guideline to morocco

Posted by Private Morocco Tours on February 22nd, 2017

Morocco is a land rich in natural beauty and unforgettable places that are both fascinating to visit and intriguing to explore. For those who want to immerse themselves in Moroccan culture and history there are hundreds of mosques, palaces, and historical sites to visit.

History

Morocco is one of the ancient kingdoms belonging to the pre-historical times. Immigrants from the east joined the already existing tribes and turned into ancestors of Berber tribes. They occupied the Rif Mountains from Neolithic age. Roman Empire acquired control of the west on the northern part of Morocco and then joined the Berber tribes after they defeated Carthage 146 BC. Vanadals were the first to invade Morocco and later on in 7th century, Arabs invaded the country and introduced Islam in Morocco. In the subsequent centuries, a number of ruling dynasties became powerful. These dynasties included the Idrissids, the Almoravids, the Almohads, and the Merinids. However, none of them were capable of upholding the support of Berber leaders.
Portugal and Spain intruded into Morocco by 15th century, after they have debarred Moors from their homelands. Morocco was able to repulse all these invasions successfully, but the European imperialism was too powerful to repel. By mid of 19th century, the European powers started to feel the strategic importance of Morocco and these powers began struggling among themselves for the possession of Morocco. Finally, in the year 1911, France formally became the protector and ruler of the country and Spain received a few isolated locales. In 1953, the rule of French ended yet, it has left its cultural influences over Morocco till date. At present, King Mohammed VI rules the country. He seems to be highly popular and has also solved few fundamental issues to bring long term stability to Morocco as well as to increase its economic prosperity. Get a glimpse of Moroccan history with Sahara-Magic.com 

Imazighen(berbers)

Also called Imazighen(in antiquity, known asLibyans by the Greeks), the Berber are the indigenous people of North Africa, west of the Nile Valley. Many Berbers call themselves some variant of the word Imazighen (singular: Amazigh), possibly meaning "free people" or "free and noble men". The word has probably an ancient parallel in the Roman name for some of the Berber, "Mazices".
The name Berber comes from the name given to this people by the Romans, meaning barbarians. The history of the Berber people in northern Africa is both extensive and diverse. Their oldest ancestors settled in the East of Egypt. Many are the references to this old people in Greek, Roman and Phoenician texts. In fact, Berber is a generic name given to numerous heterogeneous ethnic groups who share similar cultural, political and economical practices.

Language

There are actually many languages being used in Morocco :
-Darija - the Moroccan dialect of Arabic, and the most widely spoken language .
-Tamazight ( berber dialect)-there are three types of languages of the Amazigh Berber – Tarifit used in northern Rif, Tamazight in eastern High Atlas and Middle Atlas and Tashlhyt in western High Atlas, Sous Valley and Anti-Atlas
-Standard Arabic - most Moroccans understand this form of Arabic, which is spoke and written throughout much of the Middle East and North Africa. In general, Arabic television programs use Modern Standard Arabic.
-Hassaniyya Arabic - spoken by over 40,000 inhabitants of Southern Morocco, this form of Arabic is also known as Moor.
-Spanish, French, and English - Previously under control by Spain and France, Morocco has cultural and linguistic influences from these countries. Many Moroccans are fluent in Spanish and/or French because they are commonly used in the country, especially amongst the schooled Moroccans. and a growing number are also becoming fluent in English.

Common Expressions In Morocco

Morocco is above all, a culture shock. And there is no better way to portray this than witnessing the reaction of visitors arriving for the first time on Jemaa El Fna square in Marrakech at night. With a different culture comes a different etiquette. Moroccans are most welcoming to foreigners and most of them speak a few words of English but a few simple phrases in Moroccan Arabic make all the difference:
-Salamu alaykum: Peace be upon you.
-Metshrfin: Nice to meet you.
-La, shukran : No, thank you.
-Moumkin souera ? : Can I take your photo ?
-Rali bzzaf: Very expensive.
-Shi taman mzyan: It's the right price.
-Wesh l'kontor hrdam ?: Is the meter working ?
-Mashi mushkil: It's not a problem.
-Bismillah: In the name of God ( said when you begin eating).
-B'slama: Good bye.
-Kulshi beher: Everything is fine.

Religion

The official Religion of Morocco is Islam. About 80% of the population is Muslim while Christianity and Judaism make up about 20% of the population though this percentage is quickly decreasing. The conversion to Islam occurred at the same time as the Arab invasion of Morocco in 7th Century AD. Prior to this time, Morocco mostly consisted of Berbers who were free to practice any faith they pleased. Today, the people of Morocco are still free to practice whatever faith they please but the majority chooses to practice Islam. Many of the fundamental societal rules are based on the guidelines of the Koran, but are not enforced by law ( Dead Letter )

Climate

Atlantic and Mediterranean fence the country and High and Middle Atlas diagonally bisect it. Thus, there is great variation in Morocco’s climate by locale and season. During summer, day temperature is extremely high but the night is pleasantly cool. In the high altitudes of the mountain regions, evenings during summer are cool. During winter, weather condition is mild, except in mountains where the temperature is freezing. There is short supply of water and March and November experience rainfall.