Day 1
Marrakech
Marrakesh was founded in the second half of the 11th century - originally as a small ksar, which in the following centuries grew into a fortified city. The first city walls were built at the beginning of the 12th century - they have survived to this day almost unchanged. Their building material is tabia - a material consisting mainly of red clay. During the rule of the Almohads at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, Marrakesh was the capital of a great empire stretching from the coast of the Atlantic Ocean to Tripolitania. It was also the period of the greatest splendor of the city, which was then significantly expanded. Already at the beginning of the 13th century, the Almohad empire fell apart and Marrakesh plunged into civil wars. It temporarily regained its status as the administrative center of the 14th-century Marinid state, but quickly lost this position to Fez.
DAY 2
Casablanca
Arterials lined with palm trees, a large farm building and the Atlantic Ocean opening to the world: Casablanca is the economic lung of Morocco, a bubbling metropolis that is constantly on alert. Discover all the nuances: take a walk in the medina, one of the modern ones in Morocco, walk through the center and its art-deco building, join the effect of Hassan II, a wonderful architecture built on the water.
DAY 3
Discount
Founded in 1150 by Caliph Abd al-Mumin of the Almohad dynasty, near the former Roman settlement of Sala Colonia. It was a fortified camp for military raids on the Iberian Peninsula. From the beginning of the 17th century, a settlement of Muslims expelled from the Iberian Peninsula by Christian rulers. For centuries, it has been a center of piracy in the western Mediterranean. French occupation in 1911. From 1912 the city became the capital of Morocco, a French colony. After gaining independence in 1956, Rabat became the capital of the independent state. In 2012, Rabat was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List
DAY 4
Chefchaouen
Chefchaouen is located in the northern part of the country in the Rif Mountains. Contrary to appearances, it is a large city, not a small village (over 40,000 inhabitants). The most famous part of Chefchaouen, the blue part, occupies a relatively small area. We are, of course, talking about the medina, which is the oldest district characterized by compact and compact buildings. The complicated system of winding streets gives the impression of a chaotic maze. The medina in Chefchaouen has a varied relief because it was built on a mountainside. For this reason, you have to walk a lot to visit it in its entirety. Interestingly, for centuries Christians were not allowed to enter Chefchaouen. This ban was lifted about 100 years ago. Today, the Blue City is one of Morocco's most famous attractions. Influencers who post photos from the blue medina on Instagram have contributed to the increase in popularity.
DAY 5
Fez
The city was founded by Idris I in the 8th century AD. Initially, it was just a small town, but in the next century it grew significantly, because in 807 the next ruler, Idris II, founded the first capital of Morocco here. Refugees from the two most important centers of the Islamic world at that time arrived in the city - Cordova in Andalusia and Kairouan in Tunisia. Thanks to them, Fez developed rapidly. By the end of the 10th century, the city was the undisputed cultural, religious and economic center of the Moroccan state. Medieval arrivals from Europe saw it on the one hand as the capital of fanaticism (it was one of the holiest cities in Islam) and, at the same time, as a center of science: the development of medicine, philosophy and mathematics flourished here. An important religious and scientific center of medieval Fez was the Al-Karawiyyin mosque, built in 857[2].
DAY 6
Merzouga
Merzouga is located in the Moroccan region of Drâa-Tafilalet, in the province of Errachidia. There are several similar, equally small settlements nearby. The area is distinguished by significant groundwater resources - the Marzuka oasis is located nearby. The greatest treasure of Merzouga is Erg Chebbi, also known as Irk ash-Shabbi - a sandy desert with extremely picturesque and high dunes. The proximity of water meant that merchant caravans often stopped in this area and nomads replenished their supplies. Some stayed permanently - the local inhabitants are largely descendants of the Ait Atta Berber tribes. In the past, an important trade route passed through Merzouga, connecting Marrakesh and Casablanca with Timbuktu in present-day Mali. Irk al-Shabbi is the Arabic name for Ergu Cherbbi, a sandy desert that forms part of Western Sahara. The most popular term for this region of Africa comes from French. The remains of the fortifications come from the times when the French had their colony in Morocco. They were built in the years 1916–32, the oldest preserved buildings in the village come from the 19th century. This is where we will take an unforgettable camel trip and spend the night in one of the oases.
The Dara River in Akdaz
Wadi Dara is the name of a river and valley in southern Morocco. The Dara is one of the longest rivers in Morocco. It runs partly on the border with Algeria. The river's sources are located in the High Atlas Mountains. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean north of the city of Tantan. It is approximately 1,150 km long. A dam, a storage reservoir and the Al-Mansur ad-Dahbi power plant were built on the river[1].
The Dara River Valley
In the Dara River valley with an area of approx. 23 thousand km² inhabited by approximately 255,000 people (1997). there are, among others, the cities of Zakura and Akdaz. The valley is also known for the many fortified defense complexes towering over it, called kasbahs, which are the destination of tours[2].
DAY 7
Ouarzazate
Ouarzazate is world famous for its huge film studios. Film fashion in the city and its surroundings began in the 1960s, when the famous film Lawrence of Arabia was shot here. Since then, many films with a desert background have been made here. Filmmakers are attracted here by the guaranteed weather, extraordinary landscapes and wonderful light. The most famous films shot in Ouarzazate include: The Last Temptation of Christ, The Jewel of the Nile, Kingdom of Heaven, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator and Asterix and Cleopatra.
DAY 8
Ait-Ben-Haddou
The site of the ksar was fortified from the 11th century during the Almoravid period. None of the current buildings are believed to predate the 17th century, but they were likely built using the same construction methods and designs used centuries ago. The strategic importance of this place resulted from its location in the Ounila Valley, along one of the main trans-Saharan trade routes. The Tizi n'Tichka Pass, reached by this route, was one of the few routes through the Atlas Mountains, crossing Marrakech and the Dra'a Valley on the edge of the Sahara. There were other kasbahs and ksour along this route, such as nearby Tamdaght in the north.
Ait-Ben-Haddou is the most famous ksar of this region. What is this strange-sounding name? It is a fortified headquarters of local tribes built of characteristic red clay and stones. Throughout history, it was not only the seat of powerful families, but also, together with the surrounding oases, it was a stop on the way to the Saharan routes traveled by the Berbers. The buildings of the ksar included city walls, fortified residential buildings of wealthy families with characteristic towers and other buildings, including common ones such as a mosque or stables where camels were watered and around which trade took place. Ait Ben Haddou is a relatively well-preserved complex that still tells the story of the Sahara region in Morocco to this day. Although many elements of the buildings have been damaged over time, they present the appearance of the complex unchanged for centuries, which was appreciated by the international community by including it on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.
DAY 9
Essaouira
Essaouira is a beautifully situated, white and blue port city, constantly washed by the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. It provides an atmosphere of blissful relaxation, a medina and monuments appreciated by UNESCO, and the most delicious fish in Morocco! It is also a city with a turbulent history of invasions, colonization, purple trade and slaves. She was and still is an inspiration for many famous artists. The Moroccan "capital of the wind" is also an ideal place to practice sports such as windsurfing or kitesurfing. It is located on the Atlantic coast, halfway between Safi and Agadir. Essaouira is located 173 km north of Agadir, 360 km south of Casablanca and 185 km east of Marrakech. It is located on a peninsula, 6 meters above sea level. It has 70 thousand apartments.
Most of Essaouira's old town and forts date from the 18th century, but the Gulf of Mogador and its islands have been occupied since prehistoric times. Phoenicians, Cretans, Greeks and Romans marked their presence here. Ideally located, with good northerly winds from the Atlantic and a bay sheltered by an island, the port guaranteed a safe haven for trade.
The highly pigmented dye called royal blue, obtained from the shell of a rare local sea snail that inhabited nearby Purple Island, was a highly prized product. In 1506, Portuguese sailors settled in the region and built a military base and an important trading warehouse on their sea routes. From then on, the city was known as Mogador. The Portuguese controlled Mogador for only 19 years. In the 16th century, the powers of Spain, England, the Netherlands and France tried unsuccessfully to capture the city, but it remained in the possession of local residents. From the 17th to the 19th century, Mogador was the most important port in North and West Africa, even earning the nickname "Timbuktu Port" due to the trade caravans arriving from sub-Saharan Africa that sold gold, salt, spices and slaves. Mogador brokered trade between Europe, Africa and the Americas and became the first Moroccan port to trade with the non-Islamic world. In the 18th century, at the request of Sultan Sidi Mohammad, the city was designed by the French architect Théodore Cornut, who, inspired by Vauban's works in Saint-Malo in Brittany, gave Mogador a slightly European character. After Morocco regained independence in 1956, the city once again gained splendor and importance. In the 1960s, Orson Welles recorded Othello here, and hippies and music stars such as Jimmy Hendrix and Cat Stevens chose Essaouira as a meeting place, spending a lot of time here. Since then, Essaouira has enjoyed a constant wave of arrivals - from artists, craftsmen and filmmakers, to surfers and European tourists escaping the crowds and heat of Marrakech.
DAY 10
Marrakech
Return.
Nature of the expedition: year-round expedition
Cost of the trip with accommodation:
PLN 7,500
ATTENTION!
The expedition is carried out when the group consists of at least four people.
It is possible to personalize the expedition program.
Organizer's benefits
1. The organizer undertakes to organize and implement the expedition with the following benefits included in the price of the expedition.
-
logistics of the expedition
-
care in Morocco
-
transport within Morocco by 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser 150,200 (2020, 2021)
-
accommodation in hotels and riads in double rooms with private bathrooms
-
camel trip
-
accommodation in an oasis in double tents with a private bathroom
-
Breakfast and dinner during the entire trip
-
optional photography workshops
-
optionally, a photographic reportage from the expedition
-
covering fuel costs
2. The Organizer does not undertake to:
-
covering the cost of airline tickets
-
cover insurance costs