The fabulous destination Morocco is a mysterious and colorful African country. Ancient cities, snow-capped Atlas Mountains, picturesque majestic canyons, sand dunes in the hot Sahara desert, fort settlements, colorful cities, famous places from Hollywood movies, beautiful mosques, the old town, markets, street vendors, snake charmers … all in one trip. We start from the “red city” of Marrakech, and more precisely from its main square, Jama El Fna, which is a huge “souk”. We remember this word, which we will hear many more times in the cities. Suk is the Arabic name for a market.
Nearby there are palaces built for sultans and their wives, a great mosque and a richly decorated madrasa. “Madrasa” is another word we remember, meaning “Islamic educational institution.” They are found in every city and are deeply respected and richly decorated. The Qutubiya Mosque in Marrakech is the largest mosque in the city, accommodating 20,000 people for prayer. The mosque is famous for its minaret, which rises to 70 meters and can be seen from anywhere in Marrakech.
The Qutubiya Mosque has been built twice. According to legend, during the construction of the mosque, it suddenly became clear that the mihrab (this is the wall in the mosque to which Muslims turn during prayer) is directed in the other direction, not Mecca. In anger, Sultan Abd al-Mumin ordered the architect’s head to be cut off and the mosque destroyed. It is then restored properly.
Bahia Palace in Marrakech. It was built by Vizier Sidi Musa in the Moorish style, on an area of eight hectares.
What to visit in travel attractions in Morocco
Bahia Palace in Marrakech. Vizier Sidi Musa commissioned a project for one of his four women from the harem. Although it was built just for her, his four wives and 24 concubines lived in the palace. The palace was built for 7 years because the vizier periodically bought land around for the palace, so the architect had to constantly make changes to the plan. According to legend, the courtyards in the palace are located so that the concubines do not meet while walking around the house. The palace is only one floor. The reason is the overweight Musa, who did not want to climb stairs. Madrasa Ben Yusuf. This Islamic educational institution was built in the 14th century. Not only has it preserved its appearance, but the religious life of the city is still being built around it.
The name of Gemma el-Fna Square comes from “jam” – “mosque” and “fna” – “death” or “the place where death reigns”. Thousands of bandits and criminals were executed here.Atlas is a mountain system that stretches across the Atlantic Ocean and crosses Africa along the Mediterranean.We are located in the High West Atlas.
Fes is similar – the oldest city in the country. A real challenge here is a walk through the medina – a maze of thousands of streets, hundreds of mosques with unique minarets. And blue Chefchaouen is like a postcard – everything is blue from deep indigo to light blue. The old medina of Fes el Bali, surrounded by a medieval wall, is one of the largest pedestrian areas in the world and is included in the UNESCO list. There are about 200 mosques and 6,000 streets in the medina, which form an incredibly complex labyrinth. The royal palace of Fes “Dar el Mahsen” includes mosques, beautiful gardens, ancient madrassas and schools to study the Koran. Some of the palace buildings are occupied by the King of Morocco, who regularly comes here.
What are the interesting sights of Morocco
The palace is famous for its golden doors, beautifully painted ceilings and intricate mosaics. The tannery neighborhood. Fes is famous for its crafts, but this neighborhood is especially popular with tourists. The paints used to treat the skin are made exclusively from natural ingredients, many of which have a very specific and unpleasant odor. Chefchaouen was founded in 1471 by Andalusian-born Moorish Prince Muli Ali Alami. On the site of a Berber village, he built a bastion to repel the naval attacks of the Portuguese. In 1492, a large number of Muslims and Jews expelled from Spain arrived in Chefchaouen – they gave the city a unique Arab-Moorish appearance.
It is believed that the Jews were the first to paint the walls of houses blue: this is the color of the sky where God is and shows closeness to him. Only Jews and Muslims have lived here for 500 years. The first European managed to visit the city only in the 19th century, under the guise of a rabbi. At the beginning of the 20th century, the city fell under the Spanish protectorate, European soldiers entered it and the world learned about the blue pearl hidden in the Moroccan mountains.
What impressed us Morocco
The main attraction of Chefchaouen is its amazing medina (old town), definitely the most beautiful in Morocco and one of the most colorful in the whole Arab world. Almost everything here is painted in different shades of blue – from deep indigo to light blue. City residents are not allowed to paint the walls in any color other than blue. Today, the city must look the same as it did 500 years ago. Today this tradition is maintained because of the numerous tourists.
On one side of Uta el-Hamam Square rise the yellow-brown walls of the Kasba Fortress – it was she who once protected the inhabitants of Chefchaouen from the Portuguese invaders. Opposite the Kasbah on the square is the Great Mosque (14th century), remarkable for its octagonal minaret. Each house has its own door, different in shape and decoration from the neighboring ones, a threshold lined with decorative bricks or ceramic tiles and one or more clay or copper medallions that protect its occupants from evil spirits.