Top destinations in Morocco and the incredible sweeping desert

Morocco attractions? Essaouira is a relaxed fishing port, protected by a natural bay. It was formerly known, by the 16th century Portuguese as Mogador. The present city of Essaouira was only built during the 18th century to increase trade exchanges with the European powers. Nowadays, Essaouira is renowned for its kitesurfing and windsurfing, with the powerful trade wind blowing almost constantly onto the protected bay. Parasols tend to be used on the beach as a protection against the wind and the blowing sand. The medina of Essaouira is home to many small arts and crafts businesses, notably cabinet making and wood-carving.

The most European of all Morocco’s cities, Tangier has a fascinating and slightly debauched role in 20th-century literary history, and this past is what draws many tourists here. This is the city that inspired famous works such as Paul Bowles’ The Sheltering Sky and William Burroughs’ Naked Lunch. Tangier may have been scrubbed up since their day, with the bohemian cafes and louche bars long gone, but you can still catch a whiff of the decadent days gone by.

Essaouira is one of the top Morocco tourist attractions. And not just because it’s a great city to get away from the heat and monotony of the big city’s lifestyle, but also because it’s the place where season three of Game of Thrones was shot! What makes it more popular is that back in the 60’s, this seaside town was a popular beach hangout for celebrities like Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley. You never know, you might just end up meeting your favourite celeb on your visit to Essaouira! If not, do not miss the Gnaoua, one of the most vivid beach festivals in the world. Find a few more details at Morocco Tours.

Completed in the early 1990s, Casablanca’s Hassan II Mosque showcases the finest examples of Moroccan craftsmanship. A beautiful place of worship, the mosque sits next to the Atlantic Ocean. Visitors can appreciate the stunning exterior, complete with one of the tallest minarets in the world, before marvelling at the exquisite interiors. Housed within a former Jewish orphanage, the Moroccan Jewish Museum in Casablanca is the only museum throughout the Arab world that is dedicated to Jewish history, heritage, and culture. There are many interesting artefacts on display and you can learn more about the role of Moroccan Jews throughout history and the influences the once-sizeable Jewish community had on the nation.

Also known as the Koubba Ba’adiyn, the Almoravid Koubba is Marrakesh’s oldest monument, built in the 12th century during Ali Ben Youssuf’s reign. Although its original use is unknown, some experts have suggested that it may have been the ablution house of a mosque that once sat next door. Its simple exterior design (a squat, square building topped with a dome) belies an interesting interior, with a dome ceiling covered in Almoravid motifs. The koubba was one of the few buildings to survive the damage inflicted by the Almohad conquerors, who destroyed much of the earlier Almoravid architectural legacy. Find extra details at https://www.moroccotravelholidays.com/.