The creator of the Ifrane Lion remains a mystery, with theories ranging from Italian and German prisoners to a French sculptor, Henri Jean Moreau. Despite various claims, research points to Moreau as the most likely sculptor, who worked on the lion around 1930. Ifrane, Morocco's little Switzerland, has long been a popular holiday destination for both Moroccans and foreigners alike. Whether during its snowy winters or warmer seasons, its breathtaking scenery, surrounded by scrub oak forests alternating with cedar trees, never fails to impress. To prove you've been to Ifrane, a picture next to its iconic guardian, the Atlas Lion, is a must. Carved from rock, the lion rests in one of the city's European-styled gardens, resembling a Sphinx, though not as large. The Ifrane Lion, also known as the Guardian of the Forest, shares something else in common with the Sphinx of Giza: no one is certain who created it. The artist behind the lion, who spent hours carving it from scratch, remains a mystery. Many have tried to answer this question, but the truth is even more confusing than the question itself. Numerous theories have emerged about the sculptor. Some claim the lion was carved by an Italian prisoner serving a sentence at an Ifrane prison during World War II. Other accounts, from older locals, attribute the sculpture to a German legionnaire, sometimes even a French legionnaire. However, these accounts are difficult to believe because the Ifrane Lion predates that period. According to «The Ifrane Lion: An Exhibit», an exhibition by Al Akhawayn University, this landmark appeared in postcards as early as the 1930s, shortly after the city itself was established. «The lion appeared in postcards aimed at promoting this new summer and winter holiday destination», the exhibition notes, referencing postcards from the M6L Archives & Special Collections featuring the lion as early as 1933. A more logical theory has emerged, thanks to Ifrane-native writer and teacher Mohammed El Aouene. After years of research, El Aouene argues that the statue was sculpted around 1930 by French sculptor Henri Jean Moreau. Moreau was a drawing professor at the Lycée Gouraud in Rabat (now Lycée Hassan II). Moreau attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris before leaving France in 1928 to settle in Morocco, where he stayed until 1954. In his book La Perle du Moyen Atlas (2002), El Aouene believes that Moreau is behind the Ifrane Lion, citing the fact that in addition to his job as a teacher he was also appointed as an inspector of historical monuments in Morocco. El Aouene also argues that the lion would have been one of Moreau's first Moroccan creations. Moreau sculpted many other pieces in Morocco, including the statue of the Virgin Mary at the Ifrane Church, Notre Dame des Cèdres. He was also entrusted with creating the war memorial at Lycée Gouraud in Rabat, as well as a bust of Sultan Mohammed V. Moreau worked with various materials, including stone, wood, and terracotta, according to the Mohammed VI Library. While El Aouene's version of the story is the most plausible, we still don't know for sure who is behind the Ifrane Lion. But one thing remains certain: we'll continue to take pictures beside it, just as many have done over the decades since it was first created.
