On June 6, the citizens and guests of our Black Sea city were fascinated by the wonderful sounds and aromas of the Kingdom of Morocco, and enjoyed the incredible feast of the colors in his traditional costumes and fine creations.

This Morocco Day was held at the Seventh Francophone Festival "Soleil", under the motto "Moroccan Beauty and Traditions in Your Hearts".         

The event began in the early afternoon, in the garden near the church "St. St. Cyril and Methodius" in the Old Town, with the opening of the photo exhibition "Morocco - World Tourist Destination". It was organized with the kind cooperation of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Honorary Consul of the country in Bulgaria - Mr. Svetoslav Glossov. The deputy mayor of the municipality, Mrs. Katya Stoyanova, the director of the Francophone festival "Soleil", Mrs. Alexandrina Isaylova, representatives of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco and other diplomatic missions in Bulgaria, guests of the city and journalists took part in the event.

E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the country, pronounced a speech about Morocco - a tourist dream destination. In it she pointed out:

"The participation of the Kingdom of Morocco in the 7th edition of the International Francophone Festival "Soleil" in Sozopol is a good opportunity for its visitors to get acquainted with our country, which has a variety of tourist attractions related to its rich history and culture, with its varied climate, reliefs and soils, the scenic nature, the desert and its oases, its long coastline of 3500 km, its crafts and culinary experience...

For these reasons, more than 10 million tourists visit Morocco each year. The destination is popular and one of the ambitions of the tourism policy of the Kingdom is the pursuit of an even better valorization of its material and intangible heritage... Moroccan architecture is rich and varied, it covers almost all historical periods - from prehistory to the Islamic period through Phoenician, Punic, Mauritanian and Roman periods. To date, more than 216 places and historical monuments are ranked as a national value by the Ministry of Culture and are very visited. Tour operators offer many tours, including tours through major imperial cities such as Fes, Rabat, Marrakech and Meknes. Tourists visit the attractive sights of the Moroccan cultural heritage such as the Bahia Palace, the Saadian tombs in Marrakech and the ruins of Volubilis.

Morocco is a country known for its numerous festivals, which are also a major tourist driving force. The international reputation of some of them, such as the Mawazine Festival, the Gnaoua Festival, the International Film Festival, the Comedy Festival in Marrakech and the Sacred Music Festival in Fez attract a huge audience every year. These blockbusters convey the image of Morocco all over the world...

Morocco's tourism development has embraced a package of reforms that have been successful in introducing notes of emotion and authenticity into the traditional seaside and cultural products. The achievement of a real balance between supply and demand is essential. Morocco is trying to satisfy tourists who today want to turn to new, more interactive and authentic forms of tourism.

In order for this process to be successful in the tourism sector, we have taken into account the novelties arising from globalization, the requirements for sustainable tourism development and the today’s tourist behaviour with new consumer habits. Morocco's tourist offer has to adapt to them."

Parallel to the photo exhibition, the works of two contemporary Moroccan artists painters - Mrs. Fatima Morjani and Mr. Mohammed Bensheyh - have been exhibited. Some of them were painted here, in Sozopol, during the International Open air Festival. And, of course, they emanated their inspiration from the sea and the atmosphere of the city.

Guests of the event also enjoyed the dress show of authentic Moroccan women's costumes - caftans, the wonderful craftsmanship truly provoked admiration. Some of the ladies present in the event took had the opportunity to buy argan oil - a world-famous magical cosmetic product. Also, everybody could discover and buy the wonderful pieces of Moroccan handicraft, arranged on special stalls. For their presentation, the credit belongs to Mrs. Sabah Kettab, President of the Moroccan Association of Central and Eastern Europe.

The demonstration of the traditional tea ceremony, accompanied by Moroccan sweets, also provoked interest. But the true culinary art of Morocco was demonstrated at the dinner given by H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui and the Honorary Consul Mr. Svetoslav Glossov at the restaurant "Lazuren Bryag", not far from the marina. The Mayor of Sozopol Municipality, Mr. Panayot Reyzi, and prominent personalities from the city and guests of the festival attended the Moroccan dinner.

Photos: "Diplomatic Spectrum" and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco.

Top: H. E. Mrs. Zakia El Midaoui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco, and her husband, Mr. Chaib Lalouh, in front of one of the stalls with Moroccan souvenirs.

Down:

First row: The official opening of the event, the caftan show, the Moroccan artist Mrs. Fatima Morjani, in front of her paintings.

Second row: Argan oil cosmetic products, Tea Ceremony, the Ambassador with Mrs. Fatima Morjani and Mrs. Malika El Haddad, Counselor at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, Dinner at the restaurant "Lazuren Bryag"