Morocco’s argan know-how was inscribed by UNESCO in 2014.
The inscription recognizes “Argan, practices and know-how concerning the argan tree” on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It covers much more than the finished oil: communities maintain knowledge connected with cultivating the tree, gathering its fruit, processing it and preparing related foods and products.
Traditional extraction involves drying and pulping the fruit, removing and grinding the kernels, pressing or mixing the ground material, and using specialized hand mills. In the Arganeraie region of southwestern Morocco, this knowledge has historically been transmitted through families and community practice, particularly by women’s cooperatives and “argan women.”
The date is sometimes confused with 1998, when UNESCO recognized the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve. That designation concerns the ecosystem; 2014 refers to the cultural practices and knowledge associated with the argan tree and its products.