Tourist Attractions & Monuments Morocco

Maarif is the shopping area that women and girls love to walk around the weekend to shop for. We discover the popular facet of this ancient Italian quarter by Normandy street, where a succession of streets lined with jewellery, perfume shops, clothes and women's lingerie. This is also the case of bouis-bouis of pleasant neighbourhoods and good business. For the luxury signs and a European fashion, we will head on the other side, towards Al Massira Boulevard where international franchises are located such as Zara, Benetton at No. 24, Miss Sixty, at No. 7. It is also on this axis of the Twin Center. These famous twin towers, in order to orient themselves in the city, have a bar on the top floor where you have fabulous panoramic views over Casablanca. At the height of Zara, you can also reach El Messaoudi street, which houses a Levis store and other ready-to-wear stalls. It is located next to the Plaza d'Iris square, ideal for a coffee break between two shopping sessions. On weekends, Maarif is the fief, living and friendly, of cinema and relaxed women.

The of Marrakesh are open from 9 h till dusk. Many shops of craftsmen are closed on Fridays. The Marrakech Souk itself is a monument: 40 000 craftsmen work inside this maze of streets and alleys with shimmering colours and characteristic smells, protected from the sun by wooden lathe. Orientation: this huge handicraft and commercial market obeys a rigid structure and order under a voluntarily disordered appearance: each corporation is thus confined to a neighbourhood. Admittedly, today it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish between the various parts of the souk, and the co-existence of traders does not always correspond to the primary vocation of neighbourhoods. But, by historical or tradition, it is always the old name of that is used by the Marrakchis. Today, the approaches of the souk (place Jemaâ el Fna, in particular) are victims of a «touristisation» that has lost many of the crafts shops their authenticity: by remaining at the periphery, you may acquire copies at the price of the authentic. You must therefore leave the shopping streets of the square Jemaâ el Fna, despite the insistence of most of the guides (which will urge you to stay close to the bazaars) and get into the dust. And if you are looking for more chic shops, head to the Gueliz district. There are many trendy shops offering candles, furniture, decoration items and crafts at reasonable prices given the originality of some parts.

Listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1987, the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou is one of the best preserved ksour of the Ounila valley. It has been the subject of numerous restoration works. The ksar, a style of traditional pre-Saharan habitat, is built on the left bank of the valley of Mellah, on a hillside. Its exceptional location has made it the main location for the shooting of films such as Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth or Gladiator. This fortified village with collective dwellings has two main entrances: one on the east and the other on the west. Count on at least two hours of visit to walk the narrow streets and enjoy the site, remember to take a bottle of water with you. Within the ramparts, houses of one or two floors and tighermin of three to four floors. To visit the ksar, you do not necessarily need a guide. On the other hand, do not hesitate to ask for information to the inhabitants of the village, for a few dirhams of course; some of them will show you their houses. Each door, each interior courtyard conceals its architectural treasure, and the terraces on top of the buildings offer superb views of the village and the wadi below. The mosque, made of earth, like the rest of the village, no longer has a minaret because of the rain. The ksar of Aït Ben Haddou is very frequented by tourists, and also by souvenir sellers, that's why it is recommended to go there at off-peak hours (early morning, late evening).

The largest pre-Saharan erg extends 13 km long and 5 km wide, with the highest dune at an altitude of 150 m. Here you can ride a camel or take a sand bath with healing properties. For which diseases? A little bit all of them! Several hostels offer "skiing" on the dunes. Be careful, here there is no lift or snow map, and the successive ascents can be challenging. But the best is the simplest: you can watch the beautiful sunsets or sunrises from the top of the dunes.