Morocco in May - A Cultural Feast!

From Fes to the Valley of Roses, from Essaouira to Rabat and Tan Tan, Morocco will turn into one big stage for the month of May with concerts, meetings and performances up and down the country 

Fes Festival

Top of the list is the  Fes Festival of World Sacred Music (Festival Musiques Sacrées du Monde) in Fes from May 6-15, a musical and cultural event that animates the imperial city by creating a synergy between art and spirituality each year. Women are the protagonists of this 22nd edition with the theme "the women founders" celebrating the role and influence of women of the Orient in music and poetry.

Kelaat M'gouna, approximately 100 km from Ouarzazate, hosts the Moussem des Roses, or rose festival, from May 8-10 in honour of the Damask rose growing in the valley. The colourful and perfumed festival includes concerts, dancing and events including the election of Miss Rose.

Kelaat M'gouna Rose Festival - 8th to 10th of May

From May 12-15 it is the turn of the Festival Gnaoua et Musiques du Monde in Essaouira, one of the world's most important music festivals attracting roughly 500,000 people each year. Numerous artists will entertain the eclectic public again this year with a variety of music ranging from Gnaoua to jazz, hiphop, offunky, afrobeat and world music.

Gnaoua Festival in Essaouira

The capital Rabat is to host the 15th edition of the Mawazine Festival bringing together pop, jazz and soul legends from all over the world from 20-28 May. This year the festival will open with an inaugural concert by pop king Chris Brown and close with a performance by Christina Aguilera.

The Amazigh Tan Tan Festival

Last but not least, the Amazigh (Berber) Tan Tan festival from May 23-27 brings together around 30 nomadic tribes from southern Morocco and other parts of northwest Africa in testimony to the cultural patrimony of the region's various ethnic groups. The guest of honour of the 11th edition of the festival is Tunisia.

NOTE! The Fes Festival has been extended. See details here: Fes Festival

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51st edition of the Festival of Roses in the village of Kalaat M'gouna

A reminder that if you want to "smell the roses" then get ready for the 51st edition of the Festival of Roses in the village of Kalaat M'gouna from 9 to May 12

Moroccan Interprofessional Federation of Rose Perfume (FIMAROSE) and the Provincial Council of Tinghir are organising the festival in collaboration with the City Council Kelaât Gouna and the National Agency for the Development of Oasis Zones and Argan (ANDZOA). The event, under the theme "A mobilization to build a local development project", is the result of close collaboration involving the local administration, economic operators, professional organizations, promoters and local actors and associations.

This participatory approach has combined the efforts of all local authorities in synergy with the population of the 25 municipalities within Kalaat Gouna, the aim being to give more visibility to the opportunities offered by the region but also the constraints that stand in the way of future development. To do this, several committees were formed (logistics, scientific, cultural, artistic, exhibitors and reception). It is hoped that the efforts on the project for development of this sector will help to promote the work of local people and the women in particular.

Certification problems

Yet there are some problems, as Elhoussaine Ouhlisse, President and Founder of Saghrou Centre for Studies and Communication, explains, "The pink Kalaat M'gouna rose products have no labeling or protected geographical indication or certification!"  His objective is to get locals involved in the development of the city and especially to allow local products to have labels and certifications. The centre will give a series of lectures at the Rose Valley on May 10 to discuss ways to promote the products of the city.

The risk if the rose has not been certified "protected geographical indication" is that anyone can come from abroad to Kalaat M'gouna, buy rose oil and return home to make products based on the product without ever having to mention the origin of the rose. This is what happened with the scandalous American-Israeli brand MoroccanOil . The company made ​​a fortune with cosmetics whose basic element is argan oil from Morocco, but it never mentions the origin of the oil, preferring to say "Made in Israel" on the packaging bottles.

Yet the pink Kalaat M'gouna rose is known worldwide as a quality product. "The rose originally from Damascus, also grows in Turkey, Hungary and Pakistan. But Morocco is one of the best because it is the most natural and is also known for its unique fragrance," says Elhoussaine Ouhlisse.

In addition to labels to protect the product from Moroccan soil, Elhoussaine also has another purpose: to make the pink Kalaat M'gouna become an organic product to increase sales internationally, especially to cosmetics professionals.  He explained that farmers of Kalaat M'gouna do not have enough awareness of the richness of these roses and don't hesitate to plant roses near wheat or vegetables to delineate their plots. Consequence: roses are flooded with fertiliser and pesticides. Elhoussaine Ouhlisse wants to encourage farmers to produce more organic roses but without increasing the area of ​​land.

Each year the harvest takes place during two weeks in May. "Today 2,000 tons of roses are harvested annually in the city. The ideal would be that amount to 6,000 tons," he hopes.

50 years and still no patronage!

The traditional rose harvest festival has been celebrated for over 50 years, making it one of the oldest festivals in Morocco. Yet the festival enjoys no royal patronage, as is the case for the majority of cultural and agricultural events in the kingdom. Patronage would allow the event to attract the interest of the public and the authorities. But organizers have never asked for this patronage. Elhoussaine Ouhlisse hopes to win this patronage by next year.

Morocco is famous throughout the world for its superb rose oil (known as rose otto from the Arabic itr, meaning perfume) and the Rose Festival in El Kelaa M'Gouna is a wonderfully perfumed event worth attending. But because the "valley of the roses" is some six hours drive from Marrakech and accommodation is limited, it is worthwhile making plans well in advance.

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Moroccan Rose Festival 2013

Morocco is famous throughout the world for its superb rose oil (known as rose otto from the Arabic itr, meaning perfume) and the Rose Festival in El Kelaa M'Gouna is a wonderfully perfumed event worth attending. But because the "valley of the roses" is some six hours drive from Marrakech and accommodation is limited, it is worthwhile making plans well in advance

rosa damascena

This year the festival takes place from May ninth to twelfth

The roses are not farmed in fields as you might see in the south of France around Grasse, but are simply hedgerow plants that bloom once a year. French essential oil producers descend on the area at harvest time and set up stills in the fields. Every year thousands of tons of petals of rosa damascena are distilled in the big copper pots. Rosewater is the main product, but it's the essential oil, in fact a byproduct of the process, that is so valuable. That's taken back to France and sold to perfume and cosmetic houses; it's extremely expensive. The retail price of just 3ml, or half a teaspoon, costs over 150 Euros. The essential oil is extremely difficult to find in Morocco, and simply isn't available in El Kelaa M'Gouna at all. But you can find rosewater and lots of pink face and body creams.

The Rose Festival attracts thousands of Moroccan but few foreign visitors

In countryside homes, it's not unusual to see whole rooms knee-deep in rosebuds and petals that are left to dry. Moroccan women use rosewater on their faces (it's great for combatting wrinkles!), and the dried buds can be mixed with ghassoul (clay) in facial and hair products. It's also used in flower water shakers at celebrations, and spice merchants add dried buds to ras el-hanoot, used in cooking.

Rosewater from El Kelaa M'Gouna is available everywhere in the Fez Medina and is very cheap (around Dh10 for a 200ml bottle). Moroccans make their own rosewater at this time of year, when you can see shops selling nothing but rosepetals, and small zinc stills are widely available.

Hundreds of rose products are available

Photographs: Sandy McCutcheon
Additional text: Helen Ranger

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The Dagger Makers of Azlag

South Central Morocco has been a melting pot of cultures and ideas for many centuries and is home to many thriving artisan communities. This melding of cultures has produced arts and crafts which are distinct from other African Nations. A fine example of this is craft work of the Azlag Dagger Cooperative from the Berber Village of Azlag in the province of Tinghir. The name Azlag means - “come together.”

The art of dagger making goes back over 700 years in this region of Morocco The cooperative (La Cooperative Artisanale Des Poignards Azlag) was found in the early 1980s with the help of the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism. This group is the only one of its kind in the whole country and their craft is an integral part of Moroccan culture. This traditional handicraft provides a livelihood for over one hundred families (almost 1000 individuals) in the village.

Their handcrafted daggers are a blending of designs from Roman, Jewish, Berber, and Islamic influences. One design is the Southern Cross which represents the constellation the Jews used to guide them through the desert. Another symbol is the Hand of Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed, which is said to have had healing powers in her hand. It also represents protection from the evil eye, along with representing the five pillars of Islam. In the local culture, daggers are given as gifts at weddings and at other local celebrations; daggers are common items in household décor.

A dagger made for a wedding present was decorated on one side for the groom and on one side for the bride. The bride’s side usually is made of gold with silver (white) on top to symbolize protection from the hand of Fatima. The groom’s side is usually made only of silver with the Hand of Fatima symbolism throughout the design.

The cooperative is located in the town of El Kelaa M’gouna which is just 90 km East of Ouarzazate and 78 km West of Tinghir on the M-10 – the main road that connects Marrakech to Errachidia. Their site has a large showroom which houses many different styles and sizes of daggers and knives. The location also has over 55 individual work spaces and many of the artisans showcase and sell local jewelry, carpets, hand-woven baskets, rose products and other trinkets from local artisans. Visitors can see the intricate steps of the dagger making process. The showroom is open every day of the week from 10am to 6pm, except during religious holidays where the hours are scaled back.

For more information and to view their photo gallery please visit their Facebook page: Azlag Dagger Cooperative

Searching for Morocco on the internet - Trash and treasure!

Searching the internet for stories that relate to Morocco is something The View from Fez team spend a lot of time doing. It is often like rummaging through a trash-n-treasure stall at a market; lots of junk and only a few good items.

One of the tools we use is a Google Alert that picks up key words like Fez, or Casablanca and so on. However, it pays to check the alerts carefully because some stories take a very long time to surface. You can imagine our delight at being alerted to news about a "British Mission to Fez" - and our amusement at how long such news took to reach us. Here is the item:

BRITISH MISSION AT FEZ. London June 5.

Mr. Gerard Louther, the British Minister has arrived in Fez on a visit to the Sheriffian Court. The object of his mission is to assist in carrying out the Anglo-French agreement in respect to Morocco. The British Mission mission was given a brilliant reception by the Moorish tribes upon its arrival at the capital.

That little gem was from page 5 of The Argus, Melbourne, Tuesday June 6 1905!

Another rare and unexpected find was this news that turned up on the internet this morning.

Morocco: The Sultan of Morocco has dismissed the Governor of Anghora for disloyalty. The French are extending their authority throughout Morocco, and have taken possession of several caravans proceeding through the oasis of Taal, which is equidistant from , Morocco, Algiers, and Tunis.

Google Alerts found this from the Tasmanian newspaper The Mercury, dated February 20, 1892!

But today's best find was not an historical oddity that had chosen this moment to pop up, but rather news that there is an extraordinary amount of accommodation available in Kelaat M'Gouna!


Now, for those of you who are not aware of Kelaat M'Gouna, it is home to the famous Rose Festival, visited by over 20,000 people every year. Given that lodgings are hard to find we were delighted to read the following:

Kelaat M'Gouna Vacation Home Rentals
Kelaat M'Gouna offers great vacation house rental and home rental-by-owner deals for the knowledgeable traveler. No matter what budget or level of comfort you seek in your holiday to Kelaat M'Gouna, there's surely a great local vacation home rental available to meet your needs. Browse the list below for information on Kelaat M'Gouna cabins, condos, bed & breakfast inns, luxury suites, corporate apartments and vacation packages.

Well, naturally we couldn't wait to "Browse the list". This is what we found

Vacation Rental Homes in the Kelaat M'Gouna Area.
Bed and Breakfast Kelaat M'Gouna - Morocco - For 26 people.
House. 10 bedroom(s), 1 bathroom(s), sleeps 26

26 people in ten rooms and one bathroom? Mmm...2.6 persons per room... interesting. We are sure it is very nice, but we'll be giving that one a miss. Needless to say there was nothing else on the list.

In the meantime, we are still looking for a house in Fez... with sea views.

Kelaat M'gouna Rose Festival

The beginning of 45th edition of the Kelaat M'gouna Rose Festival was attended by almost 20,000 people in the town 500km south of Rabat.

The three-day festival, which coincides with traditional rose-picking ritual and rose-distillation, kicked off with the coronation of Miss Rose.

The emblematic rosa damascina was the order of the day, as the sign of love and life in the heart of the beautiful Dades Gorges. "We come every year to discover a new taste of life," said a French visitor who came exclusively to attend the festival.

Although this year's harvest is less abundant than before, the local population holds big hopes of a bountiful year, especially after the increase of the price of a kilo of roses to one dollar. Still, the market rules. "We think that other companies could pay more than one dollar a kilo, but it is hard to reach them, because of monopoly," said a local.

The floral festival will also feature numerous events notably a chariots procession, folk-dancing and singing, handcraft exhibitions and banquets.


Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news