Posts Tagged ‘Morocco Holidays’
Discover the History of Moroccan Jewelry, Morocco’s leading Imperial city, the Magnificent South. Shop the Souks of Marrakech, Essaouira and Ouarzazate on this unique journey with fellow jewelry collectors and bead lovers. We will begin this Moroccan Bead & Jewelry Adventure in Marrakech where you will discover ancient trade beads, collector’s jewels along with a visit to the Tiskiwin Museum. Complimented by a visit to the Majorelle Gardens your Marrakech Bead & Jewely Adventure is a luxury and enjoyable travel opportunity and great way to discover this “red hamra” city. We will then travel to seaside Essaouira, the region of the Argan tree and explore its old medina for precious amber while dining seaside. Next our journey will continue onward towards Tarodaunt, considered the mini Marrakech where you will participate in the Bead making process and watch ancient traditions. Last stop is Ouarzazate, the home of great silver traders and fabulous shops near the lovely Kasbah Taourirt where you will discover trade beads and treasures.
Edith Wharton said, “To visit Morocco is still like turning the pages of some illuminated Persian manuscript all embroidered with bright shapes and subtle lines.” A cold country with a hot sun, Morocco has witnessed a changing of the guards during the past thirteen years as King Mohammed VI has moved the country and its people forward. As a tourist destination Morocco once held its visitors captive with compelling stories which let them to travel North of Fes to Tangier and to Marrakesh. The Beatniks and hippies made their way to Morocco enchanted by what they read and heard about Paul Bowles, Mohammed Chokri, Allen Ginsberg and Yves Saint Laurent. The Morocco files began and this majestic and soulful country became the hidden jewel of North Africa.
Rabat is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Bou Regreg River. On the facing shore of the river lies Sale, Rabat’s bedroom comunity. Tourism and the presence of all foreign embassies in Morocco serve to make Rabat the second most important city in the country after the larger and more economically significant Casablanca. There are a variety of historic tourist attractions in Rabat such as kasbahs, beautiful domes, minarets, wide avenues and green spaces which make for a fascinating half-day or full day Rabat tour
Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city as well as the its chief port. As the biggest city in Morocco, Casablanca is the primary place where cruise ships dock. A Casablanca site seeing tour is the best way to spend the day ashore when arriving on a cruise. Many Holland America Cruises and Oceania Cruises dock in Casablanca overnight or for the day. With 24 hours in Casablanca there’s a lot to see and do. A site seeing excursion that offers a little taste of Morocco is the perfect way to get to know this fascinating city who made its name in the 1940’s film “Casablanca.”
With only 24 hours in Essaouira there is much to see and do in this simply spectacular seaside artist colony. Essaouira offers a wide array of sites and sounds that can fill the pallet of any Moroccan traveler regardless of age. The small coastal town of Essaouira is popular with surfers and has a hippy, laid-back feel – perfect for those who want to spend more time relaxing than bartering. In the ’60s and ’70s, Essaouira was a pitstop on the hippie trek from Marrakesh. Jimi Hendrix made the pilgrimage, as did Bob Marley and Cat Stevens. Essaouira boasts lovely white-washed and blue-shuttered houses, colonnades, thuya wood workshops, art galleries and mouthwatering seafood.
If you’re traveling to Morocco and only have 24 Hours in Marrakech then visiting Marrakech’s lush gardens, spectacular palaces, historical sites, the hippest shops and eating at the hot spots are a must. In 24 hours you can see the best of Marrakesh knowing exactly what places to visit, sites to see and where to eat. Start your a one-day Marrakech tour around the “red hamra” city bright an early with a visit to the Majorelle Gardens. Next, head to the Koutoubia Mosque and then to the El Bahia Palace. The breathtaking architecture of the El Bahia Palace offers an excellent architecture lesson as it was once home to a harem and has some of the best Moroccan painted ceilings, ceramics and a wonderful garden. Continue your walk through the medina visiting the Kisseria.
If you’re traveling in Morocco and only have 24 Hours in Fes then it’s important to know what to see and where to eat. Morocco Travel guide books such as Lonely Planet, Frommers and Rough Guides can be the perfect travel companion for those who desire to see and do the status quo in Fes however first hand experience from a foreigner living in Morocco can offer more off the beat experiences. When starting a 24 hour spin around the old medina, Fes El Bali, you can brave it alone or higher a local, expert Fes historical guide. Either way a Fes tour can be fulfilling in this ancient city which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. If you brave it alone to discover what’s behind the ancient medina walls of Fes, these travel tips of what to see and where to eat will make it worthwhile.
The Timitar Festival is held annually in Agadir, Morocco typically during the month of June or July. The 8th Edition of the Timitar Festival held this June 22nd – 25th, 2011 was the perfect morocco travel opportunity for those wanting to escape seaside as Timitar featured some of Morocco’s most admired artists, Hamid Inerzaf, Rayssa Naima, Rayssa Kabira, Bderrahim Souiri, Funk Atlas, Imazzalen, Ahwach Foum Lacen and Daoudia. Timitar also showcased International artists alongside its wide range of Moroccan musicians such as Lebanese superstar Najwa Karam, Malian greats Amadou & Mariam, Goran Bregovic from Serbia and Registan from Uzbekistan. Each stage at the Timitar Festival was filled to the rim with people and filed in as having excellent weather.
Moroccan door knockers can be found throughout Morocco and are palm-shaped. Door knockers in Morocco are a symbol of protection for the home as they are typically designed in the shape of the “hand of fatima” (Khamsa, Chamsa or Hamsa) and made of solid brass, cast iron or wood by a skilled artisan. Each door knocker that I’ve seen during my travels in the Magreb’s old cities of Marrakech, Essaouira or Fes have either been oxidized by the artist or they have developed a fabulous, aged green patina. The patinas are typically in various shades of green and are similar to those found on the statue of liberty in the New York harbor and on on ancient buildings in Europe. The green patina that forms on the chamsa Moroccan door knockers is natural and they resist corrosion which accounts for why they have remained on some of Morocco’s most extraordinary doors for centuries.
The magic of Morocco is found in many places and one of them is in the hand painted doors of Essaouira. To travel inside Morocco is to visit this vast country one door at a time. Moroccan doors in Essaouira are ordained with Moorish style motifs, chamsa door knockers and painted in a variety of hues such as in Majorelle blue and canary yellow. Doors in Morocco are a gateway to another world and bare emblem of history along with the secret lives in a Moroccan home. Made of wood, metal and plaster Moroccan doors are a photographers dream as they make for the perfect subject matter.
