text: Moulay Rachid Idrissi was born in 1939 in the Douar Oulad Belhlou near the town of Outat El Haj, near Taza. His family claimed descendance from the Idrisid dynasty.
  He studied in the town throughout primary school where he obtained his Certificate of Primary Education before studying at the prestigious Collège dAzrou'. After obtaining his scientific baccalaureate from the collège, he moved to Rabat and continued his studies in chemistry.
  As a young man, Idrissi worked on development projects in his hometown of Outat El Haj, coordinating with UNESCO to build a youth house in the village. He had also worked to establish an agricultural cooperative near the Moulouya River and a preparatory high school in the village. In 1970, Idrissi held a ceremony and handed out prizes to outstanding students from his hometown.
  With the help of classmate Mohamed Chafik, Idrissi pursued his studies in France. He obtained a Doctorate of Science in nuclear chemistry in 1970 from the Faculty of Science at the University of Paris after doing research regarding electrophilic fluorination of uranium dioxide at the Zoé reactor in Fontenay-aux-Roses. He also obtained a degree in chemical engineering from the National Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology in Saclay.