Morocco is any traveler's dream destination with its long beaches, fortified fishing ports, lush oases, abundant flora and fauna and the High Atlas Mountains. Also, Morocco's coasts and countryside offer plenty to lure and interest avid travelers. Moreover the cities of Fez, Meknes and Marrakesh with their marvelous early Islamic architecture, rich cuisines, grand culture and traditional fiestas, also add to the overall beauty. And invite travelers from all over the world to take a plunge in Morocco's grandeur with Morocco tours. Read our article to find out more about Morocco tours, the best time to visit and its hidden art and culture delights waiting to be explored.
When it comes to a delightful tourist destination, Morocco is one of the hot favorites amongst travelers from various parts of the world. Just a few hours away from Europe's major cities by flight, it is regularly frequented by travel loving Europeans and adventure lovers. Receiving nine million foreign visitors every year, it is second only to Egypt as a popular North African holiday destination. Also, the vivid Morocco Tours available here, offer a new and colorful way to explore the country. Morocco is well-served by both budget and luxury airlines, with the main entry points to the country being Marrakesh, Casablanca, Fès and Tangier. Tangier is also an important ferry point for visitors from Spain, which also makes this country accessible through the sea route to travelers.
Morocco is good for visiting throughout the year, however, avoiding the hot summer months of July and August is a good idea in order to escape the excessive heat. August is clearly the hottest time of the year with the city of Marrakesh being particularly scorching which makes it very exhausting to travel and visit places of interest during the day. However, if the season of summer is the only time available for travelling, then one can head for the cooling sea breezes in the cities of Essaouira and Asilah as their proximity to the sea keeps their climate more or less ideal throughout the year. In Asilah there is a three-week long art festival in July, overlapping with Marrakesh's Festival of Popular Arts, another not to be missed extravaganza while taking Morocco tours.
The best time to visit this country and take Morocco tours would be during the season of autumn, when Morocco once again becomes a major travelling destination. During this time, accommodation prices rise, making it slightly difficult for the budget traveler to find his or her way around. However, everyone is in high spirits after Ramadan here which makes up for the high prices with joyful festivities and celebrations. The beaches are perfect at this time and the water feels just wonderful and the desert also benefits from gentle breezes, usual to the autumn season. Also, this is the right time to explore the winding streets of Fès Medina and discover its hidden treasures. The city also celebrates its founder in a huge moussem or religious festival in September at this time and the Imilchil's Berber Marriage festival is a sight to witness.
The souks of the Marrakech medina, Morocco
Souks are the traditional marketplaces and are often divided into sections for the various trades. You'll see herbalists, spice sellers, metal workers, tanners, and food markets congregated on trade-specific streets. Souks are a maze of alleys and narrow streets, and it's easy to get lost.Written by Savi, 87 Comments
Did the thought provoking sunset in Egypt get too pensive for your liking? Well then, you have come to the right place.
Welcome to the souks of Marrakech. Here the air is rife with cries of gypsies, snake-charmers, wandering minstrels, magicians, and folk-singers. There are tanneries on pavements, street artists in every corner, and vegetable vendors popping out of alleys. If you’re not paying attention, you could end up with a monkey on your shoulder or snake wrapped around your arm.
Oh, what do we tell you about Marrakech’s souks – Overwhelming? Yes! But they are the perfect amalgam of colour, energy, and vibrance. There is nothing that isn’t sold here- perfumes, spices, bags, clothes, baskets, shawls, carpets, shoes, even safety pins.
However if the thought of plunging headlong into this world of colour and chaos intimidates you, fear not. Bruised Passports’ genies are at hand 🙂 Our ultimate guide to Moroccan souks is here to ensure you have fun exploring the labyrinthine souks of Marrakech. It takes just 5 easy steps:
Moroccan vendors can be annoyingly persuasive. You will be pestered by shopkeepers on entering the souk, but it is nothing a firm no can’t tackle. Devise the perfect no – we suggest a baritone treading the fine line between firm and polite.
If you’re anything like Savi, then find someone else to say your Nos – giggles and smiles just won’t do, unless you want to end up squashed between a duo sporting the world’s most elaborate headgear.
You know that old English dictum ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’? We’re pretty sure someone must’ve conjured it within the confines of a Moroccan souk, because it sure is a challenge to ‘Keep Calm’ here.
The hard part is over- the chaos has sunk in and you are feeling confident strutting through Marrakech’s bamboo-covered souks. It’s time to have some fun- savour the smell of spices drifting up your nostrils, follow colour, go where your eye takes you, turn into little alleys, and duck into the tiniest of shops.
Make sure you take your camera. If you’re a photographer, this is the place for you. Walk from the olive souk, jam-packed with different kinds of olives, to the potters’ souk, crammed full of brightly-coloured pots, pans, and tagines. There is a surprise at every corner – brightly-coloured glassware, sheesha pipes, fragrant spices, embellished kaftans, handcrafted bags – you name it, they have it.
It is easy to spend hours ambling in Marrakech’s serpentine souks- you are bound to get lost, but that is the fun of it. Irrespective of how far you go, it is always easy to make your way back to the Djemaa-El-Fnaa – just ask locals for help or start walking towards the dome of the The Koutoubia Mosque.
When you get to the Djemaa- El-Fnaa (The Central Square), don’t walk right into the souks. Instead, spend the morning familiarising yourself with the unique rhythm of life here – we suggest having Moroccan mint-tea at a street-side cafe facing the Djema El Fnaa as you watch people go about their lives. From your vantage point you will see henna artists, palm readers, and ventriloquists. Try spotting ‘witch’ dentists pulling out molars in the middle of the square.
Surely at this point you are thinking you’ve seen EVERYTHING – nothing can faze you, you are unflappable. This is a good time to enter the hallowed confines of Marrakech’s souks. Take a deep breath and go…
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Souks of Morocco Tour
Shopping in Morocco is a unique and exciting experience. Souks are the traditional marketplaces and are often divided into sections for the various trades. You'll see herbalists, spice sellers, metal workers, tanners, and food markets congregated on trade-specific streets. Souks are a maze of alleys and narrow streets, and it's easy to get lost.
When the first souks appeared within Morocco, they were nothing more than small areas outside the city for merchants to display and sell their goods. Yet, as city populations grew, so did the souks. Today souks have become an important part of the culture socially and act as the heart of any large Moroccan city.
No visit to Morocco would be complete without exploring the medinas (walled cities with maze-like streets) of Marrakech, Fès and Ouarzazate. Unlike shopping in the West, where people tend to visit local retailers, in Morocco a shopping trip involves visiting the old medina, and various souks (markets) within them that sell specific goods ranging from clothing, to fabrics, shoes, food and carpets. Since most foreign currencies are strong in comparison to the Moroccan dirham, you can go on an extensive shopping spree and purchase various local Moroccan handicrafts such as Moroccan leather work, carpets, jewelry of silver, gold and copper along with ancient embroideries and basketwork.
Souks and markets are a major featurein Moroccan life, and among the country’s greatest attractions. Each major city and town in Morocco has a special souk quarter. Villages in the country side also have local souks which are usually held one day each week in an open field or outside the towns kasbah walls. Large cities like Marrakesh and Fès have labyrinths of individual souks (each filling a street or square that is devoted tone particular craft). The city of Marrakesh, Fès and Ouarzazate are famous for their beautiful souks- which are Morocco’s posh and huge shopping centers. Some of the best buys in Morocco are dates, leather ware, handicrafts, carpets, pottery, wood carvings, traditional dress (djellabas) and various food products.
Souks and markets are also a daily destination where locals shop for fresh meat, vegetables, household goods and other items that Americans for example, purchase at Wal-Mart or Target. In the country side, you can find large numbers of weekly souks (markets). A new alternative to souks in Morocco is Marjane, a Moroccan hypermarket chain, found in large cities like Marrakech, Casablanca, Agadir, Fès, Tétouan and Tangier. Marjane is the “Moroccan Target” and sells a wide variety of items such as food, clothing, liquor, electronics and other household goods.
Whether or not you are a big shopper, visiting a souk is a cultural experience that should not be missed on a trip to Morocco.
ITINERARY
DAY 1: CASABLANCA
►Have breakfast in a local café, visit the Hassan Mosque, and then take the road directly to Fès. Once in Fès you will unpack at your hotel, rest and then have dinner in Fès Novelle.
DAY 2: TOUR FES EL BALI & AROUND
►After breakfast you will begin your guided tour of the Fès medina.
►Fès is separated into three parts, Fès el Bali (the old, walled city), Fes-Jdid (new Fes, home of the Mellah), and the Ville Nouvelle (the French-created, newest section of Fes). The Medina of Fès el Bali is believed to be the largest contiguous car-free urban area in the world. To enter the medina, you will pass through the Bab Boujeloud gateYou will explore the medina’s narrow streets lined with local shops and stalls of fresh fruit, mounds of spices, intricately woven Berber carpets and many other Moroccan handicrafts and home goods. Fès has two main streets, “Rue Talaa Kebira “ and the “Rue Talaa Seghira “ which are utilized as the main throughways when exploring the medina- and the mysterious maze-like streets in between. The Fès medina is a labyrinth of sloping, winding alleyways are crammed full of stalls and workshops. This area is known as the famed Kissaria -the commercial centerFès Medina produces its own specialty goods: cobalt blue enameled pottery, carpets, wrought iron ... one looks on as the dyer stirs his yarns, steeped in their multitude of colors, as the tanner tramples his skins under an open sky -skins that the leather-worker will eventually adorn with fine gilt for book-binding. . A multitude of locally produced goods are on sale including cotton fabric, silk, brocade work, slippers, and many more. Each district in the , with its decoration of blue and green faiences.
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Souks of Morocco Tour
Find out how to navigate the souks and medinas of Morocco safely. ... by a "guide" in the souk or medina, who will want to take you on a tour
Shopping in Morocco is a unique and exciting experience. No visit to Morocco would be complete without exploring the medinas (walled cities with maze-like streets) of Marrakech, Fès and Ouarzazate. Unlike shopping in the West, where people tend to visit local retailers, in Morocco a shopping trip involves visiting the old medina, and various souks (markets) within them that sell specific goods ranging from clothing, to fabrics, shoes, food and carpets. Since most foreign currencies are strong in comparison to the Moroccan dirham, you can go on an extensive shopping spree and purchase various local Moroccan handicrafts such as Moroccan leather work, carpets, jewelry of silver, gold and copper along with ancient embroideries and basketwork.
Souks and markets are a major featurein Moroccan life, and among the country’s greatest attractions. Each major city and town in Morocco has a special souk quarter. Villages in the country side also have local souks which are usually held one day each week in an open field or outside the towns kasbah walls. Large cities like Marrakesh and Fès have labyrinths of individual souks (each filling a street or square that is devoted tone particular craft). The city of Marrakesh, Fès and Ouarzazate are famous for their beautiful souks- which are Morocco’s posh and huge shopping centers. Some of the best buys in Morocco are dates, leather ware, handicrafts, carpets, pottery, wood carvings, traditional dress (djellabas) and various food products.
Souks and markets are also a daily destination where locals shop for fresh meat, vegetables, household goods and other items that Americans for example, purchase at Wal-Mart or Target. In the country side, you can find large numbers of weekly souks (markets). A new alternative to souks in Morocco is Marjane, a Moroccan hypermarket chain, found in large cities like Marrakech, Casablanca, Agadir, Fès, Tétouan and Tangier. Marjane is the “Moroccan Target” and sells a wide variety of items such as food, clothing, liquor, electronics and other household goods.
Whether or not you are a big shopper, visiting a souk is a cultural experience that should not be missed on a trip to Morocco.
Fès is separated into three parts, Fès el Bali (the old, walled city), Fes-Jdid (new Fes, home of the Mellah), and the Ville Nouvelle (the French-created, newest section of Fes). The Medina of Fès el Bali is believed to be the largest contiguous car-free urban area in the world. To enter the medina, you will pass through the Bab Boujeloud gateYou will explore the medina’s narrow streets lined with local shops and stalls of fresh fruit, mounds of spices, intricately woven Berber carpets and many other Moroccan handicrafts and home goods. Fès has two main streets, “Rue Talaa Kebira “ and the “Rue Talaa Seghira “ which are utilized as the main throughways when exploring the medina- and the mysterious maze-like streets in between. The Fès medina is a labyrinth of sloping, winding alleyways are crammed full of stalls and workshops. This area is known as the famed Kissaria -the commercial centerFès Medina produces its own specialty goods: cobalt blue enameled pottery, carpets, wrought iron ... one looks on as the dyer stirs his yarns, steeped in their multitude of colors, as the tanner tramples his skins under an open sky -skins that the leather-worker will eventually adorn with fine gilt for book-binding. . A multitude of locally produced goods are on sale including cotton fabric, silk, brocade work, slippers, and many more. Each district in the , with its decoration of blue and green faiences.
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Vegetation And Animals Of Morocco
Information on plant increase and animals living in Morocco. Areas of forest and the Moroccan wildlife is a mingling of African and European species.
Spice of Morocco
The mountainous regions of Morocco contain extensive areas of forest, including large stands of cork oak, evergreen oak, juniper, cedar, fir, and pine. Except for areas under cultivation, the plains are usually covered with scrub brush and alfa grass. On the plain of Sous, near the southern border, is a large forest of argan, thorny trees found principally in Morocco. Moroccan wildlife represents a mingling of European and African species. Of the animals characteristic of Europe, the fox, rabbit, otter, and squirrel abound; of predominantly African types, the gazelle, wild boar, panther, baboon, wild goat, and horned viper are common.
Soils and environmental issues
Three general types of soil are found in the semihumid part of Morocco. They are harcha, poor, stony soils with little humus (organic matter); hamri, red soils produced over limestone bedrock with some humus; and tir, sandy-loam, brown-to-black soils with moderate amounts of humus. The densest agricultural settlement is on the most fertile tir soils of the plains. The southern part of the country is mainly desert.
Population pressures have led to soil erosion and desertification as marginal lands are farmed and ground cover is destroyed by overgrazing. Morocco has a low rate of deforestation relative to other African countries, however. Forests cover 9.8 percent (2005) of the country’s area.
The country uses more than 90 percent of its fresh water for agricultural production. Available drinking water has been further limited by pollution of freshwater sources with raw sewage and industrial waste. Periodic droughts contribute to water shortages in some areas of the country, and the problem of water scarcity is expected to worsen as Morocco’s population continues to grow. Reserves and national parks cover 0.80 percent (2004) of Morocco’s total land area. The country is home to 50 threatened animal species. Morocco has ratified international agreements protecting biodiversity, endangered species, wetlands, and the ozone layer. The country has also signed treaties limiting hazardous waste and marine dumping. "Morocco" © Emmanuel BUCHOT, Encarta, Wikipedia
Mechoui
Moroccan roasted lamb, referred to as
mechoui, is perhaps best sampled in Marrakesh, where whole lamb is roasted in deep pits with smoldering araar wood. But worry not; you need not dig a hole in your backyard if you want to try roasted lamb at home. Instead, try this Moroccan mechoui recipe which calls only for a leg or shoulder.
Couscous and sautéed vegetables
What’s your go-to “fall back” meal? You know that meal you cook when you have no idea what in the world to make for dinner. It happens to the best of us – even when you have a food blog, a hundred recipes from other blogs you want to try plus a huge cookbook collection with more recipes than you can count. Usually when that happens, I make some sort of vegetable stir fry. This Spring Vegetable Couscous Stir Fry is one of our weeknight staple dinners around here and our #1 fallback meal whenever I’m in an indecisive dinner predicament!
COUSCOUS AND SAUTÉED VEGETABLES
COUSCOUS AND SAUTÉED VEGETABLES
Enjoy as a side or a main dish!
1 red onion, finely chopped.
3 – 4 cloves garlic, diced.
2 zucchinis, chopped.
1 – 2 hot chili peppers*, finely chopped.
3 red bell peppers*, chopped.
1 cup corn.
1 can kidney or black beans (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 tsp cumin.
1 red onion, finely chopped.3 – 4 cloves garlic, diced.
2 zucchinis, chopped.
1 – 2 hot chili peppers*, finely chopped.
3 red bell peppers*, chopped.
1 cup corn.
1 can kidney or black beans (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 tsp cumin.
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