Nomination of the Moroccan Abdeljalil Bouzokar for membership in the scientific committee of the Museum of Anthropology in Monaco

For his scientific contributions in the field of prehistoric archeology worldwide, Moroccan archaeologist Abdeljalil Bouzoukar, professor at the National Institute of Archeology and Heritage in Rabat, was nominated by Albert II, Prince of Monaco, as a member of the International Scientific Committee of the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology in the Principality of Monaco on February 28 last February.

Abdel-Jalil Bouzokar said in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net via e-mail on the occasion of this nomination, "This is a great honor and at the same time a responsibility, and most importantly, it is a great attention to Morocco's position in the field of archaeological research, the results obtained and published in international journals, and the conclusions that do not matter only The history of Morocco, but rather a large part of the history of all mankind.”

This scientific committee plays an advisory role in the first place, by making recommendations regarding the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology, which was established in 1902, and requests the members of the committee to give lectures in the Principality of Monaco, participate in conferences related to ancient human history, and publish research within a specialized magazine issued by the museum. .

Busy academic track

The academic path of Abdeljalil Bouzoukar started after graduating from the National Institute of Archeology and Heritage in Rabat, specializing in prehistoric archeology, where he received a scholarship from the French government in the framework of scientific and technical cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and the French Republic, which enabled him to continue studying at the University of Bordeaux1 Science and Technology.

He also obtained a diploma in in-depth studies in the specialization of prehistoric archeology and physical anthropology, and after that he obtained a doctorate in geology of the Quaternary period and prehistoric archeology. The Quaternary Era is the last period of geological eras that began about two million years ago.

After joining the teaching and research staff at the National Institute of Archeology and Heritage in Rabat, he obtained his second doctorate in archeology from the University of Liege in Belgium.

Professor Abdel Jalil told Al Jazeera Net, "Since joining the institute, I have been managing many scientific programs on several archaeological sites, in partnership with Moroccan universities, such as: Mohammed V University in Rabat, Mohammed I University in Oujda, Hassan II University in Casablanca, and Ibn Zohr University in Agadir. In addition to Western universities such as: Oxford University, the Natural History Museum in Britain, the Universities of Arizona and Harvard in the United States, the Max Planck Institute in Germany, and Aix-Marseille University in France.

Inspiring young researchers

Bozucar places the new generation of young researchers among his first concerns, as he supervises the research of many students, including 11 students distributed between Morocco, Britain, the United States, France, Spain, Portugal and Germany.

Abdel Jalil says, "I have supervised many students inside and outside Morocco, early and exactly since 2011, and this was done with an approach based first on theoretical framing, and secondly on working in the field through archaeological surveys or training in excavation techniques, and thirdly working inside the laboratory, and fourthly learning techniques Delivering during scientific demonstrations and defending theories emanating from research, and finally training on various techniques for editing and publishing the results in refereed journals inside and outside Morocco.

In this context, Ismail Ziani, a research student supervised by Bouzocar in the doctoral course at the University of Las Palmas in Spain, told Al Jazeera Net via e-mail, "The influence of Professor Abdeljalil Bouzocar goes beyond the scientific and academic dimension, as my academic framer (supervisor) for more than 6 years." , to reach the spiritual.

Ismail adds, "On the scientific level, Professor Bozokar is considered a fully-fledged scientific school, due to his long experience in scientific research and the abundance of his scientific publications published in major scientific journals, in addition to his teaching at prestigious universities, until he became one of the most important pillars of prehistoric archeology in Africa and the world. This He makes the professor a great inspiration to me and all of his students.”

Abeer El-Wafi, a doctoral student at Hassan II University, during experiments in the laboratory (communication sites)

For his part, Abeer Al-Wafi, a doctoral student at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Benmic, in Casablanca, told Al Jazeera Net via e-mail, "Professor Abdeljalil Bouzoukar is considered a role model for me in the field of archaeological research, because he achieved a very prestigious scientific path, and made him a scholar and a major reference." In the field of research in prehistoric archeology in Africa, and I had the honor of working among his scientific team, and also for framing my university research in the field of prehistoric archeology.”

Abeer continued, "We, as students, are proud of our professor and always strive to benefit from his experience and methodology at work and apply it during the completion of our university research, and this methodology always leads us to very good results. North Africa in the prehistoric domain.

Abeer added, "The professor is distinguished by rigor and scientific accuracy, which motivates us to make all our efforts and always look for the best, whether during our preparation for our university research or during field work."

An important stock of discoveries

Abdeljalil Bouzoukar has led several research teams that have made a huge amount of archaeological discoveries in Morocco. He has published research results in the form of articles in national and international refereed journals, authored scientific books, and given lectures inside and outside Morocco.

Bozukar explains to the Director of UNESCO from inside a discovery site in the Bismoun Cave in Essaouira (communication sites)

And about the most important of these scientific discoveries that affected his scientific path, Professor Abdel Jalil told Al Jazeera Net, "They are those discoveries that helped in understanding part of the history of all mankind, especially those that took place in the two bathrooms caves in Tafogalt (northeast Morocco) and the Bismoun cave in Essaouira (and central Western Morocco) where the oldest jewelry used by humans was found, dating back 150 thousand years.

He adds that "there is other evidence concerning the skills of the ancient man in dealing with the argan tree, which is an amazing behavior not only for his feet (150,000 years) but for his inheritance for a period of more than 40,000 years. This type of tree, as well as other skills we will explain in detail in a study in the process of publication.”

Bozukar ends his speech to Al Jazeera Net by saying, "Young researchers should trust in the power of science, and I advise them to follow the strict rules of scientific research and to have a lot of courage to address all problems, and to resort to many evidence before going into a topic that concerns their specialization, and a lot of humility and listening to everyone, even to those who disagree with them. "