Some of original peoples to populate Morocco were the Phoenicians, a sea great trading peoples from the Middle East. The came to the area around 1000BCE. Around 400BCE Berber tribesmen from Africa's interior annexed the area until the Romans claimed it 100 years after the fall of Carthage in 146BCE. The Romans would remain in the area until the mid-400's CE. Arab army's spreading Islam came to the area in the late 600's and eventually spread the faith into Morocco and Spain. Soon thereafter, the area split into several smaller kingdoms. The Almoravids conquered the area in the 12th Century.  With-in the next 200 plus years the Moors would lose Spain to Christian armies. Morocco was united under a strong dynasty in the 1500's, however in 1912 the French forced imperialism on Morocco and it became a French protectorate. Morocco gained its independence in 1956 and has remained somewhat stable since.