Wedding of King Mohammed VI of Morocco to Lalla (Lady) Salma

Morocco's king is marrying a qualified IT engineer on July,  and for the first time a royal wedding in Morocco becomes a public ceremony

The festivities took place in Rabat, Capital City of Morocco, in keeping with the centuries-old traditions and authentic customs of Moroccan society

Fireworks and parades were taking place in flower-strewn Mechouar Square in the capital, Rabat, to celebrate the festivities of King Mohammed, 38, the 18th king of the Alaouite dynasty, marrying  Salma Bennani, a 24-year-old computer engineer.

Moroccans from all walks of life are still waiting for the happy event, but on March 21, Morocco was delighted by the conclusion of the wedding of King Mohammed VI to Lalla (Lady) Salma, in conformity with divine teachings and the Prophet's tradition. Members of the royal family attended the ceremony. 

The engagement was officially announced last October in a break with royal tradition in a country where previous kings' weddings had not been announced and wedding details never discussed. 

Earlier this week, the palace announced a three-day official wedding ceremony at the royal palace in the southern city of Marrakech for April 12, 2002. 

The monarch, 38, was enthroned in July 1999 after the sudden death of his father King Hassan II. 

Lalla Salma Bennani, 24, is from Morocco's middle-class and worked as computer engineer in Morocco's largest private holding ONA Group. Her father is a school teacher in the spiritual capital of Fes, north of Morocco. 

King Mohmmed Vi met with Lalla Salma Bennani in 1999, few months before the death of his father King Hassan II

From a simple and known family, and brought up in a Moroccan environment, Lalla Salma Bennani integrates this hew Moroccan young generation, all-encompassing the values of our heritage and also open to other cultures.

After her primary studies in a private establishment in Rabat, capital of Morocco, she continued her studies in a  lycee of the Ministry of National Education.

In 1995, she received her baccalaureate in mathematic science after studying in Lycee Hassan II. Then completed two preparatory years in Grandes Ecoles (Math Sup and Math Spe) in Lycee Moulay Youssef in Rabat. Lalla Salma Bennani joined Higher National School of Information Sciences and systems analysis ENSIAS in Rabat and after three years she got her diploma  of Ingenieur d'Etat in 2000.

Later, she joined the ONA group in Casablanca where she started a six months  training session while she still was in ENSIAS. Once she graduated she officially joined this holding as engineer of Information systems.

Muhammed VI is believed that he will follow the line of his father, which has involved strong liberalization of the Moroccan society, economy and political life in recent years. Muhammed has been given many assignments by his father, which has been interpreted as confidence in his abilities.

Muhammad's education is marked by a strong orientation toward Moroccan foreign interests, both diplomatic and economical. Especially the European Union has been the subject of much interest for him.

Born in Rabat on August 21, 1963: as the first son of King Hassan II. In 1967: he stared studying at the Koranic school at the Royal Palace, just like his father before him. In 1969: he started modern style education, then secondary education at the Royal College in 1973. In 1981: Received his Baccalaureate.

1985: Receives his B.A. in law from the College of Law at the Rabat Muhammed V University, after researching on the Arab-African Union and Morocco's position in international affairs. 1988 November: Undergoes training with the president of the European Commission, Jacques Delors, in Brussels, Belgium. 1993 October 29: Receives the title Doctor in law from the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis in France. Here he delivered a thesis on EEC-Maghreb Relations.

1994 July 12: Muhammed is appointed General de Division. 1999 July 23: At the death of his father, Hassan II, Muhammad becomes the new king of Morocco.