Algeria’s Cultural Misstep: Moroccan Zellige Controversy Erupts at Expo 2025

A new Algerian attempt to appropriate Moroccan zellige. Algeria won the silver medal for the best exterior design of its pavilion at the World Expo "Expo 2025", held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to October 13, 2025. It owes this award to the exterior design of its Algerian pavilion inspired by the "zellige" Moroccan mosaic. The only problem is that the term "Algerian zellige" is erroneous. Presenting zellige as the Moroccan heritage belonging equally to all Maghreb states is to truncate the history of Morocco.

Zellige is not a generic North African motif. It is a Moroccan art, born in the madrasas of Fez and perfected in the courts of Marrakech and Meknes. It belongs to the same cultural lineage that gave birth to the ornate fountains of Morocco, its tiled minarets and the complex interiors of its palaces, recalls Morocco World News, adding that this art, which appeared under the Almoravids and was perfected by the Almohads, reached its peak under the Merenid dynasty, in the 13th and 14th centuries.

In September 2022, the Moroccan Ministry of Culture had put Adidas on notice to "withdraw from the market the new jersey of the Algerian national team", considering that the patterns on the jersey, inspired by "a traditional Moroccan ceramic art, the zellige, are a cultural appropriation of Morocco". The German equipment manufacturer Adidas finally gave up on the zellige by producing a new jersey without any reference to Morocco.

Despite the condemnations of Morocco, Algeria is relentlessly trying to register Moroccan heritage with UNESCO. Between 2008 and 2024, Algeria has been able to register 13 elements of its intangible heritage such as zellige with the UN organization. Faced with these numerous attempts at Algerian appropriation, the ministry is invited to take concrete international measures to protect Morocco’s intangible heritage. It must make the registration of zellige, caftan and other Moroccan traditions within the international legal framework a diplomatic priority.