morocco pictures

Rabat (capital)

the Parliament

Post office (head office)

the Medina

a grocery

olive retailer

Kasbah Oudayas (entry)

alley (Kasbah Oudayas)

a beach

Hassan Tower

Chellah (fortified city)

Chellah (inside)

Cactus & Chellah

Marrakech

main square

Souk

Souk: carpets

Souk: lighting shop

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royal air morocco

Royal Air Maroc (Arabic: الخطوط الملكية المغربية‎, Al-Khuṭũṭ al-Malikiyyah al-Maghribiyyah, literally Royal Moroccan Lines or Royal Moroccan Airlines; Berber: Amuddu Ugenna Ageldan Umerruk, MGGM), more commonly knows as simply RAM, is the flag carrier airline of Morocco.[1] Headquartered on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport in Casablanca, the carrier operates scheduled international flights from Morocco to Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America and a domestic flight, as well as charter flights that include Hajj services.[2] Its base is Mohammed V International Airport.

Early years
Royal Air Maroc—Compagnie Nationale de Transports Aériens was formed in July 1953 as a result of the merger of Compagnie Chérifienne de'l Air (Air Atlas) —setup in 1946 with Junkers Ju-52s— and Compagnie Chérifienne de Transports Aériens Air Maroc, that was founded in 1947 and commenced scheduled operations in 1949.[3] The fleet of the newly formed airline included six Bretagnes, four Commandos, five DC-3s and two Languedocs.[4] The name Royal Air Maroc was adopted on 28 June 1957, with the government of Morocco having a 67.73% stake.[3][5] The carrier's fleet comprised 16 aircraft by April 1958, including four DC-4s, three DC-3s, seven Bretagnes and two C-46s.[6]
[edit]The jet age


A Royal Air Maroc Caravelle at Brussels Airport in 1968. The carrier ordered its first two aircraft of the type in 1958.[7]:101
In May 1958, the airline ordered two Caravelles.[7]:101 One of these aircraft was part of the fleet of four L-749 Constellations, four DC-4s and three DC-3s by April 1960, making the Caravelle the first jet aircraft operated by the company; the other Caravelle was yet to be delivered.[3] Orders for a fourth and a fifth Caravelle followed in late 1964[8] and early 1968.[9] By 1969, all routes to Europe and North Africa were flown using solely these aircraft.[10] In the mid 1970s, they were phased out in favor of Boeing 727s.[citation needed] Simultaneously, Boeing 707s were being introduced for longer or higher capacity routes and Original Series 737s for smaller routes. By the end of the 1970s, Royal Air Maroc was flying to Europe, North America, the Middle East, and finally North Africa.
[edit]The 1980s
RAM continued to expand in the 1980s. The airline joined the International Air Transport Association in 1982.[11] New routes were opened and others expanded, while frequencies were increased and new aircraft were introduced.[vague] Boeing 757s were purchased in 1986 and eventually replaced the oldest 727s. The expansion of Casablanca Mohammed V airport in 1984 provided the company with a more modern base.
[edit]The 1990s
In the early days of the decade, the last of the 707s was removed from the fleet. Meanwhile, newer, more efficient, Classic 400 and 500 Series Boeing 737s were introduced to increase the frequency of European routes. By the middle of the decade all 727s had disappeared. To consolidate its North American operations, Royal Air Maroc purchased a single Boeing 747-400. As the decade progressed, new routes to previously under-served African airports were opened.
[edit]2000-present
With the increasing number of passengers and newly opened routes as well as increasing oil prices, there was a need to buy new aircraft. In 2000 an order for 20 Next Generation Boeing 737 aircraft and 4 Airbus A321s was placed. Meanwhile more routes to west and central African cities were opened.


Royal Air Maroc Boeing 767.
RAM was now changing, from providing flights to meet the demands of foreign tourists and Moroccan expatriates, to providing connections between European cities and African cities via the Casablanca hub. In 2002, the company leased two 767s to replace the single 747 in North American routes.
[edit]The future
Morocco and the EU signed an open skies agreement in late 2006. This means that Royal Air Maroc will have to face tough competition from low cost carriers eager to exploit profitable routes between Western Europe and Morocco. A further challenge arises from the high cost of kerosene and the fact that the company may have to drop some of its unprofitable domestic and international routes. The construction of a third terminal and runway began at Mohammed V airport in late 2005.
[edit]Corporate affairs

[edit]Key people
As of December 2012, Royal Air Maroc's CEO position is held by Driss Benhima,[12][13] who took office in February 2006.[14]
[edit]Head office
Royal Air Maroc has its head office on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport in Casablanca.[15] In 2004 the airline announced that it would move its head office from Casablanca to the Nouaceur Province, near Mohammed V International Airport. MAP, the official state news agency, said that the construction of the headquarters and a 500 room conference hotel would take 1 year and 6 months.[16] The agreement to build the head office in Nouaceur was signed in 2009.[17]
[edit]Ownership and subsidiaries


A Boeing 737-400 wearing a combined Royal Air Maroc/Atlas Blue livery in 2009. The Atlas Blue fleet was merged with the parent company's one in 2011.[18]
The airline is owned 95.95% by the Moroccan government, 2.86% by Air France and 0.95% by International Airlines Group. The government intends to partially privatise the airline through the sale of a 25% holding. Royal Air Maroc has 5,719 employees.[timeframe?]
As of December 2012, The Group Royal Air Maroc has the following subsidiaries:[citation needed]

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royal air morocco

Royal Air Maroc to Launch Six New Routes in Winter
By Miyuru Sandaruwan on June 1, 2011 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) |ShareThis
In an interview with the Travel Quotidiano magazine, Royal Air Maroc's General Manager for Europe has revealed that the carrier expects to launch six new routes in the Winter 2011/12 season.

The routes include
Casablanca - Dubai
Casablanca - Sao Paulo
Casablanca - Copenhagen
Casablanca - Vienna
Agadir - Rome
Marrakech - Rome

I stopped using drugs decades ago. But Saturday I could have used some to start 2011 off on the right foot. I didn't have any, though, and I found a fine substitute, courtesy of Apple-- the new iPod, which is the size of a matchbox, only way thinner. The day started off dreadfully enough in London. I had a flight out of Heathrow at noon but I had noticed the night before that the city had just closed down all the main thoroughfares in the West End to muck things up on New Year's Eve. I had a feeling that the parade-- basically for Russian and French tourists-- on January 1 was going to also be a traffic mess. I was right. I thought the best chance I had of avoiding it would be to leave early. I was out of the hotel at around 7AM-- pitch black, freezing, wet though not raining... and all the streets around the hotel already closed to traffic!

I have a terrible cold I picked up from one of my friends in Morocco and I was a mess-- a mess who had to walk a mile to find a street with traffic and a taxi to get me to Paddington Station and the Heathrow Express. I had a 20 pound note. Paddington should be half that. Turns out the taxis have a 4 pound New Year's Day surcharge. I still made it on budget-- with enough left over to buy a couple of packs of tissues for the plane. The plane, of course, was late leaving and the two new B.A. business lounges in Terminal 5 are not very impressive-- unless the goal is to remind business travelers that there really is a big difference between flying first class and flying business class. Anyway, there were long lines that didn't seem to move everywhere and I was getting jittery. That's when I realized that my music would brighten me right up, the way drugs might have when I was in my late teens. And did it ever. I was soon singing and dancing, entertaining myself and everyone around me. Blink 182, Jesus and Mary Chain, Frank Sinatra, Black Eyed Peas, Bodeans, Libertines, Offspring, Andrea Bocelli, Depeche Mode, Sisters of Mercy, Velvet Underground... The battery ran down while I was waiting for my luggage at LAX. My bag was among the first half dozen to come down the carousel and life was good.

People were still getting off the plane when I was already in a taxi on my way home to a nice, long steam shower. L.A.'s "freezing," people say. It's 60. In London it was in the 30s. There's a difference, a big one. London's already a memory, although I just downloaded some photos Roland and I took of each other at the Tate Modern on Friday. Here I am in front of a triptych by my very favorite artist:

The schedules for these proposed routes have not been published yet.



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morocco flag

The flag of Morocco (Arabic: علم المغرب‎; Berber: Acenyal n Umerruk) is made of a red field with a black-bordered green pentagram. Red has considerable historic significance in Morocco, proclaiming the descent of the royal Alaouite family from the Prophet Muhammad via Fatima, the wife of Ali, the fourth Muslim Caliph. Red is also the color that was used by the Sherifs of Mecca and the Imams of Yemen. From the 17th century on, when Morocco was ruled by the Alaouite Dynasty, the flags of the country were plain red. In 1915, during the reign of Mulay Yusuf, the green interlaced pentangle was added to the national flag. While Morocco was under French and Spanish control, the red flag with the seal in the center remained in use, but only inland. Its use at sea was prohibited. When independence was restored in 1956, it once again became the national flag.
The red background on the Moroccan flag represents hardiness, bravery, strength and valour, while the green, five-pointed star represents the Solomon’s seal.


To be known from this book, may god uphold its value and to be around the centre of grace and joy its orbit, that due to the promotion of our cherifian kingdom affairs, the spread of its glory and its pride, the need to assign a flag that distinct it from the rest of the kingdoms as that our sacred ancestors flag use to be very similar to some other flags especially the ones used in the marine signs, our noble vision decided to distinct our joyful flag by making the five pointed seal of Solomon in the middle in green, asking the almighty god to keep it waving with the winds of fortune and ambition for this time and the becoming, Amen and peace.
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morocco flag

Moroccan Flag



The Flag of Morocco - Description of the Moroccan Flag
As the above picture of the Moroccan Flag indicates the overall background is Red

The description of the Moroccan Flag is as follows:

Red with a green pentacle (five-pointed, linear star) known as Solomon's seal in the center of the flag green is the traditional color of Islam

According to Ancient and Heraldic traditions much symbolism is associated with colors. The colors on the Moroccan flag represent the following:

Red - hardiness, bravery, strength & valour

Green - hope, joy and love and in many cultures have a sacred significance and is is the traditional color of Islam




The basic style shown in the picture of the Moroccan flag is described as  Emblem -reflecting the central design of the flag pattern

All Flag pictures depict flags flying, from the viewer's point of view, from left to right

The shape and flag ratio of the Moroccan flag is described as 2:3 ( length 1½ times the height )

The Meaning & History of the Moroccan Flag - The Moroccan emblem depicts the green Sulayman star and was introduced in 1912, when Morocco was placed under French protectorate

The pentagram is usually known as King Solomon's Seal, while the hexagram is known as the Star of David



Flag Terminology - Did you Know ?
The design and description uses specific flag terminology based on Heraldic principles
Animal blazons should always appear with the heads facing the flag - staff side
The Study of the Flags is called Vexillology
Your interest in flags makes you a Vexillologist!
Increase your knowledge - Play the Flag Quiz
Flag History & Evolution:
The idea of flying a flag grew from the requirements of ancient warfare and the battlefield

Shields were painted with emblems to identify Friend or Foe

Warriors needed to know where their leaders were - the custom of carrying a pole was adopted

An emblem such as a shield, animal or religious device was attached to the pole for identification

The emblems were also used for identity and to cover suits of armour - Coats of Arms  were born

These emblems were the forerunners of modern flags

The Romans were the first to use a cloth flag - they were square and fastened to cross bars at the end of spears - the idea of fastening a flag to the side of a pole soon followed

The strict rules of Heraldry are still used when designing an emblem and creating a modern flag

Moroccan Flag Etiquette
Moroccan Flag etiquette is very strict and is is essential that Flag protocols and rules are followed correctly

Basic Flag Etiquette applies to all nations, including Moroccan as follows:

Etiquette relating to the order of precedence for the flag

National Flag of Moroccan

State Flag of Moroccan

Military Flag of Moroccan (in order of creation date)

Other Flag of Moroccan

The United Nations uses alphabetical order when presenting a national flag including the Moroccan Flag. Their flag etiquette ensures that no one country's flag has precedence over another country's flag

The National flag of Moroccan should never be flown above another national flag on the same staff as this would suggest superiority, or conversely, inferiority of one flag, or Nation, over another

The Moroccan flag should never be allowed to drag along the ground

A tattered or faded flag of Moroccan should be removed and replaced with a new flag

Due care and consideration must be taken to ensure that the Moroccan flag is always flown the correct way up

A Flag of Moroccan, when in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem of display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning in private with all due care and respect

Terminology & Etiquette in Moroccan Flag display
Hoist - the act or function of raising the Moroccan flag, as on a rope
Half Staff or Half Mast - the Moroccan flag is hoisted to half of the potential height of the flag pole to denote grief and mourning
Performed by first raising the Moroccan flag to the top, then lowering the Moroccan Flag halfway
Distress - denoted by flying the Moroccan flag upside-down
Manner of hoisting - The Moroccan flag should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously
No disrespect should be shown to the Moroccan flag
The Moroccan flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit the Flag to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way
The Moroccan flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing on the flag of any nature
The Moroccan flag should be hoisted first and lowered last
International Flag relating to Moroccan Flag usage forbids the display of the flag of one nation above that of another nation in time of peace
We hope that the presentation of facts and information regarding Moroccan Flag Etiquette has provided a useful resource



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morocco facts

Lying in the northwest corner of Africa, Morocco is dominated by the Atlas Mountains, which separate the fertile coastal regions from the harsh Sahara. The high mountains helped protect Morocco from European colonialism until 1912. From 1912 to 1956 the country was divided into French and Spanish zones—two small Spanish enclaves remain, Ceuta and Melilla. Mosques, minarets, and bazaars typify Morocco, 99 percent of whose inhabitants are Muslims. King Mohammed VI, who has ruled since 1999, claims descent from the Prophet Muhammad. Morocco today is one of only three kingdoms left on the continent of Africa—the others, Lesotho and Swaziland, are small, southern African countries.

Most Moroccans live in cities such as Fez, Casablanca, and Marrakech, on the coastal plain. Although rural people are crowding into cities, Morocco remains primarily a nation of farmers. Many Moroccans emigrate to Spain and other European Union countries for better economic opportunities. Drought, unemployment, and dispute over control of phosphate-rich Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) have taxed the country. In spite of a 1991 UN-supervised ceasefire, sporadic warfare continues between the Moroccan Army and Algerian-backed Polisario (the Western Sahara independence movement based in Tindouf, Algeria). Moroccan forces built a 2,500 kilometer (1,500 mile) sand wall to keep Polisario fighters out. A UN-sponsored referendum of Western Sahara residents is now planned to determine the status of the area, but disputes regarding the referendum remain unresolved.

ECONOMY

Industry: Phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing, leather goods, textiles
Agriculture: Barley, wheat, citrus, wine; livestock
Exports: Clothing, fish, inorganic chemicals, transistors, crude minerals, fertilizers



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morocco facts

Morocco, about one-tenth larger than California, lies across the Strait of Gibraltar on the Mediterranean and looks out on the Atlantic from the northwest shoulder of Africa. Algeria is to the east and Mauritania to the south. On the Atlantic coast there is a fertile plain. The Mediterranean coast is mountainous. The Atlas Mountains, running northeastward from the south to the Algerian frontier, average 11,000 ft (3,353 m) in elevation.

Government

Constitutional monarchy.


Morocco has been the home of the Berbers since the second millennium B.C. In A.D. 46, Morocco was annexed by Rome as part of the province of Mauritania until the Vandals overran this portion of the declining empire in the 5th century. The Arabs invaded circa 685, bringing Islam. The Berbers joined them in invading Spain in 711, but then they revolted against the Arabs, resenting their secondary status. In 1086, Berbers took control of large areas of Moorish Spain until they were expelled in the 13th century.

The land was rarely unified and was usually ruled by small tribal states. Conflicts between Berbers and Arabs were chronic. Portugal and Spain began invading Morocco, which helped to unify the land in defense. In 1660, Morocco came under the control of the Alawite dynasty. It is a sherif dynasty—descended from the prophet Muhammad—and rules Morocco to this day.



Read more: Morocco: Maps, History, Geography, Government, Culture, Facts, Guide & Travel/Holidays/Cities — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107800.html#ixzz2Ii5TPGPv



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