Moulay Al-Hassan Ben El Mehdi

Moulay Al-Hassan Ben El Mehdi was appointed Khalifa of the northern protectorate zone at Tetouan in 1925 at age thirteen, governing alongside the Spanish High Commissioner. He consistently protected Moroccan cultural autonomy, refused to recognize the puppet sultan Ben Arafa when King Mohammed V was exiled in 1953, and fostered Tetouan as a sanctuary for nationalist leaders.

Following independence in 1956, he relinquished his khalifal title to unite northern Morocco with the Kingdom, subsequently serving as ambassador to London and Rome, and serving from 1969 to 1984 as Governor of Bank Al-Maghrib (central bank).