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Wandering through ancient markets that lie within historic walls of city medinas, you are sure to think that you've entered another time. Carefully balanced mounds of spices - red, green, brown and deep ochre - flank narrow paths that wind through a labyrinthine souq (market place). Pulling up an old wooden stool, you sit beneath hanging strands of dried figs, and share a cup of mint tea with a vendor, casually bargaining over the goods at hand. Ducking out of the market, you find solace in a courtyard garden where you marvel at the Moroccan artistic aesthetic: beautiful tile work featuring colorful geometric patterns abound, and exceptional architecture with intricately carved massive doorways that leave you marveling at the time and skill that went into these stalwart buildings, erected centuries ago. In Morocco, refined art and noble tradition is evidenced in the cities whose very names strike resonant chords in the imagination: Casablanca, Marrakesh and Fes. But beyond the cities that are favored by tourists we discover incredible sites, tastes, and experiences, accessible only to the strong traveler and adventurous spirit.

For 12,000 years Morocco's indigenous people, the Amazigh ("Free People") have lived in the northern corner of Africa where snow capped mountains explode out of the Sahara desert. To this day, the stone and mud huts of the Amazigh nest tightly against the jagged Atlas Mountains. Hiking along ancient trade routes and current nomadic enclaves, we mingle with locals who climb high into the rugged mountains with their sheep and goats. Our time in remote villages will be an immersion in Morocco's unrivaled hospitality; families will welcome us as kin and our tea cups will never be empty.  In the imperial cities of Fes and Marrakesh, the sounds of people bargaining in Arabic fill your ears as the smells of exotic spices fill your nose. Surrounded by such an onslaught to the senses, it is difficult to remember that just a few hours hike will bring you to mud huts in the mountains.

Though Morocco shows us a land of great differences, we come to see how devotion to Islam unites the Amazigh and the Arab. Our time in Morocco provides us wonderful opportunities to learn about the history and tradition of Islam and Muslim culture. Whether outside an intricately decorated mosque in Casablanca or walking an unpaved road in a quiet mountain town, we are always assured of hearing the Call to Prayer, and are reminded five times a day that among the vastly disparate lives of Morocco's people, Islamic culture, faith and devotion continues to bring families and communities together as it has for the last 1300 years.