Exotic Morocco is the new hot spot for adventuresome Chinese tourists
Influenced by the classic Hollywood movie “Casablanca” and intrigued by the mysteries of North Africa, I landed at Mohammed V International Airport to begin a 12-day self-driving tour of Morocco.
From Casablanca, the nation’s largest city, my route was a loop taking in Rabat, Tangier, Meknes, Fez, the Merzouga desert, Quarzazate, Marrakech, Safi and back to Casablanca. It was 3,000 kilometers of driving an SUV on narrow roads in often windy conditions. I had to give the road my full attention despite the diversions of beautiful scenery like palm grove oases.
Morocco was ruled by a series of independent dynasties after its founding in AD 788. Its strategic location near the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea attracted
foreign interest. In 1912, the nation was divided into French and Spanish protectorates. Morocco regained independence in 1956. Some 35 million people live there in a land of multicultural heritage and arts.
The trip provided an opportunity to take a close look at Morocco’s Muslim history and rich heritage. To me, that was more important than tourist attractions and interesting cuisine.
“Tourists from China have started to search out travel plans that get them involved in local culture,” said Tommy Yao, senior consultant at China Travel Service in Shanghai and founder of the North America RV Club. “Shopping, eating and taking photos of attractions no longer satisfy today’s Chinese tourists.”
Yao designed the Moroccan travel route for me.
This is a nation where you can find vast desert, craggy mountains, ancient imperial palaces and traditional Arabic religion and lifestyle. Its verdant valleys and attractions like Yves Saint Laurent’s garden at Marrakesh and exotic tagine stews all combine to make a visit to Morocco a heady adventure. Here is a digest of the trip’s highlights.
Hassan II Mosque
My flight from Paris to Casablanca landed in the middle of the night, greeting me with unexpected coolness. I spent the night in a serviced apartment just 300 meters from the city’s most well-known landmark — the Hassan II Mosque, the third-largest and most contemporary in the Muslim world.
Construction on the US$500 million mosque was completed in 1993. Designed by French architect Michel Pinseau, its minaret is the world’s second-largest at 210 meters. It stands on a promontory overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
The mosque is both a religious and cultural complex that includes a prayer room, ablution room, baths, a Koranic school, a library and a museum.
It’s said that the initial idea of building the mosque came to King Hassan II in a dream. He wanted a structure to honor his father, King Mohammed V, who died in 1961.
“I want to build this mosque on the water, because God’s throne is on the water,” said Hassan II, who died in 1999.
Craftsmen recruited from all over the kingdom carved 53,000 square meters of wood and assembled more than 10,000 square meters of ceramics for the place of worship.
The prayer hall can accommodate 25,000, and its esplanade can hold 80,000 people.
Even before stepping into this magnificent site, I was struck by the breathtaking view of the mosque from my hotel balcony.
Assilah
I drove to Rabat, Morocco’s capital, and then about 200 kilometers north to Tangier. En route, I stopped in the seaside town of Assilah, which has a very Mediterranean atmosphere.
The town’s history dates back to 1500 BC. Besides the local handicrafts, what surprised me most were the street wall paintings in this small, old town. An art festival held there every year attracts artists from all over the world, who gather to paint on the walls in creations of unlimited imagination.
White and blue are the main colors that mark this town.
“The color of the sky and clouds — that’s the reason many ancient towns in Morocco, like Assilah, are painted in white and sky blue,” said Liao Yuebing, the Chinese tour guide for my trip in Morocco.
Before becoming a tour guide, Liao had been in Morocco for 10 years as a member of a medical team from China, part of an international charity supporting projects between China and Africa.
Chefchaouen Old City
The same colors prevailed in Chefchaouen Old City, a site popular with international tourists.
Widely called the Little Blue-andWhite Town by Chinese tourists, the city gained notoriety on the Internet as a must-visit place as Morocco began to attract the Chinese.
In this mountainous
city, everything seems by the azure sky cotton-looking clo place for stunnin
A whole afterno casually in the crowded handicr ous restaurants a include Chinese c valence of Arab c than just snappin on social media. H merse yourself in the locals.
Fez old town
From the wind room in the city o ish-brown roofs of loom large and m
With its more t ways, Fez is said to navigate on foo tour guide. The cit 800, and its medin listed as a UNESC Site and one of th pedestrian zones.
During three ho this complex stru the food market, handicrafts shops, sity in Morocco and still open to the p passers-by can sm see locals sitting o
Initial fears of g ally eased and I tr historic city and m locals. Local child ball around in an o pleased to get a f some candies from