Abbassides : The second most important dynasty since the beginning of Islam. This dynasty founded Bagdad.

Abou : Arab word for father.

Adrar : Mountain.

Aguelmane : Lake.

Aïd : Party or celebration.

Akhnif : Traditional clothing from the Anti Atlas.

Alaouites : Present dynasty reigning in Morocco.

Arabesque : In Islamic art, the marriage of living matter and complex geometry where Koranic verses are often interwoven.

Azrou : Cliffs.

Bab : door or gate

Berberes : Ethnic tribes living essentially in the mountainous region of the Maghreb

Bit: room

Bled : countryside

Borj: tower

Cheikh : name respectfully used for elders, meaning he who knows.

Coufique or Koufique : Arab calligraphy writing composed of flowing characters and lines

Dar : Traditional Moroccan house

Derb : Street

Dirham : Moroccan currency

Djellaba : Large linen or cotton blouse

Djenan (or jnan) : Garden

Fantasia : equestrian show

Foggara : ancient irrigation technique

Erg : A region of immense dunes in the Sahara that measure 50 to 80 meters high

Fassi : Habitants of Fes, also refers to the rich bourgeois of Fez

Filali : red leather made in the Tafilalt and Drâa with horses skin

Ebs : Plaster. Walls, ceilings and columns of many palaces, medersas and mosques are covered with sculpted ebs.

Gharb : West, the Occident.

Gourbi : Living structure of semi-nomads

Hammam : Private or public bath house

Hanbel : Woven Moroccan carpet

Hannanah : A woman that prepares the henne

Hassan II : The King of Morocco from 1961 – 1999. He was succeeded by his oldest son who adopted the name of Mohammed VI.

Henné: Powder used as make up for the face and hands

Blue Men (Hommes bleus) : Generally refers to the Sahara population and also to a part of subsaharian Africa where the men wear gowns and blue turbans.

Igherm (or irherm) : Fortified village.

Jama (or jami) : Arab name for the grand mosque, and literally means “meeting place”.

Jbel (or djebel) : Mountain

Kasba (or casbah) : Fort constructed with adobe and common in the High Atlas and the Draa Valleys.

Keftas : Meatballs seasoned with paprika and cumin.

Khaïma : Nomad tent.

Kiss Aria- Covered market.

Ksar : Fortress.

Lalla : A Moroccan title of respect for women.

Maalem : Master artist who is well respected.

Maghreb : Arab word for Morocco and also refers to a group of Northern African countries (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia).

Médersa : Koranic school where students are housed

Médina : City. In the Maghreb, medina refers to the traditional Arab city as opposed to the European city.

Médine : Second most sacred city of Islam after Mecca.

Mellah : Jewish quarter in Morocco

Mihrab : An intricately decorated recess in a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca.

Minaret : Tower that dominates the mosque

Tangia: It is both the name of a rounded earthenware pot and a delicious dish of mutton and spices which stews slowly, buried overnight in hot ashes.

Mosque : In Arab masjid, literally means “meeting place”. The mosque is comprised of a prayer room and also of an enclosed court. The minaret is used to call Muslims to pray. Often a mosque is integrated with a mosque-médersa complex.

Mouloud : Prophet Mohammed’s birthday and one of the most important Muslim celebrations.

Mouqarnas : Decorative element of Islamic architecture usually constructed using marble, wood or stucco.

Moussem - festival

Oriental : A region of Oujda that is situated at the Southern frontier of Algeria and Morocco.

Pisé : Compact mixture of humid soil, straw and gravel.

Qibla : Direction of Mecca.

Ramadan : The ninth month of the lunar Muslim year. This month is sacred for practicing Muslims and the end of Ramadan is celebrated with the Aïd el-Fitr (or Aïd es-Seghir).

Riad : Traditional Moroccan city residence organized around a garden with a fountain and planted with trees and flowers. The majority of riads are found in the medinas of Marrakech, Fes, and Essaouira.

Saadiens : Moroccan dynasty that reigned between 1525 and 1659.

Sanhaja : A large Berbere tribe semi nomad that lived in the Middle Atlas and the High Oriental Atlas.

Sebka : Hispano-Maghrebin decoration.

Souk : Market. Artists and vendors are grouped by specialty in the medinas.

Stuc : Wall covering constructed with plaster made from marble powder.

Sultan : Reigning Moroccan rulers until Mohammed V.

Sunna : Tradition.

Sunnites : Orthodox Muslims

Taleb : Student

Zellige : The ceramic panels decorating floors and floorboards.