Larache Shopping Tips by matcrazy1

Street stalls in the medina: Moroccan figs

There were a few street stalls which offered exclusively a few kinds of figs, Morocco is famous for.

What to buy: Try (if you like) delicious Morrocan figs sold per kilograms. They are very sweet and warning: they should be washed exactly before eating and they made me thirsty, it's better to have something extra to drink.

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Directions: Along the main street of the medina (old Arab city).

Theme: Food and Drink

Street stalls in the medina: Moroccan dates

There were a few street stalls which offered exclusively a few kinds of dates, Morocco is famous for.

What to buy: Try (if you like) delicious Morrocan dates sold per kilograms. They are sweet and warning: they should be washed exactly before eating and they made me thirsty, it's better to have something extra to drink.

What to pay: 34-40DH (Dirhams) per kilogram at the end of September 1998.

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Directions: Along the main street of the medina (old Arab city).

Theme: Food and Drink

Shops and street stalls in the medina: Wall lamps

There is a large choice of various lamps, including wall lamps in street stalls and souvenir shops along the main street of Larache's medina.

What to buy: Openwork Arabic pattern of some triangle wall lamps looks pretty... if you like it.

What to pay: Depends on your patience and bargaigning skills :-)

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Directions: Main street of the medina (old Arab city).

Theme: Local Craft

Shops and street stalls in the medina: Lamps of thin leather

Many, both souvenir shops and street stalls of Larache's medina offered lamps made of either a metal or thin leather or both.

What to buy: I wanted to buy this lamp on my picture but hmm... I was at the beginning of over a month long and quite expensive trip.

What to pay: Depends on your patience and bargaigning skills :-)

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Directions: Main street of the medina (old Arab city).

Theme: Local Craft

Shops in the medina: Jewelry

Local jewelry is offered in many souvenir shops in the medina, especially along its main street.

What to buy: I saw various jevelry. I liked for example some necklaces made of thin leather and decorated with thick silver or silver-coated details.

What to pay: Depends on your patience and bargaigning skills :-).

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Directions: Main street of the medina (old Arab city).

Theme: Jewelry

Street stalls in the medina: Metal and silver plates

There are a lot of street stalls around the old Arab town, especially along its main street. They offer a lot of local and not so local handicraft including metal or silver-coated plates. In a few places I could see workshops where locals made them using simple chisels and hummers.

What to buy: Metal or silver-coated plates.

What to pay: Depends on your patience and bargaigning skills :-).

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Directions: Main street of the medina (old Arab city).

Theme: Local Craft

Shops and street stalls in the medina: Ceramics

Most shops and street stalls along the main street of the medina offered various items including some choice of local or not so local pottery and ceramics.

What to buy: I liked especially some barrel-shape pots or vases hand-painted in Arabic or... Spanish patterns. Warning: they are difficult to tranport (especially large pieces, I liked the most) and they shoudn't be washed in a wash machine.

What to pay: Depends on your patience and bargaigning skills :-).

Directions: Main streets of the medina (old Arab city).

Theme: Local Craft

Shops and street stalls in the medina: BARGAINING is a great fun :-)

If you don't want over-pay (hmm... what does it mean?) you must bargain. The first price is always higher than the real last price, sometimes even twice higher. Natives are real artists of bargaining and great observers of their foreign customers. So, look at them and learn haha.

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A few advices:

1. Never hurry up, be patient and always keep smiling :-), keep in mind that shopping in Morocco takes more time than eating in France :-)

2. Try to be the first consumer in the morning (especially on Monday); some locals believe that the first good deal makes them good luck for the rest of a day/week thus they are ready to lower price more that time.

3. Try not to use English language, use French or Spanish or better none LOL. One of the first question is: where are you from. The highest price - not only the first one - is given for English speaking, American tourists especially. Natives think they are rich and can pay much more. Well, in the past Russian worked well but it changed...

4. Never pay special attention to the item you really want to buy - the natives are perfect observers.

5. If you buy more items be twice more patient and ask a seller to lower price again and again.

6. Do not refuse if they want to give you a tea (usually mentha tea with a lot of sugar) or something else to drink, be patient.

7. Never say in words or in your face that the price seems attractive to you.

8. If you are satisfied with your shopping give the seller a small gift: a cigarette, pen, sticker (label) etc. They love it. Optionally you can take a picture with your seller and ask him for an address to send the picture. Warnings:
- the address will be mostly written in Arabic letters,
- be sure that your picture will be displayed in a street stall/shop.
Anyway, next time you will be a special costumer. They have a very good memory for faces of their customers.

HAVE A GOOD FUN AND HAPPY SHOPPING :-).

What to buy: Local craft - do enlarge my picture, please.

What to pay: Less than you can even imagine :-).

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Directions: In the old Arab town - the medina.

Theme: Local Craft