The Order of Ouissam Alaouite () or the Sharifian Order of Al-Alaoui is a military decoration of Morocco which is bestowed by the King of Morocco upon those civilians and military officers who have displayed heroism in combat or have contributed meritorious service to the Moroccan state. The decoration was established on 11 January 1913 in replacement of the Order of Ouissam Hafidien. It is awarded in five classes: Grand Cordon (Grand Cordon), Grand Officer (Grand Officier), Commander (Commandeur), Officer (Officier) and Knight (Chevalier).
The Order of Ouissam Alaouite is similar to the Legion of Merit, awarded by the United States military.
History
The order of Ouissam Alaouite was created during the colonial period. The French authorities in Morocco considered it necessary to have the power to bestow an official honour or decoration in response to loyal service; and they wanted to avoid over-burdening the bureaucracy of the order of the Légion d'Honneur in Paris. The ribbon of the order during this period was a shade of orange or pumpkin-coloured. In 1934, a white stripe was added on each side of the ribbon.
During the Second World War, the Order of Ouissam Alaouite was awarded frequently to United States military personnel who had participated in the planning and execution of Operation Torch, the invasion of French Morocco. Morocco was a protectorate of France from 1912 to 1956, and the decoration was bestowed frequently on French military officers during that period.
After Moroccan independence in 1956, the Alawid Order became a prerogative of the Alawid King and his heirs. The Order continues through the present day, the original medal and the 1934's ribbon unchanged.
Recipients
Grand cordon
1916
1922
1926
1929
1930
1931
1941
1943
1945
1946
1950
- De Blesson: general delegate at the residence.
1952
1953
1954
1955
- Gilbert Grandval: French resident-general in Morocco.
- André-Louis Dubois: French resident-general in Morocco.
- Pierre Boyer de Latour du Moulin: French resident-general in Morocco.
- Jacques-Louis Murtin: air commander in Morocco.
- Burgund: French general and senior commander of French troops in Morocco
- Hassan El Bakouri: Egyptian Minister of Wakfs.
- ÃÂmile Roche: president of the French Economic Council.
- Si Sayed Hassan Ibrahim: minister of state of Yemen.
1956
1957
1962
1970
- Jacques Gillet: French doctor.
1980
1987
- Walter Jesser: German ambassador to Morocco.
1988
1990
1992
1993
1994
1996
1997
1999
2000
2001
2002
- Michel de Bonnecorse: French ambassador to Morocco.
- Husein Naci Akinci: Turkish ambassador to Morocco.
2003
2004
2005
2006
- ÃÂscar Maúrtua: Minister of Foreign Relations of Perú.
- Siriwat Suthigasame: Ambassador of Thailand to Morocco.
- Mamadou Saliou Sylla: Ambassador of Guinea to Morocco.
2007
2008
2009
- Thomas Riley: ambassador of the United States to Morocco.
- Cheyakh Ould Ely: ambassador of Mauritania to Morocco.
- Saleh Bekkari: ambassador of Tunisia to Morocco.
- Jean-François Thibault: ambassador of France to Morocco.
- Kobina Annan: ambassador of Ghana to Morocco.
- Hassan Abdelkader: ambassador of Palestine to Morocco.
- Georgios Georgountzos: ambassador of Greece to Morocco.
- Kadri Fathi Abdelmottalab: ambassador of Egypt to Morocco.
- Vercauteren Drubbel: ambassador of Belgium to Morocco.
- Salah Mohamed Saoud Al-Baïjane: ambassador of Kuwait to Morocco.
- Mohamad Ben Abdellah Al Farissi: ambassador of Oman to Morocco.
- Adolfo Zaldivar: president of the Chilean senate.
- Sigmund Sternberg: president of the Three Religions Forum.
- Paulette Brisepierre: honorary president of the France-Morocco Friendship Group.
2010
- Sepp Blatter: president of FIFA.
- Alberto de Núnez: ambassador of Argentine to Morocco.
- Robert Zoellick: President of the World Bank.
2011
- Issa Hayatou: president of CAF.
- Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud: Saudi prince.
- Vasile Gheorge Popovici: former ambassador of Romania to Morocco.
- Luis Planas: ambassador of Spain to Morocco.
- Ibou Ndaye: former ambassador of Senegal to Morocco.
- Charles Aké Tchimou: former ambassador of Ivory Coast to Morocco
2012
- Ibrahim Traore: ambassador of Burkina Faso to Morocco
- François Banga Eboumi: ambassador of Gabon to Morocco
- Timothy Colin Morris: ambassador of United Kingdom to Morocco.
- Mamadouba Diabaté: ambassador of Guinea to Morocco
- Bruno Joubert: ambassador of France to Morocco
- Sakr Ben Moubarak Al-Mansouri: ambassador of Qatar to Morocco.
- Fayçal Al Choubaki: former ambassador of Jordan to Morocco.
- Joao Rosa LÃÂ : former ambassador of Portugal to Morocco
2013
- Khaled Ben Salmane Ben Ahmed Al Khalifa: ambassador of Bahrain to Morocco.
- Ahmed Hassan Sobh: ambassador of Palestine to Morocco.
- Boris Bolotine: ambassador of Russia to Morocco.
- Shlomo Amar: Chief Rabbi.
- Jean-Luc Bodson: ambassador of Belgium to Morocco.
- Clifford Nii Amon Kotey: ambassador of Ghana to Morocco.
- Moussa Ben Hamdan Attaai: ambassador of Oman to Morocco.
- Alberto Navarro: ambassador of Spain to Morocco.
2014
- Mohammed Ben Abdurahman Al Becher: ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Morocco.
- Fred Harald Nomme: ambassador of Norway to Morocco.
- Toumani Djimé Diallo: former ambassador of Mali to Morocco
- Jack Lang: president of the Arab World Institute in Paris and former French Minister of Culture.
- Tosari Widjaja: ambassador of Indonesia to Morocco.
- Kundalee Prachimdhit: former ambassador of Thailand to Morocco.
2015
- Bertrand Louis: ambassador of Switzerland to Morocco.
- Witold Spirydowicz: ambassador of Poland to Morocco.
- Christina Harttil: ambassador of Finland to Morocco.
- Charles Fries: ambassador of France to Morocco.
- Antonio Sozzo: apostolic nuncio in Rabat.
2016
2019
- Tarek Aliev: former Azerbaijani ambassador to Morocco.
- Boriana Ivanova Simeonova: Bulgarian Ambassador to Morocco.
- Abdu Razzaq Guy Kambogo: former ambassador of Gabon to Morocco
- Abdullah Falah Bin Abdullah Al Dosari: Qatari Ambassador to Morocco.
- Jean-François Girault: French Ambassador to Morocco.
- Ousmane Amadou Sy: ambassador of Mali to Morocco
2020
- Sladjana Prica Tavciovska: former Serbian ambassador to Morocco
- Maria Rita da Franca Sousa Ferro Levy Gomes: former Portuguese ambassador to Morocco.
2021
- Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello: former Brazilian president
- ÃÂscar Rodolfo BenÃÂtez Estragó: former ambassador of Paraguay to Morocco
- Soultana Leila Houssain: former ambassador of Bangladesh to Morocco
2023
- Cheikh Saeed bin Mohammed bin Ali Albarami: former Omani ambassador to Morocco.
- Klaus Kogeler: former Austrian ambassador to Morocco
- Julio Bitelli: former Brazilian ambassador to Morocco.
- Vito Rallo: former apostolic nuncio in Rabat.
2024
- Nell Stewart: former Canadian ambassador to Morocco
- Idrissa Traoré: former ambassador of Ivory Coast to Morocco
- Astanah Abdul Aziz: former Malaysian ambassador to Morocco.
Grand officer
1920
- Sabino Rinella: Consul General of Italy in Tangier.
- Khelil Bouhageb: President of the Municipality of Tunis.
- Chedly El Okby: Governor of Cap-Bon in Nabeul.
1926
- Duvernoy: Secretary General of the Protectorate.
- Bertrand: French General and Commander of the Coastal Troops.
1927
- Léon Champion: General Councillor of the Seine Department and Mayor of Maisons-Alfort.
1930
- Henri Gamard: French Member of Parliament.
1932
- Bénazet: Director of Indigenous Affairs
- Colombani: Director of Public Health and Hygiene.
1933
1952
1954
1955
1956
- Jean de Lipkowski: French deputy.
1999
- Charles Josselin: Minister Delegate for Cooperation and Francophonie.
2002
- Mohamed Amamou: Secretary General of the Arab Maghreb Union.
- Abdeljabar Omar Addouri: Iraqi Ambassador to Morocco.
2004
2006
- José Manuel de Carvalho Lameiras: Portuguese Ambassador to Morocco.
2007
- Akin Algan: Turkish Ambassador to Morocco.
- Christine Lagarde: French Minister of Economy, Finance and Employment.
2008
- Bernard Rudolph Bot: former Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs.
- Hans Dijkstal: former Dutch Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister.
- Sjoerd Leenstra: Dutch Ambassador to Morocco
- Charles Gray: British Ambassador to Morocco.
- Eleonora Urbanova: Czech Ambassador to Morocco.
2009
- Brice Hortefeux: French Minister of Labor, Social Relations, Family, Solidarity and the city.
- Bruno Dethomas: Head of the European Commission delegation to Morocco.
- Yahia Abdeljalil Mahmoud: Sudanese Ambassador to Morocco.
- Gong Yuanxing: Chinese Ambassador to Morocco.
- Oswaldo Rivera: former minister and director of the cultural institute of Providencia.
2010
- Haruko Hirose: Japanese Ambassador to Morocco.
- Rachida Dati: former French Minister of Justice
- Raymond Safia: former inspector general of the French national police.
- Othmane Ben Samine: Malaysian Ambassador to Morocco
2012
- Rafii Ben Achour: Tunisian Ambassador to Morocco.
2013
- Santiago Marcovich:former Peruvian ambassador to Morocco.
- Malcolm Hoenlein: Vice President of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations of the United States
- Mautner Markhof: former Austrian ambassador to Morocco
- Alberto Navarro: former Spanish ambassador to Morocco.
2014
2016
- Chafik Hajji: Tunisian Ambassador to Morocco.
- Alex Geiger Soffia: former Chilean ambassador to Morocco.
- Ronald Gerard Strikker: Dutch Ambassador to Morocco.
- Jose Gutierrez Maxwell: former Argentine ambassador to Morocco.
2017
- Dwight. L. Bush: U.S. Ambassador to Morocco
- Carlos Manuel Alfredo Velasco Menidiola: former Peruvian ambassador to Morocco.
- Carlos Charme Silva: former Chilean ambassador to Morocco.
- Pham Truong Giang: former Vietnamese ambassador to Morocco.
- Luis Maria Linde de Castro: governor of the Bank of Spain.
2018
- Zvonimir Frka Petesic: former Croatian ambassador to Morocco.â²
- Suphorn Pholmani: former Thai ambassador to Morocco
2019
- Marek Ziolkowski: former Polish ambassador to Morocco.
- Anne Vasara: former Finnish ambassador to Morocco
2020
- Tran Quoc Thuy: Vietnamese Ambassador to Morocco.
- Yeshi Tamrat Bitew: former Ethiopian ambassador to Morocco.
- Ethem Barkan ÃÂz: former Turkish ambassador to Morocco.
- Alex Geiger Soffia: former Chilean ambassador to Morocco
- Jacobo Cuyún: former ambassador of Guatemala to Morocco
2021
- Daniela Bazavan: former Romanian ambassador to Morocco.
Commander
1919
- René Thiérry: Secretary of the Embassy at the French Legation in Portugal.
1920
- Neigel: Director of the Muslim College of Rabat.
1922
1926
- Louis Jean Martin: Inspector General of Bridges and Roads.
1937
1948
1950
1953
- John Utter: Director for Africa at the US State Department.
- Duchateau: President of the Moroccan Association of Former Students of C.E.F Italy.
1955
- Monroe L. Nute: President of the Lions Clubs.
- Bouillot: director of the .
1970
1971
1995
2000
2002
- Nabil Khoury: Consul General of the United States in Casablanca.
- Chira Ratanarat: consul général honoraire du Maroc en Thaïlande.
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
- Enrique Mugica: Spanish Ombudsman (Mediator), former minister and historical figure of the PSOE.
- Maria Rosa de Madariaga: historian and specialist in Moroccan-Spanish relations and the Rif War.
- Carmen Romero López: former deputy and activist for the rapprochement between Morocco and Spain.
- Juan Goytisolo: the great friend of Morocco, writer and citizen of Marrakech.
- Paquita Rumbao: assistant to several Moroccan ambassadors since independence.
- Juan Antonio Mateos: Former Mexican Ambassador to Morocco
2008
2009
2011
2012
- Jacques Bourdillon: former manager at the national irrigation office.
- Tunç Ugdul: former Turkish ambassador to Morocco.
2013
2014
2015
2016
- Abderrahmane ben Mohamed Al Jedaia: Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Morocco.
- Md Monirul Islam: Bangladesh Ambassador to Morocco.
2017
2020
- Baba Garba: Nigerian Ambassador to Morocco.
2021
- Dam Boontham: former Ambassador of Thailand to Morocco
- David T. Fischer: former US Ambassador to Morocco.
- Bérénice Owen Jones: former Australian Ambassador to Morocco.
- LI Li: former Chinese Ambassador to Morocco.
- Mónica Renata Bolaños Pérez: former Ambassador of Guatemala to Morocco.
- Grecia Fiorda Pichardo De Camps: former Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Morocco
2022
- Takashi Shinozuka: former Japanese Ambassador to Morocco.
2024
- Mohamed Ould Hanani: Ambassador of Mauritania to Morocco
- Keeyong Chung: former Ambassador of South Korea to Morocco
- ÃÂặng Thá» Thu Hàformer Vietnamese ambassador to Morocco.
Officer
1927
- Risterucci: civil controller.
1975
1978
- Attilio Gaudio: Journalist and professor at the .
1992
1994
1995
- Nikolaus Voegeli: Honorary Consul General of Morocco.
1999
2001
2002
2004
2005
2007
- Spanish consul general in Morocco.
- Manuel Palomo Romero: President of the Association of Former Residents of Al-Hoceima in Spain.
- Fréderic Damgaard: gallery owner, art critic and historian.
2008
2009
- Dimitris Haholiades: honorary consul of Morocco in Cyprus.
2010
2011
- Stefaan Vandevelde: President of the electrical and electronic distribution networks at the American group "Delphi" in Tangier.
- Meté Esin: Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish company Toros.
2012
2013
- Amani Abou Zeid: resident representative of the African Development Bank in Morocco.
- Ishtiaq Baig: honorary consul general of Morocco in Karachi.
- Horst Rudolph: executive chairman of the group "Yazaki Europe Limited".
2014
2015
- José Alberto Alegria: Honorary Consul of Morocco in the Algarve.
- Dalila Araujo: former Portuguese Secretary of State for the Interior.
- Jean-Luc Martinez: President of the Louvre
- Eve Branson: Founder and director of the Eve Branson Foundation Philanthropist
2016
2020
- Panayotis N. Sarris: former Greek ambassador to Morocco
2021
- Barbara Bregato: Italian former ambassador to Morocco.
<small>Knight</small>
1931
- Robert Vaucher: Swiss journalist.
1933
- René Lepage: owner of the tanneries René Lepage.
1955
2002
- George François: former president of the Sylea Group
- Wieland Neuberth: President of the Roesner Company.
2007
- Dominique Nadjilla Mehadji: painter
2012
2013
- Honorary Consul of Morocco in Hong Kong.
2014
- Yannick Lintz: Director of the Department of Islamic Arts at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
2017
- Pham Truong Giang: former Vietnamese ambassador to Morocco.
1943 ceremony
In the opening scene of the film Patton, George C. Scott, portraying then-Major General Patton, is shown receiving the Grand Cross of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite. This was no mere Hollywood contrivance. Under Patton's command, Allied forces took Casablanca after only four days of fighting. So impressed was the Sultan of Morocco that he presented Patton with the special Order of Ouissam Alaouite, with the citation: "Les Lions dans leurs tanières tremblent en le voyant approcher" (The lions in their dens tremble at his approach). Patton wryly described the ceremony as a "non-military activity," but in his memoirs, he does not fail to note the Operation Torch staff officers who were similarly honored on that occasion.
Notes
References