Moroccan King Mohammed VI. took part in rituals for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha on Sunday, official media said, in his first public appearance since recovering from Covid-19.
The 58-year-old monarch, accompanied by his son, Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, 19, held prayers at the royal palace in Sale, next to Rabat.
He “then proceeded with the sacrificial ritual,” official MAP news agency said.
The ceremony was held “privately and with very limited attendance” to respect Covid-19 preventive measures, she added.
The king, wearing a yellow robe and looking thinner, was seen smiling at the end of prayers alongside his son and brother Prince Moulay Rachid, 52, according to images broadcast on public television.
Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha by slaughtering cattle to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son to show obedience to God.
The king is “the commander of the believers” and Islam is the state religion in Morocco.
On June 16, the monarch’s personal physician, King Mohammed VI, said: tested positive for Covid-19 but showed no symptoms and recommended “a rest period for a few days”.
The king continued to send logs and other messages throughout his convalescence.
The monarch’s health has been the focus of public attention in the North African kingdom, particularly since he underwent heart surgery in February 2018 and June 2020.
The weekly Jeune Afrique said the king contracted Covid-19 in France, where he arrived on June 1 for a private visit.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, Mohammed VI. only made one other trip abroad – to Gabon in December last year.
Mohammed VI has ruled Morocco since July 1999, when he inherited the throne from his father Hassan II.
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