Discover Laâyoune

Laayoune is the largest town in Western Sahara, the desert region south of Morocco’s Anti Atlas Mountains. Occupied by Spain until 1974, Western Sahara remains in legal limbo as a disputed territory. After the “Green March” of November 1975—when 350,000 Moroccans marched across the border into the Sahara—a conflict broke out between the Moroccans and the Polisario Front, a group that demanded independence for its native Sahrawi people. Talks have been underway between Morocco and Polisario since a UN-sponsored cease fire in 1991.

The town tends to serve as a stopover point for travelers going between Mauritania and southern Morocco or for those on the way to try kite surfing at Dakhla’s desert lagoon.  From Marrakech, it’s a 16-hour plus bus ride to Laayoune. Although you’ll be driving through desert, don’t expect spectacular scenery like you’ll find at Erg Chebbi; this part of the Sahara is all hamada—flat, rocky desert.

Bus companies that serve Laayoune include CTM, Supratours and SATAS. You can also book bus tickets from Marrakech as part of a combined ONCF train fare. Destinations that connect with Laayoune include Dakhla (9 hours), Agadir/Inezgane (10.5 hours), Goulmime (6.5 hours) and Tan Tan (3 hours). From Laayoune, you can find grand taxis (share taxis) going to Tan Tan and Goulmime, but you may need to wait a few hours until the seats fill up and the taxi is ready to leave.

Royal Air Maroc operates daily flights to Laayoune from Casablanca, and flights run four times a week between Laayoune and Dakhla.

Laayoune’s most interesting facet is its quirkiness. You can visit the colonial Spanish church where many UN workers now meet to worship, or spend an afternoon chatting with soldiers over a cup of mint tea. Check out the main square at Place du Mechouar, watch a match at the football stadium to the northwest of town or visit the aviary at Colline des Oiseaux. For women, a fun activity is shopping for malhafas, the colorful sari-like garments worn by Sahrawi women.

Finding high- and mid-range accommodation in Laayoune can be tricky, as many hotels are block booked by UN personnel. Some have come to resemble mini fortresses with barbed wire surrounding the premises. On the high end, try Hotel al-Massira, Sahara Line or Hotel Parador, a colonial era throwback complete with bar and swimming pool. One mid-range option in Place Dchira is Hotel Zemmour, and budget travelers can look for cheapies around Souk ez-Zaj and Souk el-Jamal.

Dozens of affordable cafes and restaurants can be found in and around Place Dchira. A favorite with the international community is Pizzaria la Madone, a restaurant that serves up freshly baked, thin-crust pizzas as well as pasta dishes. If you’re craving authentic Chinese food, head over to House of Chen on Avenue Talha Bnou Zoubeir.

About 14 miles south of Laayoune is a large beach at Foum el Oued. Buses run from Laayoune to Foum el Oued during the summer months, and during the rest of the year you can hire a grand taxi to take you there. Campsites and several hotels and rental villas are available at the beach.: 

Laayoune, town, northern Western Sahara, 8 miles (13 km) inland from the Atlantic Ocean, situated in the geographic region of Saguia el-Hamra.

Want to discover Laâyoune? There are a thousand ways to do it. At the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and at the gates of the Sahara, Laayoune "the city of sands" in which the sand beach and the desert sand meet, welcomes its visitors in a natural splendid and varied setting. In less than a century, Laayoune,has set itself as the capital of the Sahara region, has developed rapidly, becoming the first economic and administrative pole of the Saharan Provinces.
Laâyoune is the largest city in the Moroccan Sahara. It is located on the Atlantic coast, 500 km south of Agadir and 400 km west of Tindouf, on the road to Dakhla.
It is controlled and administered by Morocco since 1975. It has a population of 200,000 inhabitants. Do not miss the beach of Foum El Oued in Laayoune-Plage: Located on the edge of the town of Laayoune, it extends to the Atlantic Ocean, the Souke dromedaries: This popular district is experiencing intense economic activity , By the abundance of shops, by an extraordinary craftsmanship, and by its large market, the National Cultural Center: Located in the place of Abdelaziz, this center includes a music room as well as a large reading room.
The books contained there are translated into several languages, including Arabic, French, English and Spanish. You can also visit Place du Méchouar: It is a very large square decorated with four magnificent monuments at each corner of the place. Laayoune took advantage of the development of the southern provinces as well as numerous investments.

morocco flag upside down meaning

The red background on the Moroccan flag represents hardiness, bravery, strength and valour, while the green represents love, joy, wisdom, peace and hope; it also represents the color of Islam and the pentagram the seal of Solomon.


This is something that always made me mad as I'm a huge fan of flags and their meanings and designs. I've already seen numerous times how some hotels or sport clubs just hang a flag upside down. But that's still mild compared to this! The Moroccan embassy in Amman has its flag upside down! Although it's not very obvious but it made me furious. What do you think should I do? Leave it at this or should I try to tell someone there?


"Flying an American flag upside down is not necessarily meant as political protest. The practice has its origin in a distress signal; displaying a flag in this manner is "a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property"

Flying national flags upside down is an internationally recognized symbol of distress when used on ships, and presumably could be interpreted likewise on land.

Of course, the flag needs to be asymmetrical top to bottom for it to work.

Souk El Agadir, Morocco

The Souk el Ahad market is a great place for the Agadir tourist to visit. The souk is the third biggest market in North Africa, after Fez and Cairo medinas and stocks a vast range of essential items for local people and has large amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables on sale, along with large mounds of fragrant herbs and spices, along with the standard tourist fare of babouches, leatherware etc that tourists may consider to buy.

The Souk is surprisingly clean and although you do get the usual encouragement to come into shops it's not too intense, unlike, for example, the Khan al Khalili souk in Cairo.

Many of the stalls have lovely ranges of Moroccan lamps, silverware and wooden hard-carved items which you can buy and there are a lot of genuine artisan goods like beautiful ceramics and traditionally-produced goods.

Souk Al Ahad is an essential place to visit, as it gives the visitor a real flavour of the country, and allows one to interact with the local people.

Upon arrival a guide may attach himself to you, which can be useful, but on the other hand, he may have arrangements in place with certain sellers which may mean that you may end up paying more for an item than if you would have gone on your own. This "guide" commission system is universal in souks, with a mark up of anything up to around 300%. If you have a degree of confidence, you don't need a guide at all. By going alone, it will give you the opportunity to hone your bargaining skills and get the satisfaction that YOU did it - you bought the item at a reasonable price!

Whenever going to the souk, flag down a petit taxi, say "Salam al Akoum" and the driver should then put the meter on. If he does not, point to it, if he refuses, you can get out and try another taxi. Tell the taxi driver "Bab Hamsa" which means Gate 5 in Arabic. The entrance at Gate 5 will bring you into the souk at the bottom end, where all of the spice and vegetable sellers are. You can then weave your way up to the top of the souk, alley by alley, until you arrive at the top end, which will be Gates 8, 9 or 10.

All in all would strongly recommend Souk El Had as a great place to visit for a couple of hours, well worth visiting.




Visited in early Jan 2013. The above comments are accurate. Now this is a great place for photo opportunities but be discreet othewise you will be charged for every photo you take. The presentation of some stalls is beautiful and rival any shop front in Oxford Street London. Particularly enjoy the herb and spice stalls. Their presentation is a work of art..

 Now something is missing from the Souk. There is a downmarket cafe but it would deter tourists. Tourists  like to sit and people watch. so a more appealing cafe so the tourist can sip afternoon tea and eating lovely moroccan pastries o would be good.  Tourist need to be protected migrant street vendors (not the stall holders). In a separate cafe the tourist could relax and watch the world go buy. Would the municipality please note that most european tours gives an hour in the market and most tourists need only 30 minutes to walk around it. Therefore tourists would spend 30 minutes inside a cafe with a glass front watching locals going about their daily life. The cafe location must be inside a busy part of the soulk with good views.

 God Bless The Souk manager and may he think about this proposal.  By the way most european tours start at gate 9 for obvious reasons asthe hunt is for souvenirs notbegetables.

Description of Moroccan Caftan

The Moroccan Caftan has been at the spotlight at the «Morocco in Abu Dhabi», an event currently held in Abu Dhabi.

Moroccan designers were invited to the event, expected to wrap up on April 30, to showcase their creations, focusing on the Moroccan Caftan. Models dressed in Caftans walked the runaway, highlighting the latest trends.

«The Caftan has been passed down through many generations. This year, we decided to focus on the traditional Moroccan arts of sewing and embroidery», designer Sofia Ben Ibrahim told Gulf Today.

Ben Brahim is among the Moroccan designers who were invited to the event. «The collection features innovative and trend-setting designs with both warm and cool colors and we also have some unique designs of new short-sleeved wedding dresses, in addition to other long-sleeved collection», Ben Brahim added.

Moroccan Almond Cookie and Sweets Recipes

Almonds are used extensively in cooking and baking. Here's a round-up of Moroccan cookie recipes and sweets on the site which use almonds or almond paste. Some recipes call for skinning and/or frying the almonds; be sure to familiarize yourself with the process.








Moroccan Stuffed Dates
Photo © Christine Benlafquih
The almond paste filling in these stuffed dates is flavored with orange flower water and cinnamon. If you like, add some food color for a festive presentation.


Kaab el Ghazal
Photo © Christine Benlafquih
One of Morocco's most famous sweets, Kaab el Ghazal literally translates to "gazelle's ankles," but in English, they're more commonly called Gazelle's Horns. Either way, the names make clear reference to the cookie's characteristic crescent shape. The thin pastry dough conceals a tender almond paste filling flavored with orange flower water and cinnamon.


Moroccan Snake Pastry
She Paused 4 Thought/Flickr - CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Named for its snake-like coil shape, this baked Moroccan almond snake pastry is stuffed with homemade almond paste. A lovely presentation for special occasions.


Chewy Moroccan Macaroons
SensorSpot/E+/Getty Images
Chewy Moroccan almond macaroons (Nancy-macaron-style) cookies with rustic good flavor. Quite easy to prepare using storebought or homemade almond meal.


Almond Baklawa (Baklava)
No pistachios here–Moroccan almond baklava (or baklawa) makes good use of almonds. A sticky, sweet, nutty delight.



Makrout with Almond and Honey
Photo © Christine Benlafquih
These delicious, makrout with almonds and honey are easier to make than you might think. Semolina dough is wrapped around logs of almond paste, cut into pieces and then fried. A dip in honey flavored with orange flower water adds sheen and sticky sweetness.


Moroccan Almond Briouats
Photo © Christine Benlafquih
These almond paste-filled almond briouats pastries are well-loved throughout Morocco. Although they might be offered for a casual tea time, they're most likely to be served when honoring guests, celebrating a special occasion, or when setting up a spread of food to break the fast in Ramadan.


Chebakia with Almonds
Photo © Christine Benlafquih
The dough for these chebakia with almonds are made with ground sesame and almonds, then shaped, fried and dipped in hot honey flavored with orange flower water.


Moroccan Sellou or Sfouf
Photo © Christine Benlafquih
Almonds are key to this traditional Moroccan sweet, as are browned flour, sesame seeds, anise, and cinnamon. Sellou is a popular offering during Ramadan, weddings, births, and other special occasions.


Ktefa or Milk Bastilla
Photo © Christine Benlafquih
Paper thin rounds of fried or baked warqa is layered with pastry cream and chopped fried almonds. Fresh fruit may be added. Ktefa is a very traditional and elegant dessert to offer after a Moroccan meal.

Traditional Moroccan Clothing

Morocco is the gem of the North Africa having coastlines on both the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Morocco has tremendous culture due to the inhabitation of the multi-ethnic population. While traveling to Morocco, the colors of indigenous Berber community and Jewish and Muslim populace can easily be observed. 

The country is a reasonably huge country and its every part has its own cultural recognition.All you need to know about Moroccan traditional clothing for men and women, like the authentic Kaftan - Maghrebi kaftan -, takshita and the djellaba.

Men usually only wear a djellaba on special occasions, sometimes topped with the famous Moroccan red cap, called a fez or tarbouche, and yellow leather slippers, known as baboush or belgha. The woman’s djellaba is more colorful compared to the man’s, and nowadays djellabas are becoming shorter and slimmer. There are verses of the Koran that mention the djellaba as a garment to be worn by Muslim women. A djellaba is mostly worn outside the house and there are djellabas for every day as well as for special occasions.



The kaftan refers to the Moroccan garment that looks like the djellaba but without a hood. The origins of the kaftan go back to the Ottoman Empire, as it was one of the finest Ottoman clothing worn by the elite. Like other garments, it has gone through changes over the years.

A Berber woman in her traditional dress

The Moroccan society is not conservative because Morocco is a peaceful and tourist friendly country. Morocco has no particular rules and regulation about the clothing but the Moroccans have kept alive the custom to wear the traditional dress of Morocco.

A random capture of the Moroccons in their traditional dresses

Moroccans are overall a stylish and smart nation and they prefer to dress up with fashionable and impressive clothing. Both men and women wear a same traditional attire which is called djellaba; a long, loose, hooded garment with full sleeves.

A Moroccon girl wearing traditional dress

The women of Morocco also wear Caftan or Kaftan which is without a hood unlike the djellaba. This dress is particularly decorated with the typical woman embroidery upon the dress openings and arms. Kaftan is usually worn on the festive occasions and wedding ceremonies by the Moroccan women.

The Moroccon bride in her traditional wedding dress 

Another traditional cloak made with a delicate fabric and mostly in white color is known as “Haik” which is used by the Moroccan village women. In addition to that Gandora is also used by the Moroccan women which have heavy and fancy stitching and adornments.

For all of the Moroccan women the bright colored silks and other dainty fabrics are favorites. The craftsmen and tailors apply their special skills to make the women dresses attractive and graceful. The women of high class also use a traditional belt which has golden embroidery and exquisite decorations along the edges.

A Moroccon man wearing the traditional outfit and Fez 

Tangier | Insider's Guide to Tangier (Tangiers), Morocco

Tangier is a true port town with all of the international, cross-cultural influence and great seafood that implies. Sip on a fresh-squeezed orange juice on a balcony in the old kasbah, take in the breathtaking view over the Strait of Gibraltar and Southern Spain, feast on a tajine pescado (fish stew with roasted tomatoes, a specialty of the region), and take a seat at one of the many cafés and bars to channel the vibes of the Beat Writers who made this city something of a pilgrimage in the 50s and 60s.

In the last few years, the King has taken a great interest in promoting Tangier as a high-end tourist destination. There is a new luxury port abutting the ancient medina of Tangier where yachts belonging to the rich and wealthy port as part of their tour of the Mediterranean Sea. Much of the medina has been recently restored. Many of the main streets and boulevards have new palm trees as part of a city-wide beautification project.
Tangier Travel Guide: What to Do
Chillax in the Zoco Chico – There are two cafés at this main square of the Tangier medina, Café Tingis and Café Central. Both have ample outdoor seating and friendly service. Order a tea or a coffee and do what people have been doing for generations: people watch.

Get lost in the medina – If you ever truly get lost, keep in mind that “uphill” is the direction to follow for most of the main exits (or “babs”) of the medina. If you ask anyone for the direction of “Zoco Chico” or “Bab el-Fahs,” they will generally point you in the right direction and you can easily find your way from there. Getting around is made easier if you have a guide prearranged with us (forgive this little plug), which is common on the various trips we do in Morocco.

Rock the Kasbah – Most visitors will approach the kasbah through Bab Haha and enter on Place du Mechouar (often referred to as Place de la Kasbah). Here there are many touts who will offer to give you a guided tour. This is unnecessary. The kasbah is small and, to the left of Bab Haha, there is a small map highlighting the walk one can do around the kasbah and numerous signs pointing the way.

Hang with the Brothers of Detroit – Just outside the Kasbah Museum is a little café by the name of “Fils de Detroit.” This is the hangout of a few older Arab-Andalusian musicians. Sip on a mint tea and enjoy the unbeatable atmosphere when they men strum their lutes and jam on their drums.

Take a Paseo – After their siestas, it’s typical for the people of Tangier to take a paseo (a stroll) along the long promenade formed by Avenue Pasteur and Boulevard Mohamed V. They meet with friends, do a little shopping and enjoy as the heat of the afternoon gives way to the cool of the evening. This walk will take you down Avenue Pasteur at Place de France to Place Brahim Aroudani, where you can turn left and continue your paseo on the beach and take in the Bay of Tangier.

The American Legation Museum in Tangier, Morocco

Tangier Travel Guide: What to See:
The American Legation Museum – Close to the aptly named “Bab Merican,” this is the only national monument outside of the United States. The museum in closed on the weekends, but open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. There is a large library specializing in North Africa, many paintings from Americans, Europeans and Moroccans, and several small models recreating some historic battles. The real treat is the “Paul Bowles” wing, named for the American author who called Tangier home for 50 years and died here in 1999.

Museum of Moroccan Art and Antiquities – This museum, located just off Place du Mechouar and often just called the “Kasbah Museum,” houses various relics from the Stone Age through the turn of the 20th century, displaying the rich history of Tangier. Here, you can see evidence of the many peoples who have inhabited or ruled this region. Not to be missed is a beautiful mosaic taken from the Roman city of Volubilis and a nice stroll through the Sultan’s Gardens. Entrance is 10 dirhams. Open 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. every day except Tuesday.
Even with all of this renovation and restoration, there are still many historical and cultural monuments preserved in and around Tangier for you to discover… not to mention a lot of beach!