A book by APML, the Association of Moroccan Polytechnic Students of Lausanne
Marhaba, welcome!
This little book is for anyone discovering Morocco: a classmate, a flatmate, a traveller getting ready for a first trip.
In one evening you will know where the country is, which languages people speak, what they eat and what they celebrate, and how to avoid a faux pas.
After that, two more books are waiting on the shelf: Understanding Morocco, then Morocco in Depth.
Chapter 1
The country at a glance
Between the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Sahara.
Where is Morocco?
Morocco lies in the north-west of Africa, just across from Spain: at the Strait of Gibraltar, only fourteen kilometres separate the two continents.
The country has two coasts, one on the Mediterranean, the other on the Atlantic. Between them rise the Rif and Atlas mountains; to the south begin the oases and the Sahara.
In a day on the road you can go from the snow of the Atlas to the beaches of the ocean. And yes, you can ski in Morocco!
Morocco in numbers
- 36.8 million
- people at the 2024 census, nearly two in three of them in towns and cities.
- Rabat
- The capital, seat of the government and parliament.
- Casablanca
- The largest city, home to over three million people and the heart of the economy.
- 4,167 metres
- The height of Toubkal, in the High Atlas, the highest peak in North Africa.
- The dirham
- The currency, written MAD or DH. One dirham is a hundred centimes.
- The time
- The same as in Lausanne in winter, an hour behind in summer and during Ramadan.
Chapter 2
Languages
In Morocco people switch languages mid-sentence, and everyone keeps up.
One country, several languages
Arabic and Amazigh are the two official languages. Day to day, most people speak Darija, Moroccan Arabic, and Amazigh in its three main forms: Tarifit in the north, Tamazight in the Atlas, Tachelhit in the south.
Amazigh has its own alphabet, Tifinagh: you will see it on road signs, next to Arabic.
French is still everywhere in higher education and business, Spanish in the north, and Hassaniya in the Sahara.
Saying hello
Ten words of Darija to start with. Say kh like the Spanish jota.
- Salam
- Hello. In full: salam alaykum, “peace be upon you”. The answer is wa alaykum salam.
- Labas?
- How are you? People ask after your family too, at length.
- Hamdoullah
- “Thank God”: the answer to labas, even when things are not quite perfect.
- Marhba
- Welcome, as you walk into a home, a shop, a stall.
- Bslama
- Goodbye, literally “with peace”.
Getting by
- Choukran
- Thank you. And for “please”: afak.
- Wakha
- OK. The most useful word in the language.
- Bzzaf, chwiya
- A lot, a little. Choukran bzzaf: thanks a lot.
- Bchhal?
- How much? At the souk, the question that starts the haggling.
- Inchallah
- “God willing”: for anything still to come. It can mean yes, maybe… or no.
Chapter 3
At the table
Nobody eats alone, and there is always room for one more guest.
Sharing the dish
Meals are often shared from one large dish in the middle of the table. People eat with the right hand, helped by a piece of bread, each from the part of the dish in front of them.
Bread, khobz, is almost sacred: nobody throws it away. Before starting you say bismillah, “in the name of God”; at the end, hamdoullah.
Your host will insist that you have more of everything: it is their way of saying you are welcome.
Mint tea
Green tea, fresh mint, plenty of sugar: mint tea is drunk at any hour and offered at every visit.
It is poured from high up so that it foams in the glass: the foam is the sign of tea well served. Whoever makes it tastes, pours it back into the pot, tastes again.
Turning down a glass is no offence. But accepting one means accepting a moment together.
Dishes to try
- Couscous
- Hand-rolled semolina, vegetables and meat: the Friday dish, with family.
- Tajine
- The clay dish with a conical lid, and everything that slowly simmers in it.
- Pastilla
- A sweet and savoury pie of chicken, almonds and cinnamon.
- Harira
- Tomato, lentil and chickpea soup, the one that breaks the Ramadan fast.
- Msemen
- A flaky square pancake with honey and butter, for breakfast or teatime.
- Sellou
- Toasted flour, almonds and sesame: the sweet of special occasions.
Chapter 4
Holidays
Two calendars set the rhythm of the year: the sun’s and the moon’s.
Ramadan
During the month of Ramadan, Muslims neither eat nor drink from dawn to sunset. At the call to the evening prayer, the fast is broken together: the ftour, with dates, harira and chebakia, honey and sesame pastries.
Evenings are long and lively, and the streets fill up after nightfall.
Ramadan follows the lunar calendar: each year it starts about ten days earlier.
Religious holidays
Their date follows the moon: it is confirmed the evening before, when the crescent is sighted.
- Aïd al-Fitr
- The end of Ramadan: prayer, new clothes, family visits and pastries.
- Aïd al-Adha
- The “great feast”: families who can afford it sacrifice a sheep, shared with relatives and those in need.
- Islamic New Year
- Ten days later comes Ashura, the children’s day: toys, little drums and water games.
- Aïd al-Mawlid
- The Prophet’s birthday, celebrated with songs; in Salé, a procession of giant candles crosses the town.
National holidays
- 14 January, Yennayer
- The Amazigh New Year, a public holiday since 2024.
- 30 July, Throne Day
- King Mohammed VI’s accession to the throne, in 1999.
- 20 August, Revolution of the King and the People
- The uprising of 1953, after Sultan Mohammed V was sent into exile.
- 31 October, Unity Day
- Created in 2025, for national unity and the Kingdom’s territorial integrity.
- 6 November, Green March
- In 1975, 350,000 volunteers marched peacefully towards the Sahara.
- 18 November, Independence Day
- Mohammed V’s return from exile in 1955, the prelude to independence in 1956.
Chapter 5
Good manners
A few simple gestures, and you will be welcomed like family.
Greeting and visiting
Nobody says hello in a hurry: you shake hands, sometimes bring your hand to your heart, ask how everyone is. Close friends kiss on the cheek.
With someone of the opposite sex, wait for them to offer their hand: some prefer to place it on their heart instead.
If you are invited, bring pastries, fruit or, as tradition has it, tea and sugar. And save some room: there will be a lot to eat.
Small things that matter
- The right hand
- For eating, giving and receiving.
- Shoes
- Often taken off when entering a home, especially on carpets.
- Photos
- Ask before taking a picture of someone.
- Mosques
- They are for Muslims only, except a few, such as the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca.
- The souk
- Haggling is expected, with a smile, and only if you mean to buy.
- Ramadan
- Out of respect, avoid eating or drinking in the street during the day.
Bslama, see you soon!
You now know the essentials. The rest is learnt over a glass of tea, with Moroccans: come and see us at one of our events.
To go further, Morocco’s history, landscapes and arts are waiting for you in level 2.