Morocco's Culture & History

A short history

Morocco has been a crossroads for thousands of years: Amazigh (Berber) roots, Roman towns, Arab dynasties, Andalusian influence from Spain and a French and Spanish chapter in the 20th century. You can see every layer in its cities.

• Thousands of years agoThe Amazigh (Berber) people live across North Africa, long before the Arabs arrive. Their language, Tamazight, is an official language today.
• 1st to 3rd centuryVolubilis, near Meknes, is a Roman city. Its ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• 8th to 9th centuryIslam arrives, and the Idrisid dynasty founds Fes, Morocco's first great capital.
• 11th to 13th centuryThe Almoravids found Marrakech around 1070. They and the Almohads rule an empire that reaches into Spain.
• 13th to 16th centuryThe Merinids build the famous madrasas of Fes. Later, the Saadians make Marrakech their capital.
• 17th century to todayThe Alaouite dynasty comes to power. It still reigns today.
• 1912France and Spain split Morocco into protectorates.
• 1956Morocco becomes independent.

Customs worth knowing

• Greetings: "Salam alaikum" works everywhere. Between men and women, wait to see if a hand is offered.
• Right hand: use it to eat, to pass things and to hand over money.
• Shoes off when you enter someone's home.
• Say yes to tea. A glass of mint tea is part of the welcome.
• Ask before you take a photo of someone. Some people say no, and some ask for a few dirhams.
• Dress modestly in medinas and villages: shoulders and knees covered is a good rule.
• Mosques: most are closed to non-Muslims. The big exception is the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, which runs guided tours.
• Friday is the main prayer day, and many families share a big couscous after Friday prayers.

Traveling as a couple

We get this question a lot, so here's the honest version.

• Holding hands is fine in most places. Kissing and hugging in public are better kept private.
• Foreign couples rarely have problems sharing a room.
• If one of you is Moroccan and you're not married, some hotels and riads may ask for a marriage certificate. Ask the place before you book.

Ramadan

During Ramadan, Muslims don't eat or drink from dawn to sunset. Outside the tourist areas, many cafés close during the day, and the streets come alive after iftar, the evening meal that breaks the fast. You can travel normally: just avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public during the day. Ramadan moves about 11 days earlier each year, and Morocco moves its clocks back one hour during the month.