If you ever stepped into a Moroccan street market, you might feel like you’ve fallen into a storybook. The air smells of cinnamon, orange blossom, and sizzling kebabs. The walls around you are covered in tiles with hypnotic patterns. Sellers call out in Arabic and French. Somewhere nearby, someone is pouring mint tea into little glasses, from a silver teapot held high. Morocco is a country that delights every sense—and behind its colours and spices is a history that’s just as rich.
Morocco
Fez tanneries
Morocco sits in North Africa, but it’s not just African. It also feels a bit Arab, a bit European, and very much its own thing. That’s because for centuries, Morocco was a meeting point for traders, travellers, conquerors, and dreamers. It lies where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea, and where the Sahara Desert gives way to green valleys and snow-capped mountains. People have been living here for thousands of years, from ancient Berber tribes to powerful Muslim dynasties.
Morocco
The Berbers—also known as the Amazigh—are the original people of Morocco. Their traditions still live on in the countryside, especially in the Atlas Mountains where stone villages cling to cliffsides. Many still speak the Amazigh language, wear colourful woven cloaks, and tell stories through embroidery and music. Over time, Arabs brought Islam to the region, and Morocco became part of great Islamic empires. Then came the Portuguese, the Spanish, and the French. You can see this history in every Moroccan city—from grand mosques and dusty kasbahs to colonial cafés and French-style gardens.
One of Morocco’s most famous cities is Marrakesh, a city that seems to pulse with energy. Its ancient market, or souk, is a maze of narrow lanes filled with carpets, lanterns, spices, leather bags, and strange musical instruments. Nearby is the Jemaa el-Fnaa, a vast square that comes alive every evening with snake charmers, acrobats, drummers, and storytellers. At night, the whole city glows in shades of gold and pink.
Then there’s Fes, home to one of the world’s oldest universities, and to a labyrinth-like old town where donkeys still carry goods through narrow alleys. Casablanca is Morocco’s modern face—famous for the classic film, but now filled with tall buildings and trendy shops. And if you head north, you’ll reach Chefchaouen, a city painted almost entirely in blue. Nobody is quite sure why—some say it keeps mosquitoes away, others say it’s a symbol of the sky or heaven—but whatever the reason, it feels like walking through a dream.
Beyond the cities, Morocco’s landscapes are just as incredible. In the south, the golden dunes of the Sahara rise and fall like waves. At night, under a blanket of stars, you might hear Berber music drifting from a tent lit by firelight. In the mountains, snow dusts the peaks and melts into streams that feed valleys full of fig trees and olive groves. Along the coast, white seagulls fly above ancient fishing towns, and surfers ride waves beneath crumbling ramparts.
Food in Morocco is its own adventure. Tagine, a slow-cooked stew made in cone-shaped pots, is often shared from the centre of the table. Couscous, fluffy grains usually topped with vegetables and meat, is a Friday favourite. And then there’s the mint tea—sweet, strong, and poured with flair. Moroccans call it “Berber whisky” and drink it not just for taste, but as a symbol of hospitality and friendship.
The country is also famous for its art and craftsmanship. Moroccan tiles, or zellige, are made by hand and arranged in mind-boggling geometric patterns. Leather tanneries use ancient methods to colour hides with natural dyes. Rugs are woven by hand, each one telling a silent story in its patterns. Even the doors in Moroccan towns are works of art—painted, carved, and often surrounded by tiled arches.
But Morocco is not just a land of the past. Today, it’s growing fast—building solar farms in the desert, investing in clean energy, and even launching satellites. Young artists, filmmakers, and fashion designers are mixing old traditions with new ideas. Tourists come from around the world to hike its mountains, surf its waves, or ride camels into the dunes. And yet, in many ways, Morocco still moves to its own rhythm—calm, curious, and deeply connected to its roots.