Undiscovered Morocco

Notes

Essentials

Visas
Most nationals including UK, EU and US visitors can obtain a visa upon arrival in Morocco. However this could change so we recommend that you check with your nearest embassy for the most up to date details.

Airport Tax
No departure tax currently applies.

Health and Immunisations
As with travel to most parts of Africa, we strongly recommend that you contact your doctor’s surgery or a specialist travel clinic for up-to-date information, advice and the necessary vaccinations. For a visit of less than one month, almost certainly you will be advised to have immunisations against the following: Diphtheria and Tetanus, Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Meningitis. The use of a DEET-containing insect repellent is highly recommended.

Insurance

• What should my travel insurance policy cover?
• medical and health cover for an injury or sudden illness abroad
• 24 hour emergency service and assistance
• personal liability cover in case you’re sued for causing injury or damaging property
• lost and stolen possessions cover
• cancellation and curtailment (cutting short your trip) cover
• Extra cover for activities that are commonly excluded from standard policies, such as certain sports

The policy should cover the whole time that you are away.

Your policy may also have:

• personal accident cover
• personal accident cover

Common travel insurance policy exclusions

Always check the conditions and exclusions of your policy:

• most policies will not cover drink or drug-related incidents

You must take reasonable care of your possessions or your policy will not cover you.

Practical information

Local Currency
The currency is the Moroccan dirham (MAD), and it is not possible to purchase them overseas. For current exchange rates visit www.xe.com.

Where currency can be exchanged
It is relatively easy to change currency in Morocco and many banks will offer this service. In addition, many hotels are able to do this. Moroccan cities also have a good number of ATMs. Euros are the best currency to bring to Morocco for exchange purposes.

Credit cards and travellers cheques
It is possible to exchange traveller’s cheques but generally much more difficult to do so. Credit cards are generally only accepted in the more expensive shops and restaurants.

Best time to go
Morocco can be fiercely hot in the summer, with parts of it bitterly cold in the winter. The best seasons to visit the country are the spring and autumn, when the temperature is more moderate. However even during these periods it can regularly reach 30C. Please bear in mind that in the mountains it can get quite cool at night during these seasons.

Main Language
Morocco’s main language is Moroccan Arabic, a slightly different version from standard Arabic. Its second language is French and you will find this widely spoken, in contrast to English which is not so prevalent. In addition to this there a number of Berber dialects in the mountain and desert regions.

Main Religion
Morocco is almost entirely Sunni Moslem.

Food and drink
Moroccan cuisine is highly renowned and becoming quite fashionable in Europe and beyond. It tends to be quite aromatic and lightly spiced with spices such as cinnamon, cumin and coriander. Tagine, a type of stew, is the typical Moroccan signature dish, often served with couscous. Other popular dishes include pastilla, a sweet pastry topped dish containing pigeon that’s well worth a try, meat skewers known as brochettes, and spiced omelettes. Salads are also frequently served.

If you have any special dietary requirements you must notify us at the time of booking. While we will make every effort to cater for you, we cannot guarantee that this will be possible.

Eating in Morocco is not as cheap as some might expect. A snack might cost around $2, but a light meal is around $5, while a meal in a good restaurant will cost around $10-15. A bottle of wine will set you back about $10-12, while a small bottle of beer costs around $3.

Transport
Our tours in Morocco will use a mixture of private buses and 4wd vehicles.

Local conditions
Travelling in the destinations that we visit requires a good deal of understanding that often standards simply won’t be as they are at home. While we aim to make your trip as comfortable as possible, please be aware that we are often visiting remote or less developed regions that may have little infrastructure. While we aim to make your trip run as smoothly as possible there may be times when we need to ask for your patience while we rectify any problems.

What to take with you

First Aid Kit
The first thing on your list should be a first aid kit. Whilst there is no undue cause for alarm, travellers are best advised to travel well-prepared: adequately immunized, with sufficient supplies of prescription drugs, along with a medical kit.

Clothing
When it comes to clothing it is usually recommended that lighter clothes are worn through the day, and warmer ones at night. A hat is also advised to be worn through the day to protect from the sun, along with at least one piece of waterproof clothing for any days that the weather may be wet or windy.

You should bear in mind that as a Moslem country Morocco has conservative attitudes towards dress. Women, and also to a certain extent men, will find that the way they dress will often determine the degree of respect they receive from both men and women.

Sleeping bag
You will need to bring a sleeping bag for this tour, although mats will be provided.

Footwear
Footwear is a main priority on this tour. Comfortable walking shoes/boots are recommended.

Luggage
Your luggage should not exceed 20kgs (44lbs). One large suitcase/rucksack, and one small hand luggage rucksack is acceptable.

Other
Suncream/sunblock is a must. Insect repellent, including a bite spray will also be useful to have. As our tours in Morocco involve camping, a torch (flashlight) is essential.

Fitness
This tour does not require any special degree of fitness but you will find it more enjoyable if you are reasonably fit.

Cultural and environmental guidelines
In some parts of Morocco water is in extremely short supply. Please bear this in mind when washing and showering and try to limit your water usage as much as possible.

Please note that when camping there may not be any toilet facilities. Please make sure you dispose of your toilet paper correctly – in the desert it is better to burn it as the arid desert air delays its decomposition. Your guide will be able to advise on this.

You may come across beggars while on tour in Morocco. Every traveller has different perspectives on this and ultimately the choice is up to you. Many sources recommend that you watch to see if local people give, and then follow their lead with genuine beggars. We do not recommend giving money, sweets, pens etc to children as this can encourage a begging mentality and can lead to children choosing to beg rather than go to school.

Haggling is a way of life in Morocco when making many purchases, especially with tourist souvenirs. Usually, but not always, the vendor will start with a price that is higher than they are prepared to accept, and the buyer is expected to haggle. There are no hard and fast rules with this – some vendors may initially quote a vastly overinflated price, others may start with a price close to the true value, while others may just present you with one price and not be prepared to discuss it. Although many tourists may feel uncomfortable with this, it’s important to remember that this is best entered into in a relaxed manner. Once you have agreed upon a price, it is extremely bad form to then not pay this. Please also bear in mind that a small amount of money to you can be a relatively large amount for the vendor, and that it is not necessarily best practice to ‘beat the vendor down’ to the lowest possible price. Remember that they also have a living to make.

Please make sure that you take any rubbish back to the hotels or camps with you where it can be properly disposed of – this includes cigarette butts as well.

Photography
You should always ask permission before taking anyone's photograph and respect their decision if they say no. In more remote areas women and older people often do not want to be photographed. Some people may also ask for some money – sometimes a little, sometimes a lot - in return for a photo. Taking photos of military installations, state buildings, and airports can lead to problems with local authorities. If you are unsure about whether it is acceptable to take a photo, please ask your tour leader or guide.

Tipping
Tipping is common practise in Morocco. If your local guide has been helpful then you could think about tipping. This amount can obviously be left to you. When tipping a driver, a guide or hotel staff a few dollars will always be gratefully received.

Foreign Office Advice
We constantly monitor the advice posted by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). In particular we will always advise clients of any travel warnings. At present there are no warnings against travel to Morocco. Please feel free to contact us should you have any specific concerns or would like to know in detail what measures are being taken to ensure visits remain trouble free and without incident.

It should be noted that this information applies to British citizens. Other nationals are asked to check the current position of their respective government.

Further Information

Public Holidays in Morocco:

1 Jan New Year’s Day
1 May Labour Day
23 May National Day
9 July Young People’s Day
13 July Feast of the Throne
30 July Coronation of Mohammed IV
20 Aug Revolution Day
21 Aug King’s Birthday
6 Nov Anniversary of Green March
18 Nov Independence Day

Other holidays such as those associated with Ramadan are Islamic and as such follow a lunar calendar, varying annually.

Dates are for guidance only and may vary year to year

Electrical Supply
220 volts. Plugs are usually of the European two round pin variety.

Recommended Reading

Morocco – The Rough Guide
Mark Ellingham, Shaun McVeigh, Daniel Jacobs, Hamish Brown

The Conquest of Morocco
Douglas Porch

Morocco that Was
Walter Harris

Lords of the Atlas
Gavin Maxwell

Valley of the Casbahs
Jeffrey Tayler

IMPORTANT NOTES – PLEASE READ

Please note that the information provided is correct at the time of writing but may change. It is intended as a guide only. Further information regarding vaccinations and travel health visit www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk or contact your local healthcare provider.

In addition we strongly advise you to check the information and any travel advice provided by your government. For British citizens you should visit the Foreign Office website www.fco.gov.uk.

Furthermore, you should be aware that any travel warnings or advisories may affect the validity of your travel insurance. Therefore, at the time of booking your tour it is essential you check any restrictions on cover with your insurance provider.

Issue Date – 28/07/09

For possible changes to this dossier please visit www.undiscovered-destinations.com or call +44 (0)191 296 2674

Historical background

Morocco is, without a doubt, the most exotic destination you can find just a short hop from European shores. Part Africa, part Middle East, part Europe, it fuses elements of each to create a unique and intriguing culture which enchants its visitors. Morocco is blessed with a wealth of natural wonders, from dramatic gorges and imposing peaks to vast fields of sand dunes, lush valleys and windswept coasts, with everything else in between. For so long this country remained an enigma to western explorers, who knew only that it sheltered Barbary pirates who would attack European vessels and often land in search of booty and slaves. Today Morocco is firmly on the tourist trail – but look harder and you will see a Morocco that most do not get to see. Its mountains harbour remote tribes which have very little contact with the towns and cities, while its deserts are home to groups of nomads who eke out an existence in the barren but hauntingly beautiful sands. Morocco has retained its cultural traditions to a far greater extent than one would normally expect of a country so close to Europe, and in the small villages and kasbahs of the countryside one can see a Morocco that has barely changed in the past few hundred years. Its fairytale mud and sand fortresses are reminders of an age that has not entirely disappeared, a age of feudalism and warrior tribes that lends an overwhelming air of romance to Morocco today. Discover a hidden side of this magical land.

Moroccan history dates back thousands of years with Neolithic remains providing evidence of its earliest inhabitants, but it is only around the 12th century BC that much is known. Those great traders, the Phoenicians, were perhaps the first ‘alien’ people to establish bases on Morocco’s coast near present day Essaouira, Rabat and Tangier, although they had little to do with the indigenous Berber people. They were in turn eclipsed by Carthage, a rising power in the 5th century BC, who established themselves as the dominant power in the southern Mediterranean, again with bases on Morocco’s coastline. The Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage spelled the end of the Carthaginian Empire in the 2nd century BC, and Morocco found itself annexed by Rome, its westernmost colony on the edge of the known world.

Rome was however never completely secure in its Atlantic colony, plagued by constant rebellions from Berber tribes, and as a result of that never really extended its presence beyond the coastline, with the settlement at Volubilis being a notable exception. Morocco at this time was known as the province of Mauritania-Tingitana. The decline of Rome meant that Morocco was taken over by Vandals, Visigoths and Byzantine Greeks, in quick succession, but none of these powers penetrated far into Morocco, leaving the Berber tribes of its mountains effectively independent of foreign rule.

The birth of Islam in the 7th century saw a wave of Arab invaders penetrating ever further westward across North Africa, eventually finding they could go no further when they reached Morocco’s Atlantic shores in the latter part of the century. The Berber tribes converted to Islam, but never fully accepted all aspects of it, retaining many of their indigenous customs and merging the two faiths into a unique form of the religion that is still seen in Morocco today, especially in the more rural areas. From Morocco, invasions into Spain, known as al-Andalus, were carried out with Berber armies, resulting in most of the Iberian peninsula falling under Moslem rule for many centuries.

In the late 8th century appears Morocco’s first recognised dynasty, the Idrissids, founded by the Arab Moulay Idriss who claimed descent from the prophet Mohammed. Founding a base at the town that now bears his name, his descendants were also responsible for the founding of Fes, where the government became based. Today the old city of Fes houses the shrine of Moulay Idriss II, one of the holiest buildings in the country. The famed Kairaouine Mosque, one of the most important in Islam, was also founded, and the city became a renowned place of learning. However, by the 10th century the Idrissid dynasty had fallen foul of internal tensions and became weakened. It was easy prey for Morocco’s next dynasty, comprised of Berbers from the south, the Almoravids. Bent on reforming Morocco from what they perceived to be decadent ways, they swept forth from the desert in the 11th century and established their capital at Marrakech, that great meeting place for Morocco’s southern tribes, and for the caravans making their way across the sands. Their great leader, Youssef bin Tachfine, unified Morocco’s various tribes and mounted expeditions to Spain to recapture lands lost to Christian forces. However sustained military expeditions proved to be the undoing of the Almoravids – weakened and exposed to the ‘corrupting’ influences of Andalusian culture, the Almoravids were in turn overthrown by another Berber dynasty, from the High Atlas, the Almohads. Ironically, the recapture of Spain in the name of Islam was perceived to have led to the Almoravids being corrupted by their lax interpretation of Islam.

Remnants of the Almohad dynasty remain, notably the Tin Mal Mosque in the High Atlas, one of the few in Morocco that non-Moslems can visit. History almost repeats itself with the Almohads – again they went to Spain to fight Christian forces, and again imperial expansion left them stretched too thinly. However, their third sultan Yacoub el Mansour was an exceptionally strong leader, who unified all of the region under his rule, as far east as Tripoli in Libya. He also built a new capital at Rabat. By the 13th century however, power was returning from the centre into the hands of local tribes, and the Almohads began to disintegrate, to be replaced by the Merenids.

Merenid rule saw Morocco declining in importance as a regional power. The Portuguese had begun to navigate the previously uncharted seas around Africa’s Atlantic coastline, and Morocco was no longer able to maintain its tight grip on the trans-Saharan camel caravans bringing riches from the lands south of the desert. The Portuguese also began to establish trading bases on the coasts. The Merenids lasted until the mid 15th century to be replaced by the Wattasids, who were in turn replaced by an Arab dynasty, the Saadians.

The Saadians had established themselves in the south some years before, taking advantage of the general state of lawlessness outside of the main centres of government. Eventually they pushed the Wattasids out from their power base in the north, and fought the Portuguese in their settlements on the coast. Their greatest leader was known as Ahmed el Mansour (Ahmed the Victorious), a man of no little vision who launched a campaign against the fabulously wealthy city of Timbuktu to the south, sending his troops across the desert to secure control of its riches. A popular ruler, his death saw Morocco descend into civil war as various factions sought to seize control.

Around this time, piracy became quite prevalent in Morocco and other North African countries, the corsairs of the Barbary Coast striking terror into the hearts of European mariners in and around the Mediterranean. At one point, Moroccan pirates launched attacks on the west coast of England, seizing villagers to be taken back as slaves – labourers, domestic servants and concubines. The most famous of these pirates were based at the town of Sale, near Rabat, and were known as the ‘Sallee Rovers’. In the 17th century they established a pirate state there, known as the Republic of the Bou Regreg, after the river that flowed through the area.

Morocco’s final dynasty, the Alaouites, came from the desert like the Almoravids, from the small town of Rissani near Erfoud. Their dynasty remains today. Their most notorious ruler was Moulay Ismail, known as an exceptionally cruel man who would behead his slaves for fun. He made a new capital at Meknes, building a palace there that he hoped would rival Versailles, and built an enormous army from black slaves he had captured on raids in the south. Morocco however has always been a country that has rejected central government – it has traditionally been seen as divided into the bled el makhzen (the land of the government, normally the urban centres) and the bled es siba (lands of the wild, corresponding to the often lawless countryside). Throughout its history Morocco’s rulers have sought to impose their authority, and their taxes, on the rebellious tribes of the plains, mountains and deserts, and the country has suffered numerous civil wars and conflicts. It was however able to resist the onslaught of European colonisation to a far later date than most other countries.

Morocco’s last sultan to wield any real power was Moulay Hassan, who managed to keep predatory European powers at bay. Following his death on a raid, his son Abd-el Aziz was installed as regent – Moulay Hassan’s death was kept secret from his entourage for some time until the young Abd-el Aziz had been declared sultan, for fear that the country would descend into rivalry and violence over competing claims to the throne. Abd-el Aziz proved however to be a far less capable ruler than his father. Enchanted by European technology, and seduced by European merchants, Abd-el Aziz spent much of his treasury on useless fancies – an elevator for his one story palace, bicycles that he never learned to ride. European traders in Morocco often caused offence to Morocco’s strict Moslems, and Abd-el Aziz’s seeming infatuation with all things European lead to an enormous wave of unpopularity among his people. In addition to this, he became increasingly reliant on loans from Europe, having squandered much of the royal fortune. France, having occupied Algeria many years previously, waited in the wings.

Abd-el Aziz was deposed by his brother Moulay Hafid, but the death throes for Moroccan independence were already in progress. The civil turmoil in the country, and the weakness of the government to impose law and order, meant that Moulay Hafid was forced to sign the Treaty of Fes in 1912, in which he effectively handed over Moroccan sovereignty to France, represented by General Lyautey. But this meant little without subjugation of the fractious tribes in the countryside. Lyautey and the French government were forced to embark on numerous campaigns of ‘pacification’ to bring the tribes to heel and ensure that they submitted to French authority. The last tribe was finally pacified in 1932 – a full twenty years after the French had seized Morocco.

France ruled the south of Morocco through the Glaoui family, who took on the roles of regional rulers. One of three powerful tribes in the High Atlas at the turn of the nineteenth century, the Glaoui became powerful after the gift of a cannon from Moulay Hassan, grateful that they had taken his party in after an arduous crossing of the High Atlas. This changed the power balance immeasurably as the Glaoui set out to destroy their rivals aided by superior technology, and they became the most powerful tribe in the south. Recognising that it would serve their interests better to rule the south by local caids, or lords, the French installed the Glaoui as pashas of Marrakech, with full authority to impose law and order as they saw fit. In effect Morocco had two rulers during the period of colonisation – the French in the north and the hated Thami el Glaoui in the south. The Alaouite sultans at this time were mere figureheads, wielding no real power.

The end of the Second World War saw heightened demands for independence from all European colonies, and Morocco was no exception. Its Istiqlal (resistance) party was persistent in demanding freedom now, and various violent incidents such as bombings of cafes popular with Europeans pushed France into capitulating, allowing the sultan back from exile, and granting Morocco its independence in 195 – the first African country to be granted independence. France had occupied Morocco for just forty four years, but its cultural legacy is disproportionately strong in the country today.

In 1975, Spain finally relinquished its colony of Spanish Sahara, lying immediately to the south of Morocco, prompted by the sultan Hassan II mobilising 300,000 Moroccans to march into the territory. Western Sahara, as it came to be known, was claimed by both Mauritania and Morocco even though neither had ever effectively ruled it, both ignoring the wishes of the largely nomadic Saharawi people to be able to govern themselves. A nationalist guerrilla movement known as Polisario has for the last thirty years waged an on off war with Moroccan soldiers, with Mauritania relinquishing its claims fairly early on. Morocco finally gained the upper hand by constructing an enormous sand wall across the territory to keep Polisario forces out. Today, despite having been promised a referendum by the UN, Western Sahara remains occupied by Morocco and many Saharawis live in refuges camps across the Algerian border.

Morocco is an enchanting land, even more so when one is armed with the knowledge that just a hundred years ago, it was still a land of tribal uprisings, harems and bandits. Travellers to the country in the late nineteenth century reflected that it was a picture of medieval Europe. You don’t have to look too hard to find vestiges of this today. Morocco may be frequented by masses of tourists, but get even a fraction off the beaten track and you will find a world long forgotten in Europe, with overwhelming hospitality, exquisite architecture, crumbling desert fortresses and spectacular natural beauty. Morocco is a magical land that any traveller cannot fail to fall in love with.