Religion in Morocco

Islam, the official religion

Morocco is a Muslim country where religion plays a central role. From the call of the muezzin, to the many religious festivals, the prayers, the mosques and the various local traditions, it is omnipresent in the country.

It is therefore natural to ask travellers during a stay in Morocco , to respect this religion as well as the faith of Muslims. Most mosques are not open to the public and are therefore forbidden to foreigners and non-Muslims alike.

For those to which you have access, it is vital that you take off your shoes, that you keep the body covered (legs, bust and shoulders) and sometimes the hair as well for women. Once inside, respect and discretion are of course customary, like in any other place of worship in the world.

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Nina Montagné

If you travel to Morocco during Ramadan

Find out well before your trip to Morocco, as your stay might fall during the Ramadan period. If this is the case, you need to find out well beforehand about this period of fasting and what it entails.

All Moroccans from puberty upward, with the exception of expectant women or the sick, must do the Ramadan. If believers are caught unawares in public places eating or breaking the fast, they can be condemned by the police.

From sunrise to sunset, it is impossible for Muslims to eat or drink, to smoke or to make love. However, no sooner has the call of the muezzin started, than families scurry to the kitchen and the waiting pastries! In fact, you will hardly find anyone out and about in the streets at this time of day.

During this period which lasts for 29 or 30 days every year, Morocco functions at a slackened pace and many businesses up and down the country are closed. It all depends on where you are going and why you are making a trip to Morocco , but sometimes it is better not to holiday here during this period, especially if you want to discover the local cultural life, as this is seriously put on hold at this time.

Marabouts and zaouias

Depending on the different zones and regions of the country, Islam sometimes developed in a different manner. In the countryside, you will notice that many villages go by the name of a marabout from around the area.

A marabout is a sort of local Muslim saint whom believers from the community worship and respect. If they have problems in their daily life, such as illness, unemployment, death or infertility, women turn to and confide in the marabout in order to get advice and help.

Marabouts have a tomb, called "zaouia", a sanctuary where they are respectively buried. Everywhere in Morocco , these sanctuaries have become places of daily life where believers go, especially the community of women, to exchange, pray, chat...