If you plan to visit Marrakech during Ramadan, you should know that this is the most important religious event celebrated by the Islamic world and it takes place during the ninth month of the year, according to the Islamic calendar.

 The term Ramadan finds its roots in the Arabic word ‘ramida’, meaning scorching heat or dryness.

During the Ramadan most adult Muslims fast from sunrise till sunset when they get together with their families and friends for the Ftour, a fast-breaking meal.

As a visitor, you should know that Marrakech is not very much different during Ramadan from the everyday Marrakech. If you are not a Muslim you don’t have to fast, but you will be highly appreciated by the locals if you at least try to respect their religion by refraining from eating, drinking or smoking on the streets. Some of the shops and restaurants might be closed by daylight but you will certainly still find a place to have a decent meal without being criticized for your desire to eat. At the sunset, all the public places close because the locals get reunited with their relatives for their first meal of the day. One or two hours later the restaurants and squares become noisy and crowded till the small hours. This is a perfect moment for you to socialize and get in contact with the locals who are happy to share this special period of the year with their families and with the tourists, as well. You should also pay special attention to the way you dress since Muslims are highly sensitive to this aspect, especially during Ramadan. A too revealing outfit will be seen as a sign of disrespect for their religious tradition.

As for the atmosphere, you will find a more quiet and calm Marrakech during Ramadan and the spirit of this important feast will make its presence felt everywhere you go.

So, Ramadan won’t make your stay to Marrakech less pleasant and you don’t have to worry about finding an available place to eat during Ramadan, but in order to simplify things, you may as well decide to stay in a Marrakesh riad and the riad staff will be more than happy to satisfy all your needs!

Tags: fast, marrakech riad, medina life, moroccan riad, morocco culture, people of marrakech, Ramadan

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 12th, 2013 at 6:34 pm and is filed under Cultural & Geographical. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.