Morocco: Crossroads of cultures
Editor's Note: This is the first in a three-part series about Morocco. Parts two and three will appear in the Jan. 29 editions of Horizon and Travel & Outdoors.
The Kingdom of Morocco, a country slightly larger than the state of California, is home to some 32 million people.
It is strategically positioned on the northwestern coast of Africa. One of the countries of the Maghreb, or western reaches of the Middle East and North Africa, it lies close to Europe to its north, with the narrow straits of Gibraltar dividing the two continents by a mere eight miles. This "accident of geography" explains much about Moroccan society and culture. It is, in so many ways, an enigma: on the one hand, both Eastern and exotic, and, on the other, cosmopolitan and familiar; a country bent on modernization and development, yet proudly clinging to tradition and history.
As a lifelong student of the Middle East and Islam, I have lived, studied and worked in many countries throughout the region, traveling
Source: Frederick News Post (subscription)