Morocco is a colorful country full of old world charm, alluring aromas, and sensory overload at its finest. The country sits cozily on the North African coast nestled among the Sahara Desert to the East, Mediterranean Sea to the North, and the Atlantic Ocean to the West.
Traveling Morocco can be intense. You either fall madly in love with it or you visit it once and that’s enough.
I, however, fell for the chaotic charm of Moroccan culture a few years ago — which brought me back there, and has me currently planning yet another trip.
Throughout my time in Morocco I’ve encountered a lot of people and learned a lot about what it means to be Moroccan.
Here’s a list of my findings and how Moroccan culture differs from Western world societies and things to know before visiting Morocco.
Sidewalks and streets become one.
Walking, not to mention driving, requires patience and alertness at all times. Sidewalks and roads share the same stomping ground and motorbikes effortlessly dodge pedestrians as they zoom through narrow souk streets.
Crosswalks are just an idea.
There are crosswalks in Morocco, but it’s highly unlikely that a car or motorbike would stop to let pedestrians cross. Moroccans, however, have mastered the game of Frogger and can glide through traffic with mid-street stops until they can make it to the other side.
Entire families will ride on one motorbike together.
It’s not uncommon to see a man, a woman, and several children riding on one motorbike together. None of them, except maybe the driver, will be wearing a helmet.
There are cats everywhere.
Cats are absolutely everywhere, especially in Marrakech. Most live on the streets, but locals tend to care for them by putting out food and water for them every day. The cats are friendly and happy to be pet, too.
On a sad note, dead animals can be found, too. It’s not extremely common, but I have seen several cats and dogs laying in an alleys. As pet and animal care isn’t much of an industry in Morocco, some animals will die of illnesses and lack of care.
Real Moroccan toilets are on the ground.
Thought that was just an Asian thing? I did, too. Turns out true Moroccan toilets are also on the ground, requiring that you squat to use them. Many toilets are Westernized, but you can still stumble upon traditional toilets as well.
Coffee shops are typically for men.
Moroccan coffee shops are mostly full of men. Way back when, women going into coffee shops was practically non-existent. This is mostly because in old Morocco, due to religion reasons, men weren’t allow to mix with unfamiliar women. Instead, arranged marriages were the norm as dating did not exist.
Though times have changed now, some customs still remain in tact, which is why many women don’t visit coffee shops unless they’re with their husbands.
A lot of Moroccans are multilingual.
Especially in the cities, Moroccans tend to know a variety of languages. The main languages include Arabic, French, English, and Berber if they are from a Berber village. But many Moroccans can speak a basic level of several other languages such as German, Polish, and Spanish.
It’s quite impressive as Moroccans don’t have as many opportunities to travel yet are still able to get a good grasp of other languages.
They are always helping one another out.
I was sitting in a shop having tea with someone when a group of men joined the room with a giant dish of vegetable couscous. They squatted around the dish, scooping handfuls into their mouths. I asked my friend who I was having tea with where the food came from. He said a lady down the street prepares food for some of the shops. “We like to help each other out,” he added.
I’ve also noticed locals helping out less fortunate Moroccans by giving spare change and sharing water with them.
Plus, in Berber villages especially, shops give back to their community, sharing some of their profits.
They pray 5 times a day.
With Islam being the predominate religion in Morocco, those practicing will pray 5 times a day, every day.
They are happy to pray wherever they can.
Moroccans might not be able to make it to the mosque 5 times a day for prayer, so many will opt to pray in their homes, in the park, or on the streets instead.
The call to prayer is shared over the intercom from 4:45 until late.
There is something so beautiful about the call of prayer for me. A man takes to the intercom and the call echoes through through the streets and into the air.
Mosques begins their calls very early from around 4:45 a.m. and they go until after dark.
Salesmen will invite visitors in for tea and a chat.
Salesmen in the souks of Marrakech, Fes, and other cities will commonly invite shoppers into their shop for a fresh pot of refreshing mint tea. Moroccans love to chat and get to know their shoppers, and it offers great opportunities for meeting new and foreign people.
Bartering is the norm.
Not many things have a fixed price, so haggling the price is almost always expected.
Hammams are a weekly ritual in Moroccan culture.
Hammams are steamed bath houses where locals gather for a weekly scrub. They enter and receive a bucket, mat, black soap, and exfoliating gloves. Men, women, and children all participate. They are divided for men and women to bathe separately.
In Islamic culture women are typically fully covered in public, but at hammams they’re fully naked while spending hours chatting away with their friends.
Tea is their whisky.
A lot of Moroccans will refer to tea as whisky. In Islamic culture, drinking alcohol is not permitted, so locals tend to think of their tea as ‘Moroccan whisky’ and they’ll say it with a smile on their face.
They stay out late.
But not partying in an underground nightclub. Instead, they set up picnics in the park, drinking tea, and playing board games with the family.
Daytime can be quite hot in Morocco, but nights are much cooler and kind, so staying out late is normal.
Needless to say, there are many more differences between Morocco and the Western world, but throughout my travels, these are some of the things that have stood out most to me. Have any observations you’d like to share?
Want to know more about traveling in Morocco and Moroccan Culture? Here’s what to know before visiting Morocco as a female!
