Casablanca:

A business capital of increasing importance, and an international metropolis, whose development is linked to its harbour trade, Casablanca is today an important center in world affairs. A commercial and industrial city, Casablanca still retains its strong religious traditions in the Hassan II Mosque, one of the most spectacular in the world.

The most recent adornment to the Kingdom's most modern city is the Hassan II Mosque, towering majestically from sea to sky. A nave of incomparable beauty, with a prayer room large enough to hold 25.000 worshippers and an esplanade for a further 80.000. The Mosque is a gem of religions architecture, subtly mixing Moroccan tradition with state-of-the-art technology. The port of Anfa has been spoken of by historiens since the 12th century as the axis of its neighbouring regions-Chaouia, Rehamnas and Tadla.

Anfa was their connection to Europe, enabling export of what cereals, wool, hides, beeswax and oil they did not consume themselves. These days, although memories of the past still remain -bazaars, souks, ramparts around the Old Medina, mosques and marabouts (including that of Sidi Aderrahman, the most often visited sanctuary)- Casablanca shows the face of a nation making rapid progress into the modern world. The Corniche skirting the shores of the Atlantic, is the place for those who need a thirst-quencher, a dip in the sea, or an evening of hot music at one or other of its top-class nightclubs. Let it not be forgotten that Casablanca has been the scene of several historic meetings which have had their influence on the course of history. It was in Casablanca, in 1943, that His late Majesty Mohammed V, along with His Majesty Hassan II, then the Crown Prince,welcomed the three great Heads of State of the World -Churchill, Roosevelt and De Gaulle-on the occasion of the Anfa Conference.

Rabat:

The capital of a modern nation, Rabat symbolises the infinite variety of Morocco. Set in a rich, amber coloured landscape, dotted with distinctive nettle trees, it elegantly combines an ancient history with modern culture.

The Kingdom's capital, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, has roots buried deep in a millenium of history-a city so often coveted by invaders in search of a strategic retreat. Yacoub El Mansour, the Almohad, erected his tents there in the 12th century, before the Merinids left their stamp there in their turn, raising the necropolis of Chellah upon the ancient Roman city of Sala. In the heart of the city stands the Tour Hassan, the last vestige of an unfinished mosque. Behind its marble columns, the Mohammed V Mausoleum engenders solemn respect and serene contemplation.

As well as its fabulous monuments, such as Dar El Makhzen palace, the Sidi Saïd mosque, Bab El Berdaine, Bab El Khémis, Bab El Mansour, Bab Jemaâ En Nouar, the Moulay Ismaïl Mausoleum and the Kouba El Khayatine, Meknes offers impressive views of the Agdal basin.
Not far from Meknes, the Roman city of Volubilis is an unforgettable treat for the tourist. The city is surrounded by 2,5 kilomètres of ramparts, entered by six gates.

It was a thriving settlement until the 4th century, and fine mosaics, sculptures and kitchenware can be seen there. The city's architectural splendeur gives ample proof of its rich past.
27 kilomètres from Meknes lies the holy city of Moulay Idriss, harbouring the sanctuary of the founder of the Idrissid dynasty. A yearly pilgrimage is made to the city in August and September, a great gathering of the region's multitude of tribes come to celebrate in solemn and meditative manner the moussem dedicated to the Saint of the city.

Visitors return from Meknes as if awakening from a dream-one might have been making use of the famous Time Machine. But one will never forget the skill of its goldsmiths, the dexterity of its merchants, the workmanship of its woodsculptors and the friendly hubbub of its souks.

An historic city whose splendour attracted architects, engineers and artists, Meknes and its surroundings have remained unchanged for centuries. At sunset the Imperial city glows as the ramparts reflect the fading light. You can relax in the col of its lush gardens. Or you can lose yourself in history at Moulya Idriss, by the tomb of the founder of the first Arab dynasty and among the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Volubilis.

Fez:

The Holy City of Fez is a jewel of Spanish-Arabic civilisation. Fez does not reveal its secrets easily. Secretive, shadowy, they need to be discovered little by little, with reverence. Only in this way can the splendours of Medrsa architecture be fully appreciated. Only in this way will the call of the medina temt you. Bustling with artisans and merchants, its captivating sounds, fragrances and colours mesmerise the visitor with a constant swirl of activity.
The city of Moulay Idriss lst, sanctuary of human and moral sciences. The great À Karaouiyne University bas for eleven centuries been a religions and intellectuel centre whose influence bas spread far beyond the Kingdom's boundaries. In 789, a pick-axe of silver and gold -"fas" in Arabic - was presented to Idriss lst to use in tracing the outlines of the city. Hence the name of the city, which lies at the far eastern end of the plain of Saïss, bordered to the south by the hills outlying the Atlas Mountains. Cradle of religions, cultural and artistic traditions, Fes, the double city, is the kingdom's spiritual capital. The Andalousian mosque, dating from the 9th century, and further embellished by successive rulers, is accessed through a mighty door of sculpted cedar. An imposing minaret decorated with green faiences crowns the Rsif Mosque. The medersas around the Karaouiyne Mosque, former lodging houses for students coming from outside the city, attest the importance of its thousand years of history.

In the Medina, a labyrinth of sloping, winding alleyways are crammed full of stalls and workshops. This is the famed Kissaria -the commercial centre. A multitude of locally produced goods are on sale in this incredible maze-cotton fabric, silk, brocadework, slippers, and many more.

The craftsmen of the El Atterine souk offer the visitor a non-stop spectacle. For hundreds of years such work bas been regulated by traditional guilds, ensuring that its quality is worthy of the city. Each district has its own speciality : cobalt blue enamelled pottery, carpets, wrought iron ... one looks on as the dyer stirs his yarns, steeped in their multitude of colours, as the tanner tramples his skins under an open sky -skins that the leather-worker will eventually adorn with fine gilt for book-binding.

Leaving the souks through the Boujeloud gate with its décoration of green and blue faiences, the riches contained in the wonderful Museum of Moroccan Art await one. And the last marvel of all -the Jamaî Palace, transformed in 1930 into a luxury hotel, an incomparably elegant structure renowned for the quality of its cuisine.

Marrakech:

The first feeling one bas when entering this particular imperial capital is of pure enchantment. We are bewitched-falling under the spell of the place and its people, folk artists to their very souls who have only one aim in view to make a stay in their city as entrancing an expérience as possible. With its world-famous square, Jamaâ El Fna, the beacon city of the Almoravids was founded in about 1070 with a view to controlling traffic from the nearby Atlas. It was from this rudimentary settlement that the earliest conquests were launched. Abou Bakr, head of the Almoravids, undertook the construction of a kasbah, nicknamed the "stone castle" only yards away from the present site of the Koutoubia.

Marrakesh became the capital of a vast empire in the reign of Youssef Ben Tachfine-an empire which, under the Almohads, reached as for as the frontiers of Libya.

The first Almohad sovereign, Abdelmoumen began the construction of the Koutoubia mosque, which his grandson Yacoub El Mansour adorned with a superb minaret, still standing today. His son Youssef had reservoirs dug and a spreading administrative district constructed
-Marrakesh reached the height of its glory. Built in the same epoch as Seville's "la Giralda" and Rabat's "Tour Hassan", the Koutoubia, dating from the 11th century, is a truc masterpiece of hispano-moorish art. Its minaret rises to almost 70 metres.

The Badii Palace bas long been regarded as a wonder of the Muslim world. It was the sovereign Ahmed El Mansour Dahbi who undertook construction of the palace following his victory over the Portuguese in the year 986 of the hejira (1578), a victory well-known in the Western World under the name of the Battle of the Three Kings. The major construction work went on for sixteen years. Other marvels to be found in the Red City are the Dar Si Said museum, containing much quintessential Moroccan art and displaying the glittering array of gold and marble ornements collected by Ahmed El Mansour (1578-1603), greatest of Saadian rulers, the Medersa Ben Youssef, a koranic school founded in 1570 by Moulay Abdallah and a truc masterpiece of Merinid architecture, the Agdal gardens, laid out in the 12th century during the reign of Abdelmoumen and the Menara, a magnificent artificiel lake fringed with flowers ...

Framed by the snowy heights of the Atlas, with rose-coloured ramparts and a thousand year old palm grove, Marrakesh casts a magic spell. Sumptuous and exuberant, it radiates splendour and mysticism ; at the dye merchants, in the explosion of multicoloured wools ; at Festival time, in the rhythm of the music, in the emotion of the dancers ; in the idle talk of the merchants and in the skill of the jugglers. Enchantment, you feel in the shade of the blue gardens and in the overwhelming perfection of the Koutoubia.

The Imperial Cities Tour
The Kasbah Trails Tour
The Fortified Cities Tour
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