If you’re looking for a reason to visit Morocco, I’ll give you nine. The country is home to 9 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, making Morocco one of the African countries with the most historic and architectural wonders recognized worldwide. For a vacation full of culture and charm, the Kingdom of Morocco is the place to go.
Morocco, in fact, isn’t “just” (as if that weren’t enough to make it one of the most loved destinations for travelers from all over the world) a land of unusual landscapes, vast open spaces, deserts, mountains, valleys, palm groves, markets and alleys. For over 40 years, Morocco has been under the attentive, demanding eye of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, founded on November 16, 1946.
It’s thanks to the titles UNESCO has awarded the country over the years that Morocco is now also recognized as a cultural destination. Each of these places has been recognized as representative of Morocco’s history, as sites that preserve and pass on its ancient culture.
Below I’ll introduce the 9 UNESCO sites you can visit in Morocco, listed in chronological order of designation.
If you’re not a first-time visitor to Morocco and already know some of them, hurry up and plan your next vacation in this extraordinary African land to explore the others too.
What are the UNESCO sites in Morocco?
1. Medina of Fez, 1981
The first UNESCO World Heritage title in Morocco went to the Medina of Fez in 1981. The authentic architecture of this large, ancient Medina, whose origins date back to the Middle Ages, reveals the cultural roots of a city founded in the early years of Morocco’s Islamization. The medina of Fez is home to a great many religious, civil and military monuments that still represent the exceptional nature of this culture and its architecture. Fez is also home to the oldest university in the world still in operation.
2. Medina of Marrakech, 1985
The second site added to the UNESCO list, in 1985, is the Medina of Marrakech. Founded in the 11th century, Marrakech was the capital of the Almoravids and the Almohads, whose presence is still visible today in the city’s architecture and medieval urban layout. The city boasts wonderful monuments like the El Badi Palace, the Bahia Palace, the Koutoubia Mosque and the Saadian Tombs, symbols of its grandeur.
Besides being one of the most visited cities in Morocco, Marrakech holds a double title: its world-famous Jemaa el-Fna Square has been recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
3. Ksar of Aït Benhaddou, 1987
In 1987 it was the turn of the Ksar of Aït Benhaddou, built in the 17th century in the province of Ouarzazate, a few kilometers from the city, in the Ounila River valley. It earned the title because the ksar is a traditional pre-Saharan type of settlement, a splendid example of a fortified village surrounded by earthen walls.
4. Medina of Meknes, 1996
Another well-deserved UNESCO World Heritage title went to the Medina of Meknes in 1996. This historic imperial city is home to fortified buildings of unrivaled grandeur in the Maghreb. The 40 km (25 miles) of walls surrounding it, up to 15 meters (50 feet) high, already give you a sense of the scale of this monumental testimony.
In Meknes, Islamic and European elements blend harmoniously, making the city’s urban layout unlike any other.
5. Medina of Tetouan, 1997
1997 was a bumper year for culture in Morocco, with 2 sites added to the UNESCO list. The first was the Medina of Tetouan, a historic city in northern Morocco. It’s considered an important crossroads of Andalusian and Arab cultures, peoples who lived there during the medieval period of the Muslim West. Its medina, one of the smallest and most intact in Morocco, bears witness to Andalusian civilization in both its architecture and urban layout.
6. Archaeological site of Volubilis, 1997
The second 1997 title went to the Archaeological Site of Volubilis, an ancient city founded in the 3rd century BC that later became part of the Roman Empire. Fairly close to Fez and Meknes, the UNESCO site still shows the remains of its ancient past, including the ruins of the many beautiful buildings that once adorned the city.
7. Medina of Essaouira, 2001
In 2001 it was the turn of one of Morocco’s best-loved places, which simply had to receive UNESCO recognition: the Medina of Essaouira, an outstanding example of an 18th-century fortified port town with European-inspired buildings and architecture. The medina of Essaouira, known in the past as Mogador, stands out from nearby medinas, including that of hectic Marrakech, for its much more relaxed atmosphere.
8. Mazagan (El Jadida), 2004
The Portuguese city of Mazagan, today’s El Jadida, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004. Founded by the Portuguese in the 16th century, it was one of the first African settlements of the Portuguese explorers on their way to conquer India. In fact, its buildings clearly show the influence of Portuguese fortified-town architecture.
9. Rabat, 2012
Closing the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Morocco is the imperial city of Rabat, which earned the title in 2012. Rabat is one of Morocco’s 4 imperial cities and its modern capital (as well as African Capital of Culture 2020–2021), with a refined, elegant character. A historic city that has kept a strong bond between modernity and traditional Maghreb architecture.
Notable historic sites in Rabat include the Kasbah of the Udayas, the Chellah necropolis, the Hassan Mosque and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V.
Hoping this list will soon grow longer, I invite you to discover all the other wonders a land like Morocco has to offer.
Lisa
