Agadir, Morocco

If you are planning to have a beach holiday on your next vacation, you should consider going to Agadir, Morocco. Agadir is one of the towns in Morocco that has great beaches. And since the area is near the sea, it is also a major fishing port in Morocco.

The weather here is usually sunny and warm, and you will always feel like stripping to your swimsuit and taking an exciting swim on one of their beaches. One of the beaches that you should visit in Agadir is Taghazout Beach. This is a great beach for surfers, swimmers, and people who want to experience Morocco at its local level. The good thing about this beach is that you do not have to pay exorbitant prices for its hotels and restaurants. You can also eat both Moroccan and international food in some of the local restaurants.

You should also visit Agadir Beach, another beach resort in Agadir. Just like most beaches in this area, Agadir Beach is also a romantic place for beach goers. You can also enjoy doing water sports and eating in outdoor cafes that surround the area.

If you are into scuba diving, you should check out Taff’s Diving resort. You do not need to worry if you have not tried diving because the resort has its own diving instructor who can teach you the basics of diving. You will have a classroom lesson, then an introduction dive in the swimming pool, and finally the dive itself in the ocean. You will see many different kinds of marine life like octopus, sting rays, eels, and even crabs.

You can also visit Agadir Kasbah if you want to soak in the area’s history. Kasbah is the old ruined walls that surround the town. Once up there, you will see the whole strip of Agadir Beach, which is breathtaking.

Facts About Morocco

For an exotic vacation, Morocco could be your destination of choice. Located on the continent of Africa, across the Straight of Gibraltar from Spain, Morocco is a country that has a long interesting history and culture that some people might find fascinating and want to explore.

One of the features of Morocco that makes the country so fascinating is that it contains such a variety of multi-ethnic groups which helped shape the country into being what it is today. Many different groups of people have come to Morocco throughout history that includes Phoenicians, Jews, Arabs, Moors, Romans, and Vandals. Even though Morocco is in Africa, it is commonly referred to as an Arab country. By identity, much of the population is Arab, yet Morocco places much importance on the protection of its diversity and the preservation of its cultural heritage by allowing each group to posses its own uniqueness contributing to the overall culture.

To get to Morocco, there are three major international airports located in the cities of Tangier, Agadi, and Casablanca. Most of the long distance flights arrive in Casablanca. A very modern airport, it has some convenient options to transport you to other locations in and around Morocco. If you don’t like flying or just want something different, there are several car and passenger ferry services which offer routes between Gibraltar, Spain, Italy and France to Morocco.

Morocco Top Cities

Agadir

Casablanca

Essaouira

Fez

Marrakech

Meknes

Ouarzazate

Oujda

Rabat

Tangier

Morocco Famous Landmarks

Ait-Ben-Haddou

Asilah

Casablanca

Fes

Marrakech City

Meknes

Sahara Desert: Hottest Desert in the World

Tangiers

Tetouan

The Todra Gorge

Facts About Morocco

Should visit Fez, Morocco

If somebody will ask you what makes a place interesting, you will probably say great sights, foods, and history. If you are looking for all three, you should visit Fez, Morocco.

Fez, Morocco is a contradictory place. It is a combination of old and new and its history is filled with triumphs, wars, and creativity. The city will arouse your senses.

There are several things to do in Fez, Morocco. One place that you should visit is the old Fes or Fes el-Bali. This is a maze-like place that has narrow streets, small hills, royal garden, old palace, souk, mausoleum, mosque, and artisan’s workshops. You will soak in the history and culture of Fez, Morocco if you go to Fes El-Bali.

You should also go to the old Medina of Fez. This is a great place to go if you want to forget about western living even for just a few days. The city is so old and the passage ways date as far back 9AD. You will see many different things here like old-style houses, crafts created by talented artisans, mosques, carpet shops, and amazing architecture.

When you visit these cities, it would be better to hire a guide so that you will not feel too overwhelmed with all the things that you can do. You should find a friendly and efficient tour guide who can lead you to the places that you should not miss in Fez.

You should also check out Sahrij Medersa, an old Isamic school that is constructed near the Andalous mosque. Although the place looks beaten and very old, you still can appreciate the great architectural design. This place does not attract too many people so take advantage of the peaceful atmosphere.

Morocco:best things to do in fes

Fes overwhelms the senses: it's colourful, noisy, doused in scent and inhabited by a lot of people vying for your attention - so you need to srrive armed with an idea of the best things to do in Fes so as not to let them sidetrack you!

The best things to do in Fes for some people is visiting the medieval medina: it's like nowhere else on earth when it comes to shopping: swamped with olive dealers, water sellers and veiled women from the ancient tanneries to the quiet of the madrasas, many of them architectural wonders. The medina has over 90,000 streets and alleyways so the best things to do in Fes Medina is to go with a guide, asking them to take you to the places you're most interested in seeing - Souk Triba has cosmetic and electronics shops, Souk Tallis, is good for wool, wheat and cloth, Souk Selham and the few surrounding it all sell material and haberdashery, but for a really special outfit, and one of the best things to do in Fes you should hop over to Chemmaine Souk, which sells ceremonial garb.

Visitors wondering about the pungent aroma will find the source of it at the tanneries of Fes. One of the best things to do in Fes is to get close to the action on one of the terraces that over look the honeycomb shaped dye and treatment pits of the tanning yards. You might think the leather would be the most toxic scent but it's the bird droppings used in the curing process that really smells the place out. Remember that when you're choosing your soft, hand crafted leather slippers, another of the best things to do in Fes.

As well as commerce, leather and carpets, Fes is a city of learning - and admiring some the great Christian, Jewish and Islamic architecture is one of the best things to do in Fes. The Karaouine Mosque is Morocco's second largest mosque, one of the world's oldest universities and visiting it is one of the best things to do in Fes. Non-muslims can't come in, but nobody seems to object to visitors popping their heads in though the gates. The Shrine of Moulay Idriss II, another interesting mosque, tomb and mausoleum is not open to non-Muslims, but again it's worth visiting for what you can see though the gates.
Visiting the Andalusian quarter is one of the best things to do in Fes - it has some of the city's most interesting architecture. The influence of the Spanish exiles on the Islamic designs resulted in numerous palaces covered in intricate mosaics. The ceilings are especially impressive. The el Sehri Madrasa has some particularly interesting tile designs, the Seffarine Madrasa has a minaret with a colourful zellige design, and the Sahrij Madrasa has a courtyard with a lovely pool and 14th Century ornate woodwork that even non-Muslims can visit - definitely one of the best things to do in Fes.

You can't go anywhere in Fes without passing though some kind of market or shopping district, but head though to the Dar Batha Museum, housed in a 19th Century summer palace built by Sultan Moulay al-Hassan I, one of the best things to do in Fes both for the palace and palace gardens, and for the museum's collection, which is made up mostly of 18th Century Fassi pieces, including intricately decorated furniture in wood and wrought iron, embroidered clothing and textiles, musical instruments and jewellery, as well as some fine examples of carpets made by the Berber tribes.

WorldReviewer.com is an independent travel website with great travel ideas. Have a look at the best things to do in Fes; visit the Merenid tombs for example.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bea_Metcalfe

Morocco

Morocco

I'm traveling through Morocco at the moment! Such a fascinating country. Here's a shot I took while walking through a souk (market) in Rabat last night.

I hope you all have a great Monday! What're you planning for this week?

Good News & Morocco: Fes

Good News & Morocco: Fes

I just got some incredible news from my German publisher - Geheimnisvolle Berührung, the German translation of Heart of Obsidian, just hit #2 on the Spiegel bestseller list!!

Thanks to all of you who've supported this release! I'm so excited that you're loving this book. =)

In travel news, we totally broke the no-shopping rule today! (Made because we didn't want to go overboard with our luggage). Too many lovely things in the medina in Fes!
 

Weaver at the loom in Fes, Morocco

Nuts and dates for sale at the markets in medina in Fes, Morocco

A tour of Marrakesh

I had a chance to go on a great tour of Marrakesh a few days ago.  We hit all the major tourist sites, which of course I almost never do, but I should because it was an enriching and beautiful experience.  It renewed my connection with this city that I’ve called home for so long.  I’m sorry I’m not great with dates and history, if I don’t take notes then it evaporates almost instantaneously off the surface of my brain.  Not to mention the late, late hour that the blogging itch strikes me, which is not a peak time for cerebral activity.  I’m going to have to fall back on good old “a picture is worth a thousand words”.

But let me just say this, these places are beautiful in and of themselves.  And if you can find a great guide to connect you with the richness of Moroccan history, so much the better.

These first two photos are at Medrasa Ben Yousef, which was one of the first examples of governmentally institutionalized learning in 1550.   Before that, students would simply find a teacher and learn what they wanted to learn.  This Islamic college was hailed by some as a positive initiative, and decried by others who felt the government should stay out of the business of education.  I guess the home-schooling debate is not as recent as we think!  Anyway, this college fell out of use in 1960, after the French had installed their own educational system in Morocco.  Sigh.

My mother, who is an artist and has studied Islamic art, points out that this following picture contains four out of the five elements of Islamic art.  And they are (from bottom to top): complex star polygons, arabesques, repeat linear patterns and calligraphy.  Brownie points if you can name the fifth element of Islamic art, not in this picture.

The Menara basin and pavilion…used to be an swimming school…and now is a great place to catch a view like this with the Atlas mountains as a backdrop, or feed some of the colossal fish that swim in the murky waters.

The Koutoubia mosque, which I talked about before:

And here are some of the storks that live on the wall of the Bahia palace.  Stork in Arabic is “laq-laq”, and if you’ve ever heard the sound a stork makes, you’ll understand exactly where the name comes from.

PS. Voting is still ongoing over at www.moroccoblogs.com If you can spare 30 seconds, please hop over there and vote for this very blog “Life in Marrakesh” under Best Overall Blogs.  Thank you, shoukran, merci.