Tourist Attractions & Monuments Morocco

This museum is housed in one of the most beautiful palaces of the imperial city, built at the end of the 19th century and entirely restored to its original state by the collector Omar Benjelloun. In the entrance courtyard, the small patio and the hammam, you can discover contemporary works while the large patio is devoted to Moroccan heritage. The museum often hosts film screenings, concerts and theatre performances. Small bookstore, pretty well stocked.

The online tourist guide presents a 6-day hike in the Toubkal National Park. This hike, called "Randonnée Toubkal lac d'Ifni", proposes a loop circuit starting from Imlil, with an ascent to the summit of Toubkal at an altitude of 4165 meters. The trek is recommended for hikers in excellent physical condition, as it includes the crossing of several passes at over 3500 metres and a significant vertical drop. The hiking program includes discovering the valleys and passes of the Western Atlas, with splendid views of the Moroccan Atlas mountain range, typical villages clinging to the mountainside and encounters with Berber populations. The highlight of this tour is the ascent to the summit of Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak, offering magnificent views of the surrounding peaks and Marrakech. Services included in the price are road transfers between Marrakech and the starting point of the hike, accommodation in local gites and tents, meals during the hike, the services of muleteers and their mules, as well as the services of a cook and a qualified mountain guide. Drinks and personal expenses are not included in the price.

In the northeast district of Volubilis, the homes of the rich patricians, including that of the house of Venus, were located. Around the main patio, we find the bedrooms and reception rooms. It is not possible to enter the interior, as the corridors are paved with mosaics reminiscent of Berber carpets, but a platform outside allows you to contemplate several mosaics. The two most beautiful and well preserved masterpieces are undoubtedly the paved representations of Diana and Acteon, as well as the magnificent mosaic of Hylas removed by the nymphs.

This is the most colossal building in Volubilis, with a surface area of 1,000 m². The basilica did not have a religious function, as one might think, but a judicial one, where the central nave housed the courts. This kind of public place is found in all Roman cities. It is likely that the various administrations of Volubilis, including the Curia, the municipal council, were located here. The basilica and the Arc de Triomphe were the only two monuments still standing when the site was discovered at the end of the 19th century.

Stretching from the triumphal arch to the gate of Tangier, Decumanus maximus, the main street of the city, are a wide paved path of 400 m, bordered by the houses of the richest inhabitants.

This architectural treasure merinid is in the grocers attarine) (hence the name of the medersa. Facing the mosque, this El-Karaouiyine medersa of rather modest size, for 60 students, was founded by Merinid in the 14th century. It is without doubt the monument most richly decorated with the city, with its zelliges is very elaborate, its plaster and carved covering all the upper floor of the walls. The wooden ceiling with carved cedar of the prayer room is a masterpiece of the time.

The remains of the wall erected by the Merinids dynasty separate the medina from the new city. You will enter the old city through one of the two monumental gates, including Bab Sidi Abdelouahab (the Head Gate), on which the Pasha used to display the heads of the beheaded rebels! You will then pass in front of the hammam El Bali, the oldest in the city and the most famous among the inhabitants. It preserves a beautiful Andalusian architecture. Near El-Attarine Square, stand the emblematic monuments of the old city: the three fountains with their colourful mosaics, the Great Mosque, built in 1298 on the orders of Sultan Yacoub Yussuf and the very beautiful medersa, built in 1335 in the tradition of Arab-Moorish architecture. To the north of the square, you can stroll through the kissaria (covered market), where cloth merchants meet carpet and clothing vendors and for some shopping for gold and silver jewelry, go to rue El-Mazouzi: rue des bijoutiers. Every Thursday, the great souk of Oujda is held in the medina near Bab Sidi Abdelouahab. In the east, Bab Al Gharbi is home to the oldest school in Morocco created by the French at the beginning of the 20th century. The former Algerian president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was born in Oujda, is said to have spent his youth there. There is also an old hammam, Hammam Ejjjarda, dating from the 19th century and decorated in the Turkish style. At the exit of the medina, do not miss the superb Dar Sebti palace.

A great opportunity to discover the Gnaoua culture. Dar Gnaoua means "the house of the Gnaoua" is a pleasant stop, the ideal place to enjoy a tea. Within the establishment some photos and instruments are displayed, but the interest here is to witness a true demonstration, a dozen Gnaouis welcome you with traditional songs. They will bring you through the history of the Haratins, subsaharan slaves exported to the Maghreb during triangular slavery. A mystical experience not to be missed.

Built under the protectorate between 1929 and 1935, the dam allows the irrigation of 5,000 ha in the Haouz plain; it produces 10 million kWh annually and retains, on a 7 km long lake, 52 million ^m3 of water! But that doesn't impress the windsurfers who, in the summer, come to take a break on this generous body of water. It is even possible to rent jet skis for slalom slalom in front of the still amazed eyes of the old people of the village. The latter is very picturesque, built on a hillside, with steeply sloping streets.

The carpenter and cabinetmaker sector (nejjarine in Arabic) is certainly one of the most beautiful urban and architectural complexes in Fez. With its 17th century fountain decorated with zelliges, Nejjarine Square offers a pleasant stop after a long stroll. At the bottom of the square, the Nejjarine foundouk, which was in use until the beginning of the 20th century, is worth a visit. The carpenters' souk is an opportunity to appreciate the work of craftsmen carving wood. Going along the museum on the left, you reach the Sidi Moussa tannery, which is smaller than the one in Chouara.