Morocco A to Z

My first semester of Arabic I learned... Alif, Baa, Ta, Tha... But I don't want to bore you with all that. So, here is my Morocco alphabet!

A is for... Arabs. The second most common ethnic group here, these are descendants from the the dynasties that spread Islam into North Africa in the late 7^th century AD.

B is for... Berber. The “natives” of North Africa, these are descendants of the people who lived in North Africa before the spread of Islam. The Berber language is still spoken by about 25% of the Moroccan population, mainly in rural areas.

C is for... Casablanca. The largest city in Morocco, and the home of the Hassan II Mosque.

D is for... Dirham, the currency in Morocco. The current exchange rate is about 8.2 dirhams to 1 US dollar.

E is for... Equality. Although things here are changing, they are changing slowly. Approximately 10% of people here live below the poverty line, though some figures show it may be as high as 20%. In contrast, about 2% of people in the US live below the poverty line.

F is for... French. Morocco was a French protectorate from 1912 until 1952. This influence is seen in the language (French is an official language, and the language of business in Morocco), as well as in the school systems and city architecture.

G is for... Geography. Morocco has everything: mountains, beaches, desert, big cities and rural villages. The geography of this country is so diverse.

H is for... “Hamdullala”, literally meaning “Praise God”, it is a commonly used expression of thankfulness. A greeting commonly goes, “Are you well?” “I am well, Hamdullala”

I is for... “Inshalallah” Another commonly used expression, this one means “God willing”, and is tacked onto almost every phrase about the future. “I will meet you tomorrow, Inshalallah.”

J is for... Jellaba. The Morccan national costume, this is a long robe with a pointed hood worn by both men and women.

K is for... King. Morocco is ruled by a monarchy, and the current king is Mohamed VI.

L is for... Lions. The last Barbary lion was killed in Morocco in 1922. The stone lion in Ifrane commemorates this species. An attempt bring back the species is being made in zoos.

M is for... Music. Traditional Moroccan music involves a lot of drums, a small guitar, and chanting.

N is for... National Football (aka soccer) team. The super bowl pales in comparison to the support roused when a Moroccan football team plays. It is great fun to sit in a cafe and drink tea and watch the games.

O is for... Official Language. The official languages in Morocco are Arabic and French. Berber was recently added as an official language as well.

P is for.. Population. The population of Morocco is about 31,900,000, and population density is about 185 people per square mile.

Q is for... Queen. The queen of Morocco is Lalla (princess) Salma, the first wife of a Moroccan rule to be given a royal title.

R is for... Rabat, the capital of Morocco.

S is for... Sahara. An area of about 103,000 square miles in the South of Morocco is disputed territory with Mauritania. Referring to this area as disputed territory is an EXTREMELY touchy issue however. According to Moroccans, the Sahara belongs to Morocco, unconditionally.

T is for... Tajine, (rhymes with D'Jeane). The name of a clay pot used to cook a variety of delicious dished. Tubkal, the highest Mountain in North Africa, located in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

U is for... University. The worlds oldest continually-operating university is located in Fes. The Karaouine was founded in the 9^th century by a woman named Fatima.

V is for... Video protests. On the 20th of February 2011, several young Moroccans posted videos on YouTube demanding, “equality, social justice, employment, housing, study grants and higher salaries”. The king, aware of the results of similar protests across the region, addressed the issues almost immediately. This prevented the protests from escalating.

W is for... “Wuzen” or the “root” of an Arabic word, usually composed of three letters. For instance the word love is “hib” but to say I love is “Uh-Hib”. In order to look up a word in the dictionary, you must know it's “Wuzen” or root.

X is for... eXtra wives. A man here is allowed to marry up to four women here, but only upon their consent.

Y is for... “Yalla!” An Arabic word meaning “Let's go” or “Hurry up”.

Z is for... Zip Code. Ask me what it is and send me something! (Kidding. I just didn't know what else to put for Z).