Table decoration
Off an alleyway in the medinas of Fez, Meknés or Marrakech, you will probably find a specialist in zellige mosaics. Once assembled these fragments of enameled terracotta can be used as table tops to be placed on elegant cast-iron structures. Please give in to temptation confidently and without any hesitation: all craftsmen are well-versed in the export rules.
Exotic Crokery
Potters are always happy to demonstrate their handiwork to visitors by inviting them to share a mint tea. Whether pottery or ceramics, you can re-equip your whole kitchen with the dishes, plates, salad mixers, bowls and vases you will find. Your guests will be bowled over by your tajine dish or the elegant ramekins in which you will now present your salads.
Rugs and Weaving
At Rabat’s Markets, admire the sumptuous rugs which are among the most beautiful in Morocco. They are excellent quality and always create the best effect in a living room or hallway. In the south or in hill-top villages, you will find Berber craftsmanship: give in to the crude yet refined simplicity of rugs patiently woven by hand.
Leathers and hides
After an astonishing tour of the famous tanneries of Fez or Marrakech, head to the souk traders. It is soon clear why the French adopted the word maroquinerie (things from Morocco) to describe leather goods, as the work is meticulous and the products high quality. This is your chance to pick up a new wallet or a sturdy travel bag!
Land of Festivals
By taking part in cultural events, you can discover the Kingdom of Morocco's creative energy and proliferation of events in all artistic fields throughout the year.
land which has offered a warm welcome and encounters since Ancient times, Morocco certainly has its share of world festivals. Music, film, popular culture: the main cities offer original events, often addressing the theme of dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures.
Tangier, for instance, now celebrates jazz in all its forms with the Tanjazz festival http://www.tanjazz.org/index.htm Take advantage of a trip to Morocco to discover the unique ambiance of these events. Many concerts and film showings take place in historic settings, often outdoors.
And the warmth of Moroccan evenings gives these events a very special atmosphere. A friendly atmosphere is guaranteed, like the one at the Timitar music festival in Agadir http://www.festivaltimitar.ma , and the Mawazine festival in Rabat, which has celebrated world music since 2001. http://www.festivalmawazine.ma
Gnawa & World Music Festival – Essaouira each year, the beautiful city of Mogador devotes its maze of streets, lovely beaches, and vibrant public squares to music. Colorful and exciting nights to soothe the spirit, thousands of music lovers swaying to the age-old rhythms in a convivial and intimate atmosphere - this is the city during the Festival! It’s above all an ambiance. In Essaouira the “maalems” feel at home, their chants and laments were born in this land open to the cultures of the world. In Essaouira the musicians excel in virtuosity, inventiveness and flair. They call upon the spirits, and with them all is possible! In just a few years the city has become Morocco’s answer to Woodstock Gnawa & World Music Festival – Essaouira: http://www.festival-gnaoua.net
Fez Festival of World Sacred Music Sacred Music is widely acclaimed as one of the world’s great musical events. It brings together performers from all over the world for a week of artistic excellence in Morocco’s ancient holy city. It represents the spiritual heart of Islam (peaceful, pluralistic, generous and cheerful), honors all the world’s spiritual traditions and praises Music as the universal language beyond boundaries. http://www.fesfestival.com
Marrakesh Popular Arts Festival The history of festivals in Morocco goes back to the 1960’s when the Marrakesh National Festival of Popular Arts was launched which celebrates, every year in July, traditional music and dance, with a specific theme for each edition. Festivities take place in all main crossroads of the city: El Badai place, Jamâa El Fna square, Royal Theatre and Harti Place. Deep Moroccan rhythms, dances and songs are one of the various aspects of an old oral tradition which survives the passing years. The tradition of this festival is accurately translated close to the originality and diversity of popular arts in Morocco throughout the ages. The Festival features a multifaceted culture where ancient and new choreography, melodies and rhythms fuse in harmony.
Every year this festival stages the new “popular” Moroccan fusion bands and welcomes international formations to interact, mix and fuse with Moroccan artists. http://www.marrakechfestival.com
Many other Fetivals such as :
Oujda International Raï Festival Alegria Festival of Chaouen - Created by the lovers of the “blue” city, this event aims to focus on the region’s cultural diversity and modernity as a heritage on the move. Moroccan, Spanish and Latino-American artists gather around various music styles such as jazz, hip hop, salsa and flamenco, backed-up and accompanied by traditional Moroccan music. festivalalegria.com http://www.festivalraioujda.com
L’Boulevard des Jeunes Misiciens – CASABLANCA http://www.boulevard.ma
Imlchil Engagement Festival Morocco has its own “Romeo & Juliet” story in the High Atlas Mountains, the place of a big annual gathering. Once upon a time, there were two young people who fell deeply in love. Unfortunately, they were from enemy tribes and their families didn’t allow them to marry. Out of grief, they wept bitterly. They continued their crying every day and night until they created two lakes made of their tears.
The Roses Festival – El Kelaa des Mgounas Every year, the rose festival in May attracts thousands of visitors who travel south to enjoy song, folk dances, parades and handicrafts from the region. it is an abundance of colors under a rain of rose petals and perfume scents. the Miss Rose
The « Halka » Festival – El Jadida - This festival aims at rehabilitating, preserving, and carrying on the immaterial patrimony of narrating. It also unveils the generational progression and technical process of animation, used by the pioneers of this ancestral art. It is a platform for listening to historical tales and ad-libbing, brining foreign organizers specialized in this art. It is usually held in April.
The « Tbourida » Festival – Bouznika - Another ancestral Moroccan tradition is the “Fantasia”, called in the Moroccan dialect “Tbourida”, having now its victory game in the Kingdom, as part of the equestrian national championship. Aside the championship, a Festival is organized in Bouznika, since 2013, gathering all regions of the Kingdom to preserve this secular art and pass down to the new generations its values of respect, courage and honor conveyed by its central piece : the Horse. The event also features auction sales of horses, art exhibitions, genuine local products exhibitions and musical performances- it’s programmed in August.
PRINTEMPS DES ALIZÈS, ESSAOUIRA http://www.printempsmusicaldesalizes.org
FESTIVAL OF THE ATLANTIC ANDALUSIAN MUSICS, ESSAOUIRA - Taking place in autumn in Essaouira, this event celebrates Andalusian music and reminds its viewers of its contribution to various countrys’ culture, especially North Africa, Spain, and Latin America. Love songs, rock, flamenco and gipsy dances meet there.
JAZZABLANCA – Casablanca www.jazzablanca.com
JAZZ IN THE CHELLAH – Rabat www.jazzauchellah.com
Culinary Arts
Morocco is famous for its diverse cuisine, differing greatly in each unique region. However, there are some famous dishes that the eager traveler can find on every menu of every region, such as Couscous (semolina grain served with vegetables and meat), Pastilla (a pastry stuffed with chicken and almonds or with fish and seafood) as well as tagine (a stew cooked using an earthenware dish) all complemented by an after meal cup of mint tea. Moroccan cuisine is world renowned for its bold flavor, unadulterated ingredients, and age-old recipes passed down from generation to generation. Ask us to propose to you restaurants and even hand-tailored cooking tours and excursions
Cooking Vacation
Morocco is a land so intrinsically beautiful and rich with heritage that the moments you step foot on it for your Moroccan cooking vacation you feel completely transported to another time. You can exorcise your shopping demons in some of the most colorful markets (souks) in the world, while you learn the incredibly rich cuisine of this small country during your hands-on cooking lessons on Moroccan cuisine. Only slightly larger than California, Morocco is a magical land of exquisite beauty and rich diversity!
This north African country extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the north, where the Strait of Gibraltar separates it from Spain, to the mountainous interior, to the Sahara desert. Morocco’s many centuries of contact with other cultures—Berber, Phoenecian, Roman, Spaniard, Portuguese, Corsican, French, Moorish, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and African— make it one of the most diverse cuisines in the world.
Your culinary vacation in Morocco with The International Kitchen will include accommodations in comfortable, first-rate hotels and riads (traditional Moroccan abode with an interior garden), hands-on cooking lessons featuring some of the staples of Moroccan cuisine (including its famous spices and couscous), excursions, transfers and more. Join us in this exotic and quixotic land for a cooking vacation beyond your wildest dreams!