Royal Golf de MARRAKECH
Construit dans les ann?©es 20 par le pacha de Marrakech, le Royal Golf est l'un des plus anciens du Maroc. Constamment r?©nov?© et modernis?©, il est aussi l'un des parcours pr?©f?©r?©s de Sa Majest?© Hassan II. Et pour cause. Quelle magie que de golfer sur ce par 72 au pied des cimes enneig?©es de l'Atlas! Quel plaisir que d'arpenter ses 6200 m?¨tres o?¹ abonde cypr?¨s, eucalyptus, palmiers, oliviers, orangers, abricotiers ! Que l'extr?ªme beaut?© de ce golf ne vous d?©concentre pas. Redoublez de vigilance au trou num?©ro 15, Son green se camoufle derri?¨re deux monticules encadrant un bunker. Comble : de hauts palmiers surveillent les angles. Apr?¨s la partie, les habitu?©s ?©voquent souvent les illustres joueurs de ce club renomm?© : Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, Ike Eisenhower…? 

Golf Amelkis C?€™est le parcours le plus technique de Marrakech. Ses fosses en terre rouge pil?©e en font son originalit?© et sa beaut?©. L?€™aller est vallonn?© et il est rare de se retrouver les pieds ?  plat. Le retour poss?¨de des pi?¨ces d?€™eau assez p?©nalisantes comme au trou n?°15, un par 5 de 447m avec 2 lacs lat?©raux, obligeant le fairway ?  d?©crire un double dogleg. Le club-house poss?¨de une architecture originale, la d?©coration est riche et soign?©e. De la terrasse, la vue sur le parcours et l?€™Atlas est magnifique. Il a accueilli l?€™Open du Maroc 2000.

Golf de la palmeraie

Quand le ma?®tre international Robert Trent Jones tient entre ses mains un ciel toujours limpide, la c?©l?¨bre palmeraie de Marrakech,
les majestueuses montagnes de l?€™Atlas, un horizon tachet?© de blanches m?©dinas, il cr?©e un chef?­ d?€™oeuvre en 18 trous le Golf de
la Palmeraie.

Il a dessin?© une vall?©e a?©r?©e, anim?©e de milliers de palmiers, agr?©ment?©e de sept lacs. De nombreux obstacles de sable ajoutent
?  ce tableau verdoyant la blancheur nacr?©e des plages de l?€™Atlantique. Au coeur du terrain se d?©tachent les murs ocre et
les tuiles vertes du club-house, magnifique ?©difice mauresque.

Samanah country club

Le 6 janvier 2006 ?  Rabat une convention ?©tait sign?©e entre le gouvernement marocain et le groupe ALAIN CRENN, marquant la premi?¨re ?©tape officielle de la r?©alisation d?€™un complexe r?©sidentiel et touristique de tr?¨s grand standing? : le SAMANAH COUNTRY CLUB.

La c?©r?©monie fut pr?©sid?©e par le premier ministre en personne, Mr Driss JETTOU.

Situ?© ?  8 Km de l?€™a?©roport international de Marrakech et ?  14 Km de la place djemaa El Fna, le SAMANAH country club s?€™?©tendra sur un terrain de 285 hectares b?©n?©ficiant d?€™une vue imprenable sur l?€™Atlas. Le projet comprend la r?©alisation d?€™un golf dessin?© par les ?©quipes de NICKLAUS DESIGN, designer de golf de renomm?©e mondiale, bas?© en Floride.

500 villas (environ) avec piscines seront r?©parties le long du parcours, ainsi qu?€™un ensemble r?©sidentiel d?€™appartements r?©unis en riads ?  proximit?© de la place de SAMANAH country club.

Architecture, ?©quipements et services haut de gamme seront les marques fortes de ce domaine d?€™exception.

Moroccans love to talk. Hours are spent every day conversing in cafés, on street corners, outside doorways, through windows, at shop counters, on telephones. There is no shortage of conversation and anyone and everyone is welcome to put their oar in. modern standard Arabic is the official language of Morocco found in newspapers and magazines, but is not the every day Moroccan spoken on the street. Morocco has its own dialect called d-darija, which has different grammar and vocabulary from official Arabic. Intellecuals frowns upon it as being an inferior language and consider it fine for everyday chat but not worthy of sophisticated discoure. It is, however, the most useful language to learn.

There different dialects of native berber or Amazigh, make up Morocco?s unofficial second language, spoken mainly in rural areas by around a third of all Moroccans either exclusively or bilingually with d-darija. Berber has no alphabet of its own, but uses a mix of Roman and Arabiiic, there is no standard system for writing Berber and it is disimilar to any other tongue. Desoite Berbers being the indigenous people of Morocco, the language had no official status until 2003 when the government allowed it to be taught in schools alongside European languages.the king, being half Berber himself, has geatly aided the indigenous cause. He was instrumental in setting up a Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture, opened in an excllusive part of Rabat, which inhabit the culture, such as the stipulation that all Moroccan children must given Arabic first names.

The average educated Moroccan also speaks French. It is the language of busness, refinement and sophistication in Morocco and some westernised Moroccan?s in cosmopolitan cities such as Casablanca and Rabat choose to speak only French. It is the country?s official second language, taught to children at primary school and written, along with Arabic, on most road signs and shop?s façades. Foreigners are normally addressed in French and it is assumed that the majority will be able to reply.Many Moroccans in the north of the country spaek Spanish while English, though lagging behind, is gradually, thanks to the internet, films and music, becoming the preferred language of the educated youth with a recent government drive to promote it in schools and universities. Though English is far down the pecking order; it would be unusual to find yourself in a situation where someone close by did not speak a smattering of phrases. Most Moroccans are vey keen to speak English and there are ample opportunities for providing English lessons or reciprocal arrangements such as teaching English in return of Arabic.

A STRONGLY DEVELOPING MARKET

For several years now, the Moroccan real estate market has demonstrated great dynamism. Housing demand is strong throughout the country. The government has made housing a major axis of its policy of sustainable development, through providing many fiscal incentives and important social housing aids.

Local demand is added to that of non-residents: Moroccans Residing Abroad who would like to purchase a plot of land in their country, or foreigners fascinated by the quality of living in Morocco.

The new programs also represent an important part of the real estate market and the number of constructions is in a permanent growth.

AN ADVANTAGEOUS TAX STRUCTURE

Fiscally, Morocco has set a number of advantageous tax incentive measures:

• A total exemption from taxes on increment value profit in case of cession of real estate property used for principal residence since eight years minimum;

• Exemption from rentals of General Tax on Income (GTI) for three years after the completion for construction work, following immediately an allowance of 40%

• Exception from urban tax for five years for all new constructions;

• Absence of inheritance tax.

OTHER ADVANTAGES FOR NON-RESIDENTS

Guaranteeing transfer, outside Morocco, of the proceeds of sale, with no limit in time and amount;

Guaranteeing transfer, outside Morocco, of the net increment value of real estate cession;

Fiscal agreement made with a number of countries aiming to avoid the double taxation of non-residents;

For beneficiaries of foreign retirement pension (the case of French retirees), a reduction of 80% of the amount of taxes, due to the retirement pension is expected, provided that a art of such pension is permanently transferred on a non-convertible dirhams account to Morocco. Taxation can vary from 5 to 15%.

SPECIAL ADVANTAGES FOR MRA

The legislation has prepared a specific fiscal framework for Moroccans Residing Abroad (MRA), for whom housing is fiscally comparable to the principal residence if it is inhabited by parents or rightful owners. It benefits then from tax incentives reserved for houses to be used as principle residence, namely urban tax exemption during the first five years.

Moreover, if a MRA whose real estate property is meant to be inhabited by parents, decides to sell in eight years, he should abide by the system applied on principal house transfer.

FLEXIBLE LAWS FOR FOREIGNERS

IN morocco, the ?office des changes? is an economic institution, depending on the Ministry of Finance, which regulates and controls all receipts and payments of foreign currency. For several years now, it has set regulations to foster foreign investments, namely real estate investments.

Foreigners residing and non-residing in Morocco benefit from a convertible system as to:

Foreign currency amounts going into Morocco in order to finance a real estate investment (including personal contribution an monthly instalments);

Leaser of real estate properties financed by amounts coming from abroad;

The proceeds of the resold property.

To benefit from these advantages, it is important to transfer foreign funds to a convertible dirhams account and to inform the ?office des changes? by means of notary public of the real estate purchase.

ACCOMPLISH YOUR REAL ESTATE PURCHASE IN MOROCCO

The purchase of real estate properties is proposed by our group within the framework of law no.44-00 on October 3^rd, 2002 relation to sale before completion. Such ?sale off pla? is a contract that binds the developer and the purchaser. The developer shall construct a building within a determined time limit while the purchaser shall pay the developer as progress of construction work is made.

One your real estate purchase is accomplished in Morocco; you must go through the notary public, to whom all funds shall be delivered. The purchaser can pay as construction advances of the purchased building, according to payment schedule set by the developer beforehand.

FINANCE YOUR PREPERTY

Case of Moroccan residents

You have available funds:

You only need to contact the notary public in charge of the purchase operation to carry out necessary formal procedures.

You finance a part of the purchase with the help of a real estate loan : the financing amount as well as financing conditions is determined depending on your reimbursement capacity and by securities you have in order to guarantee the loan to be contracted with your bank.

Recommendation:

In Morocco, if your bank has elements guaranteeing your loan, the bank financing can cover the total amount of purchase.

Case of non-resident Moroccans and Foreigners

• You have the available funds

You have them transferred either by a SWIFT bank transfer to your Moroccan account ( in convertible Dirhams) and you pay by check at the time of drawing up the authentic deed, or by SWIFT bank transfer from your foreign account of the notary public in charge of the operation.

• You finance your purchase with a loan in Morocco:

The bank asks you to make a down payment of at least 30% of the purchase price as well as all the associated taxes and fees (certified taxes, registration fees, etc). You should open your bank account in convertible dirhams. Monthly reimbursement payment would be done through this account.

• You finance your purchase with a mortgage in your country of residence:

Intermediary Moroccan banks will issue guarantees to the foreign bank that grants you medium-term or long-term loans for the purchase of your real estate property in Morocco.

In order to benefit from thins facility, you must present to the Intermediary Moroccan bank, prior to the issuance of the guarantee, a declaration on honor that you do not own any property in Morocco. The intermediary Moroccan bank issuing the guarantee will require a mortgage on the real estate property to be acquired; equivalent to at least the amount guaranteed and will make sure that the amount guaranteed and will make sure that the amount of acquisition including the other charges related to it (notary fees registration fees, etc) has been repatriated.

Recommendation:

It is highly recommended that you transfer your money via an account in convertible dirhams.

CONTRACT IN SBC

Sale before completion (SBC) includes a preliminary contract and a final bill for sale. A reservation contract can be initially planned in order to guarantee the real purchase to the client.

Reservation contract

This type of contract is subject to the general principles regulating the elaboration of contract in Morocco. It?s the conventional contract by which the developer reserves the possible purchase of a real estate property to the potential buyer.

The reservation contract, in general, includes a detailed description of the real estate property, inhabited surface area, number of rooms and outbuildings, price of sale, modes of payment, and the amount of guarantee deposit.

The following documents are handed over to the reserver at the time of signing the reservation contract:

A summary descriptive notice;

The master plan of the expected real estate complex;

Preliminary contract

This contract is binding and con not be concluded unless the ground-floor foundations are completed.

It shall include compulsory indications and specify the real estate property being subject to the contract, the term of delivery, the price and modes of payment, the reimbursement security, etc.

A terms of reference- including useful indications relation to consistency and technical characteristics of real estate property, the nature and the quality of materials and equipments as well as the construction time limit and term of delivery of the property-is signed by the parties and a certified true copy is issued to the purchaser.

A copy of the preliminary contract is given to the purchaser before the expected date of signature. The purchaser shall pay the price along with the progress of construction work and the developer remains the project owner until work completed. The developer continues to run construction operations and manages relationships with architects and contractors.

Final bill for sale

The transfer of the real estate property sold after concluding the final bill for sale, occurs in the presence of the notary and the inscription on the land books (not with the signature of the preliminary contract as in other countries).

Signing the final contract occurs once the total amount of the property is paid, construction work completed and residence license related to the property designated in the preliminary contract is obtained.

The purchaser has a number of guarantees in SBC:

Reimbursement securities

The developer must set up for the purchaser, at the time of signing the preliminary contract, the reimbursement guarantee stipulated by the law, that is an insurance or a down payment (bank or similar), in order to guarantee the restitution of the sums already paid, in case the developer can not finish the construction work planned.

Provisional registration

The preserve the purchaser?s rights, the law has set up the provisional registration, In order to temporarily preserve his rights, the purchaser can call for a provisional registration is to temporarily preserve an existing right, whose realization is delayed by a formal procedure to be accomplished.

Provisional registration remains valid until registering the final contract of sale on the estate?s land titled-deed, subject to the sale.

Concealed defect guarantee

The developer has a commitment towards the purchaser to guarantee any concealed defects, up to one year after delivery, contrary to apparent defects which the purchaser knew of beforehand or may have been easily aware of.

Decennial guarantee

For a period of ten years following ?completion of the works?; the decennial guarantee covers all damages including the sturdiness of the project, which, even if it is affected in one of its constituting elements, makes the project unsuitable for its purpose of use. (Roof faultiness, water infiltration, wall and foundation stability faults?).

To become a property owner in Morocco, it implies some fiscal consequences which should be known beforehand.

Below are u main obligations:

PURCHASE FEES

For constructed properties or plots meant for such purpose, purchase fees vary between 5 to 6% of the purchase price.

AFTER PURCHASE

In Morocco, when purchasing a real estate property, several types of taxes are to be paid to the state:

Urban tax:

It is calculated based on the rental value of the purchased estate and varies between 10 to 30%. It is determined by comparison or evaluation carried out by a census commission. The rental value is subject to annual revision.

The urban tax is not applied to new premises during the first five years, after the date of the delivered residence authorization. However, you benefit from a reduction of 75% of this tax if it is your primary residence.

Furthermore, the MRA benefit from the same reduction if the real estate property is inhabited by their parents or their rightful owners.

Income for real property

In case the real estate property is rented, you should declare rental income. Yet, rentals are exempted from GTI for the first three years, after completion of construction. After those three years, you benefit from a reduction of 40% on rental income that is imposed by GTI.

Municipal tax:

It is raised to 10% of yearly rental value taken to calculate the urban tax.

Tax on Profit Estate (TPE):

The TPE could possibly concern you, if you decide to resell your real estate property. It is about the difference between the price of sale and purchase. The rate is fixed at 20% and should not be inferior to 3% of the sale price.

The owner could be exempted from this tax if the sold estate has been his principle residence for more than eight years. If a MRA whose property is meant to accommodate his parents or rightful owners, decides to sell after eight years, he should abide by the system applied on principal residence cession.

Generally, there is a fiscal agreement of non-double taxation between most of European counties and Morocco. The fiscal residence notion will determine whether the Moroccan fiscal legislation is applied as to taxation. People usually residing in Morocco will be considered as fiscal residents.

WHY INVEST IN MOROCCO

• Very competitive property prices: 50% less than other European resorts

• Low cost of living: experience a luxury lifestyle at little expense

• High capitalization growth property market has captured the attention savvy investors who want to enhance the value of their money.

• Absence of inheritance tax.

• No annual property tax for the first five years following the purchase of the real estate property.

• Possibility of financing through a bank loan up to 70% of the property value for foreigners.

• Moroccan open skies to international airline companies. (Easy jet, Thomson fly, Ryan Air First are the first to have direct flight to Morocco)

Since 1999, Mr Vincent BENVENUTI studies the real estate market of Marrakech. Jemma el Fna real estate is created and established in one of the most strategic point of the ?Red city?, boulevard Mohamed V.

Today, reinforced by his experiences and his French-Moroccan team, Jemaa el Fna disposes of more than 700 values, situated in Marrakech, Essaouira, Rabat, Fes and Agadir.

 
MARRAKECH

Marrakech is berber origin and more africaan than arab. It has been the country?s capital on two occasions. Firstly when it was founded in the 11^th century by Berber Muslim tribesmen, the Almoravids and again, in the 16^th century, during the Saadians dynasty. The city was built by the Almoravid leader, Youssef Ben Tachfine, who chose it as a place to pitch camp based on its location on a warm plain protected from the Saharan winds by the mountains. He immediately constructed a Kasbah and a mosque and to overcome the water shortage, planted pipes (khetara) made out of baked mud in the ground, to carry water into the city, from the High atlas, still in evidence around the Palmeraie just outside the city. When Youssef died, his son, Ali succeeded him and built the city?s original ramparts. In 1147, after many battles, Marrakech eventually fell to the vehemently religious, Almoravids who became the next dynasty. After demolishing many of the Almoravids main monuments, the Almohads rebuilt Marrakech adding such relics as the Koutoubia mosque, which had to be rebuilt 50 years later as the previous one was not completely in the line with Mecca, the El Mansour mosque and Bab Agnaou, the gateway to the Kasbah, all of which are still very much in existence today.

MARRAKECH TODAY

The Marrakech of today is basking in the glory of yet another heyday. Home to some of the world?s most beautiful gardens, hotels, houses and monuments, resided in by some the world?s most famous designers, writers, artists and entrepreneurs, host to the glamorous International Film festival and recipient of over one-third of all visitors to the country, a figure set to rise in line with vision 2010.

It is a city of noise, entertainment and color that thrives on attention and appears to blossom the busier it gets. From the snake charmers, storytellers and acrobats of Jemaa el Fna (see below) to the hustling, playful chitchat in the souks, the honking horns on Avenue Mohammed V, the dashing bursts of bougainvillea and the art galleries, exhibitions and boutiques, it is a city where the old and new seamlessly join and you feel as comfortable on the black of a braying mule as you do in the front of a polished 4×4.

It is also a city where in amongst the opulence and affluence, there is severe poverty. Migrants from the rural Atlas looking for work to feed their families, beggars and street children rifling through dustbins, hustling tourist and conning the naive in order to get a bite to eat or a scattering of loose change

Once recommended by Winston Churchill as having the air to cure bronchitis, it is now one of Morocco?s most polluted cities where every road is a traffic jam and the smell of fumes, overpowering.

Despite this, investment in Marrakech is soaring. The combination of a young, forward thinking monarch and a highly effective regional governor Mohammed Hassad has done much to improve the quality of life in the city. Social housing projects are underway to get the city?s poorest out of the shantytowns, the bureaucracy, notorious for impeding investment and entreneurialism has been hacked down to manageable sized chunks and touts who harass foreigners are at risk of arrest by heavy-handed tourist police.

The main investors are the French many of whom still feel they have something of a hold over the city and, expatriate Moroccans looking for a project they can sink their hard earned foreign currency into. The last five years, though, have seen a sharp growth in the number of British people buying property in Marrakech either as second homes, guesthouses or holiday lets.

ESSAOUIRA

Essaouira is arguably Morocco?s most loved town. Its 10 Km of sandy, white beach, dunes and sea dotted with windsurfs, the whitewashed UNESCO protected medina enclosed within pink sandstone ramparts, the lively, bustling fishing port and colourful wooden boats, fish grills, souks, artisan workshop, art galleries and white paved piazzas have long appealed to artists, musicians and cosmopolitan crowds of visitors. Jimmy Hendrix, Orson Welles and Hollywood directors Ridely Scott and Oliver Stone have all lived or worked in the medina, located on the south west coast of Morocco in between Agadir and Casablanca.

ESSAOUIRA TODAY

For many, what most appeals about Essaouira is that everywhere is reachable on foot. There is very little need for a car in the town as the medina is compact and fully pedestrians, walk able from end to end in 20 minutes. The sea smacks against the medina walls and the beach is opposite the southern gate. The Ville nouvelle is outside Bab Doukalla, to the north of the medina with streets as bustling as inside the walls. The fact that the layout of the medina was specifically designed as opposed to simply evolved like many of Morocco?s more sprawling cities, means that it is easy to navigate.

PLANS OF ESSAOUIRA

The town has been chosen as one of the six cities to be developed with a luxury costal resort, in line with the government?s Plan Azur. The Belgian luxembourgeois group, Thomas Piron/ TPR l?atelier is responsible for station balneaire de Mogador, the 356 hectares site 4 km south of Essaouira , which is currently under construction, due to be complete around 2008. There will be 525 luxury villas, 32 hotels and guesthouse, 2 golf courses, spas, a beach club, cafés, parks and gardens. Quite what the impact of this will be on properties in the medina is not yet clear. Essaouira has always prided itself on being a town that attracts independent travellers as opposed to large package tour groups. Such a development will bring different clientele to the town, it might also decrease business for guesthouse and holiday lets inside the medina as more people stay in the luxury resort visiting the medina only for day trips. On a positive note, it is expected to give a boost to both the local economy and employment rates in the area, although the lack of educational institutes in Essaouira means that highly skilled personnel are traditionally, sourced from the big cities such as Casablanca, leaving the lowlier, unskilled positions to the locals.

Convertible bank accounts :

The Moroccan dirham MAD is a restricted currency, which means that it cannot be obtained outside Morocco or leeave the country. It is imperative, therefor, that the account you open is what is known as a convertible bank account, which will enable you both deposit and repatriate any forign currency you have paid in to the account plus any profits you have made from your property. Convertible bank accounts are given automatically to non-residents, as it is assumed that they will wish to be makinga all payments in foreign currency. All of the banks offer convertible accounts and will keep a record for you of what foreign currency deposits have been made, so that you can repatriate funds without having to go via the Office des Changes, which used to be the case. It is not possible to pay dirham in to your convertible account is if you are self-employed in Morocco being paid in local currency, you will need to open a local currency non-convertible account.

Opening a convertible account is very starightforward. All you need to privide are:

• Passport or residence card
• Specimen of signatures
• Utility bill
• Money-as small or large an amount as you wish

After the first deposit has been made in to the account, yu will be given a chequebook and credit card. The credit card can be used internationally. These can be either collected from your branch in Morocco or if you are with a bank that has a  UK representative office, picked up or issued from there. While it is wise to always keep a sum of money in the account to pay off bills and taxes, it is important to keep the account active. If no money is deposited or removed from the account for one year, the bank will automatically close it down and return the remaining balance to you. It will then be much harder to reoopen your bank account through a UK representative office, as they tend only to deal with accounts opened specifically for the purchasing of property and other lage investments.
 

Money Transfers :

Intra bank transfers
As said above, if you choose to open your bank account through a UK representative office, they will handle money transfers relating to the purchasing of your property or investments for you free of charge at reasonable rates of exchage. All you need to do is send a fax requesting the amount to be transferred and the representative bank will forward it on for you. As wish most administrative tasks, it is prudent just to put in a telephone call ensuring the fax has been received and is being actioned, especially if you are keen for the transfer to be made quickly. While banks will insist that transfers take two days to clear, it is always necessary to allow extra time to allow for the the many unexpected occurrences that can crop up.

Bank to bank transfers. It is possible to send money from your UK bank account to either yours or some else?s account in Morocco. To dothis, you need to have the recipients account number, postal address of the bank the swift code. The maximum you can send tends to be around £5000 and costs start around £15. There are also payments to be made at both ends, so it is important to note who will be responsible for paying these prior to the money leaving the account. While to to most places this service takes 1-5 days,with Morocco it can be a lot longer up-to a couple of weeks, so it is not a recommended route if yo wish for the money to be there fast.

Telegraphic transfers
For a fast, reliable service one of the telegraphic transfer companies such as Western Union or its relatively cheaper compatriot, Money-Gram will be your best bet. Taking in to consideration the rapid sending time and efficiency of these telegraphhic transfer companies, the cost is not incomminutes with price dependent on how much money you are sending. All you need to do is provide the exact name of the person collecting the money just a minor spelling mistake will prevent collection) and sometimes, a password known both to you and the recipient. The recipient will need to show either their identity card or passeport and give the shared password in order to collect the money.

Geography and climate

Morocco reclines against the northern edge of Africa spread over 446,550 sq km, roughly the size of France or California, gazing up to the southern Europe and down to the windswept plains of the Western Sahara. To its west lies the Atlantic, to its north, the Mediterranean and to its east, attached by desert and coast, Algeria. Morocco is a country of geographical extremes; agricultural valleys and lunar landscapes, mud packed plains and lush palmeraies , cedar forests and volcanic outcrops, sandy bays and sheer gorges, sand dunes and snowy pistes. Over 3500 km of coastlines runs around Morocco?s four mountain chains, the Rif, Middle Atlas, High Atlas and Anti Atlas, which, like a backbone, sear through the country from the east to the west separating the lush, fertile north from the arid, desert south. The snow capped peak, the tallest, Jbel Toubkal in the high Atlas, exceeding 4000 metres, drain the great rivers of Moulouya , Sebou and Oum er Rbia, whose tributaries feed into the fertile kplains of Fes and Meknes and the date-rich oasis valleys of the south.

Ask about the weather at any time of the year of the year in Morocco and one can pretty safely predict sunshine. Even if there is a chilly Atlantic wind or a desert sandstorm, you can be sure the sun will be around to observe it. Weather forecasters claim 350 days of sunshine a year and if you are unfortunate enough to be around during the 15 cloudy days, you might be pretty glad of the break. The hottest place to live is the desert around Zagora and Merzouga where summer temperatures climb to an average of 42°C with year round averages of 30°C. The coolest place is along the North western edge of the country where Atlantic winds keep conditions at a fair temperature of 28°C during the summer months and around 16°-21°C during the winter. Areas close to the coast are most prone to small amounts of rainfall which spread in from the Atlantic Ocean, while great swathes of the interior fall victim to crippling droughts every couple of years or so. Snow, which is common in the high altitudes of the mountains, making skiing a popular pastime, fell around Casablanca in 2004 but this is not a common event.

History

The history of morocco dates back to between 15,000 and 10,000 BC with evidence of early settlers, thought, due to their fair skin and high cheekbones, to be a mix of European and Asian origin. They became later know as Berber, a name given to them by the Arabs that simply means, not of Arab descent. The Berbers were pastoral dwellers who inhabited the mountain and deserts, working the inhospitable terrain and surviving on very little. Through lumped together and known simply as Berber, There were vast arrays of tribes each fiercely independent and strictly loyal only to their kinsmen end family clan.

Political structure

Morocco has been a constitutional monarchy since 1972, with the king in the role of head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces and in charge of all military and civil appointments. He is also responsible for the appointment and dismissal government, which incorporates a coalition of parties, and in his role as Commander of the faithful, the nation?s spiritual leader. The national parliament is split into two chambers; the lower chamber of representatives (majlis al-nuwab) with 325 members and the upper chamber of counsellors ( majlis al mustasharin) with 279 members. Every five years elections are held for the lower chamber in which 2002 claimed to be the freest and fairest with 35 women elected thanks to a system of ?women only lists?. Unions, local communes and business organisations elect the upper chamber for nine year, non-consecutive terms. Parties receive state funding based on the number of votes received and their number of seats in parliament.

Languages:

Moroccans love to talk. Hours are spent every day conversing in cafés, on street corners, outside doorways, through windows, at shop counters, on telephones. There is no shortage of conversation and anyone and everyone is welcome to put their oar in. modern standard Arabic is the official language of Morocco found in newspapers and magazines, but is not the every day Moroccan spoken on the street. Morocco has its own dialect called d-darija, which has different grammar and vocabulary from official Arabic. Intellecuals frowns upon it as being an inferior language and consider it fine for everyday chat but not worthy of sophisticated discoure. It is, however, the most useful language to learn.

There different dialects of native berber or Amazigh, make up Morocco?s unofficial second language, spoken mainly in rural areas by around a third of all Moroccans either exclusively or bilingually with d-darija. Berber has no alphabet of its own, but uses a mix of Roman and Arabiiic, there is no standard system for writing Berber and it is disimilar to any other tongue. Desoite Berbers being the indigenous people of Morocco, the language had no official status until 2003 when the government allowed it to be taught in schools alongside European languages.the king, being half Berber himself, has geatly aided the indigenous cause. He was instrumental in setting up a Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture, opened in an excllusive part of Rabat, which inhabit the culture, such as the stipulation that all Moroccan children must given Arabic first names.

The average educated Moroccan also speaks French. It is the language of busness, refinement and sophistication in Morocco and some westernised Moroccan?s in cosmopolitan cities such as Casablanca and Rabat choose to speak only French. It is the country?s official second language, taught to children at primary school and written, along with Arabic, on most road signs and shop?s façades. Foreigners are normally addressed in French and it is assumed that the majority will be able to reply.Many Moroccans in the north of the country spaek Spanish while English, though lagging behind, is gradually, thanks to the internet, films and music, becoming the preferred language of the educated youth with a recent government drive to promote it in schools and universities. Though English is far down the pecking order; it would be unusual to find yourself in a situation where someone close by did not speak a smattering of phrases. Most Moroccans are vey keen to speak English and there are ample opportunities for providing English lessons or reciprocal arrangements such as teaching English in return of Arabic.

 Food and drinks

Through western inventions such as pressure cookers, instant couscous ( the name for both the separated grain of the wheat plant and a traditional cooked dish) and convenience meals have seeped into some urban kitchens, traditional cuisine remains the mainstay for most Moroccans. Many view it as an art form, born over the centuries, which does more than satisfy the belly. As cooking remains strictly a woman?s craft in a society dominated by males, it has become a form of self-expression through which individuality, mood and creativity can be conveyed to onlookers who, in turn and indirectly, can judge, discuss and admire without stepping over social barriers.

Culinary wisdom is passed down the generations, from mother to daughter. Girls are shown how to cook through the use to tastes, fee and smell as opposed to the more cerebral methods of weighing scales, egg timers and cookbooks. Culinary expertise indicates a sound upbringing and counts as an important, albeit subtle, selling point, when it comes to attractiveness for marriage. This is especially true in fes , where women are considered to be the most skilled cooks and a man is said to be lucky if he marries a Fassi woman.

Shopping

Inevitably, the cost of living in Morocco is considerably cheaper than in Europe. Price comparison between food/alcohol/cigarettes generally brings Morocco in around 30% cheaper than the UK.

Souks: souks are outdoor markets, which can be found in every medina throughout Morocco and in rural towns and villages on certain set days of the week. Souks sell pretty much everything one needs to get by on a day to day basis; Fruit, vegetables, meats, fish, dairy, herbs, spices, grains saucepans, plug, crockery plus many things one simply might want.

FES

 Une des rares grandes villes au Maroc à avoir gardé toute son authenticité traditionnelle

• La plus ancienne médina du royaume (riads millénaires)
• Ville hospitalière
• Hôtellerie diversifiée et de plus en plus de maisons d?hôtes de qualité
• Mission française présente

IMMOBILIER