Culture & Environment

Morocco has a tremendously varied landscape as well as a  rich cultural heritage, thanks to the mix of Berber, Arabic and Jewish influences.

Anthropology

Our manageress in Taroudant has worked with a number of anthropology postgraduates studying the local Berber communities for whom she has transcribed tapes of conversations between researchers and local people. Like all our staff, she was born in a rural area but subsequently moved to Taroudant, so she has an understanding of both town and country ways.

Architecture

You will see, and can choose to stay in, simple earth Berber houses which almost grow out of the hillside, splendid former palaces of the wealthy with their beautiful tiling, fabrics, rugs, lanterns and wonderful courtyard gardens, kasbahs (fortified houses) or stylish restored riads (houses arranged around a courtyard). In addition, there are spectacular ruins of Berber castles, Roman ruins, town walls, mosques and various public buildings dating back over many centuries - Morocco has a very rich history.

Also worthy of a visit is the Medina d'Agadir (south of Agadir) created by the architect Coco Polizzi. Set amongst attractive gardens, it brings together the finest craftsmen in the country to create a small walled village with outstanding examples of vernacular architecture. Here you will see not just the buildings but also the workshops of craftsmen working with wood, stone, metal and textiles.

Art

For artists, the colourful scenes, the intense light and the wonderful climate are great attractions. Essaouira is the town best known for its artists although Morocco has attracted many artists past and present, including Henri Matisse and Eugene Delacroix and Winston Churchill.

There are several sites for Neolithic rock engravings and a wonderful variety of pottery is available, from the simple to the ornate, amongst which Fez and Safi are well known centres for production.

Geography & Geology

Whether you are on holiday or studying these subjects, you can't help but be struck by what you see around you. Your visit will be highly educational for the children in your party too. Staff at Naturally Morocco have years of experience of taking students to Morocco to study Geography and Geology.

It is the striking contrasts between the geology, landscape, economic & cultural geography within the area that often attracts visitors to Morocco. Within 80 kms of our guest house in Taroudant all the Geological Eras are represented - ranging from volcanic to fossil-rich sediments to metamorphic rocks to fossil sand dunes and all so beautifully exposed. The fossils & minerals offered for sale locally are of excellent quality.

Large quantities of materials as well as a range of books, displays, including specimens, and maps are available at our Taroudant guest house. For further information visit groups.

Language

A few words go a long way! If you'd like to learn a little Arabic or even a little Berber, there is an option as part of our "Real Morocco" holidays in Taroudant. Our manageress, Latifa, and her deputy, Dounia, teach and translate Berber and Arabic. Latifa has worked with: US Peace Corps workers who needed to learn Berber in order to assist in various community projects. For example, a worker helping the local potters and shoemakers to improve the quality of their products and marketing; anthropology postgraduates studying the Berber communities; and gap year students from the UK working as volunteers, for example at the local orphanage.

Music

Traditional music and rhythm are very much part of everyday life and all celebrations and even at any weekly market. If you pass any celebration you are quite likely to be invited to join in! There is a wide variety of musical traditions (much more so than in the rest of North Africa): Berber, Arab, Andalucian, Gnaoua, Sephardic & Rai, all of which remain strong today and have been fused and blended with Western styles in contemporary music.

Music Festivals. The best known are the Gnaoua Festival in Essaouira in June, the Festival of Sacred Music in Fez in May and the Marrakech Festival in June. There are many unusual musical instruments too. We can arrange for a Moroccan Berber band to perform for groups in Taroudant.

Photography

Morocco provides some superb subjects for photographers: good lighting conditions; spectacular and varied scenery including many places that have been used as film sets; fascinating architecture, geology, wildlife and many colourful human scenes.

Theatre and Dance

Moroccans are amongst the most theatrical in the world. The best place to see street theatre (storytellers, mimes, acrobats, musicians and dancers) is in Marrakech at Djemaa el Fna. In August in particular you will see (and may be invited to join in with) a great deal of dancing at Moroccan weddings.