EPFL’s Moroccan community.

Culture, mutual support and careers: APML brings together Moroccan students at EPFL and everyone who loves Morocco.

Unique pieces, one pattern.

A zellige wall is made of thousands of hand-cut pieces. No two are alike, and only together do they draw the pattern. APML works the same way: students from every section, from Tangier to Agadir, building a home away from home.

Keeping the culture alive
Morocco’s celebrations, music, food and languages, shared with the whole campus.
For example
- Moroccan tea and msemen on campus
- Quiz on Morocco
- “Le Soleil Couchant” video series
Welcoming newcomers
Arriving in Lausanne is easier when someone has been through it before you.
For example
- Mentoring for new students
- Housing and permit tips
- Study sessions
Opening doors
Meetings with alumni and companies, in Switzerland and in Morocco.
For example
- Alumni panels
- Talks
Getting together
Sport, outings and evenings to breathe between problem sets.
For example
- Football tournaments
- Hikes in the Alps
- End-of-year party

Morocco’s celebrations, music, food and languages, shared with the whole campus.

For example

Moroccan tea and msemen on campus
Quiz on Morocco
“Le Soleil Couchant” video series

Through the door, Morocco.

Every APML member carries a piece of home. Push the door open: it starts here.

From the dunes of Erg Chebbi to the blue alleys of Chefchaouen, the Morocco we bring to Lausanne.

Six postcards from Morocco

Postcards from Morocco

Six places our members call home, from the mountains to the ocean.

Chefchaouen
شفشاون
Tucked beneath the peaks of the Rif, the blue town is known for its stepped alleys, painted doors and mountain air.
A bit of history
Founded in 1471 as a fortress against the Portuguese, it took in Muslims and Jews driven out of Andalusia. Closed to outsiders for centuries, it only opened up in 1920. Its blue walls are often credited in part to its Jewish community.
Merzouga
مرزوكة
A small village on the edge of the Sahara, Merzouga sits beside Erg Chebbi, a sea of golden dunes, some over 150 metres high.
A bit of history
Nearby stood Sijilmassa, founded in 757. For centuries this great desert port sent off the caravans that traded salt and cloth from the north for West African gold.
Fez
فاس
The oldest of Morocco’s imperial cities. Its medina, Fez el-Bali, is a maze of thousands of lanes travelled on foot or by donkey.
A bit of history
Founded in 789 by Idris I, Fez was long the country’s intellectual capital. In 859, Fatima al-Fihri founded al-Qarawiyyin there, often cited as the oldest university still in operation.
Essaouira
الصويرة
A harbour town swept by the trade winds, Essaouira mixes ramparts, blue boats, art galleries and Gnawa music.
A bit of history
Long known as Mogador, today’s town was laid out in the 1760s for Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah by the French engineer Théodore Cornut. It became the kingdom’s great trading port, open to Europe.
Marrakesh
مراكش
The red city, at the foot of the Atlas. At dusk, Jemaa el-Fna square fills with storytellers, musicians and smoking food stalls.
A bit of history
Founded around 1070 by the Almoravids, it gave the whole country its name: Morocco comes from Marrakesh. The Koutoubia minaret, completed in the 12th century, still watches over the city.
High Atlas
الأطلس الكبير
North Africa’s highest range, peaking at Toubkal, 4,167 metres. Its valleys shelter earthen Amazigh villages clinging to the slopes.
A bit of history
Amazigh communities have lived here for thousands of years. In the 12th century, the village of Tinmel launched the Almohad movement, which went on to unite North Africa and al-Andalus in a single empire.

Le Soleil Couchant

Al-Maghrib, Morocco’s name in Arabic, means “the setting sun”. In our series of short videos, episode by episode, we explore its history, its culture and its landscapes.

Episode 2Coming soonA new episode is on its way.
Episode 3Coming soonA new episode is on its way.
Episode 4Coming soonA new episode is on its way.
Coming soonA new episode is on its way.

The library

Three guides to Morocco, from first steps to an expert’s eye, the books of our years at EPFL, and public-domain classics. Take a book off the shelf: it opens right here.