Bensaid: Morocco's prehistoric heritage belongs to all of humanity

PARIS - From the world's oldest Homo sapiens to Africa's oldest DNA, through mankind's oldest ornament, archaeological discoveries continue to affirm the universal scope of Morocco's prehistoric heritage, said Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, stressing that beyond the Moroccan origins, this heritage belongs to all of humanity.

"Highlighting this heritage, make it known to the widest public, students, youth and all other age groups is a priority for us at the ministry," said Bensaid in an interview with French magazine Science et Avenir: La recherche, which described Morocco as an open-air archaeological museum in its May issue.

In this sense, he recalled the "decisive" discovery of the oldest Homo sapiens in Morocco, noting that it has not only confirmed that the oldest of the human race lived in the Kingdom, 315,000 years ago, but also added a stone to the building of the history of Homo sapiens.

The discovery in the Kingdom of the oldest DNA in Africa, dating back more than 15,000 years, means that the interbreeding and cultural diversity of Morocco dates back a long time, said the Minister.

Asked about the "exceptional" discovery of the oldest ornament in the world in Bizmoune (Essaouira region), made from marine shells, and dating back 150. He explained that "for the first time in its history, Homo sapiens manufactures an ornament not for utilitarian purposes or survival, but to serve as an ornament, to earn respect or admiration from his peers," noting that 150,000 years ago, "the man of Bizmoune has invented the concept of beauty, aesthetics.

"Under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, we are working to implement several projects to highlight the Moroccan heritage ecosystem," he said, citing as examples the organization of events and exhibitions, the publication of books to educate citizens on the importance of this prehistoric heritage and its preservation and the creation of museums to disseminate knowledge and encourage younger generations to preserve this universal heritage.

In response to a question about the registration of these treasures in the World Heritage of Humanity, the Minister said that "we have already registered several sites on the list of national heritage and we are currently working on a program of registration in the World Heritage of Humanity of major sites such as the cave Bizmoune and Jbel Irhoud.

"We work daily to implement the Royal Directives to build the Morocco of tomorrow, that of science, culture, knowledge economy and sustainable development," he concluded.