places . to . visit . MOROCCO .

♫ ♪ Gladiator Soundtrack - To Zucchabar

It's called al-Mamlakat al-Maghribiyyah (المملكة المغربية) in Arabic, or 'The Western Kingdom'. 

As the question 'why would I want to go' poses itself, my most honest and probably unsatisfying answer would be that it's in my nature to be fascinated by things I cannot understand, and all of these North African and Middle East countries are exactly that to me. They are not half the world away, but are just far enough for me as an European to never truly belong there. 

The clashing contrasts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the Sahara Dessert and the Atlas Mountains.
The intertwined history of Berber kingdoms, the Roman and Ottoman Empire, the French and Spanish influence.
Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakesh.

And me, in the middle of the crowded souq, buying a scarf and a stock of spices to last me a year.

images via From Me To You