Historical ties between Morocco and UK celebrated in Birmingham

The rich history of relations between Morocco and Great Britain is on display at a portrait exhibition taking place at the University of Birmingham.

The exhibition at the university’s prestigious Barber Institute of Fine Arts features a giant portrait of Ambassador Abdelwahad ibn Messaoud ibn Mohammed Anoun, who was sent to the court of Queen Elizabeth I in 1600 by the Saadian sultan Ahmed al-Mansur to lay the foundations for an alliance between Morocco and England.

The portrait is of particular importance as it reflects the richness of relations between Morocco and Great Britain, Tony Moran of Birmingham University told MAP. The establishment of relations between Great Britain and Morocco under Queen Elizabeth I marked a fundamental change in British foreign policy, which focused, at the time, on the European neighborhood, he added.

The portrait of the Moroccan envoy, the oldest known British painting of a Muslim figure, is on display at the Barber Institute until the end of January.

The diplomat, whose mission was to deepen diplomatic and commercial ties between Britain and Morocco, had a profound impact on the British cultural scene of the time. Ambassador Anoun was a source of inspiration for Shakespeare, one of the great novelists and playwrights of English literature, notably in his famous play Othello.

Clare Mullett, Head of Research and Cultural Collections at the University of Birmingham, stressed that “Abdelwahad Anoun’s mission to the court of Queen Elizabeth I was a major event in the history of diplomatic and cultural exchanges between Europe and the Islamic world.”

It is “one of the most striking reminders of British history at the turn of the 17th century,” she was quoted as saying in a statement released by the University of Birmingham. She expressed her delight at exhibiting this emblematic portrait of the Tudor period at the Barber Institute, “where it has its rightful place in this art collection of worldwide importance.”

“This portrait is a powerful symbol of the deep historical ties between Morocco and the UK, which go back more than eight centuries,” Morocco’s ambassador to the UK, Hakim Hajoui, said, as quoted in the University’s statement.

“Seeing the portrait at the University of Birmingham’s Barber Institute underlines the vital role that academic and cultural institutions play in preserving and celebrating our shared history,” he added.

The University of Birmingham loaned the portrait to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2022, as a key part of the traveling exhibition “The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England.” The painting was on display at the Cleveland Museum of Art (Ohio) and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco in 2023.

The masterpiece, which belongs to the university’s cultural and research collections, has been on loan to Barber, the university’s art museum and collection, since June and will remain on display until the galleries close for a building upgrade as of January 27.