The Markets of Morocco

In Part 6 of Silvia Latour’s Moroccan adventure she brings you through the Morocco markets.

Part one shared important information all travels should know before going, like whether they need specific vaccinations. Part two delves into why she chose a small group tour for her Morocco trip, part three explored Moroccan Riads with part four sharing all the food of Morocco you should try! She shared her adventurous camel ride in part five.
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Honestly, I really didn’t intend to buy anything in Morocco. However, once there, you get caught up in the beauty and culture – before you know it, you can’t even imagine coming home without a treasure or twelve….

Things to check out in Morocco markets.

Argan oil based products

Argan oil is all the rage right now, especially in high end products of hair and beauty salons. In Morocco, you will find a wide variety of argan oil shops. I favored a Women’s co-operative that had a whole range of products. I liked the idea of buying directly from them and the money going back to help the women’s co-op to support their industrious and entrepreneurial spirit. You may start looking for the pure oil but there are many other products such as skin creams, soaps, shampoos and more.

Spices

In the old markets (called souks), you will see beautiful baskets and containers full of herbs and spices. The locals clearly favor this type of “bulk” buying for their spices. The flavors of their meals clearly justify and support this behavior. We were fortunate to have access to a shop in the center of the market in Marrakesh. We were taught about herbs and spices and the various uses ranging from helping aches and pains to enhancing your next tagine meal. I opted for a traditional spice mix.

These markets (a.k.a. “souks”) were stand outs on our 10-day tour. Obviously the most famous of the markets is Marrakesh. With the old souk in the medina (old city) in Fez a close second. The larger of the two was Marrakesh. It’s a maze of streets packed with shops and is a bustling busy loud crazy place. There is a center square that is even crazier – with an incredible amount of vendors with carts or just a mat on the ground displaying their wares. It also goes beyond just shopping with musicians, snake charmers, carriage rides and more. Sensory overload!

Exploring Fez

The old market in Fez is special. Again, our guide was better than any GPS. In the center of Fez is where you find the market – it actually feels like you are going back in time as you enter the area. Narrow alleys, twisting and winding their way around. Some areas were extremely narrow – one person at a time so all claustrophobic types be warned. Also, be prepared to be in close quarters with donkeys that are transporting wares through the souk.

Market Culture

The ground is ancient, as are the little shops tucked into every corner, some nothing more than closet size. Often you see grouping of similar vendors and they almost felt like mini neighborhoods: the spice alley, the pottery alley, clothing, lamps, carpets, olives, rosewater products, sweets, meats…I will admit that I felt intimidated and was very thankful to have our guide to help us. If you go, have an open mind and remember, people in different parts of the world live differently than we do in North America. So, the camel’s head hanging as part of the meat offerings in one of the shops may be shocking to us but is normal for them. Oh, and a word of caution…if you are walking around with your fancy new iPhone or fancy DSLR camera, be respectful. Not everyone wants their photo taken. Some will even ask for money to take their photo, so be ready for some resistance. In the markets I mostly opted to take in the sights and sounds first hand rather than trying to capture everything through a digital screen. We were given the opportunity to see a shop that makes their own scarves, table cloths and other woven silk items. Beautiful and very colorful.

Another point of interest was the tannery. I went as it was part of the trip but typically, I’m for the protection of animals. In any case, I went. We were led to an unmarked tiny door that led to a group of rooms selling leather goods (bags, shoes, hats, coats). As we made our way to the back of the shop through narrow stairwells, at one point we were handed a small bunch of fresh mint. Hmmm…. what could this be for? Then we get to an exterior balcony overlooking several giant round vats of color where hides are dyed by men stomping on them in the color mixture. That is where I appreciated the mint leaves. The smell of that day will stay with me. If you do not have a strong stomach, you may want to skip this. The ‘fresh’ smell of much-too-fresh leather has forever changed me.

Free time in Marrakesh

On the final Saturday morning, we had our only free time. As we were in Marrakesh, a few of us decided to go back to the market we had visited the day prior – without our guide. This time our aim was shopping over sightseeing. While trying to find our way there and planning our strategy for not getting lost, we had a chance meeting with a gentleman who ended up being a Berber, heading to work in the Berber market…hmmmm market you say? His family makes a variety of wares and they sell to many of the vendors of the Marrakesh market. Detour! We did everything the guide books tell you NOT to do: following a strange man in a foreign country through back alleys and went in to their 3-story unmarked building. LOL! (Be safe no matter what you do….)

The first stop of the family Berber building was the roof top, where we were able to get a bird’s eye view of the surrounding area. Next, we went to the second floor, and we were treated to fresh mint tea, complete with the obligatory long pour. Our host, Abdula, said “it’s the Berber way! Please have tea!”. His family’s co-op included his wife and sons. He then showed us many items they make including: carpets, pottery, silver jewelry, table cloths and more.

Bargain like a Berber

Then he taught us about bargaining…the Berber way! “You must make 3 offers. I open and you counter. This happens 3 times…at the end if we are both happy, we have a deal and if not, then we both have a friend and we leave agreeing that there was no deal”. Apparently bargaining is not only common in Morocco, it is expected. Expect to pay between 50-60% of the first offer…not only did we leave with wonderful purchases and a great experience, we were escorted back to our hotel and all of our well wrapped purchases were transported for us! Some of the others from our tour were envious of our chance encounter. It was a great part of the trip and I’m happy going off the beaten path worked well for us.

Guest Blogger

Silvia Latour lives in Montreal, Quebec. She currently works as a Sales Specialist and Business Intelligence Analyst for a major Pharmaceutical Company. She enjoys spending time with friends & family, travel, photography, volunteering and baking. Her life philosophies include: So many places to go and so many things to bake! Shoot with a camera and be kind. Follow her sweet creations on Facebook.