Morocco

The essential literary guide to Morocco Sultans, the harem, religious festivals, saints and shrines, dervishes and snake charmers - Morocco is steeped in rich and diverse traditions. This book brings together the writings of well-known travellers to the country and through their eyes offers a fascinating picture of Moroccan culture. Among those included are Pepys, Defoe, Twain, Orwell and Wharton, as well as famous Muslim travellers such as Leo Africanus and a host of others - merchants, sailors, consuls and scholars - who all recorded their impressions of the place. There are sketches of sumptuous entertainment and colourful festivals and a dramatic account of an encounter between European sailors and the infamous pirates of the Barbary coast. There are descriptions of childhood, marriage, the practice of medicine in old Morocco, and also some favourite Moroccan folk-tales and recipes. This book is an essential companion for all modern-day travellers to Morocco and will also be enjoyed by the armchair traveller.