The Land of Morocco

The Land of Morocco

Morocco is located in the far northwestern corner of Africa. It is isolated from the rest of the continent by the Atlas Mountains and Sahara Desert.

It borders the countries of Mauritania and Algeria. It also borders the Mediterranian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Because of its location, Morocco has tropical beaches, highland valleys as well as  mountains and desert. It really is a land of contrast!

The climate is is dry, although there is a rainy season from November to March.

If you want to bring home the exotic, romantic atmosphere of the Arabian Nights, your bedroom is a great place to do it!
EditSteps

1Paint your walls in warm colors. In a Moroccan room, this is a very important step; to get the rich, exotic feeling you want, you're going to have to be brave and pick rich colors (warm, smoky shades are especially good for creating an inviting room). Because Morocco is a major trade center, spices make good inspiration--think of saffron gold, or warm cinnamon red.
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2Paint your ceiling. It's well worth the extra effort it takes to paint your ceiling. In a room full of rich color, a white ceiling will stick out like a sore thumb. You can use the same color as you used for the walls, or choose a shade in the same color family. (For example, if your walls are a dusty orange, your ceiling might be a dusty orange-red...you want just enough contrast to give a feeling of depth.) Variety is nice, but be wary of choosing a ceiling color that's vastly different from your walls - you'll be able to bring in plenty of drama later on.
3Paint your molding. This includes baseboards, window frames, crown molding, doors, and anything else you can get away with painting. Again, remember, you don't want to leave anything white. In Morocco, it's believed that blue doors are good luck, but don't let that limit you. For your molding, you can choose a color that does contrast with your walls and ceilings (this will be your accent color) but try to pick colors with a similar undertone. If your walls and ceiling are dusty, muted colors, your molding shouldn't be a pure or "true" color. If you're unsure, ask for help wherever you're buying your paint.
4Evaluate your furniture. Because Morocco is a trade center, you can get away with a wide variety of styles in your new bedroom. Besides pieces that are actually Moroccan or Moorish, African and Asian furniture can work well too. See what you can paint or alter to fit your theme. Moroccan decor features lots of dark wood tones, so consider staining or painting pieces you already own. Generally, reupholstering an old piece is cheaper than buying new, so get creative. That said, sometimes, a piece of furniture is simply not appropriate, and no amount of stain or paint can change it. Gather up any such misfit pieces, and donate them to a second-hand store.
5Buy new furniture. Once you've exhausted the furniture you already have, it's time to go shopping. Since you're looking for unique furniture, second-hand stores, flea markets, and garage sales will often be fantastic resources. Take the same creative approach as when you were evaluating your own furniture - when you're buying used furniture, you should always try to see its potential. You may have to fix up a piece once you've got it home, so don't let that scare you off. While you're shopping, look for intricately carved woodwork, inlaid designs, and decorative metalwork, and grab these whenever you can. Finally, don't forget that "authenticity" is never as important as finding things you're going to love. This should be all about expressing yourself.
6Find accessories! While there are never any definite rules about what you have to put in your bedroom, here are some suggestions for creating the right atmosphere.
Rugs - even if your room is already carpeted, buy small rugs and scatter them around your room for a plush, luxurious feeling.
Curtains - look for patterns in colors that compliment those you already have in your room. Be careful with the patterns, though - some will simply not be appropriate (florals and polka dots, for example). If you're unsure, look for a simple vertical stripe, and concentrate on luxurious textures. Buy the curtains so they reach all the way to the floor, even if your windows don't.
Lamps - mood lighting is extremely important. Look for hanging lamps made of colored glass or punctured tin, or even fabric or paper lanterns.
Candles - same as the lamps. Place plenty around your room for a warm glow.
Fabric - hang fabric wherever you possibly can. Hang a canopy over your bed, or drape it casually over chairs - have fun, and use plenty! Use a variety of textures, too, from heavy fabrics like velvet or canvas to filmy gossamer, for a rich, layered feel.
Knick-knacks - even if you've never left your home town, you want your room to say that you've been all over the globe. Collect small, exotic pieces that make you think of foreign places, and set them casually around your room.
Cushions - buy as many of these as you can, and put them everywhere

World of its own

The blood feuds are over now, but Figuig was for centuries a world of its own, where kids growing up only had blurred images of what was on the other side of the ocean of sand. Unlike the majority of oasis in Sahara, Figuig was not an important stop for the caravans crossing the Sahara, the only major groups crossing through Figuig were Moroccans setting out on the long journey for Mecca.











Seven communities, or really villages, only some hundred metres apart, has been the basic structure of Figuig. This structure is found in many other isolated oases in the Sahara: when contact with the rest of the world was erratic, and the one society divided into several societies, since the outer threat was too small for the communities to join forces. And with the nomadic tribes as the main enemy, division proved effective, as this reduced the profit of each conquering. Families, or klans, could be fighting forever over the sparse resources, and even today, when no fighting longer occurs, the old division lines means much for the people of Figuig.
Figuig has about 200,000 date palms, all get their water from artesian wells. The communities of Figuig have always had a problem with the water resources. There are seven villages here, and the largest of them is Zenega, which is also the richest. The most beautiful setting is found in el-Ma'izz, which has vaulted lanes and houses with large verandas. El-Oudarhir, almost grown together with El-Ma'izz, has much of the same.
Figuig is a border town, only 2 km from Algeria, but at present, border crossing is not an option for travellers (visa is virtually impossible to get).