Al-Maghreb Al Aqsa, “farthest land of the setting sun,” as Arabs called Morocco, used to be for a long time the window through which Africa and Europe were looking at each other.

The exoticism of the country is genuine, and even today, the spectacular markets, the medieval cities, and the fortified villages across the Atlas mountains are enchanting for their charm and uniqueness even for the most demanding traveler.

The Atlas Mountains split the country into two parts, which are incredibly different.

On the Western coast, the imperial cities of Rabat, Meknes, Fes stand tall as the traditional and expected destinations for tourism. Down south is the port of Essaouira, the old Mogador while to the north, the bustling city of Casablanca is the real link between Europe and Africa.

If you cross the Atlas Mountains, the landscape and the architecture are changing to such a degree that you feel as you aren’t in the same country. The citadels, ‘kasbah,’ and the fortified villages, ‘ksours’, made of adobe with their flat roofs, have an architecture similar with the ones in Mali or Mauritania.

Close to the ergs of Saqqara, the village of Rissani was the outpost of the Arab commerce not too long ago. We made our way to Goulmina, Todra, and Dades Gorge, and to Ouarzazate and Zagora, where a sign informs travelers that it is a 52-day camel ride to reach Timbuktu.  Returning we stopped in the spellbinding Marrakech, one of the most lively places we have encountered on our travels.