Communicate, understand each other…
Exchange words, gestures and, above all, smiles! Moroccans love that and are naturally multilingual! In this glossary, we will try, with humor, to give you a few keys in order to decode an Arab or French vocabulary and sentences you will probably hear during your stay in Morocco.
A word must refer to a precise idea or thing. But behind it, there is often a hidden meaning. What is behind the words we hear in the streets of Morocco?
DJELLABA
It is the most worn garment in Morocco, worn by men or women. It is like a long dress with a hood. You can wear it all year long, just the fabrics change. It can be simple or very ornamented and embroidered. Light in summer, made of nylon or muslin, it becomes heavy, thick and warm in winter, made of wool or cotton. It is a loungewear as well as a coat you can wear over your other clothes.
GAZELLE :
It is just a nice word, a compliment to women. They are compared with the gazelle, celebrating its beauty, grace, lightness…
GAZOU :
Men were jealous, so one has invented this French masculine form of gazelle!
GAZELLE HORNS
Absolutely delicious! Almond paste, flavoured with orange blossom water and cinnamon… Light crisp on the outside, smooth on the inside ! To be enjoyed without moderation!
And the French singer Henri Salvador would sing:
It is Sunday in Marrakech
In the shadow of its alleys
When I steal on your fresh lips
The sweetness of the gazelle horns…
MARRAKCHI-MARRAKCHIA
The inhabitants of Marrakech. You add “i” or ia” (feminine form) at the end of the name of the city to form the name of the locals. For instance CASAOUI (Casablanca), FASSI (Fes), RBATI (Rabat), MEKNESSI (Meknes), AGADIRI (Agadir), SOUIRI (Essaouira)
BERBER WHISKY : ATAY
It is, of course, the drink of drinks in Morocco! The elixir which makes you feel warm in winter, gives you freshness in summer, soothes the souls, brings together again the enemies, greets the foreigners and the friends. You have to drink it hot, very hot, and sweet!
You guess we are talking about mint tea, Atay in arabic.
Ther’s a ritual, a ceremony to prepare it properly. Green tea, fresh mint leaves, specific sugar.
Then the magic comes on the fire, in the teapot. You let the tea fall from a height in order to mix the flavours, to create air and foam.
MARHABA
Welcome! Everyone is welcome in Morocco! It is not an empty word. The tourists are often surprised to be invited to share a meal with the locals or drink a mint tea 10 times a day! One should always accept the invitation. It is a good opportunity for talk, exchange and friendliness.
MAGHREB
It is the name of Morocco in Arabic. It means the sunset. It is also a geographical entity of North Africa, including Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The AMU (Arab Maghreb Union) also adds Lybia and mauritania. It has its seat in Rabat.
