Where to go in Morocco
Skip Casablanca, Go to Marrakech
Morocco was the cruise stop I was most excited about. My first time in Africa!! 🌍 As I was reading about options, it seemed like Casablanca wasn’t as cool, cultural, or as old as Marrakech. Because the drive to Marrakech was 3 hours from the port, I knew I had to book a day trip.
I learned later that this was Holland America’s first time docking at Casablanca. So there might have been a few kinks they were still figuring out.
We were in the dock, but we weren’t able to get off the ship until about an hour after we planned. They said something about the steepness of the plank.
Luckily the tour I booked waited because everyone else on the tour was also from the cruise ship 😅 it was run by a company in Casablanca. They picked us up, supplied us with cold water and wifi, and drove us to Marrakech. The tour was me and two other couples. Barbara and Pete and Lacey and Ken. Barbara and Pete are from New York and Ken and Lacey are from Seattle. We chatted and got to know a little about each other. I'm convinced we had the best day of anyone on our ship.
Things I learned about Morocco:
Casablanca was the first port to officially recognize the United States as an independent country in 1777.
Dirham is their currency and it's a closed currency (not traded on international markets and not easily available outside of Morocco)
Moroccan Arabic is the official language, and Spanish, French, and English are commonly spoken.
In Casablanca there's a famous mosque known as the Hassan II Mosque. They allow visitors, shoulders and knees must be covered to enter. We didn't have time to visit this one
The word medina means ‘old city district’ so both Casablanca and Marrakech had medinas.
Winston Churchill loved Marrakech. He told FDR “Marrakech is simply the best place on earth to spend an afternoon”
Marrakech is the second oldest city in Morocco, after Fez
My Day in Marrakech
We got to Marrakech and then rode camels. Then we met our guide who showed us a view of Koutoubia which is a 12th century mosque.
He told us a lot about the Berber people, the Amazigh (ahm-ah-zjeer), the indigenous people of north Africa who predate the arrival of Islam. Berber refers to the language, though some reject the use of that word as its connotation over the years has come to be associated with barbarians. We saw Berberic script on plaques in the palace. I use that term because that's the teen our guide used but I also learned there are different and more specific languages associated with the Amazigh people. One language is Tamazight, recently recognized as an official language and taught in public schools.
The Amazigh have their own flag, and are still fighting for rights and recognition in several north African countries. Many were Jewish and Christian before Islam came to the region in the 7th century CE, eventually Islam dominated the region. Though when the Reconquista / Spanish inquisition pushed non-Christians out of the Iberian peninsula to Morocco, they brought with them aspects of Hispanic culture. The Mudéjar style of architecture is an example. Several Jews from Morocco who are now in Israel have preserved a language known as Haketia which is a Judeo-Spanish dialect.
Al Andulas was a Muslim ruled area of the world that included both Morocco and the Iberian peninsula (as well as several other countries) and served to mix cultural influences from different regions as well.
Another interesting fact, Morocco was never assimilated under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, the Ottomans tried and failed to conquer it.
The French invaded Algeria (Morocco's neighbor) in the mid 1800s and then in 1907 the French launched campaigns to control Morocco. When the sultan of Morocco asked the French for help to maintain his power, he signed the Treaty of Fez, in 1912, which divided Morocco under French and Spanish influence. A ‘protectorate’ was established, meaning that France had influence, but the sultan still had relative power. During WW2 Moroccans were sent to fight to liberate France, but at the same time, the Vichy French government that controlled Morocco had Nazi ties.If you've seen Casablanca (the movie) it takes place during this time / situation. By the end of the war, Moroccans pushed for independence and got it in 1956.
Morocco is a monarchy and has been for centuries. Though it's a constitutional monarchy now rather than an absolute monarchy.
After that we went to Bahia Palace, which has beautiful gardens and tile work. It was originally built for a Muslim vizier, but the French took over and lived in the palace when they controlled Morocco. Some areas of the palace were under construction because they were destroyed in a 2023 earthquake.
After visiting the palace, we had a really delicious lunch at a restaurant our tour guide took us to called Dar Touareg. It was some delicious food. They served us vegetables and spreads as an appetizer, reminded me the way we are some delicious communal dishes in Israel. One of the spreads was zaalouk, which is a traditional eggplant dish. I think one of the others was harisa, which I learned how to make watch Yptem Ottelenghi’s Mediterranean cooking class. 😁
I tried lemon chicken tajine (refers to the way the dish is prepared and also the cooking pot) and it was delicious.
For dessert they served cookies that looked like shortbread cookies but they were so much better. I also had the best cantaloupe I've ever had in my life.
Shopping in Marrakech
After lunch we went to a few markets. I learned the Arabic word. ‘souk’ in Israel. Means ‘market’.
We went to Souk Semmarine and Jemaa el Fna square. Our guide took us to his friend's shop where we got a 10 minute presentation on how Morocco has great natural oils. The other two ladies bought some expensive products there, so I guess it paid off. We then had time to walk around the market and shop a little.
We had to cut a couple of things (like photostops) from the itinerary because we left late. Even after the ship let us off, it took a while to find the people on the tour. There weren't any clear signs or people in any sort of uniform. It was mostly walking around asking if anyone knew where to go. Like I said, kinks to work out.
But it was a really great day. And I had a good time with my group
About the Author
Hi, I'm Tara-
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