Morocco Pictures

Known for its glorious and scenic mountain scapes and its vibrant and lively bazaars, Morocco is a kingdom in North Africa famous for its mystical cities of Casablanca (yes, like the one with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman), Fes and Marrakech.
Although the climate in Morocco is subtropical with cool breeze coming from the Atlantic and Mediterranean Oceans, it can get very hot during summer and a bit cold during winter. Of the major cities, Marrakech is often the hottest part of the country.

Moroccan cuisine is very sensual for it appeals to all the major sense organs, something other world cuisines cannot lay claim to. Culinary experts from Rabat, Meknes, Fez, and Marrakech have all contributed to what is now known as uniquely Moroccan cooking.

Couscous (variety of meats and greens atop semolina grains), Mechoui (roasted lamb), and Djej Emshmel (roasted chicken with olives, lemon, and bisteeya) are among the most popular dishes in the country normally washed down with Mint tea. Mints, olives, oranges, and lemons are basic home-grown ingredients. Moroccans will tell you that the best food in the country is home-cooked and cannot be found in even the best restaurants.

A blend of African, European, and Muslim cultures, Moroccans are slowly but surely adapting more modern ideas and values. If you’re nice and polite to them, you’ll find the locals friendly and courteous. Some would even invite you to their homes for a meal, a very big honor not bestowed on many. If this should happen, you’d better brush up on their customs and traditions so as not to offend. As with most cultures, bring the hostess a gift of sweets.

Non-Muslims are not allowed in Mosques and don’t be offended if you are not allowed inside. These places are not for tourists, they’re for devotees and it would be a great insult to try and sightsee inside. Obviously, taking pictures inside is a NO-NO.

So what are the best ways to enjoy your visit to Morocco? Innumerable! But we’ve paired it down to ten best ways to enjoy Morocco. These are the basics, the things you should NOT miss when visiting Morocco. Do all these things, and you can truly say that you’d been to Morocco.
 

Explore the Sahara Desert. Beyond the High Atlas lies a landscape so picturesque it cannot be found anywhere else. It’s as if time has forgotten to move forward in this area. Fortified villages, the Kasbahs, and old abandoned Foreign Legion posts can still be seen in this region. Despite its vastness, roads on the Sahara are well made and maintained and travel from village to village is surprisingly easy and comfortable.

A drive through the Kasbah Valleys is a definite must for it will take you through some of the most scenic and picturesque areas of the country from quaint little villages, vast deserts, and don’t forget, the out of this world Jebel Sargho with its moon-like surface.

If you’re visiting Morocco in July and in you’re in the city of Marrakech, be sure to come to the Arts festival. See the city light up and take on a new life as it buzzes with activity and intensity. This is the most popular event in the country and one of the best known in the world.

Well, since you’re exploring the desert anyway, might as well go the authentic way. Ride a camel. It’s the best way to go around and offers you a great opportunity to have your picture taken on an animal you don’t see everyday.

The Portuguese city of Mazagan is a must-see. Cited by UNESCO as a World Heritage, it showcases the best of both worlds, African and European cultures living together in perfect harmony.

Established in 1777, the American Legation is a monument to Morocco’s foresight in recognizing the U.S. as an independent nation. It is a charming building located in Tangiers and was given to the Americans by Sultan Moulay Suliman in 1821.
Other places of interest are Smir Marina (the jewel of the marinas), the “Hollywood of Morocco” in Quarzazate, Mt. Toubkal (a trekker’s paradise in winter), and Ouikaimeden, dubbed as the best place to ski in the country.
Morocco has some of the most spectacular, natural wonders of the world. Its topography is so diverse it seems as if everything on earth has been placed in one country; snowy capped mountain ranges, cedar covered green slopes, wild rough ridges, and a vast expanse of desert. Though very near Europe, the Moroccan experience is unlike anything found in that continent. The language, culture, people, and customs are from another world altogether. Morocco is truly a place worth visiting.

© Copyright www.mytravelimages.com All rights reserved