THE KINGDOM OF MOROCCO
Morocco is a land of heat and light, of vibrant colors that sparkle in the North African sun.
THE COUNTRY
The Atlantic to the west, the Mediterranean to the north, fabulous beaches, four mountain ranges with vertiginous waterfalls, centuries-old cedar forests, eternal snow, vast plains covered with orange and almond trees in blossom, rivers that stretch like strings of greenery to the gates of the desert and which form spectacular gorges: from the Strait of Gibraltar to Mauritania, nature has made Morocco one of the most beautiful countries in the world, the country of awakening the senses.
The settlement of Morocco is very ancient, as shown by numerous prehistoric remains. Then there are the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Berbers, Byzantines, Romans and Vandals, before the Arab rule, which dates from the 8th century. Morocco, as a state, has existed since the year 788, when Idriss I was proclaimed king in Volubilis.
Today Morocco is a constitutional monarchy. King Mohamed VI ascended the throne in 1999.
TANGIER
TO TRAVEL ALL YEAR ROUND
At the crossroads of Europe and Africa, from the Atlantic
with the Mediterranean, Tangier opens the doors of Morocco.
Observe, listen and feel: multicolored crowds, scented markets, combined whispers of the sea and the city, this is where the feast of the senses begins.
Here still reigns that atmosphere of mystery inherited from the time when Tangier was an international zone. "Tangier, la blanca", the protagonist of many films and a city of many stars, submits. There are countless those who, coming to spend a season, chose to stay here.
Since its foundation it has been the object of desire of many peoples, many powerful. Conquered, taken, released, its power of seduction remains intact. It attracts tourists from all over the world, as well as Moroccans themselves, enchanted by the mild climate.
* View from the window. Tangier. Henri Matisse • Painting, 1913, 115×80 cm
MARRAKESH
TO TRAVEL ALL YEAR ROUND
Lighthouse city of the Almoravids in the 11th century, which once gave its name to Morocco, Marrakesh continues to perpetuate its magic. Oasis at the gates of the desert, a jewel at the foot of the Atlas, here is Marrakesh, the impressive and superb capital of southern Morocco.
Everything converges in Jemaa el Fna square.
Musicians, dancers, healers, public notaries, accountants, sellers of orange juice or grilled seeds, offer an amazing show.
In the Medina, the show continues.
With the souks, it is a maze of shadows and light,
endlessly branching out under the reeds, a Moroccan festival of colors, sounds, perfumes that
we invite you to join the rhythm of the crowd and penetrate further into the maze.
THE GREAT SOUTH
TO TRAVEL FROM OCTOBER TO MAY
In the Great South, where the sand wants to invade everything, the casbahs trace the course of life. Orchards, fields, palm groves, rose gardens, its banks display a long fertile row where men work miracles.
They are the oueds of Draa, Dades and Ziz.
Here, the landscapes follow one another and do not resemble each other. Boiling sand and snow-capped peaks, vertiginous canyons that open up over the green countryside and, everywhere, emerge from a palm grove, perched on a reddish rock, facing an emerald lake, sumptuous huts, magical citadels of earth. and ksours of unusual beauty, fortified villages the color of sand. They are the Draa, Dades and Ziz valleys. Going along the course of the oueds and back go back in time: take the path of the casbahs during an encounter with prodigious nature.
THE SAHARA DESERT
TO TRAVEL FROM OCTOBER TO MAY
At M'hamid el-Ghouzlane, the road stops.
You too.
Sand, burning sand, sand as far as the eye can see.
Sculptures that move, colors that change, sand dunes built by the wind, tall as minarets. Fascinating, grandiose and limitless, the desert continually begins anew each time the wind and the sun unite to engender infinity.
But behold, night falls.
A fennec sticks out its ears from its lair, a scinque, a sand fish, crawls vigorously; a grand duke hoots. Even
the desert welcomes life. But few are the men who can boast of knowing its mysteries.