Document Type
Description Essay
Publication Date
1992
Excerpt
Last summer my family and I took a Globus Getaway Tour to Portugal, Spain, and Morocco. My parents avoid "touristy" vacations and love visiting countries with completely different cultures. This time, Morocco sparked my parents' interest. Having visited Egypt, a country with a similar cultural background, I thought that I was prepared for the "culture shock." Unfortunately, even though Egypt and Morocco are both Third World countries, I found out that Morocco is much poorer. Most Moroccans are craftsmen and sell their products to tourists and the local people. Getting off the plane in Tangiers, I was bombarded by Moroccans trying to sell, me everything they could. This was even more so in the Medinas, the old Arabic quarters in urban areas of Morocco. These "cities within cities" are mazes of humanity, with masses of Moroccans all attempting to sell their own "best" products. These areas of narrow streets containing bazaar shops and craftshops are a step back in centuries. And they are crucial to understanding the Moroccan way of life.
Recommended Citation
Staehling, Kathy, "Morocco's Medinas--Mazes of Humanity (1992)" (1992). The Valpo Core Reader. 326.
http://scholar.valpo.edu/core_reader/326