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Maison Tiskiwin
Travel to Timbuktu and back again via Dutch anthropologist Bert Flint’s art collection, displayed at Maison Tiskiwin. Each room represents a caravan stop along the Sahara-to-Marrakesh route, with indigenous crafts from Tuareg camel saddles to High Atlas carpets. The accompanying te
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Medersa
Central to life in pious Salé and one of the oldest religious establishments in the country, the Grand Mosquée and medersa are superb examples of Merenid artistry. They were built in 1333 by Almohad Sultan Abu al-Hassan Ali. The mosque is closed to non-Muslims, but the splendid med
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Place Mohammed V
This is where the architect Henri Prost really went to town. The grand square is surrounded by public buildings whose designs were later copied in buildings throughout Morocco, including the law courts, the splendid wilaya (old police headquarters, now the governor’s office), the B
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Lixus
Set on a hill overlooking the Loukkos Estuary are the Roman ruins of Lixus , a rather mysterious and neglected site that is one of the oldest inhabited places in the country. Only about a quarter of the ancient city has been excavated but the visible ruins, though badly damaged and
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Dar Bellarj
Flights of fancy come with the territory at Dar Bellarj, a stork hospital (bellarj is Arabic for stork) turned into Marrakesh’s premier arts centre. Each year the nonprofit Dar Bellarj Foundation adopts a program theme, ranging from film to women’s textiles and storytelling. Callig
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El Peñón de Alhucemas
One of the plazas de soberanía , this extraordinary white island fortress can be seen a few hundred metres off Playa Asfiha, along with the uninhabited islets Isla de Mar and Isla de Tierra, which fly the Spanish flag. Spanish rule dates back to 1559, when the Saadi dynasty gave it
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Old Town
Perched on a cliff top overlooking the ocean is the ruin of the kasbah , a 16th-century fortress built by the Portuguese and closed to visitors as it is now in a state of serious disrepair. Head south from here to the old cobbled medina , through Bab al-Khemis , a large, unmistakab
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Le Tour Hassan
Towering above Oued Bou Regreg, and surrounded by well-tended gardens, is Rabat’s most famous landmark. The Almohads’ most ambitious project would have been the second-largest mosque of its time, after Samarra in Iraq, but Sultan Yacoub al-Mansour died before it was finished. He in
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Grottes d’Hercule
Below Cap Spartel, the beach Plage Robinson stretches off to the south – a great place for a bracing walk. Five kilometres further you reach the Grottes d’Hercule , next to Le Mirage hotel, the mythical dwelling place of Hercules. Since the 1920s these caves have been quarried for
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Cala Bonita, Plage Isly & Plage Asfiha
In the summer, a good option is one of the three white sandy beaches that begin 5km south of town. During the low season they tend to be strewn with rubbish. Plage Asfiha has several ramshackle restaurants right on the beach, but will soon be overtaken by the Souani resort being bu
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Las Cuevas del Conventico
These extensive and well-restored caves were used as a refuge during sieges, and pop out at a small beach below the cliffs. The Calle de la Concepción continues up to the baroque Iglesia de la Purísima Concepción and, just below it, the entrance to Las Cuevas del Conventico. A shor
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Beaches
Easily overlooked, the two town beaches, Playa del Chorillo and Playa de la Ribera , lie to the south of the isthmus, beneath Av Martinez Catena. They are well kept and conveniently located, although the sand is a bland grey.
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Art Naji
Ceramics seem to be everywhere in Fez – from the distinctive blue pottery to the intricate mosaics decorating fountains and riads. Art Naji is the place to go to buy the real deal. You can see the entire production process, from pot-throwing to the painstaking hand painting and lay
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Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail
Diagonally opposite the Koubbat as-Sufara’ is the resting place of the sultan who made Meknès his capital in the 17th century. Moulay Ismail’s stature as one of Morocco’s greatest rulers means that non-Muslim visitors are welcomed into the sanctuary. Entry is through a series of au
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Palais de Raissouli
Also known as the Palais de Culture (Palace of Culture) on the seaside of the medina, the palace was built in 1909 by Er-Raissouli and still stands as a testament to the sumptuous life he led at the height of his power. It has been beautifully restored, but is only open during the
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La Clédes Huiles
A couple of kilometres past Tnine is this farmhouse eco-museum housing a traditional Moroccan olive-oil press. The French wall text covers some interesting facts – olive trees can reach 2000 years of age, and 80% to 90% of Moroccan olive trees yield Picholine olives – plus enough i
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Museo de la Legión
This intriguing museum is dedicated to and run by the Spanish Legion, an army unit set up in 1920 that played a pivotal role in Franco’s republican army. Loaded to the gills with memorabilia, weaponry and uniforms, not to mention glory, pomp and circumstance, it is a fascinating gl
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Safranerie
Almost anything thrives in Ourika’s rich soil, including saffron (Crocus sativus), organically grown here from bulbs that are cultivated near Talouine. Saffron is a high-maintenance plant, with flowers harvested before dawn for maximum potency. You can watch the harvest take place
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Atlas Film Corporation Studios
The first ‘Ouallywood’ studio, established by Mohammed Belghimi in 1983, displays sets and props from movies filmed here, including Jewel of the Nile, Kingdom of Heaven and Kundun . Who knows, you may even get discovered by a talent scout – though as locals point out, the Dh40 to D
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Kasbah
Gazing at the brown hills, the kasbah is mostly disintegrating, but it makes a pleasant sunset stroll.
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