Moroccan Culture

Moroccan People

The people of Morocco are mainly Arabs and Berbers, or of mixed Arab and Berber ancestry. The original population of Morocco was Berber (the original, pre-Islamic inhabitants of Morocco) and about three-quarters of all present-day Moroccans are of at least partial Berber descent. Arabs, who constitute the bulk of the inhabitants of the larger cities, form the second largest ethnic group. Considerable intermarriage among Arabs, Berbers and the country’s small number of black Africans has broken down differences among ethnic groups. There is also a small French community in Morocco. More than half the population lives in urban areas with the rural population in 2003 approximately 43% of the country’s total. 

    
                        Traditional Berber Mud House                                                 Berber Children                                  

The actual population of Morocco is estimated to be about 30 million inhabitants, with an age pyramid huge at the base and narrow at the top: 50% of the population is under 20 and 70% is under 30.

Moroccan are renowned linguists. The official language is Arabic, but Moroccan Arabic is different from the classical one. Berber dialects are also spoken by 40% of the population mainly in the mountains (Rif, Atlas and the South). French is spoken everywhere and many Moroccans are bilingual Arabic-French. It is also the administrative language for the private companies. Spanish is spoken in the North and English is familiar to a large majority of cultivated people (students, directors, etc) and is also spoken in the tourist cities.

Today's generation of young women are fighting for equal rights in male-dominated areas. Under traditional law a man may have four wives, but a woman only one husband. In practice all marriages are now monogamous, as women reject their former roles as providers of children and servants to men. The veil is dropping in the streets of big cities and you will see women in Western dress, driving a car, riding motorbikes, going to work, however, they are still barred from top jobs; there are only two female members of parliament.

Moroccans are a proud people, as befits a race that has controlled the entire Western Mediterranean and produced some of the finest architecture in the Arab world. Like all Mediterraneans, they are story tellers, friendly and enjoy a reputation as the most hospitable of Arab peoples.

Traditional Clothing

In the streets of Morocco, Western fashion mingles with more traditional garments. Djellabas, long hooded robes, are worn by men and women alike. Although some are now made in synthetic fabrics, especially for women, most continue to be woven in wool or cotton. Natural materials are used for these ample garments in which the body breathes and feels comfortable, especially in the summer. Although djellabas for men are plainer and more simple, women’s are often intricately decorated. Normally, the djellaba has no seams; the embroidery holds together the different pieces of the fabric. Their quality reflects the price and use of this article of clothing, as there are everyday or ceremonial djellabas.

Worn by women only, the kaftan is a long hoodless robe with long tapering sleeves. It is closed at the front by buttons of plaited threads and is worn with a belt of the same fabric or in gold or silver. The most precious kaftans are made in natural thick and stiff silk. The gandoura is a waistcoat of varying lengths. It is often also decorated with hand-sewn embroideries.

Babouches, traditional leather slippers, are worn by both men and women. White or yellow ones are for men only. The more colourful, richly embroidered or decorated babouches are worn by women. They are an essential souvenir to bring home, as is the most famous Moroccan item of clothing - the red Fez hat, named after the Imperial City.
 

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