Overview
Morocco is a jewel in the African crown. This North African country is one of the most modern nations of Africa with plethora of opportunities to see some of the best that Afro-Arab-Islamic cultures have to offer.
The list is endless starting from the beautiful minarets, sandy desert, medinas, and small mountains. Its proximity to Western Europe and the legacy of French Protectorate means an amalgam of lifestyles ranging from Islamic, Arabic, African, and Western.
The highlight of Morocco includes a visit to the ancient capital of Fès, which hosts some of the spellbinding medieval buildings. Another city, Marrakech, is famous for its souk that sells a huge range of goods. Both these are ancient cities dating back from the times of Arab dynasties. The modern tourists would love a visit to Casablanca, which is commercial hub of Morocco.
The capital city of Rabat reflects French remnants in its architecture and culture. Tangier is another historically significant city that reminds the visitors of its glorious past. Generally speaking, all the cities in Morocco are crowded with tight streets and closely knit neighbourhood.
Some of the other striking aspects about the country that compel the visitors to come back for at least one more time include, the traditional sun-worshipping, miles and miles of unspoilt beaches, trekking on the snow-capped Atlas Mountains (in the inland Berber country), trappings of Sahara Desert (famous for the caravans that once stopped here on their way to South for trading in spice and ivory), scaling isolated ridges, enjoying sun-bath besides the Sea, marvelling over the ancient monuments and artefacts, and plenty of spellbinding activities.
The Berbers (indigenous people of Morocco) were subjected to atrocities by invasions from Arabs starting as far back as 682 AD. Resultantly, several Arab dynasties ruled Morocco at different times in its history. Finally, Morocco achieved independence from the French rule in 1956 and still two territorial disputes remains to be resolved. One is the Sahrawi region (or Spanish Sahara) and Spanish-occupied enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the Mediterranean Coast of Morocco.