Moroccan Shapes, Colours, and Designs

One of the reasons I wanted to visit Morocco was because of its incredible architecture and colours. What I didn’t realize was how delicate and detailed all the work truly is. The extravagance of the country is brought to life through the deep and contrasting colors incorporated in the designs. So what types of Moroccan designs are there?

Moroccans put a lot of hardwork and time into the beauty that are their mosques, palaces, gardens, and walls. From the horseshoe arched doorways and gates to deep green and indigo blue tilework. To help better visualize some of these details and showcase the splendor, here are a list of some of the MAIN materials and styles of architecture used across Morocco.

Stucco

Intricate designs in patterns carved into plaster. They also incorporate Islamic calligraphy into the patterns. This takes hours to carve and a very delicate hand but the outcome is incredible. You find this on walls, around doorways, on gates, and on ceiling arches.

Carved Cedarwood

Beautiful motifs of flowers and leaves, Arabic words and phrases, and other designs. This is an extremely common sight as most doors are made of carved cedarwood. Also found on panels, walls, fountains and doorways.

Zellij Tilework

Colourful, individually shaped tiles arranged in geometric patterns, mostly in the shape of stars. This vibrant mosaic is found on floors and walls in both Mosques and every day houses.

Darj w Ktaf Pattern

A flower-like pattern pointing upwards usually in an emerald green shade. This pattern can be found on schools and Mosques.

Carved Copper

Copper and Bronze are cut-out in geometrical patterns which emit light as they are mainly used as lanterns and lamp shades. The Copper can be natural, painted black or any other colour. Sometimes coloured glass is inserted into the copper to provide accents.

Painted wooden ceilings

Hand-painted traditional designs in star and flower-like patterns. These are found on most ceilings in Mosques, Palaces, and in some homes. The work is detailed and the colours are complimentary.

These shapes, colours, patterns, and designs are all reasons I was inspired to visit Morocco. Being here has fed me more knowledge on understanding what these motifs are and why they are important. I adore Moroccans dedication to beauty and incorporating it into their everyday lives and homes – It gives everywhere a very unique and grand feel. The greens, blues, yellows, and browns. The horseshoe gates, the carved doorways, the tiled floors. There is SO much more to Moroccan design then these patterns, but they give you a good introduction into some of the majestic beauty that is Moroccan design.

morocco culture,moroccan food,morocco food,moroccan cuisine,morocco beaches,moroccan meal,beaches in morocco,moroccan culture,hercules cave,hercules cave morocco

Moroccan dinner (Marrakesh)

Entertainment at a Moroccan dinner (Marrakesh)

The food here in Morocco is unique and delicious, although I have to admit that I haven't been daring enough to try the variety offered by the souks (sticking to restaurants...hoping that might be safer?). The national drink here is 'Moroccan whiskey,' which is actually green tea with mint. The Moroccans drink this tea very, very sweet—some even holding sugar cubes between their teeth as they sip the tea, which often has whole leaves of mint inside the glass. Last night, the group of us enjoyed a traditional Moroccan dinner with three courses. The first course was a delicious soup traditionally eaten as Muslims break their Ramadan fast. The second course was a variety of small dishes, not all of which were recognizable to me, but were comprised mostly of different pickled vegetables, olives, and tapenade. They were all scrumptious. Finally, the main dish was a tagine, which is a stew-like dish cooked in a traditional tagine clay pot, usually over charcoal. Tagine, along with couscous, is a national dish and can contain just about anything, but ours had olives, potatoes, and veal. It was delicious. I definitely like the food here.

Speaking of food, our Moroccan guide tells us that you cannot find frozen meat in Morocco—it's all fresh. This is due, in part, to Muslim dietary laws about what is considered 'halal' (or kosher) meat. Apparently, Muslim dietary laws are similar to Jewish laws and for meat to be considered halal, it must be sacrificed and not killed. As a result, animals that are being used for food must be sacrificed in a specific way and by a person qualified to do so. To avoid hunting and killing those animals that are not easily caught, trained falcons are used to catch the animals so they can be brought back and sacrificed properly. A proper sacrifice involves pointing the animal's head toward Mecca and slitting the animal's throat so all of the blood is drained from its meat. This all takes place the same day or the day before the meat is sold at market. Although this all sounds like a smashing-good idea (you know, fresh meat and all), I've seen the meat sold at the market and given that there appears to be no effort to keep the flies off of it, learning all of this makes me a bit queasy. I secretly hope there is a special, private market for meat sold to tourists. : )

On a side note, we went to the Mausoleum of Moulay Idriss, who was the founder of Fez in the 8th century. Muslims believe that if you pray to Moulay Idriss as you touch a copper plate on the outside of his tomb, you are blessed as though you 'had visited all the koubbas in Morocco,' which is saying a lot since there are a lot of koubbas in Morocco (koubbas are tombs of saints and other important people). Not being one to miss out on all the blessings of the saints, I said my little prayer and touched the plate.

morocco culture,moroccan food,morocco food,moroccan cuisine,morocco beaches,moroccan meal,beaches in morocco,moroccan culture,hercules cave,hercules cave morocco

Moroccan tents, Bedouin tents, Marquees and interiors

Moroccan tents, Bedouin tents, Marquees and interiors Harem Nights specially designed Moroccan tents, Bedouin tents and interiors to suite your venue and your taste, using only quality fabrics, traditional Moroccan and Bedouin furniture and accessories to create a luxurious Arabian tent atmosphere for your party.

18th birthday in Oxford   A living room converted to a bedouin tent   Arabian Nights theatre food and bar tent at the BMW plant Oxford       Cafe' in a golf culb before transforming it into a bedouin tent   Cafe after being transformed into a bedouin tent (left)   Cafe after being transformed into a bedouin tent (right)       Lantern and wooden screen   Moroccan lantern and birthday cake   Moroccan lantern and a brass table           Clear span marquee with wooden floor and glass doors bfore decoration.       Arabian Nights theatre box office in BMW plant Oxford   Moroccan chillout room for 50th birthday party.   Moroccan hall settings       Marquee after being dresses with Moroccan interior   Morrocan tent for a garden party   Traditional Moroccan tent with interiour

morocco culture,moroccan food,morocco food,moroccan cuisine,morocco beaches,moroccan meal,beaches in morocco,moroccan culture,hercules cave,hercules cave morocco