Morocco

How well do you know Morocco?

Morocco in numbers

• 710,850square kilometres
• 36.8million inhabitants
• 12regions
• 3,500kilometres of coast
• 4,167metres at the summit of Toubkal
• 9World Heritage sites

57 things to know about Morocco

1. The University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez was founded in 859 by a woman, Fatima al-Fihri. UNESCO and Guinness World Records recognise it as the oldest university in the world still operating.
2. Mount Toubkal, at 4,167 metres, is the highest peak in North Africa.
3. In 1777 Morocco became the first country to recognise the United States. The friendship treaty of 1786 is the longest unbroken treaty in American history.
4. The American Legation in Tangier is the only US National Historic Landmark outside the United States.
5. Fossils found at Jebel Irhoud, west of Marrakech, are about 300,000 years old. They are the oldest known remains of our species.
6. Shell beads found in Bizmoune Cave near Essaouira are about 142,000 years old, the oldest jewellery discovered so far.
7. The minaret of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca rises 210 metres, and part of the mosque is built over the Atlantic.
8. Fes el-Bali, the old medina of Fez, is one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world.
9. The argan tree grows wild almost nowhere but south-western Morocco. Its forest is a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
10. Morocco holds about 70% of the world's known phosphate reserves.
11. In 2022 the Atlas Lions became the first African team, and the first Arab team, to reach a World Cup semi-final.
12. Morocco will host the 2030 World Cup together with Spain and Portugal.
13. Al Boraq, opened in 2018 between Tangier and Casablanca, is Africa's first high-speed train. It runs at up to 320 km/h.
14. Tanger Med is the largest container port in Africa and in the Mediterranean.
15. Noor Ouarzazate is one of the largest solar power complexes in the world.
16. Ibn Battuta, born in Tangier in 1304, travelled about 120,000 kilometres in thirty years, from West Africa to China.
17. The Koutoubia in Marrakech, the Hassan Tower in Rabat and the Giralda in Seville are sister minarets, all built by the Almohads in the 12th century.
18. The film Casablanca, released in 1942, was shot entirely in Hollywood. Not one scene was filmed in Morocco.
19. Ait Ben Haddou and the studios of Ouarzazate appear in Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and Game of Thrones.
20. Ifrane recorded the lowest temperature ever measured in Africa: minus 23.9 °C, on 11 February 1935.
21. The Barbary macaque of the Middle Atlas is the only macaque that lives outside Asia.
22. Oukaimeden, above Marrakech, is one of the highest ski resorts in Africa, with a lift to about 3,200 metres.
23. Morocco is the only African country with a coast on both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean: about 3,500 kilometres in all.
24. At the Strait of Gibraltar, Morocco and Spain are only 14 kilometres apart.
25. Tamazight has been an official language, alongside Arabic, since the 2011 Constitution. It is written in the Tifinagh script.
26. Yennayer, the Amazigh New Year, has been a paid public holiday since 2024.
27. Couscous joined UNESCO's list of intangible heritage in 2020, in a file shared by Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania.
28. UNESCO inscribed Gnawa music in 2019 and tbourida, the cavalry charge with gunpowder, in 2021.
29. The word Morocco comes from Marrakech. In Persian and Urdu, the whole country is still called Marrakech.
30. In Arabic the country is al-Maghrib: the place where the sun sets.
31. The red flag with its green five-pointed star dates from 1915.
32. The Chouara tannery in Fez has been treating hides in its stone vats since the Middle Ages.
33. Morocco is the world's leading exporter of canned sardines.
34. Most Moroccan saffron comes from Taliouine in the Anti-Atlas. The flowers are picked by hand at dawn in late autumn.
35. Every May, Kelaat M'Gouna celebrates the rose harvest in the Valley of Roses.
36. Mint tea became the national drink in the 19th century, when Chinese green tea arrived through British merchants.
37. The Marathon des Sables crosses about 250 kilometres of the Moroccan Sahara in six stages.
38. The dunes of Erg Chebbi, near Merzouga, rise to about 150 metres.
39. The Ouzoud falls drop about 110 metres. They are the highest in the country.
40. Chefchaouen was founded in 1471.
41. From 1923 to 1956 Tangier was an international zone, run jointly by several foreign powers.
42. The Idrisid dynasty founded the first Moroccan state in 788. Fez, its capital, was founded a year later.
43. The Alaouite dynasty has reigned since the 17th century. Morocco is one of the oldest monarchies in the world.
44. Morocco has nine UNESCO World Heritage sites, from the medina of Fez to Rabat, the modern capital.
45. The Dakhla lagoon is one of the world's best-known kitesurfing spots, with wind about 300 days a year.
46. The 2024 census counted 36.8 million inhabitants.
47. Morocco has 12 regions, from Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima in the north to Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab in the south.
48. Zellige is made by chiselling glazed tiles by hand into small shapes, then assembling them face down like a puzzle.
49. A tagine is both the dish and the clay pot it cooks in. The cone sends the steam back down onto the food.
50. Jemaa el-Fna helped inspire UNESCO's idea of intangible heritage. The square was among the first masterpieces proclaimed, in 2001.
51. Volubilis, near Meknes, was a Roman city. Its mosaics are still in place, in the open air.
52. The Mawazine festival in Rabat is one of the best-attended music festivals in the world.
53. The Green March of 6 November 1975 brought together 350,000 unarmed marchers.
54. The dirham takes its name from the Greek drachma.
55. Essaouira used to be called Mogador. Its grid of streets was drawn in the 1760s for Sultan Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah.
56. The Hassan Tower in Rabat was meant to be the tallest minaret in the world. Work stopped in 1199, at 44 metres.
57. The letter yaz of the Tifinagh alphabet stands at the centre of the Amazigh flag. It is read as a symbol of the free person.

Morocco in dates

1. 788Idris I founds the first Moroccan state. Fez follows in 789.
2. 859Fatima al-Fihri founds al-Qarawiyyin in Fez.
3. 1070The Almoravids found Marrakech.
4. 1147The Almohads take Marrakech and go on to build the Koutoubia, the Hassan Tower and the Giralda.
5. 1269The Marinids take power and make Fez a capital of learning.
6. 1578The Battle of the Three Kings at Oued al-Makhazin ends Portuguese ambitions in Morocco.
7. 1672Moulay Ismail begins a reign of 55 years and makes Meknes his capital.
8. 1777Morocco is the first country to recognise the United States.
9. 1912The Treaty of Fez establishes the French protectorate, with a Spanish zone in the north and south.
10. 1944The Independence Manifesto is presented on 11 January.
11. 1953Sultan Mohammed V is sent into exile on 20 August. The Revolution of the King and the People begins.
12. 1956Morocco regains its independence.
13. 1975The Green March, on 6 November.
14. 1999King Mohammed VI accedes to the throne on 30 July.
15. 2011A new Constitution makes Tamazight an official language.
16. 2022The Atlas Lions reach the World Cup semi-final in Qatar.
17. 2030Morocco hosts the World Cup with Spain and Portugal.

World Heritage sites

• Medina of Fez1981
• Medina of Marrakech1985
• Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou1987
• Historic city of Meknes1996
• Archaeological site of Volubilis1997
• Medina of Tetouan1997
• Medina of Essaouira2001
• Portuguese city of Mazagan, El Jadida2004
• Rabat, modern capital and historic city2012

Living heritage recognised by UNESCO

• The square of Jemaa el-Fna2008
• The Moussem of Tan-Tan2008
• The cherry festival of Sefrou2012
• Argan: know-how and practices2014
• Taskiwin, the martial dance of the western High Atlas2017
• Gnawa2019
• Couscous2020
• Tbourida2021
• Malhoun, sung poetry2023

Crafts

Zellige

Glazed tiles cut by hand into stars and polygons, then set into geometric mosaics. Fez and Tetouan are its capitals.

Tadelakt

Lime plaster polished with a river stone and black soap until it is smooth and waterproof. Born in Marrakech.

Pottery

Blue and white in Fez, colourful in Safi, green in Tamegroute.

Carpets

Each region has its language: the white wool of the Beni Ourain, the saffron and red of Taznakht, the recycled rags of boucherouite.

Leather

Tanned in Fez and Marrakech as it was centuries ago, then cut into babouches, bags and poufs.

Thuya wood

The scented burl of the thuya, inlaid with lemon wood and mother-of-pearl in the workshops of Essaouira.

Silver jewellery

The fibulas, bracelets and enamels of Tiznit and the Anti-Atlas.

Caftan and embroidery

The caftan of Fez, the embroidery of Rabat and Tetouan, and the sfifa and aakad made by hand.

Music

Andalusi music

The classical repertoire brought from al-Andalus, played in Fez, Tetouan and Rabat.

Malhoun

Long poems in Darija, sung by the craftsmen of Meknes, Fez and Marrakech.

Gnawa

The trance music of the guembri and the metal qraqeb, at home in Essaouira and Marrakech.

Chaabi

The popular music of weddings and celebrations, everywhere in the country.

Aita

The cry of the Atlantic plains, carried by the voices of the chikhates.

Ahidous and ahwach

The great collective dances and chants of the Middle Atlas, the High Atlas and the Souss.

Reggada

The warrior dance of the Oriental, with its stamping feet and reed flutes.

Hassani music

The sung poetry of the Sahara, with the tidinit lute and the ardin harp.

Sayings and everyday words in Darija

Learn the main words in Darija

• اللي بغا العسل يصبر لقريص النحلLli bgha l3sel isber l9ris n7elWhoever wants honey must put up with the bee stings.
• دير الخير وانساهDir lkhir w nsahDo good, then forget you did it.
• الصبر مفتاح الفرجSber mefta7 lfarejPatience is the key to relief.
• قطرة قطرة كيحمل الواد9etra 9etra kay7mel lwadDrop by drop, the river fills.
• اللي فات ماتLli fat matWhat is past is gone.
• يد وحدة ما كتصفقشYed we7da ma katseffe9chOne hand cannot clap. Nothing big gets done alone.
• الجار قبل الدارLjar 9bel ddarChoose the neighbour before the house.
• بالمهل كيتكال بودنجالBelmhel kaytkal boudenjalSlowly, slowly, the aubergine gets eaten. Take your time and it gets done.
• كل تأخيرة فيها خيرةKoul ta2khira fiha khiraEvery delay carries some good.
• المزوق من برا آش خبارك من الداخلLmzewwe9 men berra, ach khbarek men ldakhelPretty on the outside; what about the inside? Do not judge by looks.
• اللي حفر شي حفرة كيطيح فيهاLli 7fer chi 7efra kayti7 fihaWhoever digs a pit for others falls into it.
• عاش من شافك3ach men chafekLong time no see! Word for word: long life to the one who sees you.
• بالصحة والراحةBse77a w ra7aTo your health and comfort. Said after a meal, a haircut, a hammam or a new purchase.
• الله يعطيك الصحةLlah y3tik se77aThank you, well done. Word for word: may God give you health.
• تبارك الله عليكTbarkellah 3likBravo, well done. Word for word: God's blessing on you.
• الله يرحم الوالدينLlah yr7em lwalidinThank you from the heart. Word for word: God have mercy on your parents.
• شوية بشويةChwiya b chwiyaLittle by little.
• ما كاين مشكلMakayn mouchkilNo problem.
• واخاWakhaOK, all right.
• بزافBezzafA lot, very much.
• داباDabaNow. In Morocco it can also mean in a moment.
• لاباس؟ كلشي بخير؟Labas? Koulchi bikhir?How are you? Is everything well?
• توحشتكTwe77echtekI miss you.
• طريق السلامةTri9 slamaHave a safe trip.
• الله يسهلLlah ysehelMay God make it easy. Said before any plan, journey or exam.
• مرحبا بيكMer7ba bikYou are welcome here.
• قطران بلادي ولا عسل البلدان9etran bladi wla 3sel lbouldanThe tar of my country is better than the honey of other lands.
• اللي تلف يشد الأرضLli tlef ychedd lardWhen you are lost, hold on to the ground. Go back to what you know.
• على سلامتك3la slamtekWelcome back, glad you arrived safely.
• خوك خوك لا يغرك صاحبكKhouk khouk, la yghrek sa7bekYour brother stays your brother. Family comes first.
• الله يخلفLlah ykhlefMay God repay you. Said to thank a host after a meal.

Public holidays

Offices, banks and consulates close on these days. Religious holidays move every year.

Religious dates are estimates. Morocco confirms them by moon sighting.

Emergency numbers in Morocco

• Police, in town19
• Police, from a mobile190
• Royal Gendarmerie, outside towns177
• Fire brigade and ambulance15
• Fire brigade and ambulance, from a mobile150
• Medical emergency service, SAMU141

Good to know before you land

• Clock: since 20 September 2026 Morocco is on GMT all year. The clock no longer changes for Ramadan.
• Speed limits: 60 km/h in town, 100 on main roads, 120 on motorways. Radar checks are frequent.
• Motorway tolls can be paid by cash, card or with a Jawaz tag.
• Electricity is 220 volts with European round-pin plugs.
• Three mobile operators sell prepaid SIM cards on presentation of an ID: Maroc Telecom, Orange and inwi.
• Drones are held at customs unless you have an authorisation.