Culture
Souks are a way of life in
Morocco and one usually does not
have to go far to find one. One can
often get good bargains here, but
travelers must keep in mind that
most Moroccans will have a lot more
experience when comes to haggling
the price.
You may find, if you are friendly
and courteous enough, that you will
soon start to make friends with the
locals. If this happens and you are
invited to a meal, it is good to
keep in mind some of the local
customs. For example, you will
usually take off your shoes when
entering a Moroccan house. You can follow
your host’s example in this regard.
Also it is a good idea to take a
gift of some sort with you. If you are
in a home in the city you might take
some pastries or some sugar with
you. If you are in the county it
would be better to buy a live
chicken for the household which is
likely to not be quite so well off.
A home invitation is perhaps the
most authentic way to sample
Moroccan dishes. Most Moroccan food
is eaten with the hands. For
religious purposes the people from
morocco as the majority are Muslims,
they tend to eat with their right
hand following what the prophet
Mohamed used to do.
People are welcome to visit
mosques anytime during the day and
any day during the week. The one
exception is that people need to
dress properly in respect to the
people that are in the mosque to do
prayers. Women in the other
hand are supposed to cover their
hair before entering the mosque. But
there are no other restrictions to
visit mosques in Morocco. As a
matter a fact people are very open
minded when it comes to visitors to
have interest in discovering the
culture of Morocco
When taking photographs of the
local people, it would be wisest to
ask their permission. Taking a
photograph of someone with out their
permission – especially in rural
areas – can cause offense. This may
result in them demanding money from
you – even if you only intended to
take a scenic shot of something. In
contrast, taking photographs of
someone you have become friendly
with is usually very welcome. Often
people with whom you’ve become
acquainted will take you to a place
where they can get a photograph
taken with you for themselves. You
should not be unfriendly about this
as it usually does not result in you
paying for the picture or any
further harassment.
Traditionally the men take to the
streets and the women are in control
of their homes. This means that you
will not often find woman in cafés
or restaurants. If you are a woman
and you strike up a friendship, you
will likely be invited to the
person’s home or to a hamman (bath)
for further association. On the
other hand, if you are a man or a
man and woman traveling together,
you will likely be invited into a
café for some tea or a meal.
In general, Moroccan culture can
be an exciting and worldly
experience. The Moroccan people are friendly
and the place is colorful.
Moroccan hospitality is really a part of
their culture so you can strike up
friendships virtually anywhere if
you have the right attitude. Usually
this results in further association
with these dynamic and interesting
people and a real taste of Moroccan
life.
