Travel to Morocco - read this first!

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This is the basic information you need to know before a trip to Morocco.

Time: Local time is GMT. Daylight saving starts on 1 June and lasts til the beginning of Ramadan - this year around 24 August - when the time is GMT + 1hr.

Electricity: Electrical current is 220 volts, 50Hz. European two-pin round plugs are standard.

Currency: The unit of currency is the Moroccan Dirham (MAD), which is divided into 100 centimes. It's a restricted currency, so can only be bought inside the country. ATMs are available in the larger towns, but do read our ATM WARNING.
Cash can be exchanged at banks or official bureaux de changes, which are also widespread in major towns. Dirhams cannot be obtained or exchanged outside Morocco and receipts must be retained as proof of legal currency exchange, as well as in order to re-exchange money when departing. Major credit cards are accepted in the larger shops, hotels and restaurants, but not AMEX. Travellers cheques are not generally very useful; it's best to bring Euros or Sterling.

Currency Exchange Rates are fixed by the government: please check your exchange rates here: EXCHANGE

Language: Modern Standard Arabic is the official language and all TV and newspapers are in Arabic. However, Moroccan Arabic is the spoken language. Berber, French and Spanish are also spoken. English is generally understood in the tourist areas, but French is the more common.

Visas : For New Zealanders, Australians, Canadians, EU passport holders and US citizens, no visa is necessary for a stay of up to three months.

For South Africans, a (free) visa is necessary from the Moroccan Embassy in Pretoria.

Health: Health insurance should be taken out before you leave your home country. No vaccinations are required to enter Morocco. It is advisable to drink bottled water and be selective in the case of street food. Often street food is safer than some tourist restaurants. Medical facilities are good in all major towns.

Tipping: A tip of 10 % is welcome but some places include a service charge. Giving a few dirhams to the poor is a good thing to do, but never give money to children unless they've provided a service, like showing you the way to your guesthouse, when Dh5 is sufficient.

Safety: Violent crime is not a major problem, but there have been thefts at knifepoint in major cities and especially on beaches. Be sensible in dark streets at night. Walk with a friend. Use official (badged) guides only.

Traditions and customs: Morocco is a Muslim country and it is preferable to keep the wearing of swimsuits, shorts and other revealing clothing to the beach or hotel poolside. Women travelling alone will receive less hassle if dressed conservatively. Smoking is practised widely, and it is customary to offer cigarettes in social situations. Religious customs should be respected, particularly during the month of Ramadan when eating, drinking and smoking during daylight hours should be discreet as it is forbidden by the Muslim culture. The giving and receiving of things, and the eating of food, should only be done with the right hand, as the left is considered unclean. Homosexuality is a criminal offence, and sexual relations outside marriage are also punishable by law.

Business: Business in Morocco is based on French customs and is much more formal than in some Western countries. Always check in what language a meeting will be held . Arrange your own translator well in advance. Some businesses are closed on Friday afternoons; most are closed on weekends.

Communications: Internet Cafes are everywhere but the keyboards are often French (non-qwerty!). The international access code for Morocco is +212. The outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 0044 for the United Kingdom). City/area codes are in use, e.g. (0)524 for Marrakech and (0)537 for Rabat. Hotels can add a hefty surcharge to their telephone bills; it is best to check before making long international calls. Three mobile networks cover the the country and SIM cards are inexpensive.

Duty free: Travellers to Morocco over 18 years do not have to pay duty on 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 400g tobacco; 1 litre spirits and 1 litre wine; and perfume up to 5g.

In-country travel: Note that distances are deceptively far in Morocco, so don't try to see too much in too short a time. CTM is the best bus company, though the website is not helpful. Train travel is easy and inexpensive. See www.oncf.ma for train schedules, though you can't book online. If possible, book a day or two in advance and try to travel first class for comfort's sake.



The following is a list of populations of cities in Morocco.

City	Population (2004)
Agadir	346,106
Aïn El Aouda {Ain El Aouda}	25,105
Aïn Harrouda {Ain Harrouda}	41,853
Aïn Taoujdate {Ain Taoujdate}	22,030
Aït Melloul {Ait Melloul}	130,370
Aït Ourir {Ait Ourir}	20,005
Al Aaroui	36,021
Al Hoceïma {Al Hoceima}	55,357
Amalou Ighriben (Moha Ou Hammou Zayani)	28,933
Aourir	21,810
Asilah	28,217
Azemmour	36,722
Azilal	27,719
Azrou	47,540
Benahmed	21,361
Benguerir	62,872
Beni Ansar	31,800
Beni Mellal	163,286
Ben Slimane	46,478
Berkane	80,012
Berrechid	89,830
Biougra	25,928
Bouârfa {Bouarfa}	25,947
Boujad	40,513
Bouznika	27,028
Casablanca (Dar El Beida)	2,946,440
Chefchaouene	35,709
Chemaïa {Chemaia}	21,859
Dcheira El Jihadia	89,367
Demnate	23,459
El Aïoun {El Aioun}	34,767
El Hajeb	27,667
El Jadida	144,440
El Kelaâ des Sraghna {El Kelaa des Sraghna}	68,694
Erfoud	23,637
Errachidia	76,759
Er-Rich (Rich)	20,155
Essaouira	69,493
Fès [Fes] {Fes}	946,815
Fnideq	53,559
Fquih Ben Salah	82,446
Guelmim	95,749
Guercif	57,307
Ihddaden (Ihaddadene)	25,480
Imzoûrene {Imzourene}	26,575
Inezgane	112,753
Jerada	43,916
Jorf El Melha	20,581
Kasba Tadla	40,898
Kenitra	359,142
Khemisset	105,088
Khenifra	72,672
Khouribga	166,397
Ksar El Kebir	107,380
Laattaouia	20,237
Lahraouyine	47,261
Lamkanssa	33,940
Larache	107,371
Lqliâa {Lqliaa}	38,220
Marrakech	823,154
Martil	39,011
M'Diq {MDiq}	36,596
Mechra Bel Ksiri	27,630
Meknès {Meknes}	469,169
Midelt	44,781
Missour	20,978
Mohammedia	188,619
Moulay Ali Cherif (Rissani)	20,469
M'Rirt {MRirt}	35,196
Nador	126,207
Ouarzazate	56,616
Oued Zem	83,970
Ouezzane	57,972
Ouislane	47,824
Oujda	400,738
Oulad Ayad	21,466
Oulad Teïma {Oulad Teima}	66,183
Rabat	621,480
Sabaa Aioun	21,513
Safi	284,750
Salé {Sale}	760,186
Sefrou	64,006
Settat	116,570
Sidi Bennour	39,593
Sidi Ifni	20,051
Sidi Kacem	74,062
Sidi Slimane	78,060
Sidi Slimane Echcharraa	22,904
Sidi Taibi	19,979
Sidi Yahya El Gharb	31,705
Skhirate	43,025
Souk El Arbaâ (Souk Larba Al Gharb) {Souk El Arbaa}	43,392
Souk Sebt Oulad Nemma	51,049
Tabounte	21,168
Tahla (Tahala)	25,655
Tanger [Tangier]	669,685
Tan-Tan	60,698
Taounate	32,629
Taourirt	80,024
Taroudannt	69,489
Taza	139,686
Temara	225,497
Tétouan {Tetouan}	320,539
Tiflet	69,640
Tinrhir	36,391
Tiznit	53,682
Youssoufia	64,518
Zagora	34,851
Zaïo {Zaio}	29,851
Zaouiat Cheikh	22,728
Zeghanghane (Segangane)	20,181

Source: Thomas Brinkhoff: City Population, http://www.citypopulation.de

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The leaving of Meknes - Jillan York

Jillian York is one of our favourite bloggers and recently wrote a wonderfully nostalgic piece about missing her favourite Moroccan city - Meknes. It is reprinted here, with her permission.

Meknes, ya Meknes

As I get ready for work, I finger a row of books on the shelf, tickling the spines of favorite titles like John Updike’s Brazil and Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita until I reach a tiny volume. My fingers rest upon the broken and bent spine of Allan Hibbard’s Paul Bowles, Magic, and Morocco, and I’m transported first to the day when I stumbled upon it in a bookstore, lead to it by kismet, in search of some biography, some non-fiction work I never found, then to the days I spent reading it, shaded by an orange tree in the hot Meknassi sun four Augusts ago. I remember those first days more clearly than any that succeeded them: sitting coyly at one of the two outdoor tables at Coin de Feu, watching Japanese tourists - who always seemed to find this tucked-away treasure of a café - from behind my sunglasses, sipping on mint teas and cappuccinos, and flirting with the waiter, whose name I remember but whose face has long disappeared from memory.

Heri Es-Souani

Though it wasn’t my first time in Morocco, it was my first time there alone, having just moved my life across the ocean with one giant suitcase and a hiking pack. On my first day, I bought some potatoes, some fruit, two Casablanca beers, milk, butter, cereal, and a pack of Marlboro Lights. I attempted to make mashed potatoes for dinner, failed miserably, and cried a little while I smoked a cigarette in my kitchen. Then, realizing the sheer madness of crying over potatoes, I hoisted myself up onto the kitchen counter, looked out the window toward the sky and all of a sudden it hit me - where I was, what I was doing, and the fact that I’d be doing it for at least another year, and I smiled, suddenly feeling freer than I ever had before. I took photos that first night, of the sunset and of myself sitting on the floor against my bed/couch, walls bare, suitcase as-yet-unpacked (as I had nowhere to put anything).

I remember so clearly the smells of that first summer and fall; my solo trip to Chefchaouen wherein I got harassed - not for my gender but in the hopes I might buy some hash - and got food poisoning on the night before Ramadan began. I remember the scent of the crisp air and how I didn’t want to leave. I remember shopping for a night table on a very hot October afternoon, the smell of Atlas cedar wafting through the air, mixing with diesel and sewage as we rode the truck back to my apartment with my new purchase. How proud I was to have navigated the furniture souk by myself and bargained a table down to 250 dirhams (which, when you think about it, is incredible for a handcrafted piece of cedar furniture - take that, Ikea).

The rooftop of Madrassa Bou Inania, Meknes

No memories of my two years in Meknes come back as clearly as that first August four years ago. I was barely twenty-three, and still amazed by everything around me. I hadn’t yet experienced the frustration of Morocco; I hadn’t yet been pinned up against a truck on my way home from work at night, saved only by my trusty neighborhood car guardian, the eyes and ears of my block. I hadn’t yet had gut-wrenching food poisoning, or the giardia that hit two months later, wrecking my insides and knocking 30 pounds off my already lithe frame. I hadn’t begun to feel cheated or ripped off for my foreignness, despite my salary being in local currency. I didn’t, at that point, feel the pain of leaving things behind.

I remember the week before I left; everything happened so quickly and I was so ready to just get the hell out of there that I don’t think I took the time to savor everything I loved. I was tied down by obligatory goodbye lunches and teas for those last few days and I didn’t have time to walk the 1,000 or so paces down my favorite street and back. I didn’t get to walk up Rue des FAR, down Ave. Mohammed VI, past the conservatory, where I’d strain my ears for sounds of the violin, then up Rue de Paris, where I’d buy a marrakshia and an espresso and sit amongst lecherous men watching football, hiding behind my sunglasses as I’d learned in that first week and watch teenagers strut up and down the tiny (almost provincial) pedestrian lane, girls dressed up for each other, boys doused in cologne, wondering what I would’ve been like had I come of age there.

My beloved Rue de Paris - when I arrived in 2005, it seemed almost decrepit, but when I left two years later, the storefronts were filling with chic new local additions - Marwa, where I bought my favorite fingerless gloves; Novelty, which called itself a piano bar but which was in fact only novel because it was the only bar I could sit alone unharassed, and where one could find draught beer. I hear Cinema Camera has undergone renovations. I miss the uneven sidewalks, the pathetic-looking potted plants, the ubiquitous cats.

I thought I’d miss Marrakesh and Asilah, but Meknes, ya Meknes, I miss you.

Jillian C. York is a writer, blogger, and activist based in Boston. She is Project Coordinator for the OpenNet Initiative at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society and deeply involved with Global Voices Online and Herdict.

Jillian C. York
Project Coordinator, OpenNet Initiative | http://opennet.net
Author, Global Voices Online | http://globalvoicesonline.org/author/jillian-york
Blog | http://jilliancyork.com
Twitter | http://twitter.com/jilliancyork
Boston, MA: 857-891-4244

Tags: blogsherpa, morocco

Moroccan court rejects TelQuel and Nichane appeal

Yesterday a court in Casablanca rejected the appeal by two Moroccan weekly news magazines, TelQuel and Nichane, against the interior ministry seizure and destruction 0f 100,000 copies of both weeklies for publishing the polls on the 10-year reign of King Mohammed VI. The polls showed that Moroccans overwhelmingly found his rule "positive".

See our guest opinion overview of the issue: Morocco squanders a golden opportunity

"The complaint by the TelQuel group asking for the annulment of the interior ministry's decision is acceptable in its form, but not in substance," ruled the court after a hearing.

The "monarchy in Morocco cannot be the object of a debate, even by opinion poll," Communications Minister Khalid Naciri said on Saturday, arguing that the two weeklies had "forgotten" this rule.

TelQuel challenged the decision as "illegal", but the judges upheld a tradition that the monarchy was no matter for debate in the press in the north African kingdom.

Ahmed Benchemsi, director of TelQuel and Nichane

The interior ministry justified its action on the grounds of the country's press code.

This left TelQuel's lawyer, Youssef Chahbi, vainly to argue in court that "the minister of the interior has the right to seize all articles that represent a threat to public order, but in the case of TelQuel and Nichane, it was a poll favourable to the king."

On Monday night, Moroccan authorities also banned sales in the country of the issue of French daily Le Monde dated August 4 because it carried the same poll about the king's first decade in power, which was widely celebrated across the country last week.

Communications Minister Naciri said that "the process of unmuzzling the press in Morocco is irreversible", but he argued that the two weeklies had overreached themselves.

The Casablanca court agreed, but its judgement and the interior ministry's decision were criticised by advocates of press freedom inside Morocco and beyond its borders.

The National Union of the Moroccan Press (SNPM) and international watchdog Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF - Reporters Without Borders) both condemned the seizure of TelQuel and Nichane.

SNPM president Younes Moujahid called for the "passing of a law in Morocco to regulate opinion polls on the basis of respect for professional and democratic principles. The state must continue to preserve the freedom of the press," he said. "We need judicial guarantees on that subject."

"The context is such that any reverse steps (in press freedom) would be catastrophic for all that the country has achieved in terms of the economy and of its image," said Jamal Baraoui, a columnist with the Aujourd'hui Le Maroc daily. He added that "the king has democratic convictions."

Tags blogsherpa, morocco,

Fez tops 50 "Best Romantic Getaways".

Now at The View from Fez we are always sceptical about lists that rank tourist destinations, but we had a moment of pleasure when we saw the prestigious Travel & Leisure top 50. Not only Fez at the top - but Fred Sola from Riad Laaroussa must be a very happy man... as you will see.

50 Best Romantic Getaways

1 of 51

"50 Best Romantic Getaways"

Riad Laaroussa

Fez, Morocco

Desert Escape Though often overshadowed by Marrakesh, its fashionable neighbor to the south, this medieval city is the real soul of Morocco. And with new boutique hotels opening in restored riads and dars, Fez is quietly coming into its own. Housed in a 17th-century palace, Riad Laaroussa(doubles from $194, including breakfast) has seven suites with mosaic floors and antique Fassi furniture, all looking out on an orange-tree–shaded courtyard. At Dar Roumana (doubles from $109), a century-old manse on a hillside, you can take Moroccan cooking lessons. The restaurant at Riad Ibn Battouta (dinner for two $88) serves traditional dishes, such as lamb tagine, on a glass-roofed marble patio. Within the city’s crumbling walls, 30,000 artisans fill the streets, brandishing everything from exquisite tiles to handworked leather goods. For a traditional Berber rug, head to Coin Berbère. At the newly opened Arganza, you’ll find shelves of argan oil—derived from a native tree—which is known as “Moroccan liquid gold” for its ability to diminish dry skin and wrinkles.

Tags: blogsherpa, morocco,

Prickly pears: healthy recipe

Following our article on prickly pears, The View from Fez has been scouring the internet for recipes. Here's one to beat the summer heat - and it's health-giving too.

Prickly Pear Health Water

The chromium- and vanadium-rich prickly pears help to keep your appetite suppressed while the potassium and minerals keep electrolytes balanced. The perfect way to enjoy drinking water and diet in a healthy way!

You'll need around 300g of prickly pears. Cut the fruit in half and scoop the flesh into a blender. All a little water and blend to a pulp.

Pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Pop a couple of these pretty icecubes into your mineral water and enjoy!



See all our Moroccan recipes here: MOROCCAN MENU!

Cactus bears fruit for Morocco

Late summer sees carts full of prickly pears for sale in the Fez Medina. You won't find this humble fruit in the supermarkets, but it only costs a few dirhams to have the vendor peel away the prickly skin and for you to taste the refreshing flesh. It seems, though, that el hindia, as the prickly pear is known in Moroccan Arabic, might contain more than meets the eye. Helen Ranger reports.


The BBC website reports today that women in the Sbouya hamlet near Sidi Ifni in the south of Morocco are harvesting the fruit of the prickly pear cactus (of the genus opuntia) for much more important reasons than selling them on market stalls. The cactus, previously eaten as fruit or used for animal feed, is creating a minor economic miracle in the region, thanks to new health and cosmetic products that are extracted.

Every local family has its own plot and, with backing from the Ministry of Agriculture, there's a scheme to transform small-scale production into a significant industry. Dh12m has been pledged to build a state-of-the-art factory that will help local farmers process the ripe fruits. The move is expected to help workers keep pace with the requirements of the French cosmetics industry which is using the cactus in increasing numbers of products.

Izana Marzouqi, a 55-year-old member of the Aknari co-operative, says people from the region grew up with the cactus and did not realise its true benefit.

"Demand for cactus products has grown and that it is because the plant is said to help with high blood pressure and cancer. The co-operative I belong to earns a lot of money selling oil from the seeds to make anti-ageing face cream," she said.

Each member of the Aknari co-operative can pick between 30 and 50 pallets of the fruit in a morning during the season, which lasts from July to December. Many of them also work in the factory nearby, where the fruit is peeled, the pulp separated and used to make jam. It's the seeds which are ground to produce an oil that is the most lucrative benefit of the plant. The oil is used in more than forty cosmetic products, and sells at a very high price as a pure skin oil.

It takes approximately one tonne of the tiny seeds to make a litre of oil. The leaves are ground into a powder; the flowers flavour vinegar, and the pulp of the fruit has been found to lower cholesterol. There's not much left over for animal feed, these days.

Keltoum Hammadi, who runs the Aknari co-operative, says that some of the processes are secret.

"In the cosmetics industry, rivals never let the competition know their sources," says Hammadi. "All I can say is that we are working with a number of European laboratories to develop the use of the cactus for slimming."

Keltoum Achahour, manager of Saharacactus in the Sidi Ifni area, explains that her company is collaborating on other new products.

"We are a sort of umbrella for a number of women's co-operatives," she explains. "By forming a group and incorporating, we can protect the cactus, create a brand and ensure we get a fair share of the vast sums of money that the international cosmetics industry spends on research and development."

The industry is expected to grow by more than 20% next year alone. More than half of the land suitable for cactus production has yet to be involved in any commercial activity, and with 9 000 plants per hectare, there's still a lot of room for expansion.

It's also an industry that has won women a lot of freedom. Sayka Hafida, a member of the Aknari co-operative, says that her life has been transformed by this organic, naturally-occurring plant.

"We still use the cactus leftovers for animal feed and we eat the fruit when it is fresh, and dry it for times when the plants don't produce. But I could never have imagined that I could get such a good income from it. You don't have to be educated to work in the factories. Our children are feeling the benefits. There is much more money around and it is women who are earning it."