Curiosities of Morocco that will surprise you
Curiosities of Morocco that will surprise you
Morocco is the main tourist destination in Africa. And also one of the most popular among Spaniards. In fact, only 11 kilometers separate the two countries! There are a lot of fun facts about Morocco. For example, did you know that they have the second-largest movie set in the world? Or that you can ski? These were some of the curiosities about Morocco that surprised us the most, but there are more! So if you want to discover the country in a fun and entertaining way, don’t miss them.
20 CURIOSITIES OF MOROCCO
Why are the houses in Chefchaouen blue?
Chefchaouen is one of the most interesting destinations in Morocco. Its little blue houses enchant tourists from all over the world, but do you know why they are blue? There are several theories. One of the most curious is that the Jewish refugees painted them this color because they believed it would keep mosquitoes away. And you can do Marrakech desert tours
It is important to understand the context. The Spanish controlled Chefchaouen in the 1920s and many Jews fleeing the Holocaust arrived. However, most left in the late 1940s and early 1950s to live in Israel.
Another theory, perhaps the most widely accepted, is that the Jews painted them blue to follow their culture and customs. It is believed that the color blue represents the sky and is associated with purity and the glory of God. Undoubtedly, one of the best curiosities of Morocco.
Moroccans love cats
Walking around Chefchaouen and any other Moroccan city, you will find a lot of stray cats. It’s amazing! According to Muslim culture, dogs are impure and cats are sacred.
It is said that the good bond with these animals is embodied in the Islamic faith. The Prophet Muhammad is believed to have been personally affectionate with cats and said in a hadith, “Affection for cats is part of the faith.” As a curiosity, cats are considered cleaner than most animals. Thus, if a person touches a cat before praying, they would not need to wash their hands. However, if he touches a dog, it is a different story.
But even more the Berber whiskey, one of the best curiosities of Morocco.
Muslims do not drink alcohol, but they have a good alternative! Mint tea has become the national drink of Morocco. It was introduced in the country in 1854, when British traders loaded large quantities of tea in the main Moroccan ports. Not being allowed to drink whiskey to respect their religion, Moroccans call this drink, amusingly, Berber whiskey.
It’s made from green tea, with a handful of mint leaves and plenty of sugar – it’s delicious!
There are two official languages in Morocco (and one of them is not French).
French is widely spoken in Morocco because of the Protectorate installed by the Gauls on Moroccan soil during the 20th century. But curiously it is not one of the two official languages. The main language is Arabic, but a version known as “Darija” is spoken in Morocco.
However, the second language, and even less known, is Berber. It is used by most North African countries, as it was precisely there that the Berber people inhabited and from where it spread. Fortunately, there are still many Berbers in Morocco, so it is still widely spoken.
Anyway, French (and to a lesser extent) Spanish, are also common in the country.
The Berbers are the descendants of the first inhabitants of Morocco.
You cannot visit Morocco without understanding who the Berbers are. They are the indigenous ethnic group of the country that inhabited and later spread throughout North Africa before the arrival of the Arabs. In other words, the Berbers are the first settlers. To speak of numbers, it is estimated that there are currently more Arabs than Berbers.
Although the Arabs were not the first settlers, they have become the majority population in Morocco since their arrival in the 7th century, due to the enormous expansion of Islam from its original nucleus.
Why are they called Berbers?
The name comes from “Barbar”, an abbreviation of the term barbarian, which means one who babbles and does not speak like a civilized being. There are several theories that indicate that Greeks and Romans called them so because they spoke a language different from Latin.
But the most curious thing is that many Berbers consider this denomination pejorative and refer to themselves as Amazigh, which means free men.
They have the oldest university in the world
Surprising as it may seem, the oldest university in the world is located in Morocco. Precisely in the city of Fez. It is the University of al-Qarawiyyin founded in 859 by Fatima al-Fihri, daughter of a powerful merchant.
But the most curious thing is that it is still used as a madrasa, being the oldest recorded faculty for learning higher education. Undoubtedly, one of the best curiosities of Morocco.
And also the largest film studio on the planet, one of the most surprising curiosities of Morocco.
Did you know that an infinite number of films have been shot in Morocco? In fact, the Atlas film studios, located 6 km from Ouarzazate, are the largest in the world. Super famous movies such as Gladiator, The Mummy, some episodes of Game of Thrones and Prison Break, among others, have been filmed there.
The reasons that lead producers to shoot in Morocco and not in other countries are the good weather conditions, the ability to mimic the natural environments of many countries in that area and, obviously, because it is much cheaper.
If you want to visit the studios, you can book this tour from Marrakech to Merzouga.
Morocco has played a very important role in the manufacture of Rolls-Royce cars.
Rolls-Royce is one of the most luxurious car brands in the world, but did you know that Morocco plays a major role in its manufacture? It’s all thanks to the exclusive thuya wood, found only in Morocco, specifically at the base of the Atlas Mountains.
This material is used in the interiors of Rolls Royce cars as an example of exclusivity. I’m sure you’ve heard of it!
The highest peak in the country is Mount Toubkal.
Surely when we think of Morocco, the possibility of having very high mountains does not come to mind, because its highest peak is no less than 4,167 m! It is by far the highest mountain in North Africa and one of the 30 highest on the continent in a list headed by Kilimanjaro.
Rabat is the capital, although it is not the largest city.
In the vast majority of countries, it is a coincidence that the capital is also the largest city. But in other countries such as Australia, the United States, Canada or Morocco, among many others, this is not the case. Morocco’s capital is Rabat but the country’s largest city is Casablanca, which is almost twice as big.
As a curiosity, Rabat was established as the capital of the country in 1913 by the French. At that time Morocco did not have a fixed capital.
And speaking of height, they also have the tallest minaret in the world.
This is one of the best curiosities of Morocco and has the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca as the main protagonist. It is the seventh largest mosque in the world but its minaret, at 210 meters high, is the tallest on the planet.
Casablanca was not filmed in Africa, one of the best curiosities of Morocco.
As we have said, despite having the largest film set on the planet, the movie Casablanca was not filmed in Morocco’s largest city. In fact, in the year of its filming, the Atlas Studios did not yet exist.
The movie supposedly took place there, but it was filmed in Los Angeles. In the city of Casablanca you can visit the famous Rick’s Café, which is decorated just as it appears in the movie.
Moroccans love couscous, one of Morocco’s best-known curiosities.
Like mint tea, couscous is the Moroccan signature dish. It takes a lot of hours to prepare, and they get their hands upside down when they think that instant couscous is available in supermarkets!
For us, Sunday is the most common day to eat and share with the family after going to mass. Although it is less and less done, there has generally been this custom in the West. However, Moroccans do it on Fridays. It is very typical to share with their families a good plate of couscous after prayer.
One of the best curiosities of Morocco is that, in many towns and cities, some restaurants serve nothing but couscous on Fridays!
A bad country to visit if you are vegan
In Morocco, they won’t take kindly to you refusing them a cup of tea – we’ve had our fill of the famous Berber whiskey! But in Moroccan culture, meat also plays a very important role in the relationship between guests and hosts. So much so that it is considered impolite to refuse meat. So if you are vegan, you better stay at home!
It always brings out great athletes
A very curious fact about Morocco is that, since 1960, it has always been represented in all the Olympic Games, both winter and summer. Moreover, Moroccan athletes have won medals in many disciplines, but especially in athletics. Hicham El Guerrouj, with 5 gold medals, is one of the most outstanding.
You can ski in Morocco!
This is one of the best curiosities of Morocco. In the country you can ski in the Oukameiden resort, which is the highest in Africa. The ski area is located between 2600m and 3200m and there are several resorts and other facilities for the practice of this sport. Morocco is best known for its desert and good weather, but as you can see, you can ski too!
Love is felt thanks to the liver and not the heart, one of the most surprising curiosities of Morocco.
Traditionally, the liver, not the heart, is considered the symbol of love in Morocco. They believe that a healthy liver helps digestion and brings well-being. The quintessential declaration of love is “you conquered my liver”.
Do you like argan oil? You will fall in love with Morocco!
Did you know that Morocco is the only exporter of argan oil on the planet? This is one of the curiosities of Morocco that surprised us the most. Surely you have used this type of oil, especially for the care of your hair. It has a myriad of properties, but above all the best known are its moisturizing and regenerative properties. For this reason, it is also frequently applied on wounds.
The most surprising thing about argan oil is that it comes from the ripe seeds of the berry of the argan tree, which is endemic to Morocco. So it is also known as the gold of the desert!
Almost 99% of its population is Muslim, one of the most striking curiosities of Morocco.
And finally, to finish this post on the best curiosities of Morocco, we could not forget a surprising figure. It is estimated that almost 99% of the inhabitants of Morocco are Muslims, with only 1% of the population believing in another type of religion! Moreover, approximately two-thirds are Sunni Muslims, the most widely followed branch of Islam. In fact, Sunnis make up 87-90% of all Muslims on the planet.
