Moroccan culture is entertaining and exiting. The people are friendly and there is colour everywhere you look. Genuine hospitality is engrained in their culture and it is not uncommon to strike up friendships with people you meet and to feel enveloped in their lifestyle.
Mountains, coastline and desert, Morocco has much to offer the tourist. The rugged Atlas Mountains offer opportunities for hiking and mountain biking, while the coastline is bordered by the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Interesting towns and cultural diversity make the country exciting and fascinating place to visit.
Morocco is becoming more and more cosmopolitan with investors from all over the globe looking at investments in the area. One bonus for many buyers is that there is a good chance of their own language being spoken as French, Spanish and English all widely spoken in addition to Arabic.
For Westerners, Morocco holds an immediate and enduring fascination. Though just an hour's ride on the ferry from Spain, it seems at once very far from Europe, with a culture – Islamic and deeply traditional – that is almost wholly unfamiliar. Morocco is really an ideal place for independent travel. Throughout the country, despite the years of French and Spanish colonial rule and the presence of modern and cosmopolitan cities like Rabat and Casablanca, a more distant past constantly makes its presence felt.
Essential Morocco presents the following ‘snippet’ guides to various cities and areas of Morocco along with some first-hand travel reports and recommendations for your reference.
Morocco, the culinary star of North Africa, is the doorway between Europe and Africa. Much imperial and trade influence has been filtered through her and blended into her culture. Unlike the herb-based cooking across the sea to the north, Moroccan cooking is characterized by rich spices.
Cumin, coriander, saffron, chiles, dried ginger, cinnamon, and paprika are on the cook's shelf, and in her mortar. Harissa, a paste of garlic, chiles, olive oil, and salt, makes for firey dishes that stand out among the milder foods that are more the Mediterranean norm.
Moroccan light fixtures are completely unique and the pride of the artisans that dexterously carve them surrounded by snake charmers and the smell of spices on magical Djema el Fna square in Marrakech. Interior decorators & fashion gurus worldwide are going Moroccan. It is a secret discovered as the next big decorating inspiration.
Moroccan style is a new trend in decoration, which has been made popular by the vogue of Riads renovation in Marrakech. Its becoming popular in some circles in France, UK and the USA.