwin, a martial dance of the men of the western High Atlas, is threatened by globalisation, the departure of young people to the cities and the decline of the associated crafts (horns, belts, drums).

iii. Tentative list — the future candidates

Besides the elements already inscribed, Morocco maintains a tentative list of 13 properties for tangible heritage and is working on several files for the intangible. Among the known leads:

• Fès and Tétouan zellige — a joint candidacy is being prepared to recognise hand-cut mosaic as a full element of human heritage.
• Mint tea — a social practice with multicultural roots (Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria).
• The oud (Arab lute) — a multinational inscription envisaged for 2026, already mentioned by UNESCO as an "on-going nomination".

iv. And the tangible heritage?

Besides the intangible, Morocco has 9 sites inscribed on UNESCO's tangible World Heritage:

• Medina of Fès (1981) — a medieval city founded in the 9th century.
• Medina of Marrakech (1985) — Almoravid and Almohad capital.
• Ksar of Aït Ben Haddou (1987) — a fortified pre-Saharan ksar.
• Medina of Tétouan (1997) — Andalusian heritage.
• Medina of Essaouira (2001) — the port city of Mogador.
• Archaeological site of Volubilis (1997) — Roman remains.
• Historic city of Meknès (1996) — Alaouite capital.
• Portuguese city of Mazagan (2004) — present-day El Jadida.
• Rabat, modern and historic capital (2012) — shared heritage.

Together, this makes Morocco one of the African countries most represented on the world heritage lists.