Here is a short documentary about what it is like to live in Morocco.
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Moroccan textile
Fabric
Typically Moroccan fabric has bold colors. It can be used for clothing and upholstery for pillows and furniture. You can find a wide variety of Moroccan fabrics in the street markets.
Bellow are photos of Moroccan fabric in markets.
Bellow are photos of Moroccan fabric in markets.
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| www.pinterest.com |
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| Marrakech, Morocco: Best Family Trip -- National Geographic |
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| morocult.blogspot.com |
Berber Rugs
Berber Rugs (or carpets) are hand woven Moroccan rugs. These rugs date back to the Paleolithic Era. Berber rugs can be compared to turkish or oriental rugs.
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| http://clubnarwhalblog.com/2013/07/how-to-buy-a-moroccan-rug.html/ |
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| http://clubnarwhalblog.com/2013/07/how-to-buy-a-moroccan-rug.html/ |
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| http://clubnarwhalblog.com/2013/07/how-to-buy-a-moroccan-rug.html/ |
Economy
Tourism
Morocco has very strong tourist industry and is the second largest foreign exchanger earner in the country. Moroccan tourism is highly marketed and sponsored by the government. Below are some of the most common tourist attractions and locations.
Marrakesh is located in central Morocco. Marrakesh is the fourth biggest city in Morocco and was one of the most important formal imperial cities. Marrakesh is full of music, dance, museums, art, festivals and Saadian tombs. The Majorelle Gardens is one of the major tourist attractions in Marrakesh. The garden was created by Jacques Majorelle and it took him nearly forty years to create the garden. The garden was purchased by the famous fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in the 80's The Majorelle Botanical Garden is 12 acres botanical garden along with the Islamic art museum of Marrakesh. The garden is filled with exotic plant, pools of water with floating lilies and lotus flowers, birds, paths and vibrant blue buildings.
Below are photos and a video of the Majorelle Gardens.
Erg Chebbi is one of the large sand dunes located in Marrakesh, Morocco. It is as high a as 150 meters and has an area of about 50 kilometers and lines the border of Morocco and Algeria. Erg Chebbi is considered to be one of the worlds most spectacular landscapes. There is a luxury desert camp site located in the dunes.
Below are images and a video of Erg Chebbi.
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| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erg_Chebbi |
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| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erg_Chebbi |
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| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erg_Chebbi |
Another tourist attraction in Marrakesh is the Atlas Mountains. The Atlas Mountains stretch throughout North Africa with the highest peak being in Morocco. The Atlas Mountains are considered to be one of the worlds hidden gems. Berber is the indigenous people of northern Africa and the majority of the the population in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco are Bebrer or Berber decedents and many still speak the native language.
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| www.cnn.com |
The Above picture shows Berber children in the Atlas Mountains and the bottom shows A temple also located in the in the Marrakesh Atlas Mountains.
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| www.kasbahdutoubkal.com |
Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco. Gained great population in 1942 due to the famous romance movie Casablanca starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henries. Its is advanced in technology and at the top for the countries economy. The city of Casablanca is known for its nightlife and is usually the first point of interest for travelers. Some popular tourist attractions in Casablanca are The Hassan II Mosque and the Mazagan Beach Resort.
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| www.planetware.com |
The above picture is of the Hassan II Mosque
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| www.atlantistravel.co.uk |
The above picture shows the Mazagan Beach Resort in Casablanca
Rabat is the capital city of Morocco. Rabat has a population of over 1.2 million. Although Rabat is has a large population it has a much calmer energy than other large cities in Morocco such as Casablanca. Some of Rabat's main tourist attraction are the Hassan Towers and the Mausoleum of King Mohamed V.
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| www.planetware.com |
The Mausoleum of King Muhamed V
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| www.planetware.com |
Above shows The Hassan Towers
Agriculture
The agriculture in Morocco is 14% of the GDP and contributes to 40-45% of the working population. The main resources are phosphate, tourism and fishing. Mining and and industry contribute to about one third of the GDP of Morocco.
Moroccan Culture
Cuisine
Moroccan Cuisine is a mix of serval different cultures that have been adapted thorough out time. There are major influences in Moroccan cuisine from Mediterranean, arabic, Berber and Spanish cuisine. There is a wide range of fruits and vegetable that are produced in Morocco. Common meat eating in Moroccan cuisine is lamb, camel, goat, beef, seafood and chicken.They also use cold pressed oils to cook with such as olive oil and commonly use dried fruit and preserved lemons.
Moroccan food is often cooked in a Tagine. A tagine is a pot used in North African cooking. It is used for both cooking and serving dishes and can be compared to a dutch oven. The tagine is a wide shallow pot that has a top/lid that is a tall cone shape and provides a lot of moisture during the cooking process.
In Moroccan Cuisine herbs and spices are heavily used. Some of the most commonly used herbs and spices that are used in Moroccan Cuisine are: cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, ginger, paprika, sesame seeds, coriander, saffron, mace, clove, fennel, anise, nutmeg, oregano, cayenne pepper, mint, parsley, marjoram and caraway.
Some popular Moroccan dishes are:
Couscous which is small balls of semolina that re steamed and can be mixed with nuts, seeds, dried fruit or may be served with stew or any type of Tagine dish.
Lemon Chicken is a classic Moroccan chicken dish that is usually prepared with preserved lemon and olives.
Moroccan Cuisine is a mix of serval different cultures that have been adapted thorough out time. There are major influences in Moroccan cuisine from Mediterranean, arabic, Berber and Spanish cuisine. There is a wide range of fruits and vegetable that are produced in Morocco. Common meat eating in Moroccan cuisine is lamb, camel, goat, beef, seafood and chicken.They also use cold pressed oils to cook with such as olive oil and commonly use dried fruit and preserved lemons.
Moroccan food is often cooked in a Tagine. A tagine is a pot used in North African cooking. It is used for both cooking and serving dishes and can be compared to a dutch oven. The tagine is a wide shallow pot that has a top/lid that is a tall cone shape and provides a lot of moisture during the cooking process.
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| http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/product/home---garden/kitchen---dining/tabletop/tunisian-hand-painted-tagine?npd&npd&code=SR50002&code= |
In Moroccan Cuisine herbs and spices are heavily used. Some of the most commonly used herbs and spices that are used in Moroccan Cuisine are: cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, ginger, paprika, sesame seeds, coriander, saffron, mace, clove, fennel, anise, nutmeg, oregano, cayenne pepper, mint, parsley, marjoram and caraway.
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| www.photoree.com |
Some popular Moroccan dishes are:
Couscous which is small balls of semolina that re steamed and can be mixed with nuts, seeds, dried fruit or may be served with stew or any type of Tagine dish.
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| chewnibblenosh.com |
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| https://www.yahoo.com/style/msmen-from-the-hot-bread-kitchen-cookbook-152310166.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=pi |
M'amen Bread is a buttery and flaky Moroccan flat bread.
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| https://ptitecuisine.wordpress.com/2015/01/12/mint-rose-cherbat-lemonade/ |
Cherbet is Moroccan lemonade that has rose water and mint.
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| honestlyyum.com |
Moroccan mint tea is a tradition tea the represent friendship, hospitality and tradition.
M'hanncha is a traditional Moroccan phyllo pastry that is wrapped around like and snake and stuffed with spiced nuts and rose water.
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| thecarousel.com |
Moroccan orange cake is a cake that is traditionally served without frosting and is made with fresh orange juice and almonds.
Music
Music in Morocco has been said to be the ultimate expression of the culture. Berber music is separated in three categories village, ritual, and professional. Village music is typically a community gathering where everyone sings and dances in a large circle with drum and flute rhythms. Ritual music also features drums and typically has rhythmic hand clapping. Ritual music is used during wedding and to get rid of evil spirits. Professional music is usually consist of singing dancing and traveling around to perform for others. It is a mixture of traditional music along with poetry.
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| Things to do in Morocco - Page 2 |
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| www.worldmusic.net |
Sports
One of the most popular sports in Morocco is football (soccer). The Moroccan soccer team was the first African and Arab team to win a group in the world cup in 1986.
The Picture above shows the 2016 Moroccan national football team.
Moroccan Demographics
Language
The main language spoken in Morocco is Arabic. Arabic is one of the sixth most spoken languages in the world with about 422 million native and non-native speakers. Arabic is written and spoken from right to left. The alphabet has 28 letters and is written in a cursive style with the letters connecting and changing its form depending on where it is placed in the word.
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| www.itp.net (Arabic writing) |
Religion
The main religion practiced in Morocco is Islam. Islam began in the early 7th century and originated in Mecca. Islam is the third most practiced religion in the world making it the fastest spreading religion. Followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims believe that Muhammad is the prophet and that there is one God and one God only. There are two major secs of Islam being the the Sunni and the Shia. The religious text used in Islam is the Qur'an which is written Arabic. There are five pillars that followers of Islam must follow. The five pillars are five basic acts that are followed by Muslims. The five pillars consist of Shahada (faith), Salat (prayer), Zagat (Charity), Swan (fasting), and Hajj which is the Pilgrimage to Mecca that should be made at least once in ones lifetime. It is believed by Muslims that these five acts bring you closer to God.
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| www.virtualmosque.com |
Prayer
Traditionally Muslims are called to prayer five times a day. Prayer consist of specific postures (standing, bowing and sitting) and repetition of prayer. Before prayer Muslims must make sure they are prepared by making sure they are physically and mentally clean and that their environment is also clean. They must make sure they are wearing appropriate clothing that covers their body but is not form fitting and is relatively loose. Prayer is usually preferred barefoot which also respondents a form of cleanliness. Prayer is traditionally performed on a a prayer rug that is facing Qibla (which is the direction of the Kabaa in Mecca.
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| aboutislam.net |
The Above picture shows a man performing obligatory salat(prayer) on a prayer rug.
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| macaulay.cuny.edu |
A group of Muslims during prayer.
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| elitedaily.com |
The Kaaba in Mecca during Hajj.
The Moroccan Flag
The Moroccan Flag
The Moroccan flag was adopted November 17, 1915 and is red with a green five point linear star in the center. The star also represents the seal of Solomon. The red and green represent the traditional colors that are in most Arab flags. The red represents hardiness, bravery and strength. Red also has historical significance to Morocco because of the royal Alaouite family. The green in the flag represent love, joy hope and is the color of Islam. The five pinnacles in the star represent each of the five pillars of Islam.
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Maps of Morocco
Maps of Morocco
Physical Map
The first map below is a physical map. This physical map illustrates the physical features of Morocco such as mountains, rivers, and lakes. The different colors show representation of water and different elevation levels. Usually blue represents water, green represents lower elevation and orange or brown for higher elevation. this map also shows the surrounding areas of Morocco such as the Atlantic, Western Sahara and Algeria.
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| www.ezilon.com |
Political Map
The next map is a political map of Morocco. Political maps usually do not show physical features but instead indicate state, national boundaries, the capital city and other major cities. The capital city is represented by a start or square within a circle.
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| www.mapsofworld.com |
Economic Map
The map below is an economic map of Morocco and represents the types of natural resources and the economical activity that dominates a specific area. The symbols show the locations of the natural resources. In this economic Map it shows fuels, industry, winning and agriculture.
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| www.lib.utexas.edu |
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