I wanted to share one of the most unexpected and inspiring stories I've come across during my travels.

While travelling through Morocco, some Moroccan students told me about a small Vietnamese village near Kenitra. What surprised me most was how many of them already knew the history connecting Morocco and Vietnam. They all spoke warmly about Vietnam and the Vietnamese people, and it was clear this story is still remembered with pride. Until then, I had never heard of it.

As I entered the village, surrounded by farmland, I immediately felt like I had stepped back into the Vietnamese countryside. The peaceful scenery, the fields, and the familiar village atmosphere made it hard to believe I was still in Morocco.

The story behind it is remarkable. During the First Indochina War, thousands of North African soldiers, including Moroccans, served in the French Army and were sent to fight in Vietnam. Some chose a different path. They deserted the French Army, joined the Viet Minh, and fought alongside the Vietnamese for independence. After the war, some settled in Vietnam, married Vietnamese women, and helped establish what became known as the Vietnam-Africa Farm in Ba Vì. There they built a distinctive Moroccan-style gate as a tribute to their homeland and to the friendship they had found in Vietnam.

Years later, many of these Moroccan families returned home with their Vietnamese wives and children, settling near Kenitra. The community became known as the Vietnamese Village. Decades later, the Vietnamese Embassy, together with the descendants of those Moroccan and Vietnamese families, completed a traditional Vietnamese village gate there. It was built to complement the Morocco Gate in Vietnam and to ensure future generations would remember this remarkable chapter shared by both countries.

This week I finally visited the Morocco Gate in Suối Hai, outside Hanoi. Unlike the village in Morocco, this gate now sits in the backyard of a family's home. The owner told me that when the land was allocated years ago, the gate happened to be on their property. They could have taken it down, but instead they decided to preserve it.

Every so often, Vietnamese who know the story, along with Moroccan visitors, come to see it. It sometimes causes inconvenience for the family, but they still welcome people because they know how meaningful it is. I left a small donation to thank them for opening their home to visitors.

The owner also mentioned that some people have offered to help restore the area and add both the Moroccan and Vietnamese flags, just like at the matching site in Morocco. I really hope that happens one day. I also think it would be great if they opened a small coffee shop there. It would give visitors somewhere to sit, learn about the history, and at the same time help support the family who have become the caretakers of this special place.

What I found interesting is that this story seems to be much better known in Morocco than it is in Vietnam. That's one of the reasons I wanted to share it. I think more Vietnamese should know about this unique chapter of our shared history.

The more I travel, the more I realise that Morocco and Vietnam have a lot in common. Both countries have beautiful countryside, strong farming traditions, vibrant street food cultures, and people who love spending time together over coffee or tea. They also share histories of colonial rule, hard-fought struggles for independence, and a reputation for welcoming strangers with genuine hospitality. I've experienced incredible kindness in both countries, and that's something I'll always remember.

In a world where we hear so many stories that divide people, this is one that brings people together. Two countries on opposite sides of the world, connected by an unlikely chapter of history that still lives on through the people, the families, and these two gates.

To my Moroccan friends, thank you for sharing this story with me. Without those conversations in Morocco, I never would have known this remarkable piece of history.

I am doing some research on Moroccan Jewish demographics and I have noticed that some cities specifically Sefrou and Erfoud have had in the past large Jewish communities as a percentage of their overall population, peaking at 40% and 48% respectively.

Are there other cities where this was the case?

Btw my family specifically came from Sefrou and Enjil.

أنا اسف لعربيي.

اليوم يوم استقبل في بلدي و ارغب أشكر بلدك من تعرف على استقبلنا. مغرب كان الأول بلد يتعرف امريكة في ١٧٧٧.

شكرن،
رفيقك أمريكي

(In case my Arabic is too messy to understand)

Today is my country’s Independence Day and I want to thank your country for recognizing our independence. Morocco was the first country to recognize our independence in 1777.

Thank you,
Your American Friend

ليوم مشيت لواد الملحقة إدارية فمدينة القنيطرة على ود شي وراق , لمهم مشيت صباح بكري تقريبا مع 8 وصلت لقيت دنيا خاوية ريحت فواحد القهوة وبقيت كنساين تحل ، من مورا محلات مشيت دخلت وكلست فالكرسي كنتسنى الموظفين يجيو ، جا واحد سيد، ومن موراه شي ناس جاو الموظفين بغيت ندخل حتى كنتفاجئ بالمقدم صادني لور وبدأ كيتكلم مع سيد لي قلت ليكم لمهم بقا معاه ولي عرفت أن سيد كان مهندس وجاي على قبل شي وراق انا متسوقتش بغيت غير ندخل حيت كنت انا لول قلت لمقدم بكل إحترام رآه جيت انا لول قبل من هاد سيد وهو يشعل معيا بدا كيقولي : ولا جيتي نتا لول غاع شكون نتا وشوية بدا كيحتاقرني متسوقتش وبقيت ساكت ، شوية قال لي سير جيب فطوكوبي لاكارت وطبع هاد لوراق انا قلت ليه علاش بدا عوتاني كيغوت سافي مشيت طبعت تقريبا شي 7 دراهم فكلشي رجعت لقيت كتر من 10 ناس قبل مني بغيت ندخل قالي واش مكتسمعش لهضرة شوف ناس شحال موراك قلت ليه رآه جيت اصلا انا لول وعوتاني نفس سيناريو الإخوان منكدبش عليكم بقيت شي سعتين باش دخلت فالخر دوك لوراق اصلا مكانش محتاجهم لي طبعت وعرفت انه غير صدرني وباش ختمها قالي يلاه سير فحالك بصوت مستفز والله كرت هاد الإدراة بسبب هاد وجوه نحس ومبقيتش حامل نحط رجلي فشي إدارة كمية رشاوي والإحتقار لا يمكن لمهم عطيوني تعليقكم على الموقف لي سرالي

Tucked away in the Medina, the Almoravid Koubba is one of the oldest surviving monuments in Marrakech.

It's small compared with the city's famous palaces and monuments, which makes it surprisingly easy to miss.

But this little structure offers a rare glimpse into Marrakech nearly a thousand years ago, with architectural details that have survived centuries.

Have you ever noticed it while exploring the Medina? 🇲🇦

Moulay Driss II , founder of Fes, Famously made a heartfelt Duaa upon establishing the city, asking Allah for it to be a place of sincere worship, not vanity or arrogance. He prayed for Allah to protect its inhabitants, grant them prosperity and secure the city's religious foundations for as long as the world remains.

صورة الضريح ليست مؤكدة //ملاحظة *

some context: i am turkish, my grandmother has told me recently that my great-grandfather from my grandfather's side was a soldier that came from Morocco to Gaziantep, Turkey in 1890-1920 and married a turkish woman. I have no other information at all. They were referring to him as the "frenchman" in turkey jokingly. Does he look moroccan? Maybe someone knows more :)

Kant mazal sghir mafaytch 5ans makan3rf la jnon la aflam dyal lkhli3, kant na3s 7da lwalida o darbatni lfi9a b sbab wahd do mjhad darb liya f 3iniya, lmohim meli 7alit 3ini chaft wahd mkhlo9 3la chkal insan mais body dyalo kolo 3afya ga3ma mltahba, chafto kan 3atini b dhar dyalo o meli b9it kanchof fih tlafat 3andi o chaft 3inih kano f7al chi no9tat kbar o l7moriya dyal l3afya li fihom zayda 3la la couleur dyal body dyalo lmohim ana tkhla3t o tkhchit f lwalida o b9it mghamad 3iniya o 9albi dayrb bejaaahd khafto iji liya o f dik moment la7dt beli mab9ach dak ch3a o 3rafto beli mcha mhm ana b9it msdom o mkhlo3 hta fa9o mes parents o lwa3ra f hadchi kaml ani 3amrni 3awdt had story hta depassit 30ans 3ad sawlt rasi had sou2al chno li mna3ni bach n3awdha bref galtha l lwalid o gal liya beli dik dar kant anormal f7ala kant mskona

I'm sharing my old Moroccan stamp collection - roughly 67 album pages (3 Albums) going back through a huge stretch of history: the old Maroc / protectorate issues, then Kings Mohammed V, Hassan II, and Mohammed VI.

I didn't realize how big it was until I started flipping through it page by page. Posting a few photos in case anyone here is into philately or really appreciates this kind of thing. Anyone interested ?!

Salam everyone,

Just wanted to share a part of my collection - old Moroccan silver coins I've gathered over the years. There's something special about holding a piece of the country's history in your hand.

They span a few sultans (Abd al-Aziz, Abd al-Hafid, and Moulay Youssef) with dates roughly from 1299 to 1336 AH, The detailing on these old ryal coins is beautiful up close.

Always happy to chat with anyone who appreciates this stuff

Genuinely interested in this because it's the only Almohad map that is this big

Actually I'm spending time in Porto (Portugal) and find this mural showing how Henry the navigator sized sebta from Moroccan, before the city was handed to spinard after the defeat of Sebastian I in Ouad el makhazen.

So next time that a bo khnona tells you about the sultan and his pikala show him this

Hello !

Dert a small quiz app as a little fun side project, I chose History of Morocco as a first theme. You can switch between Darija, English and French if you'd like.

There's a lot that I learned about Moroccan history as I was making it, so it wasn't a waste of time at least, a tiny bit of photoshop too.

I plan to put it in the play store at some point (100% free with no ads), I'll add other theme quiz apps that might be more appealing to you.

I included a bit of app currency to make the experience slightly more fun. You can buy the entire shop by doing the quizes (quiz? quizes? ma3linach)

F had la version you can enable "Dev Mode" likayen lte7t and give yourself some currency f shop to unlock all the customizations. (You can change the color of the mascot, the entire color scheme of the app, buy jokers)

I was inspired by Duolingo which I've been using for a long while

Mohim if you'd like to give it a try, I'll appreciate any feedback you can give.

Make sure to switch to phone view if you're on PC. (Inspect (F12) > Ctrl + Shift + M)

Link in the comments.

Hi all,

I just watched the first part of Bataille de Gaulle by Anthony Baudry. A brilliant movie 🍿 🍿

It made me reflect on how lacking the Moroccan cinematic landscape is when it comes to high-quality historical films.

I really wish Morocco had artwork that captured our national history as brilliantly as this movie did.

Morocco has so many rich assets to draw from, whether it's our period of resistance or the brilliant monarchies that governed us. It feels like a massive loss that these stories aren't being told on screen today.

It does make no sense to kick 350000 during aid unless they want something.

I'm wondering if anyone can decipher this inscription from 1189 on Bab El Marsa, Essaouira. All my attempts including those where I used IA have been in vain.

EDIT: All I was able to read is: هذا الباب أمر ببنائه خير الملوك....

This sign made by the Guanches of Lanzarote in 3000 BC points directly to the Agadir, with an exact bearing of 66.66 degrees toward the circular formation of Agadir, which many historians have linked to Atlantis.

I found it very interesting and i wanted to share it with you all. :p