Country of the Week: Morocco!

The Kingdom of Morocco is in the northernmost part of South Africa, bordering Algeria to the east, Western Sahara to the south, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic Ocean. It has a constitutional monarchy, its capital is Rabat, and the nation’s population is around 36.4 million. It is remarkable for its luxurious city Marrakech where you can sip mint tea and try various Moroccan meals, its big city Casablanca with cinemas, restaurants, and boutiques, for the Sahara Desert where one can come in contact with dromedaries and sand dunes, the Hassan II Mosque, and more attractions.

• The two official languages of Morocco are Dereje, which is a version of Arabic, and Berber, used by the Berber people who inhabit Morocco until today. French is still spoken because of the French colonization.

• The flag of Morocco has been used since 1915 and has two colours, red and green. It has a green star, which represents love, joy, wisdom, peace, and hope. It is also a symbol of Islam and its 5 branches symbolize the pillars of the religion. Its red background represents bravery, strength, valour, and hardiness.

• According to UNESCO and the Guinness World Records, Morocco has the oldest university in the world: The University of al-Qarawiyyin. It was founded in 859 AD and is located in Fez, Morocco. It is continually operating until today.

• The Berbers descend from the first people to have inhabited the territory of Morocco. This ethnic group is concentrated in North Africa and has been in Morocco since around 5,000 years ago. National Geographic conducted a study and found that a high number of North Africans are of Amazigh (Berber) ancestry.

• In Morocco, one can find the ancient traces of the Romans and Phoenicians, which left behind monuments such as the Roman Volubilis, a ruined city founded in the 3rd century BC and associated with the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and Idrisids.

• The food in Morocco is also worth mentioning, boasting meals with lamb, chicken, and beef, spiced up with cumin and tagine, and offering couscous on Fridays. As mentioned earlier, Moroccan mint tea is a hit and some say that no one should miss the chance to drink it.

• Last but not least, Morocco has Medinas, which are cities’ downtowns in which one can hunt for handicrafts like jewelry, rugs, pots, and other items made by craftsmen. So be sure that you get a souvenir or some beautiful items from them if you are traveling there!

Bibliography

Daily Sabah (2020, June 7) Al-Qarawiyyin, world’s oldest, continually operating university, was founded by a Muslim woman. Daily Sabah. https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/al-qarawiyyin-worlds-oldest-continually-operating-university-was-founded-by-a-muslim-woman

Kwehu Media (2020, December 18) 10 Interesting Facts about Morocco [Video] Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KedZpyCVLbA

N.A. (n.d.) Moroccan Mint Tea – Recipe and History [Photograph] Gourmand Trotter. https://www.gourmandtrotter.com/moroccan-mint-tea/

N.A. (n.d.) Morocco flag package [Photograph] CountryFlags.com. https://www.countryflags.com/product/morocco-flag-package/

N.A. (n.d.) Morocco Map [Photograph] Info Please. https://www.infoplease.com/atlas/africa/morocco-map

Safa (2018, September 11). 11 Things Morocco is Famous For. Moroccan Zest. https://moroccanzest.com/what-morocco-is-famous-for/

Sinclair, M. (2017, February 9) A Brief History Of The Ancient Roman City Volubilis, Morocco

[Photograph] The Culture Trip. https://theculturetrip.com/africa/morocco/articles/a-brief-history-of-volubilis-morocco/

Swearingen, W.D., et. al. (2021, March 10). Morocco. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Morocco

Wikipedia (2021, May 31) Moroccan cuisine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moroccan_cuisine