Posts Tagged ‘Moroccan festival’

Video Tour of Mawazine World Music & Rhythms Festival

Friday, May 1st, 2009
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Check out this video clip of the rhythms of the Mawazine Festival!

Travel to Morocco’s Mawazine World Music & Rhythms Festival

Friday, May 1st, 2009

 

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The eight edition of the Mawazine Festival will take place on May 15th to the 23rd. This years Rhythms of the World festival team has arranged an eight day program featuring well known artists like Kylie Minogue, Warda Al Jazayria, Alecia Keys and Stevie Wonder.

The Mawazine Festival will be held in Rabat, Morocco, with musician from over 40 countries. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Rabat is a city has an estimated population of 2 million people and is the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco.  The festival will bring together a diverse group of artists and rhythms to pay tribute to the music of the world.

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Morocco will also contribute a number of different artists like Casa Crew, Bigg, Mazagan, and Fez City Clan. Music from all different countries will be intertwined, with a primary theme of jazz music.

The festival will feature Caribbean instrumentals, with artists who belong to the great Jamaican jazz groups like Ska Cubana, and Sly & Robbie. It will also feature French artists like Martin Solveig and Khalifa.

stevie-wonder

The Legendary Stevie Wonder will close the Mawazine Festival’s program, with his epic R&B soul music.

The Mawazine Festival will include musical creations, and exhibition of emerging artists with a desire for cultural exhange, workshops like the guitar master class, shows for children like Carton Park and Visto Lo Visto of Spain, and street shows featuring the Maharaja Brass Band of India, and the Romanian Ciocarlia Brass Band.

 

 

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Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel. We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Google on call Travel Exploration at (917)703-2078 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.

 

 

Moulay Idriss – Travel to Morocco’s Holiest City

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

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Moulay Idriss is a Moroccan town and important religious site and place of pilgrimage for Muslims located just an hour away from Fes. The city is named after the Moroccan saint Moulay Idriss, a descendant of Muhammad, who died and was buried in 792 AD in the city that was eventually named after him. During his life in Morocco Idriss founded Morocco’s first Arab dynasty as well as the city of Fes and is accredited with converting the majority of Morocco’s population to Islam.

The Moulay Idriss itself is situated in a valley with lush green hillsides enclosing the white-washed houses of the city on three sides, making for a very beautiful sight.

The Shrine – Moulay Idriss

Today, Moulay Idriss’ tomb is a revered site and the city is considered to be the holiest city in Morocco. The tomb is considered to be a shrine and is accepted as a substitute pilgrimage for Muslims who cannot afford to travel to Mecca which, according to the five pillars of Islam, is one of the obligations of a Muslim man. Every August an important Moussem, or Muslim festival, is held in Moulay Idriss and Muslims from around the world come together to sing and dance in celebration of their faith. Although the tomb itself is not open to non-Muslims the sight can be enjoyed from the surrounding hillside or from one of the many taller buildings surrounding it.

Sacred mouslim city Moulay Idriss, Morocco, Africa

Idriss Medersa

Located in Moulay Idriss is the Idriss Medersa, an ancient Koran school, which was built using materials from taken from Volubilis, an important outpost of the Roman Empire, located nearby. The Idriss Medersa is famous for its unusual Minaret, added to the building by a wealthy pilgrim in 1939. The Minaret is circular, an unusual design throughout the Muslim world, and is decorated with white and green geometric shapes that spell out a passage from the Koran in Arabic.

The City

Despite non-Muslims being barred from entering the shrine, Moulay Idriss offers many other sites and experiences for visitors. Its winding streets, whitewashed houses, and magnificent hillsides make the city a beautiful sight and well-worth the trip. A weekly vegetable market, or souk, occurs every Saturday and is a great way for visitors to get a true Moroccan experience. As for food, The Restaurant Trois Boules d’Or offers great food and spectacular views and don’t forget to try the nougat of Moulay Idriss which is famous and can be bought almost anywhere in the city.

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Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel. We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Google on call Travel Exploration at (917)703-2078 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.

A History Tour of Moroccan Dates, 45 Varities & Recipes

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

 

Moroccan Dates, in Marketplaces

Moroccan Dates, in Marketplaces

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dates have played an important part in Moroccan cuisine for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence suggests the cultivation of dates all the way back in 6,000 BC in Arabia. The date palm was a major source of life for thousands of people throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa and is said to have provided people with thousands of different uses including thread, mattresses, lumber, rope, and many other household and dietary uses. Dates are also very important in Islam with the date palm regarded as the “tree of life” as mentioned in the Story of Genesis and also eaten to ceremoniously break fast during Ramadan. When visiting Morocco on a Tailor Made Jewish Tour or a Family Adventure Tour make sure to include Date picking in Morocco’s south as one of the activties in your travel itinerary.

Moroccan Dates

Morocco’s arid desert region is the perfect place for cultivating dates. Morocco today, boasts over 100 different varieties of dates with 45 qualities of those in the south of Morocco alone. Of the many different varieties of dates the most popular are the Medjool, Algerian stuffed date, and the Halawi date. The Draa, or the Draa Valley, in Morocco is known as the “Country of the Dates” as its hot arid temperatures offer the date palm the perfect climate to thrive.

Moroccan Date Tree

Moroccan Date Tree

Medjool Date

The largest and perhaps the best-known variety of the Moroccan dates is the Medjool date. Often referred to as “the king of dates” it was once reserved only for Moroccan royalty and their guests.They were, and still are, considered a precious confection and are typically the most expensive of the date varieties because their cultivation is more labor intensive.The date has a soft wrinkled flesh that gives way to a firm meaty center.When ripe, the date turns a dark brown color and with hints of wild honey, caramel, and cinnamon it is no wonder this date is considered a gourmet dessert.

In the 1920’s date palms in Morocco were threatened with extinction by a disease, to save their dates Morocco sent eleven date palms to the USA. Nine of the eleven palms survived and are responsible for the millions of Medjool Dates that can be found throughout California and in parts of Arizona.

Moroccan Stuffed Dates

Moroccan Stuffed Dates

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Algerian Stuffed Date

The Deglet Noor date, originally from Algeria, are the dates commonly used in Moroccan stuffed date recipes. Primarily an export crop, these dates are semi-dry with a firm texture and a sweet and delicate flavor. Ranging from a light red to amber color these dates actually make up 90 percent of the Californian date crop and can be found in many Moroccan tagine recipes.

Halawi Date

The Halawi Date is a soft wrinkled date with a meaty flesh and a sweet caramel flavor. While not as large or as favored as the Medjool Date the Halawi Date is still considered a delicacy and because of its soft sweet flesh and high sugar content it is often served as a dessert at Moroccan meals.

Moroccan Date Festival

Every October in the Moroccan town of Erfoud a three-day festival celebrating the date is held. The date is the main livelihood for the people of Erfoud so it is no wonder that this festival focuses on the celebration of the date harvest and prayers for a successful harvest to come. Endless music, dancing, and of course eating dates spans the three day celebration where locals and tourists alike gather together under the swaying palm trees.

Moroccan Date Recipes:

Dates play an extremely important part in Moroccan cuisine and are used in both sweet and savory meals. Below, find the recipes for a Beef tagine that features honey and dates and also a sweet recipe for stuffed dates, enjoy!

Moroccan Beef tagine with dates and honey

Ingredients

3 lbs beef, trimmed and cubed

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

1 lb of onion, peeled and quartered

4-6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 lb of carrots, peeled and chopped

9 ounces of canned tomatoes

4 ounces of dates, pitted

6 ounces of prunes, pitted

2 tablespoons of honey

½ pint of beef stock

1 cinnamon stick

2 teaspoons of cumin powder

2 teaspoons of cilantro powder

1 teaspoon of ginger

1 teaspoon of turmeric

2 ounces of toasted sliced almonds

2 ounces of fresh cilantro chopped

Directions

  1. Par-boil the carrots for 3-5 minutes, at the same time pre-heat your tagine or croc pot.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onion until they have browned slightly then put them into the tagine.
  3. Add all of the remaining ingredients, except for the almonds and fresh cilantro, into the tagine and mix well.
  4. Put the beef into a pan and sear them until brown, add beef to the tagine.
  5. Cook the tagine in a hot oven for 6-10 hours or, if using a croc pot, cook on high setting for same amount of time.
  6. Serve over couscous and sprinkle with sliced almonds and fresh cilantro.

Stuffed Dates Recipe:

 

Ingredients

375 grams of dates, pitted

1 cup of peeled ground almonds

1/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar

1 egg white

Directions

Mix the ground almonds, sugar and egg white together. Put this mixture in a skillet and cook over a low flame, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes sticky. Add 1 tsp water and cook 1 minute longer. Remove from the flame and let cool for several minutes. With this mixture stuff the dates and roll in confectioners’ sugar. Serve while the filling is hot or at room temperature.

For more information about Date Picking on a Tailor Made Morocco Tour.

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Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel. We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Google on call Travel Exploration at 1800-787- 8806and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.