Morocco: Marrakesh, Benhaddou, Erg Chebbi, Fez, Chefchaouen, Rabat

In the Kingdom of Morocco, we relished tagine cuisine while exploring thriving medinas, mudbrick forts, alluring dunes, palm oases, fossil ammonoids, the High Atlas, and the blue city of Chefchaouen. The Australian owners of Amazigh Cultural Tours plus Amazigh guide Abdou led 15 of us on the enriching “Textiles Tour with Gloria Loughman” visiting Moroccan sights and women’s craft cooperatives by bus, November 7-23, 2025. The Amazigh (Imazighen = “free people”) are the indigenous tribes of Northwest Africa — called Berber, or “barbarian” by the Romans. Moroccans identify as a blend of about 60% Arab and 40% Amazigh.

CONTENTS: MOROCCO 2025 Nov 7-23
Marrakesh ■ High Atlas ■ Aït Benhaddou ■ Skoura Oasis ■ El Khorbat Oujdid ksar ■ Erg Chebbi, Sahara dunes ■ Fez ■ Chefchaouen ■ Rabat ■ history of Morocco

Preceded by: Italy: Cinque Terre, Pisa, Dolomites golden fall larches, Venice – 2025 October

Any image below can be clicked to reach Tom’s more extensive gallery “2025 Nov: MOROCCO: all” in his PhotoShelter Portfolio, where you can Add to Cart.

Marrakesh

is pronounced “Mah-rah-KESH.” The French spell it Marrakech. The Medina of Marrakesh is a tantalizing tangle of narrow streets packed with souqs (markets) decorated with arabesques and mosaics. This open-air theater of bustling commerce enclosed by historic walls is honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded circa 1070 AD, Marrakesh became a historic trading hub for caravans crossing the Sahara with gold, salt, and enslaved people. Now it thrives on tourism, construction, trade, handicrafts, agriculture, and services. Marrakesh is the fourth-largest city in Morocco and lies west of the Atlas Mountains.

Above: Located in the thriving Medina of Marrakesh, our atmospheric lodging at Riad Nesma featured a private courtyard which opened to the sky. A modern Moroccan riad is a guesthouse with an inner courtyard, restored from a traditional mansion. Historically, a riad or riyad is a type of garden courtyard associated with house and palace architecture in the Maghreb and al-Andalus. Its classic form is a rectangular garden divided into four quadrants by two paved paths intersecting in the center which typically features a fountain. This style evolved from traditional Persian gardens of the Islamic period.

Below: An apple crêpe dessert at Riad Nesma reflects the French colonial/protectorate influence on Morocco from 1912 to 1956.

Above: Horse-drawn carriages (calèches) await riders in Marrakesh. In the background rises Koutoubia Minaret, completed circa 1195.

Below: Bustling crowds shop souks (marketplaces) in the narrow medieval alleys of the Medina of Marrakesh, an ancient walled city founded around 1070 AD.

Above: A stall in is packed with colorful slippers and shoes in the Medina of Marrakesh.

Below: Open grillwork shades the Medina of Marrakesh while admitting fresh air.

Above: Ornately decorated dishes for sale in the Medina of Marrakesh.

Below: This motorcycle and mule cart supply goods into the narrow alleys of the Medina of Marrakesh.

Below: This enthusiastic dyer works at Wool Market Chez Abdelkrim, a yarn shop in the Marrakesh Medina.

Above and below: Ornate architecture at the Marrakech Museum, Place Ben Youssef, Marrakesh.

The above image is by Carol Dempsey.

Above: Moroccan “door-within-a-door” designs, often found in historic medinas, serve practical and cultural purposes: the small inner door allows for daily, modest access, entry with a slight bow, letting air in while keeping animals and dirt out, whereas the larger main door is for special occasions, moving large items like furniture, or for formal guests, reflecting hospitality and privacy in traditional homes (riads). The separate knockers sound different.

Below: Motorcycles bring shopkeepers and residents into the colorful alleys of the Medina of Marrakesh.

Above: Starting in 1923, Majorelle Garden (Jardin Majorelle) garden was created by the French Orientalist artist Jacques Majorelle over nearly forty years. It features a Cubist villa designed by French architect Paul Sinoir in the 1930s. The property was the residence of the artist and his wife from 1923 until their divorce in the 1950s. In 1980, the property was purchased by fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent (1936–2008) and his business manager Pierre Bergé who worked to restore it. After Yves Saint Laurent died in 2008 his ashes were scattered in Majorelle Garden. Today, the garden and villa complex is open to the public. The villa houses the Berber Museum and in 2017, the Yves Saint Laurent Museum opened nearby (no photos allowed inside either).

Aït Oumghar: 2 nights in the High Atlas

Below: A peaceful sunset reflects in the pool at Maison d’hôtes Tizouit guesthouse, on the slopes of Mount Aghri in the High Atlas Mountains, in Aït Oumghar village, near Demnate, Morocco. Here, Gloria Loughman coached the group to do textile craft projects; and our tour engaged with the local Amazigh educational Women’s Cooperative (Tiwizi).

Above: Mt. Toubkal (13,671 feet elevation) is the highest peak in the Arab world — here photographed near Sraghna, in the Marrakesh-Safi region of Morocco. Rising prominently on the skyline 63 km (39 mi) south from Marrakesh, Mount Toubkal is the highest summit for over 1,200 miles. The Mesozoic sediments of the High Atlas were laid down during the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods between 252 to 66 million years ago. Collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates uplifted the High Atlas during the past 65 million years. To reach Aït Benhaddou, we drove south across the High Atlas via barren Tizi n’Tichka pass (7,234 feet).

Below: A woman turns a stone grinder to make argan oil from native nuts for cosmetics and cooking, at Golden Affouss Cooperative, in Douar Egmire, Fez-Meknes region (GPS: 31°30’27.9216″ N 7°27’57.7404″ W).

Aït Benhaddou

Many film productions have restored the mudbrick buildings of Aït Benhaddou and shot here:

1962: Lawrence of Arabia
1977: Jesus of Nazareth
1985: The Jewel of the Nile
1988: The Last Temptation of Christ
2000: Gladiator
2013: Game of Thrones: Season 3 — portraying fictional Yunkai
2026: The Odyssey

“Where is it at?” …just 35 minutes from Ouarzazate city — the “Hollywood of Morocco.” Multiple movie memories accompanied our delightful walk through medieval mudbrick alleys enlivened with colorful handcrafts. This atmospheric movie location feels sensationally authentic — a far cry from Universal Studios or Disneyland.

Below: Mud towers of Aït Benhaddou, a historic ighrem or ksar (fortified village) along the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakesh in Morocco, in northwest Africa. Founded nearly a thousand years ago, its current buildings date no older than the 1600s but retain traditional construction methods and designs. Located in the foothills of the High Atlas, this striking example of southern Moroccan earthen clay architecture is honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2011 a new pedestrian bridge linked the old ksar with the modern village across the Ounila River. This mudbrick fortified village is a visual delight, enlivened by venders selling colorful handicrafts lining the narrow alleys, attracting throngs of international visitors.

Above: The door to a carpet cooperative is designed a with Moorish arch (horseshoe or keyhole arch), overlooking the fortified village of Aït Benhaddou.

Above and below: A woman spins wool for weavers at an Amazigh (Berber) carpet cooperative venture, in Aït Benhaddou, Morocco, Africa.

Above: Moroccan mint tea is served with flair at an Amazigh (Berber) carpet cooperative, in Tasselmante village, near Aït Benhaddou, Morocco, Africa.

Below: We enjoyed comfortable lodging and delicious Moroccan cuisine in the remote desert at the impressive Hotel Riad Ksar Ighnda, in Douar Asfalou, Aït Benhaddou.

The following image is by Carol Dempsey:

Above and below: The old village and mosque next to Hotel Riad Ksar Ighnda is full of character, in Douar Asfalou, Aït Benhaddou.

Above: Don’t miss watching sunset from terraces atop Hotel Riad Ksar Ighnda, in Douar Asfalou, Aït Benhaddou.

Skoura Oasis

Above: Fresh snow in the High Atlas, seen from Skoura Oasis.

Above and below: The man above left at this Amazigh (Berber) music performance at Dar Panorama Skoura Hotel is also a potter, shown below exercising his talent. All three performers wear traditional red fez hats…

fez hats
To unify the Ottoman Empire in 1827-29, its Sultan replaced all turbans with the felt fez, which his navy had adopted from Northwest Africa. After the Ottoman Empire fell between 1908 and 1922, Turkish field marshal and statesperson Mustafa Kemal Atatürk founded, secularized, and modernized the Republic of Turkey starting in 1923. In 1925, Atatürk forcibly replaced the fez with Western brimmed hats as part of a cultural overhaul. The fez hat was so-named for the city of Fez due to its major red dye production from crimson berries, which declined after artificial dyes became cheaper in the 1900s.

The above image is by Carol Dempsey.

El Khorbat Oujdid ksar

is a fortified mudbrick village built in 1860 and still occupied, near Tinejdad & Tinghir, Morocco:

Below: A women’s headdress and jewelry, in the Oasis Museum in El Khorbat Oujdid.

Erg Chebbi, Sahara

Erg Chebbi is an impressive erg (field of dunes) formed by wind-blown orange sand on the western edge of the Sahara Desert, in Errachidia Province, Morocco. Sinuous mounds of orange sand attracted my photography deeply into the dunes during the magic hours around sunrise and sunset. We stayed two nights at the comfortable Riad Serai, Merzouga Erg Chebbi, Sahara Desert Hotel / Morocco-Lodge Désert Maroc /Alojamiento Desierto Marruecos.

Above and below: Sunset at Erg Chebbi. Camel rides and luxury tent camping are popular activities.

Above and below: Sunrise at Erg Chebbi in the Moroccan Sahara.

Located near the dunes, the towns of Erfoud and Rissani commercialize some of the world’s richest fossil sites nearby, which have uncovered hundreds of new species for science. Local fossil shops offer an astounding window into ancient life, polished for modern appreciation and purchase. Some experts worry that inadequate regulation and insufficient enforcement puts the thriving Moroccan fossil trade (50,000 workers in 2009) in an ethical conflict with poor digger pay, harsh working conditions, illegal excavation/export, damage to heritage from over-excavation, and loss of scientific data.

Above: These fascinating 360-million-year-old Orthocerida (aka Michelinocerida) are an order of extinct straight cephalopods from the Devonian period. Macro Fossiles Kasbah Gift Shop, in Erfoud, near Erg Chebbi in Morocco.

Below: This elegant Goniatite fossil is about 360 million years old, from the Devonian period, displayed at Macro Fossiles Kasbah Gift Shop, Erfoud. Goniatites or Goniatids (order Goniatitida) are a simpler type of ammonoid, earlier in evolution. Ammonoids are more closely related to living octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish than they are to nautiluses (family Nautilidae).

Below: Ancient sea star fossils seem to dance out of their rocks at Macro Fossiles Kasbah Gift Shop, in Erfoud. Modern starfish or sea stars are any echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The “star fish” usually hunt for shelled animals such as oysters and clams. They have two stomachs, one used for digestion, and the other stomach can be extended outward to engulf and digest prey much larger than its mouth. Most starfish have 5 arms, which can be regenerated if lost.

Fez

is spelled Fes or Fès in local Arabic/French. Founded around 800 AD by the Idrisid dynasty, the Medina of Fez is honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its Mosque & University of al-Qarawiyyin is the world’s oldest continually operating higher learning institution — founded in 859 AD by the daughter of a wealthy merchant (also transliterated from Arabic as Al-Karaouine, Al Quaraouiyine, or Al Karueein). This college for Islamic instruction was run as a madrasa until modern reorganization in 1963 after which it was renamed as a University in 1965. It remains remains one of the leading spiritual and educational centers of the Arab-Muslim world. Nearby is Chouara Tannery from the 11th century, one of world’s oldest tanneries, pictured further below.

Fez reached its zenith in the Marinid era (1200s-1400s) with the building and renovation of madrasas and mosques which became hallmarks of Moorish and Moroccan architectural styles. Fez served as the capital of Morocco until 1925 and remains the Arab world’s best-preserved medieval city. As of the 2024 census, 1.256 million people live in Fez. Known as “the Athens of Africa” and “the Mecca of the West,” Fez remains the spiritual and cultural heart of Morocco.

Above and below: Art Naji Pottery and Tiles Handmade (GPS location 34°3’38.9484″ N 4°56’59.0927″ W), in Fez.

Above: African men pause at a cart offering persimmons and avocados for sale, parked by a decorative Moorish arch in a narrow alley of Fez Medina.

Below: Olives and vegetables for sale in a stall in a souk (marketplace) in Fez Medina.

Above and below: Ornate doors and decorations line a narrow medieval alley in the Medina of Fez, which is one of the world’s largest and oldest urban pedestrian zones (car-free areas).

Above: Luggage porters rest in their carts by doors of a mosque near Riad Dar Laura, along Derb Zerbtana lane, in Fez.

Below: An ornately carved door features a Moorish arch (horseshoe or keyhole arch) in Fez Medina.

Above: A worker tosses wet chemically-softened hides at Chouara Tannery (or Chouwara), in Fes el Bali, the oldest medina quarter of Fez. Chouara Tannery is the largest of three tanneries in Fez and may be a thousand years old. The Tannery’s round stone vessels are filled with white liquids for softening the hides, which must be fully dried before dying in other basins.

Below: Leather shops surround Chouara Tannery.

Chefchaouen

is popularized as the “Blue Pearl of Morocco” for its houses painted in blue and white, a seductive scene for photographers (reminding me of spectacular Santorini, Greece). Always ask permission before photographing the faces of local people, who may prefer privacy or might ask for money. As in other souks (marketplaces) of Morocco, Chefchaouen Medina sells a motley mix of handcrafted items like vibrant textiles, wool garments, leather goods (purses, slippers, poufs), ceramics, brass teapots, and local spices, reflecting the city’s blue charm and artisan culture. In comparison to the French-influenced Marrakech and Fez whose medinas serve a large local Arab-Amazigh shopping populace, the Spanish-influenced Chefchaouen is more heavily reliant on international clientele and has a unique vibe. Chefchaouen nestles on steep slopes of the Rif Mountains in northwest Morocco, which are geologically part of the nearby Iberian Peninsula of Spain (not part of the Atlas).

Below: One of the thousands of stray cats of Chefchaouen sits on blue steps painted with welcoming words spelled in multiple languages.

Chefchaouen was founded in 1471 by the Moulay Ali Ben Rachid, a distant descendant of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. Traditionally inhabited by Jebala mountain people, Chefchaouen was joined by refugees expelled after the unification of Spain — Jewish refugees after the 1492 Alhambra Decree forcing conversion to Catholicism and Muslim refugees fleeing oppression from 1492 to 1614. On the run from Hitler in the 1930s, newer Jewish settlers are said to have introduced blue paint onto the whitewashed walls of the Jewish quarter (Mellah) — inspired by their tradition of weaving blue thread into prayer shawls as a reminder of the sky, the heavens, and God’s power. Most of the Jewish population left for Israel in 1948. Since the 1980s, painting facades blue has spread through much of the medina (old city) and further attracted international tourism. A pluralistic polyglot of locals speak Arabic, Amazigh, Spanish, French, and English.

Above: A white minaret of a mosque contrasts with blue alley walls in Chefchaouen, nicknamed as the “Blue Pearl of Morocco.”

Above and below: attractive doors with a Moorish arch (horseshoe or keyhole arch) in Chefchaouen. The following two images are by Carol Dempsey:

Above: Colorful rugs and carpets sold in a narrow alley.

Above and below: In Chefchaouen, we stayed in this room in a stylish Moroccan riad. The following image is by Carol Dempsey:

Above: At night we step out our riad lodging to find a restaurant a few doors away in Chefchaouen.

Below: Venders offered colorful rugs and carpets for sale in the alley outside of our riad.

See a panorama of Chefchaouen from Bouzafer Mosque, a short walk from the Medina.

Rabat

was founded in the 1100s by the Almohads. In the 1600s, Rabat became a haven for Barbary pirates. When the French established a protectorate over Morocco in 1912, Rabat became its administrative center. Morocco retained its Sultan and nominal sovereignty (unlike a full colony like Algeria), but France (and Spain in the north) controlled defense, foreign affairs, and key administration, effectively running the country while exploiting resources and land for settlers, creating a dual system where French officials and colonists held real power beneath a façade of Moroccan rule. When Morocco achieved independence in 1955, Rabat became its capital. Rabat, Temara, and Salé form a conurbation of 1.8+ million people.

“Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City” is honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Above: Completed in 2023, the Mohammed VI Tower is a 250-meter (820 ft), 55-story skyscraper in the city of Salé, neighboring Rabat. It’s the tallest building in Morocco and the third tallest in Africa. In the foreground is the Kasbah of the Udayas (Oudaias or Oudayas), a citadel built 1000-1600 AD on a hill at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg, next to the Medina of Rabat.

Below: People surf and swim the Atlantic Ocean from the beach next to the Kasbah of the Udayas.

Above: National Museum of Jewelry / National Museum of Adornement (in the former Oudayas Museum) was worth seeing in Rabat.

Below: This beautiful front door welcomed us to comfortable riad lodging at Dar Kika Salam in Rabat (image by Carol Dempsey).

Seen at sunset, the white building near the river at left is the Grand Theatre of Rabat. At right is the 55-story skyscraper Mohammed VI Tower, the 3rd tallest building in Africa, built in 2023 across the river from Rabat in the city of Salé.

After a night in Rabat, Carol and I rested at a hotel in Casablanca Airport before departing at 2:30AM to Frankfurt, Munich, then back to Seattle.

The history of Morocco

includes ancient Phoenician/Roman rule, the Islamic Golden Age (700s-1200s), the rise of powerful dynasties through the current Alaouite/Alawi dynasty since 1631, the colonial era of French and Spanish protectorates, and post-independence nation-building. After division of Morocco with Spain 1904-1912, the French protectorate of 1912-1956 still strongly influences language and culture in the major cities of Casablanca, Rabat, Fez, and Marrakesh.

Al-Andalus was the Muslim-ruled territory in the Iberian Peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal) from 711 to 1492.

The Maghreb (or Maghrib) refers to northwest Africa (outside of Egypt), traditionally including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania — known for its diverse Arab and Amazigh (Berber) cultures, rich history spanning ancient civilizations to Islamic empires, and geography of the Atlas Mountains and Sahara Desert. Maghreb means “west” or “westward” in Arabic, contrasting with the “Mashriq” (east) …

Mashriq refers to the eastern Arab world, encompassing the Levant (Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Cyprus), Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Egypt, and Sudan.

King Mohammed VI has ruled Morocco since 1999 and has championed benevolent progress in

women’s equality — marriage, divorce, inheritance
social justice — standardization of Amazigh as an official language in 2011; democratic & inclusive reforms
modernization — infrastructure; renewable energy
economic development — youth & rural investment

The national flag of Morocco has served since November 17, 1915. The red field represents the blood of the ancestors and unity. The green pentagram in the center represents the Five Pillars of Islam, the core obligations for Muslims:

Shahada: declaration of faith in one God & Muhammad as His messenger
Salah: five daily prayers facing Mecca
Zakat: obligatory charity/alms
Sawm: fasting during Ramadan
Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca if able

The Alawi dynasty which currently reigns in Morocco historically used a red field as its flag and is associated with the Islamic prophet Muhammad by way of Fatima, the wife of Ali, the fourth Muslim Caliph. Red was also used by the sharifs of Mecca and the imams of Yemen. While Morocco was under French and Spanish control from 1912 to 1956, this red flag with the large central pentagram was allowed for use inland but prohibited at sea, and areas under French or Spanish control used other flags. Its use was fully restored after national independence in 1956.