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The indigenous Berber has been overlaid by colonial Arabic, French and Spanish (the latter on parts of the Northern coasts). Tourism has made English reasonably common, but some French ability makes things much easier. Comprehensive information on the range of languages and dialects spoken in Morocco is held in the 12th edition (1992) of the Ethnologue. If you wish to learn some of the everyday language, the Richard Slade Harrell Arabic Series has A Basic Course in Moroccan Arabic.
Currency is the dirham. There are 100 centimes (also known as francs or pesetas) per dirham. Money changes hands as 5, 10, 20 and 50 centime coins, and 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 dirham notes.
Exchange rates are fixed by the government, consequently the currency is not hard and there are no inflation-induced bargains for foreigners. Import/export is prohibited. Within the country, there are several flavours of bank - principally the BCM and the BMCE - with varying queue lengths, marble patterns, carpet pile depth and commissions. The government keeps a tight control on rates, and they can fluctuate quickly to compensate for adjustments in other currencies. Travellers' cheques, VISA, Mastercard and Eurocheque are taken almost everywhere; however, be careful of bank closures on national holidays. The ATM network now extends down to Ourarzazate; EuroCheque cards are rarely accepted, but BMCE,Wafabank and Credit du Maroc will accept Cirrus debit cards, as well as Visa and Mastercard.
| International Dialing Code | 212 |
| Outgoing International Prefix | 00 |
| Emergency - Police | 19 |
| Emergency - Ambulance, Fire | 15 |
| Directory Enquiries | 16 |
| Operator | 12 |
| International Operator | 12 |
| Amex Emergency No | 00 44 1273 696933 |
| Amex Local Rep, Casablanca | 202 222947 |
| Amex Local Rep, Marrakech | 404 436600 |
| Amex Local Rep, Tangier | 309 933459 |
| Diners Club Emergency No | 202 299 455 |
| VISA Emergency No | 00 1 410 581 9091 |
| Thomas Cook Traveller's Cheque Emergency No | 00 44 1733 318950 |
Warning Moroccan 7 digit telephone numbers received an extra digit as of 13th October 2000, and existing 8 digit numbers were extended to 9 digits. The following table contains the prefix to be added to old 7 digit numbers:
| Casablanca | 2 |
| Rabat, Tangiers, Tetouan | 3 |
| Marrakech, Agadir | 4 |
| Fes, Meknes, Oujda | 5 |
| Cell phones & Pagers | 6 |
| 6 digit numbers beginning 92 | 092 |
| 8 digit 0800 numbers | Replace 0800 with 08000 |
Mobile phones now out-number land-line phones in Morocco (2.7 million by end of 2000, 4.5 million predicted by end of 2001). The network runs on the European 900 Mhz GSM standard. Large hotels and car rental firms will rent out cell phones. Coverage is presently 70% of the country, principally Casablanca,Fez,Marrakech, Meknes,Rabat,Kenitra,Nador,Tangier,Taza and Tetouan.
Moroccan Mobile Operators:
In terms of inhabitants, over 25 million. Geographically, some of the important distances:
| Casablanca | ||
|---|---|---|
| Agadir | 511km | |
| Essaouria | 351km | |
| Marrakesh | 238km | |
| Oujda | 632km | |
| Rabat | 91km | |
| Tangier | 369km | |
| Fez | ||
| Agadir | 756km | |
| Casablanca | 289km | |
| Errachidia | 364km | |
| Marrakesh | 483km | |
| Meknes | 60km | |
| Rabat | 198km | |
| Tangier | 303km | |
| Tangier | ||
| Agadir | 880km | |
| Nouadibou | 2753km | |
| Marrakesh | 598km | |
| Meknes | 267km |
Most roads are tarred, albeit on one lane, with wide shoulders for overtaking / getting the helloutatheway of thundering lorries. (It's about 80% tarred for main roads, dropping to 30% of the tertiary ones). Cars may be hired at most major towns (the hardy and once ubiquitous Renault 4, as seen in Romancing the Stone now largely replaced by the Fiat Uno); some hire companies permit vehicles to be dropped off at a different location from the hire point.
On-line Car ReservationsWithin cities, private cabs (the petit taxi) operate (with all the usual caveats relating to using cabs anywhere). Negotiate prices beforehand, and don't be surprised if the driver picks up more passengers en route. Cabs in Rabat have working meters, but this is a rarity elsewhere. Essaouira has (rather tatty) horse-drawn cabs. For longer distances, Mercedes and Peugeot station-wagons form the bulk of a fleet of grand taxis which operate as mini-bus service between towns and villages, and may be hired for out-of-the-way tourist spots. There are fixed prices for set destinations and most cities have specific grand-taxi staging areas for different routes. In a Mercedes the drill is four passengers in the back and two in the front passenger seat - you can, however, but breathing space by purchasing extra places or indeed chartering the entire taxi.
Private buses, sometimes with video, reclining seats, and (occasionally) air-conditioning frequent the most popular routes. A large, heavily-used, and reasonably reliable network of buses is organized by the state CTM company. Buses are a great way of meeting (almost hustle-free) ordinary Moroccan people, of getting down to the very far south, and the regular frisson of apprehension as that precious rucksack is handed over to be stowed below, or tossed on to the roof, to be secured beneath a rope net, with the odd live goat for company. In the Atlas mountains, Berber camions provide a rudimentary bus service, organized around village market days - these have arrival days and not times and can drop the unsuspecting passenger at a village from where the next camion is several days away.
There are at present only two rail lines - north/south from Tangier to Marrakesh and west/east from Rabat to the Algerian border - although a third is planned to link Marrakesh with Agadir and the deep South. Tickets are cheap, and a sleeper service is available between Marrakesh and Tangier; however, any journey which involves moving between the two main lines involves a lengthy and tedious stopover at Sidi Kacem. Always check the first class fare, which are by Western standards very cheap, and improve greatly the chances of getting a seat. The State company is now online at www.oncf.org.ma.
Royal Air Maroc offer flights between Casablanca (Aeroport Mohammed V), Rabat, Tangier, Laayoune, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Fez, Al Hoceima, Marrakesh and Agadir. Fares are moderate, and discounts available to students. For more information, contact the ONDA, who manage all airports.
There's only a small region of the Rif - around Taza and the Route De L'Unite mountains - where malaria can be a problem. Usual precautions against HIV, tetanus, cholera and typhoid. Keep an eye on the local papers for health warnings - in the style of Death in Venice tourists can be blissfully unaware of major epidemics. Southern desert streams and oases may have very nasty bilharzia worms - don't bathe or even walk barefoot by them. Also, mountain streams may have the giardia bacterial infection, don't drink water untreated unless above the very last human habitation. The entire population drink Sidi Harazem, Sidi Ali or equivalent still spring water - do likewise, but make sure the bottles are sealed - children frequent bus stations with bottles, refilled at their local stand-pipe. Everyone should know about salads, ice-cubes, etc. - but there's a surprising number of people who go, eat salads, and have not so much as a 'funny tummy' for weeks. If deciding to live a little and eat salads, restrain for the first few days until one's viscera attune to the microbiological climate.
Out of the cities, into the villages! Get out of the hire-car and ride some of those desert buses. It's pretty difficult for the average Moroccan to believe that the dusty weighed down guy taking a cheap bus ride is really an Imperialist Capitalist Pig-Eating Infidel. Generally, there are friendly faces, offers of seats, almonds, chewing gum and lots of questions. Sitting next to the driver, in the Lotus position above the engine, at night, riding through the desert, intoning Sophocles can be pretty OK also. For the net.couch.potato, it's possible to meet and chat live with net.Moroccans at the Ouaha forum or on IRC at Channel #maroc.
Moroccan society is in a state of flux; most of the population is under the age of 21, economically rather than religiously concerned but for the few who are militantly Islamic - some Moroccan students refer to these as the bearded ones. The country has never been completely orthodox, and there's far more Berber blood than Arab. In the mountains, women have always worn head scarves tied around their hair rather than the traditional all-over garb. In the larger towns, and especially where there are Universities, it's not uncommon to see girls in Western dress - they're also bold enough now to strike up conversations with Western men, shout greetings as they go past in a taxi or simply give a broad smile. Short trousers on men appear to be tolerated; however, baring one's top half (male or female) is still frowned upon, and can lead to some unfavourable glances or aggressive behaviour. It is their country, and the people do have a right to have their customs respected. Mosques are, with the exception of one in Meknes, out of bounds to non-believers. As in every other place, politeness and a calm disposition make life easier for all.
It is worthwhile checking beforehand the calendar for festivals and holy days. Some of the festivals are colourful and spectacular (although becoming heavily tourist-oriented), others simply mean that the banks are shut for a couple of days, which can be very unpleasant if stuck somewhere with a rapidly diminishing pile of dirhams. The Prophet's Birthday in September and Ramadan in spring both effect everyday life, and should be borne in mind when planning routes and budgets. During Ramadan, offices start late about 9:00 am instead of 8:00 am and close earlier at 2 or 3:00 pm instead of 6:00 pm; usually towns will have tourist restaurants where the dawn-to-dusk restrictions on eating and drinking are not enforced. Daytime fasting can make people tetchier than usual, and emphasize the cultural gap between foreigners and locals - travel with extra caution and sensitivity during Ramadan.
Morocco is not a fundamentalist Islamic state - there's what people do and what people say and a very large gap between the two. Large cities - Tangier, Fez, Casa, etc. - will have bars in the ville nouvelle. Practically every decent size town has a shop somewhere selling alcohol - discreetly wrapping up the bottles to keep up appearances - though the wine may well be Moroccan and the beer likely is too. Restaurants will let patrons bring a bottle; although often with the rider that it is consumed towards the back. Some bars will permit tourists to sit outside with beers; Moroccans must go inside (where Allah can't see) to imbibe. In the outback, things are looser - there may be a bar, where everyone goes, and where the good people of the town will respect the Prophet by giving up drinking on his birthday. The Rough Guide contains directions to those essential filling stations.
Rest assured, no one returns missing a hand or with thirty lashes. It has, however, been an Amnesty International hotspot - the "King's secret garden" contains dissidents and those who've merely wished to renounce their Moroccan citizenship to become full citizens of other states (under ancient law all Moroccans are subjects and belong to the King). However, under the young new King, there is reason for much hope - he has sacked the most repressive of his father's ministers, and made immediate political reforms - seemingly he is much more sensitive to his country's image overseas, and leans towards modern, democratic values.
There are many political parties; the King currently has all executive powers, although there are moves to gradually return to parliamentary democracy (a referendum was held in Sept 92; contrariwise, a political party was raided in Casablanca the same month). Dissent has been strictly curbed; most Moroccans keep their heads down and refuse to be drawn on anything political - the extravagant Hassan II Mosque project being the most likely cause of any complaint.
Further mixed signals were sent in August 1993 when the death penalty was reinstated, and some political prisoners released followed by the commutation of 195 capital sentences in March 1994. In October 1998, on the recommendation of the official human rights council, 28 long term political prisoners were released by royal amnesty, together with official acknowledgement of 26 previously killed secretly by the security forces, and 30 who disappeared at the Tazmamert secret detention centre.
The occasional politically aware young Moroccan will air his views - probably dismissive of the monarchy and bemoaning the difficulty of reform in a country where so many are illiterate and lack the cognitive powers to question the official view of the country in the (tightly controlled) news media. The government's pro-West, anti-fundie position does, however, concur with prevalent popular attitudes - the West is the idealised escape fantasy of many and the USA is more commonly known for the Great Prince or Madonna than Great Satan.
There are few real bargains to be had here. The exchange rate is managed firmly by the government, and people have enough exposure to tourism and Western entertainment media to know the value of things. Reasons to purchase pan out as the choice offered, and the souvenir value attached to items. The folks there aren't peasants with no idea of the value of things in the West - even the merchant in the smallest hut in the smallest village will have a Visa voucher-imprinter. Friendly Moroccans will often beg tourists not to buy anything unless a Moroccan is present - there is a Moroccan price and a Western price.
Having said that, really tough bargaining (no pity felt) may drive the price down towards the Moroccan level. Note that in the South exchanging goods reaches obsessional proportions (car hirers report attempts to swap Renault 4s for camels) - amongst the desert people this seems to be done for the hell of it, rather than an attempt to swindle tourists; t-shirts with Western slogans, badges, pocket-knives, pop-parephenalia are all in demand, and are as much tokens of exchange of friendship as commodities.
For practical reasons small purchases - jewelry, small handicrafts - are sensible until the day before leaving. Lugging a large carpet or chess set around can rapidly be irritating, not to mention the dangers of loss, damage or theft. Also, re carpets, it's not unknown when ordering carpets to be sent out, that the rug chosen in the shop is not the one that eventually reaches home; granted it may be similar, but not perhaps of the quality of the rug one 'bought'.
The Medina at Fez is where, the consensus of Moroccans holds, practically all the handicrafts are produced - however, because Moroccans are so accustomed to tourists and so good at telling them what they want to hear, take this with the proverbial handful of salt. There are particular centres for crafts - Fez does have many workshops, particular specialities including ceramics and leather. On the coast, Essaouria has a large jewellery souk (about two dozen little shops in narrow lanes) and many workshops and display rooms for marquetry. The ubiquitous, and quintessentially North African item, is the tajine - the dome shaped stew pot which lends its name to the classic Maghrebi dish. They come in all sizes, and vary from the simple terracotta to the highly worked ceramic.
There is not a great deal of variation in the weather - it varies more within the country, than across the year (Latest Forecast). However, there are some festivals at certain times, listed below. N.B.Towns close up for Mohammed's birthday, and things are quiet at Ramadan. Also, certain festivals have become lost to tourism - the Imilchil bridal festival now runs twice, to accomodate the Agadir tourists Land-Rovered in for the occasion.
There are a number of reasons for this: striking up a pen-friendship, possible visa-sponsor, possible accomodation in West, recommendations to other tourists - it's quite common for guides of all hues in the scam-palette to present addresses of satisified customers (or in guide-parlance best friends), and quite often simply having a piece of contact with the outside world, however nebulous that link may be. It's often a difficult call to decide whether to give someone the correct address, no address, a false one, or the address of a personal enemy, depending on the sincerity and intentions of the questioner.
Anything from 110V to 220V - it varies across the country. Plug format is generally the two-pin, continental European, style. Get a local gadget called a prise Americaine to convert American plugs to work with Moroccan sockets.
Unfortunately, not all of us can travel all of the time. Perhaps you plan to go to Morocco in the future, or maybe you've returned from a trip or Peace Corp tour of duty there and look back wistfully on the experience.
For Americans, one excellent way of keeping in touch with the country is Friends of Morocco (FOM), active since 1988. It's an organization of Americans, mostly returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCVs), with experience in Morocco plus Moroccans living in America.
Friends of Morocco seeks to:
Contact details for FOM are:
Web:
http://home.att.net/~morocco
Email:
tresch@worldnet.att.net
Another excellent US resource is wafin.com, a portal for the Moroccan expatriate community.
There are lots of books and other web sites around to keep you in touch with Moroccan culture, but perhaps the most enjoyable way is food!
"It is important to use fresh mint and to not to remove the leaves from the sprigs. Loose leaves will float and are more likely to clog the teapot. Also, the somewhat compressed wad of mint sprigs help to keep the tea at the bottom, thus eliminating another cause for clogging. Be sure to completely cover the contents with the water. Mint leaves that remain completely submerged are less likely to turn black and are less bitter. Use Chinese green tea. Unlike black (Lipton's) tea, the leaves have not been roasted.
You will need boiling water, a heavy metal teapot that holds about three- fourths of a liter (about 3 cups), a "handful" of green tea (a generous heaping tablespoon, more or less), several chunks of sugar, a large handful of fresh, dark-green mint (rough, curly leaf variety), lots of small tea glasses. Rinse the teapot with boiling water. Add the tea leaves. Pour in a little less than one tea-glass of boiling water to rinse the tea leaves gently and quickly by swirling the pot. Do not stir with a spoon. Pour the water out into a tea glass. (It will be very bitter, and you can play a trick on someone by later indicating that glass as one to drink.) Add lots of mint sprigs (not loose, individual leaves). Add several lumps of sugar (10 small or 4 large ones).
Fill the pot with boiling water, being sure to completely cover the mint. You can stir the contents gently, being careful not to force the tea into suspension. Actually, you should only use the spoon to ensure that everything is underwater. Some people put the pot on the fire just long enough to bring the water back to a boil. Let the tea steep for about 5 minutes. Pour out a tea-glass full of tea and immediately return it to the pot. Repeat four our five times. In this way the liquid in the pot will be properly mixed when you serve the tea. Do not stir the pot with a spoon at this time. Pour a small amount and make a taste test. If the tea is ready, serve your guests. Be sure to pour the tea from high above the glass. This oxygenates the tea and improves the flavor.
Whether or not your tea is a complete success, I hope your guests will be as kind as Hajj M'hamed, taking a second glass and saying:
ladeed! tbaarka llah 'leek (Delicious! God's blessing be upon you.)"
Thanks to Abdelkarim Benoit Evans for the recipe.
It's possible, with care, to survive as a vegetarian. In fact, the sight of Moroccan butcher shops is enough to make some people at least temporarily vegetarian for the length of their visit! The editor of this FAQ discovered, somewhat paradoxically, that eating veggie was fairly easy in the most out of the way towns, but had a problem explaining it to a waiter in a European style restaurant in Tangiers. As in many countries, vegetarianism is often the unchosen diet of the poor and meat a symbol of status.
Two dishes found at cheap road-side eating places are navy beans, cooked in a soupy, curry-like sauce and maqouda - spicy mashed potato cakes.
Restaurants will also make up a tajine with no meat, and a tajine version of the sept legumes couscous is sometimes available.
The Internet has become ubiquitous over the past 5 years. Whilst access from home is still patchy, web cafés are commonplace and you'll find web addresses printed on your railway tickets and on advertisements.
The public internet provider is Ittisalat Al Maghrib, and other providers include AzureNet and MeaSoft. A report on connectivity in Morocco is available on the WWW as is an NSRC guide.
The domain suffix for Morocco is
.ma.
tomorocco.net is a French/English portal which offers distinctive Moroccan e-mail addresses, such as taroudannt.com and rissani.com.
Cybercafes are now a common feature in all main Moroccan towns - in Rabat and Marrakech you will have a wide choice, and will find good providers as far south as Taroundannt. Here are some recommended individual cafes:-
| Berber | Original inhabitants of Maghreb. Never quite conquered by the Romans, and neither by Arabs or Islam. Most Moroccans are Berber by birth, many of the festivals and more colourful aspects of Morocco are Berber in origin, and Berber clothing (much less restrictive for woman than orthodox Muslim), dialects, holy men (remnants of pre-Islamic cults), shrines, rugs and jewellry are common throughout the country. Individual Berber tribes have their own distinct identity, language and designs. |
|---|---|
| Camion | French for lorry. Provide the main, albeit erratic, transport infrastructure for the Atlas villages. |
| Couscous | Pre-cooked cracked grain and staple food. Frequently accompanied in an invitation to lunch by gratuitous quacking motion of the hand. |
| Djellaba | Traditional North African robe. |
| Erg | Sandy desert in general, and a dune in particular. |
| Gnaoua | Traditional and ritual music, accompanied by ecstatic dance, one of the traditional music brotherhoods. |
| Hammada | Stony desert. Most of the Moroccan Sahara is composed of such. |
| Hammam | Public steam baths |
| Jajouka | A village in the Jibala hills near Tangiers, site of an annual moussem believed by some to be a continuation of the ancient Roman fertility rites of Lupercalia, and location of the musical Ecstatic Brotherhood. |
| Jilala | Religious music, with Sufi origins, played on ceremonial and ritual occasions. Dancers, entering a trance, are able to slash themselves with daggers or touch glowing coals without pain or injury. |
| Kif | Cannabis, grown in the Rif mountains, to the east of Tangier. |
| Maghreb | Literally, the west. The Arab term for the north-west African states, the furthest western edge of the Arab world. |
| Medina | The old non-European part of a city. Equivalent to a 'cantonment' in an English colonial city. |
| Medersa | Old student buildings associated with large mosques. Usually built in the old Roman style around a pool-filled atrium with elaborately carved wood. |
| Moussem | Berber festival, typically in honour of a local holy man (although it's believed that one of the "local" holy men is the Jewish John the Baptist). Stamp of hooves, crack of rifles, auto-winds of a thousand cameras... |
| Rugbuyer | You! |
| Souk | Market for specific produce in the medina. |
| Tajine | Dome shaped terracotta cooking pot which lends its name to the classic North African dish. The ubquity of tajine cookery is responsible for the local song and traveller's saying 'tajine, tajine, tajine, tajine, tajine' |
| Ville Nouvelle | The separate French or Spanish town built near or adjacent to the medina. |
| Words Not Defined Here |
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