CADOGAN MOROCCO

by Barnaby Rogerson

In the fully updated and revised edition of his highly acclaimed guide, Morrocan expert Barnaby Rogerson takes travelers by the hand and leads them through the bustling kasbahs and ancient ruins of this diverse land. Barnaby's sound advice ensures they will taste the finest Morrocan cuisine in handpicked restaurants and delight in the experience of bartering in the souks. His narrative seamlessly interweaves the compelling history of this mesmerizing country with practical details on traveling around and detailed description of both the major and minor sites. Cadogan takes visitors on an exotic journey over the high mountain ranges of the Rif, across the desert plains of Jel and the Rekkam, through the palm-shaded valleys of the Dades, and into the the heart of vibrant capital Marrakech, ensuring that they will enjoy every step of the way.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

633 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1994

About the author

Barnaby Rogerson (1960-) is a British author, television presenter and publisher. He has written extensively about the Muslim world, including a biography of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and numerous travel guides. Rogerson was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, and studied Medieval History at St Andrews University

Reviews

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

By turns hilarious, dry, and maybe a little old-school "Orientalist," I can honestly say I've never read a travel guidebook quite like this one. This book is jam-packed with pithy historical context, amusing anecdotes, great maps, and such a breadth of practical information that I may take this along to Morocco as my only guidebook: it blows Lonely Planet out of the water (and Rick Steves only covers Tangier as a day-trip from Spain!).

In addition to being a great, functional guidebook, this serves well as a primer for anyone interested in Moroccan history and culture, with extensive chapters on religion, cuisine, music, politics, etc: which, impressively, is also woven into the individual city chapters so the social context is never far removed from the pin-point sights Rogerson has chosen to highlight.

One downside, alluded to above, is that Rogerson occasionally lapses into a paternalistic colonialist register that sits somewhere between wry amusement at the absurdity of an alien culture, and outright xenophobia. However, in general the author maintains an obvious respect and admiration for the people of Morocco and their rich history.

Another possible drawback to the book is its' size and weight - at 500 or so pages it's a little unwieldy for anyone traveling light. I expect when I visit Morocco I will take Rick Steves' standard advice, and slice this book into chapters that reflect my custom itinerary.

Finally, I can't speak to the hotel and restaurant reviews, as I usually try to find my own way there; but it seems adequate and well-researched (if maybe a little out of date by now: I'm reviewing the 2004 edition, in 2018).