This May 15th – 17th, 2014, the foothills of Jajouka, Morocco and home of Bachir Attar will play host to the very first festival featuring the Master Musicians of Jajouka. Attendees of the festival will have the opportunity to experience the enchanting trance like sound and magical music of the Jajouka Maalimin accompanied by Bass player and producer extraordinaire, Bill Lawell. The rich diversity of the repertoire of the Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar boasts ancient and new renditions whereby Jazz, Dub and experimental improvisations by Bill Laswell on Bass merge merge together on the center stage.
Tag: Tours to Morocco
The global inspired American chain Anthropologie boasts a March 2014 Lookbook and new collection inspired by Morocco. Anthropologies’ design team and models recently traveled to Tangier and the Blue washed city of Chefchaouen, nestled in the Riff Region, for a cultural and landscape photo shoot. This serves as an inspiration for those who wish to travel to Morocco or want to bring some Moroccan lifestyle pieces into their homes.
Travelers to Morocco are guaranteed a once in a lifetime experience as they head off in the Morocco’s Desert Dunes. Morocco’s Merzouga’s Erg Chebbi Dunes boasts a variety of unique flora and fauna to explore along with its Desert villages which can be explored by camel or 4×4 wheel drive. Morocco offers a wide range of desert camps however there are only a handful of Luxury Desert camps to be found. Each part of Morocco’s great Sahara desert has a few Luxury Desert camps that offer a worthwhile stay.
Morocco has plans to open the world’s largest photography museum in the Imperial City of Marrakech in 2016. This is a living testament to the importance as image and icon that Morocco has held for centuries as the leading artistic and cultural travel destination in North Africa.
Traveling to Morocco during one of its incredible festivals is a great way to explore Morocco, haven an up close experience with people and better understand Morocco’s varied traditions. Visiting a festival in Morocco as part of a private Morocco tour can done year round given Morocco offers a wide range of festivals and mousseums (traditional local celebrations). Many regions in Morocco from the seaside bastion El Jadida, the Portuguese Port and Berber City of Essaouira and the city of Fez all have celebratory festivals and mousseums. The Fez Festival of World Sacred Music which takes place each June is one of Morocco’s most popular festivals along with Mawazine of Rabat. Morocco’s Festivals have much to offer ranging from elaborate fantasia horse shows to exotic local music and are all held out doors in heart of of old Moroccan cities which make the experience of traveling to Morocco’s festivals all the more worthwhile.
Morocco is one of the ancient intersections of civilization. Boldly situated on the far northwestern corner of Africa, Morocco’s expansive shoreline stretches from the Atlantic through the Strait of Gibraltar to the Mediterranean. The cultural diversity of contemporary Morocco reflects its historic vantage point as a gateway to Europe and the world. Morocco’s heritage offers visitors an encounter with an exotic society and its customs, an incomparable cuisine, and a shopper’s paradise of magnificent markets.
The famous Koutoubia Mosque dominates the skyline of Marrakech. Koutoubia Mosque is 77 meters high, including it’s majestic minaret, and was built in 1158 by the Almohad Caliph Abd al-Mu’min (1094–1163) then completed by his grandson the Almoravid Sultan Yacoub El Mansour in 1195. Caliph Abd al-Mu’min also built the Giralda Tower in Seville and the Hassan Tower in Rabat which was never completed. The towering square Koutoubia minaret in Marrakech is all the more striking because the limestone walls remain undecorated by modern restorers.
Marrakech, often referred to as the Paris of Morocco and the premier Moroccan city of night lights and romance has something of a reputation for its nightlife. Marrakech has a reputation for seedy bars and expensive discos in high end hotels with groovy, Ibiza-style discos and belly-dancing along with top end dining experiences that can be had on rooftop terraces.The best places for nightlife in Marrakech are in the wealthy Hivernage district’s 5 star hotels, Sofitel So Lounge, Hivernage Hotel and the Comptoir Darna Cocktail Bar. Low lighting, scented candles, and Moroccan lamps are strategically placed in the ground-floor restaurant of Comptoir. Diners can choose from low-lying tables under the Berber tent, or inside the charcoal and ocher restaurant proper. There is a small garden where you can lounge on the lime, orange, and red cushions and heavy Berber carpets. A wide, central staircase leads up to the real reason to come here: the harem like bar decked out in charcoal, orange, and burgundy veils where resident and guest DJ’s spin the latest in Euro-Arabian dance music with exotic dancers.
Before visiting Morocco there are some must read books that will enhance your travel experience. From guide books to fiction and non fiction taking hold of a vacation whether you are traveling on budget or a luxury private tour is easily done. It is also important to have a good guide book to inform and orient you when taking a Morocco tour. With a wide range of guide books available the ones that come out on top are the Rough Guide to Morocco and Lonely Planet Morocco. Both serve as a reliable and practical introduction to the history of Morocco along with its urban and rural life. Both guide books also offer travelers information about Morocco’s souks, historic sites, best places to eat and shopping options. There are a growing number of guide books to Morocco and local city guides as well however Rough Guide and Lonely Planet are generally reckoned to be the best and most up to date available on the market.
Moroccan Street Food is a great way to discover Morocco’s local culture. While the best Moroccan food is said to be found in a Moroccan home, very reasonably priced street food is available in small stalls and roadside cafés all over Morocco. Eating Moroccan Street Food in the old medina of Fes, Marrakech and Essaouira allows for a great opportunity to meet Moroccans during breakfast, lunch and dinner or just for a snack. Moroccan Street Food is also the best way to discover local Moroccan fresh foods that are well cooked and full of flavor.