Morocco’s rich historical past is reflected in its modern-day culture.  Foods, languages, art, and landmarks in Morocco are a fusion of the various ethnicities, religions, and nationalities that have made their mark in Moroccan culture.  In an ordinary café in the busiest cities of Casablanca, Marrakech, or Rabat, one might hear Arabic, Berber, French, Spanish, or even English being spoken by Moroccan nationals and tourists.

Morocco’s fair weather and grand landscape have been a source of great inspiration for artists from abroad.  Places like Fez, with its ancient architecture and vibrant colors of the leather tanneries, are a sanctuary for writers, painters, and filmmakers.  In other places, artists use the landscape as the art itself, for instance, Jean Verame constructed the striking “Pierres Bleues” in Tafrout as a statement of his love to his wife.  Marrakech is home to the great International Film Festival, showcasing films from all corners of the earth—adding to Marrakech’s already diverse atmosphere. And people from all over Morocco and the world gather in Essaouira yearly to celebrate the legacy of ancient music fused with a modern day melting pot of jazz, pop, rock, and contemporary world music at the Gnaoua World Music Festival.

Like Moroccan art, Moroccan cuisine draws on a globally-inspired palate.  Anywhere from the northernmost tip of Tangier to the southernmost point of Dakhla, one will find a diverse blend of Andalusian, Arab, and Mediterranean flavors. But its most famous dishes, from Couscous to Tagine and Harira, are Berber in origin.  Moroccan culture is a melting pot of its history and its people, but no matter where you go, a glass of mint tea is always ready and waiting—a mark of Moroccan hospitality and perseverance of Moroccan tradition.

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