Morocco is rich in tradition. Moroccan's hospitality is legendary. An ancient Moroccan saying goes, "You will open the door to any stranger and you will bestow your hospitality on him for three whole days before enquiring of the object of his visit." Until you have been the guest of a family at home, you have experienced only the shadow of the real Morocco.

The Moroccan Jewish Community has always been, and still is, one of the largest in the Arab World. Its heritage and history are little known abroad although every part of the Kingdom records an important Jewish legend. Morocco's Jewish community has been a small but important part of the Kingdom's mosaic of cultural traditions. Moroccan's Jews trace their roots back to refugees fleeing the Judean rebellions against Rome in A.D. 70 and 135. Many are descendents of thousands of Jews who along with Muslims fled to Morocco from Andalusia (southern Spain) in the wake of the Christian inquisition of 1492.

Music is an integral part of Moroccan life. The traditional form of Arabic music, or Andalous, is performed using lutes, mandolins and flutes and is occasionally accompanied by a singer. Popular Berber music accompanies dancers and singers and is recognizable by the ancestral rhythmic sounds of tambourines (long, narrow drums). Inhabited since prehistoric times, with a culture that goes back thirty centuries, at the cross-roads of Roman, Berber and Arab civilizations, Morocco is also rich in museums overflowing with treasures.

These magical places are entirely devoted to admiration. The touch of a master transforms the humblest objects into masterpieces. Carpets, pottery, garments or arms, here everything is a work of art. As the representation of humans or animals is contrary to the teachings of Islam, artists have channeled all their creative effort into producing infinite variations of abstract, geometric or stylized motifs.

Moroccan museums are very often monuments in their own right. Even empty, they would be well worth a visit. For the shimmering quality of the colors, the richness of materials and the subtleties of form, a visit to the museums of Morocco is not merely an introduction to part of humanity's heritage; it is in fact an opportunity to experience a total enchantment of the spirit and the senses.