The Real Morocco

No vacation in Morocco can be called a complete one until you have paid a visit to the magnificent historical city of Fez. It is perhaps the only city in the country where you can feel the true essence of Morocco. Fez has stayed strongly committed to its historical roots and it seems if the city and its locals have decided to stop the time clock in the medieval era. You will find the same old architecture, the same old bazaars that are filled with both the commodities and the buyers and the same old method of commuting, ox carts.

Fez was the center of excellence in the north Africa during the medieval era as it had the world’s only university of its time. At that moment of time Paris was a mere slum while London had only a couple of missionary schools, no oxford or Cambridge at that time so one can imagine how important the Fez’s university was to the growth of the science and arts of its time. Perhaps this glorious past is the reason why Fez is still so keen in sticking in that era.

If you have already visited places like Rabat or Casablanca then you are in for a big surprise when you arrive in Fez as it is nothing like those modern cities. While Rabat being the capital has the best infrastructure in the whole country and Casablanca being the economic and social nerve center of Morocco, Fez is the real Morocco. There is no major airport in the vicinity of the city so you will have to take a cheap flight to Rabat and then either you can hire a car for making the rest of the journey or you can travel to Fez by the local train service. The tourism industry of Fez is booming these days because of the increased tourist interest in the city, this has resulted in the opening up of many new hotels which provide world class facilities.

But we will recommend that instead of staying in a modern top notch hotel you should try to find yourself a traditional Moroccan hotel, this way you will not only save a lot of hard earned cash but you will also be provided with a unique cultural experience and will give you an idea about the hospitality of the locals.

The city’s biggest attraction is its old architecture and its bazaars, you can take a tour to the downtown market and take a look at both of them. Another striking aspect of Fez is its locals who still follow their rich traditions quite strictly. While in Casablanca one mostly find the Moroccans and especially the males wearing western dresses, this is not the case as the locals in Fez love their dress that consists of a long robe mostly white and a red cap.

If you are interested in knowing the traditional Bedouin lifestyle then you can visit one of their many settlements outside the city, they are hospitable people and this will surely be memorable experience.