Geography and politics
Officially known as the Kingdom of Morocco, Morocco is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is characterized by an interior composed of hilly mountain areas and large desert areas. It has shores on the Mediterranean Sea on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. It has a population of nearly 34 million (2014 census) and an area of 446,550 km². Its political capital is Rabat. Morocco has a history of independence not shared by its neighbors. Its distinct culture is a mix of Arab, indigenous Berber, African and European influences. Its culture is Berber-Arab for several centuries, and has spread mainly in the Maghreb and southern Spain.
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. The king of Morocco holds vast executive and legislative powers, especially over the army. The predominant religion of Morocco is Islam, while the official languages are Berber Arabic and Moroccan Arabic, called Darija.
French is also widely spoken. English is only spoken in tourist areas, and speaking French will help you greatly.
Climate
At an average altitude of 466 meters, the Moroccan climate is both Mediterranean and Atlantic, with a dry and hot season coupled with a cold and wet season, the end of the warm period being marked by the October rains. The climate in Morocco can be divided into seven sub-zones, determined by the different influences that the country undergoes: oceanic, Mediterranean, mountain, continental and Saharan influences. The presence of the sea attenuates the differences in temperature, tempers the seasons and increases the humidity of the air. In the interior, the climate varies according to the altitude. The time of year will greatly affect the time here. Summers are hot and dry, especially when blowing hot sirocco or chergui, summer wind from the Sahara. Apart from that, get ready for all types of humid, dry, hot and cool climates. In the mountains or the desert at night, outside of the summer, it is quite cold and in the mountains you will find rain and snow.
UNESCO World Heritage in Morocco
Morocco ratified the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage on October 28, 1975, and the Fez Medina was, in 1981, the first site inscribed on the World Heritage List. Since 2012, the country has nine World Heritage sites as cultural property, and since 2016, its indicative list includes 13 sites: nine cultural properties and four natural properties. There are eight World Heritage Sites in Morocco that you can visit during your trip with RedaTrekMaroc. We will be delighted to develop your guided trip with one or more of the sites listed below. Note, most sites are already in our programs.
Medina of Fez (1981)
The Medina of Fez is a fortified city with madrasas, fondouks, mosques and palaces dating from the Merinid domination in the 13th and 14th centuries. At that time, Fes replaced Marrakech as the capital of the kingdom. The most important monuments of the Medina are: Bou Inania Madrasa (1351-1356), Al-Attarine Madrasa (1323-1325), Al-Karaouine University (859), Zaouïa Moulay Idriss II (Sanctuary) and Dar al-Magana, a clock that holds a water clock powered by weight (1357).
Medina of Marrakech (1985)
The Medina of Marrakech is an ancient Islamic capital dating back to the 11th century. The city is surrounded by 16 km of ramparts and gates. It owes its original splendor to the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties (XI-XIII centuries), which made Marrakech their capital. The Medina has several architectural and artistic masterpieces from different periods of history: the ramparts and gates (pinkish clay, like most original structures), the Koutoubia mosque (its minaret 77 meters high is a key monument of Islamic architecture). The tombs, the Djemaa El-Fna square and the Ben Youssef madrasa are must-haves of the red city.
Ait Ben Haddou (1987)
Ait Ben Haddou is a striking example of the architecture of traditional southern Morocco, on the side of a hill at the top of which was a collective attic (an agadir). The village is a set of earthen buildings surrounded by walls, the ksar, which is a type of traditional pre-Saharan habitat. The houses are grouped within its defensive walls reinforced by corner towers. Some of its dwellings seem to be small castles with high towers decorated with raw brick designs. The buildings are in a strategic position against a mountain. The oldest constructions date from the 17th century. The site was also one of many counters of the trade route that connected Saharan Africa to Marrakech. All around a group of villages (douars) is gathering. The inhabitants of these douars are for the most part formerly nomadic Berbers who then chose sedentariness for various reasons.
Historic city of Meknes (1996)
The historic city of Meknes was the capital of the Alawite dynasty (17th century). His sultan Moulay Ismaïl redesigned the city in Hispano-Moorish style. Meknes is surrounded by 25 km long walls pierced by monumental gates like Bab Mansour. The city hosts many monuments, including mosques, madrasas, hammams and fondouks.
Archaeological site of Volubilis (1997)
The archaeological site of Volubilis houses the remains of a Roman city that was the capital of Mauritania Tingitane. Remarkable for its high number of mosaic floors, it has marble and bronze statues. The site was established already in the 3rd century BC, before being annexed by the Romans around 40 AD. It has a favorable location, because of fertile land, for the cultivation of olives. At its peak, the city probably had 20,000 inhabitants. Most of its great monuments such as the Arc de Triomphe and the Capitol date back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Near the site is the pilgrimage town of Moulay Idriss. The saint Idriss who had made Volubilis his home, before founding Fez and Moulay Idriss.
Medina of Essaouira (2001)
The Medina of Essaouira, formerly known as "Mogador", is an example of a fortified city of the late eighteenth century, transferred to North Africa. Sultan Mohamed Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah had decided to build a port that would open Morocco to the outside world and help develop business relations with Europe. He hired a French architect, Nicholas Théodore Cornut, who had been deeply influenced by Vauban's work in Saint-Malo. The designated area includes bastion and fort, kasbah, mellah or Jewish quarter, several mosques and synagogues, eighteenth century Portuguese church and private houses.
Old Portuguese city of El Jadida (2004)
Formerly called Mazagan, El Jadida is a port city on the Atlantic coast that was seized in 1502 and then ruled by the Portuguese until 1769. It was recognized for its exchange of influences between European and Moroccan cultures. The Portuguese built a citadel in 1514, and widened it into a fortification in 1541. They also built four churches in the fortification. The remaining buildings of the Portuguese period are the cistern and the Manueline Church of the Assumption. After the departure of the Portuguese, the city remained uninhabited until the middle of the 19th century.
Argan Grove Biosphere Reserve (1998)
In 1998, UNESCO declared that more than 16,000 m² of southwestern Morocco, including the entire argan producing region, was a special biosphere reserve.Protected area, the reserve promotes a balanced relationship between humans and nature. Thanks to UNESCO's efforts to encourage more careful grazing and stop cutting trees, people in the region now understand the value of the tree and protect it.