Near Ouarzazate, known within country as the Moroccan Hollywood, within the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains, lies an old fortified city called Ait Ben Haddou. The name, roughly translated, means “the clan of the son of Haddou.” Lying at the southern foothills of the High Atlas Mountains and being proximal to trade routes, including access…
On our way back from Spain, we stopped off to see some of northern Morocco. In part, this was to enable me to finally finish my self-appointed task of seeing every UNESCO heritage site in Morocco. We stopped in Tangier for a few days (that’ll be a post later), then headed to Chefchaouen, a small…
A fairly standard water jug wrapped in burlap to keep it cool. Atop sits the communal cup.
Reason 735 Why I Love Morocco: Nearly every shop, and many households, have water jugs outside for any passersby who may need a drink.
(Compare this to the privatization of water supplies in much of the West.)
Not to be confused with the city of Agadir that was destroyed by an earthquake and later rebuilt into a tourist destination, but rather, the traditional buildings that gave the city its name. Throughout southern Morocco are the remnants of what was once a thriving Amazigh (Berber) culture that extended over most of North Africa. Before the arrival…
Isli Lake near Imilchil
Reason 1,200 Why I Love Morocco: When you’re in a tiny mountain village that’s so small it doesn’t have an ATM (the nearest one is an hour away), and you also want to buy a beautiful, handwoven carpet, but don’t have the funds for both that and the room, the hotel proprietor suggests you just send him the money for both when you get home.
Reason 604 Why I Love Morocco: A man can look definitively masculine despite wearing what the West might see as a dress.
Reason 317 Why I Love Morocco: Sometimes, when people in larger, northern cities find out you work in the south, where their families are, they call in favors and get you a 30% price reduction on new eyeglasses.
Tucked up into the Atlas Mountains near the Amazigh hotbeds of Goulmima and Tinjdad, is a remarkable little village called Aghbalou N’Kerdous. Situated near a year-long creek that provides ample water for crops, the town, despite the altitude, has been thriving for ages. The word “aghbalou,” pronounced with a slight ‘r’ after the ‘a’ so that…
Sometimes, after roughing it in the desert, a guy just needs to get away and be spoiled. What better way to do that than cheaply, during off-season at a almost empty, but swanky hotel? Especially, when the weather has been unseasonably warm and lovely. When I checked in to the Mercure Hotel in Al Hoceima. I…
It’s strange to be writing this so late, but somehow I neglected to write a post about my time in Ouarzazate and its environs a few months back. The whole area is quite lovely and peaceful. In fact, the word ‘Ouarzazate” means “without noise” or “peaceful” in the native Tamazight language. Known also as the Moroccan Hollywood,…
