Morocco is a very unique country for several reasons. The first is its strategic location in the northwest of the continent of Africa, just 14 kilometers south of Europe. This beautiful country is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea in the North, the Atlantic Ocean in the West, Algeria to the East, and Mauritania to the South. For this reason, Morocco is a crossroads where cultures, civilizations, and ethnicities meet.

Visitors to Morocco may take a tour that includes the four “Imperial Cities of Morocco,” a phrase that may be heard frequently but rarely explained. Fez, Marrakesh, Meknes, and Rabat have all been capital cities of Morocco at some point in history, which is why they are considered the Imperial Cities of Morocco. In this article, you will learn more about their history and why they might be worth a visit.

After almost a half year in Morocco learning Darija, I felt ready to take the plunge. Wanting to stay at a place for multiple months, I was advised to try out a couple of different homes. So I decided to dip my toes in for just a week at first.

“What have we gotten ourselves into?” I asked myself as our car scraped the rocks beneath us. We were traversing a dried river bed in search of our lodging for the night, and my mind was racing to the reaction of the rental car company when we returned the car in a few days. “How much is it going to cost if we total the vehicle?” I continued wondering.

Taking the suggestion of our friend to visit the “super cool” ruins, my wife and I decided to visit. On a recent trip from Azrou to Casablanca, Cailyn and I drove to Volubilis to check out the ancient Roman ruins of Volubilis. The centuries-old site is located about 30 minutes north of the city of Meknes. Volubilis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is definitely worth a visit.

The small city of Azrou is the Capital of Amazigh Culture. With a population of around 80,000 people, this city tucked into the Northern end of the Atlas Mountains is a peaceful escape from the larger cities of Fes and Meknes. Azrou is known for its distinctive rock located in the middle of town (from which it gets its name), and for the Cèdre Gouraud Forest, home to a nearly 800-year-old cedar tree and to the Barbary macaque monkey. The town itself is unique in Morocco because it is built in the European style with red-tiled roofs that allow the buildings to withstand large amounts of snow in the winter.

A week of my life in Morocco rarely goes by without a Moroccan asking me about how I have learned Moroccan Arabic. People are always surprised and awed that I have learned the local language here. In other countries, local people would perhaps not be as impressed that foreigners have learned the language, but in Morocco, people are always amazed and excited by this.

Marrakech (or Marrakesh) is the fourth largest city in Morocco, with a population of around 1 million people. Marrakech is one of the four Imperial Cities of Morocco but is the most popular city for tourists. The medina quarter is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the entire city is distinctive because of its red sandstone walls—which date back to the 1100s—earning it the nickname, “The Red City.”

A herd of sheep encroached upon the side of the road. My senses heightened, I slowed down as I eyed the ewe bouncing toward the white stripe. “Stay away,” I thought to myself. Past the sheep was a rolling forest. Where was I? Not in some far-off rural mountain setting in Morocco. No, I was on the interstate highway just past Rabat.

Laughter. That is something that I fondly remember during our three months of homestay with a Moroccan family. Whether it be our search for the TV remote, or our karaoke singing to Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” we laughed together. There were also times of difficulty as we tried to communicate cross-culturally and cross-linguistically. Even though there were some challenging experiences, both my wife and I learned a tremendous amount about Moroccan culture by living with a local family.

Moroccans tend to speak and understand a variety of languages. Moroccan Arabic (Darija) is the most prevalent spoken language in Morocco, which is technically a dialect of the Arabic language. Modern Standard Arabic, or Fossha, is literary Arabic that is used in writing and in official communication. Hassaniya Arabic is the dialect spoken in the southern part of the county.

When most people picture Morocco, they think of the desert with beautiful golden sand dunes. Morocco does have those quintessential dunes, but you do have to go pretty far out of your way to get to them. Namely, you can have a wonderful desert experience by traveling to Merzouga, which is a small village (around 400 people) in southeastern Morocco, only about 50 km (31 miles) to the Algerian border.

In general, the food in Morocco is very flavorful, and it may not be a surprise to you as Moroccan food is growing in its popularity. In fact, it is not uncommon in the United States to find at least one Moroccan restaurant in any city of considerable size. It was at one of these restaurants in Oklahoma City that first gave my wife the idea of moving to Morocco one day.

In one sense, you can engage Morocco in the same way that you would visit a large city in your passport country. Keep your senses active, and be mindful of your surroundings. Here are some other tips to help you stay safe while traveling within Morocco.

There are cultural stereotypes that we encounter while traveling, but most of us would rather not reinforce the negative ones, and want to avoid being like the “Ugly Americans” other countries may think of. When visiting another culture, here are some things to keep in mind to be respectful and culturally appropriate.

Fes is the second largest city in Morocco with a population of around 1.15 million people. It is located inland off the coast, and is known to some as the religious capital of the country. The city of Fes is rich in history, having been founded in the late 8th Century. Due to its geographic location, the city tends to experiences extreme temperatures in the winter and summer.

Morocco’s largest city, Casablanca, sits on the Atlantic Ocean. Straight across the Atlantic Ocean is Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city by population, with over 4.2 million inhabitants. It is the country’s economic and business capital, and primary industrial zone.

The sister cities of Rabat and Salé sit along the Atlantic coast, separated from each other by the Bou Regreg River. Straight across the Atlantic Ocean is Wilmington, North Carolina. Rabat is the political capital of Morocco and is home to many embassies and consulates. The populations of Rabat and Salé are approximately 580,000 and 890,000, respectively.

Whenever we are planning to travel, one of the things we have to think about is packing. Are you someone who makes a packing list and diligently checks off every item well in advance of the night before? Or are you a last-minute scrambler, throwing everything in the bag and hoping you didn’t forget anything?

If you plan to visit or live in Morocco, it is helpful to know some of the customs related to money. This is a country where flowers are not a luxury, but where some of the customs related to money may be different from your home civilization. Here are some pointers to help you during your visit.