TRAVEL TIPS
Hours of Operation
Moroccan banks are open Monday to Thursday 8:30 to noon and 2 to 4. On Friday, the day of prayer, they close slightly earlier in the morning and open a little later in the afternoon. Post offices are open Monday to Thursday 8:30 to noon and 2:30 to 6:30, Friday from 8:30 to 11:30 and 3 to 6:30. Government offices have similar schedules.
Museums are generally open 9 to noon and 2:30 to 6. Standard pharmacy hours are 8:30 to 12:30 and 3 to 9:30. Your hotel can help you locate which pharmacies are open around the clock. Shops are open every day except Sunday from about 9 to 1 and from 3 or 4 to 7.
Remember that during Ramadan the above schedules change, often with the midday closing omitted. On Friday many businesses close down for the day or for the noon prayer.
Holidays
The two most important religious holidays in Morocco are Aïd el-Fitr, which marks the end of the monthlong Ramadan fast, and Aïd el-Adha or Aïd el-Kebir, the sheep-sacrifice feast commemorating the prophet Ibrahim's absolution from the obligation to sacrifice his son. Both are two-day festivals during which all offices, banks, and museums are closed. The other religious holiday is the one-day Aïd el-Mouloud, commemorating the birthday of the prophet Mohammed. The dates change each year, so check ahead.
Ramadan (which lasts 30 days and becomes progressively earlier in the year as the decade passes) is not a holiday per se, but it does change the pace of life. Because the Muslim calendar is lunar, the dates for Ramadan and other religious holidays shift each year.
The most important political holiday is Aïd el-Arch, or Throne Day (July 30), which commemorates the coronation of King Mohammed VI. Morocco's other holidays are as follows: January 1, New Year's Day; January 11, anniversary of the proclamation of Moroccan independence; May 1, Labor Day; May 23, National Day; August 14, Oued ed-Dahab, otherwise known as Allegiance Day; August 20, anniversary of the revolution of the king and the people (against the French); August 21, Youth Day; November 6, commemoration of the Green March, Morocco's claim on the Western Sahara in 1975; November 18, Independence Day.
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