Stories
From The Medina.

Essaouira: The Wind City, Its Particular Blue, and Why Musicians Keep Coming Back

Essaouira is the Atlantic walled city that has been simultaneously a Portuguese fortress, a Moroccan imperial port, a thriving Jewish trading center, and, since the 1960s, a destination for artists and musicians drawn by its specific quality of light, wind, and creative freedom. Jimi Hendrix visited in 1969. The city survived the association.

Argan Oil: What the Labels Don't Tell You and How to Know If Yours Is Real

Argan oil has gone from a local Moroccan product to a global beauty and food ingredient in under thirty years. The global demand has created both opportunity for Moroccan Amazigh women's cooperatives and a significant market for adulterated or mislabeled product. Knowing the difference requires knowing what genuine argan oil is.

The Chellah: Where Roman Ruins Became a Medieval Royal Necropolis Became a Garden of Storks

The Chellah in Rabat is a walled enclosure built on Roman Sala Colonia, converted into a Merinid royal necropolis in the 14th century, abandoned, reclaimed by vegetation, and now inhabited by a stork colony whose nests sit directly on medieval minarets. Three civilizations in one archaeological site, and the storks don't care about any of them.

The Rif Mountains: Northern Morocco's Most Misunderstood Region Has More to Offer Than Its Reputation

The Rif Mountains are most internationally known for cannabis cultivation and, in the 1960s-70s, for being where hippies went to get cheap kif. This reputation is real but partial. The Rif is also the location of Morocco's most dramatic mountain scenery, its most distinctive Amazigh culture, its Spanish-influenced northern cities, and some of the country's best hiking.

Moroccan Pottery: Why Safi and Fes Make Completely Different Things and Both Are Right

Morocco has two major pottery traditions that have almost nothing in common. Safi pottery — the coastal Atlantic tradition — uses bold, primary colors, thick walls, and painted decoration. Fes pottery — the imperial city tradition — uses fine white clay, delicate blue or multi-color painted patterns, and thinner walls. They evolved in different directions for specific reasons.

Agadir Food Guide: Fresh Atlantic Seafood, Souks and Where Locals Really Eat

Agadir gets dismissed as a resort town for European sun-seekers. That is a mistake. The city sits on one of the richest fishing coastlines in the world, and if you know where to look, you will eat like royalty.

Chefchaouen Food Guide: What to Eat in Morocco's Blue City

Most travelers come to Chefchaouen for the blue walls and the Instagram photos. The smart ones come for the food. The Rif Mountain kitchen is unlike anything else in Morocco.

Essaouira Food Guide: The Best Seafood and Local Dishes on Morocco's Atlantic Coast

Essaouira is not just a windy, photogenic port town. It is one of the most rewarding places to eat in all of Morocco — if you know where to go and what to order.

Fes Medina Culinary Secrets: A Food Lover's Guide to Morocco's Ancient City

The medina of Fes is the largest car-free urban area in the world. It is also, without any competition, the most extraordinary place to eat in Morocco. Here is what you are missing.

Eating in the Sahara: The Real Desert Food Experience Near Merzouga

Forget the expensive camel tours. The most extraordinary food experience in Morocco happens after dark, on a Berber carpet, with sand dunes on the horizon and a wood fire doing all the work.

How to Shop a Moroccan Souk Like a Local: The Complete Food Market Guide

The souk is not a tourist attraction. It is a working market where Moroccan families do their weekly shopping. Once you understand how it works, it becomes one of the most rewarding experiences in the country.

Morocco's Coastal Road Food Guide: Sardines, Seafood and Roadside Gems from Tangier to Agadir

The Atlantic coast of Morocco is one of the great underrated food road trips of the world. Every 50 kilometers, the fish changes, the accent changes, and the way they cook it changes.