Food & cultureBy Clever Tourists · Published
The best souvenirs from Morocco are argan oil from a cooperative, a hand-woven rug or kilim, leather babouches, green pottery from Tamegroute, thuya-wood boxes from Essaouira, and spices bought by weight in the souk. Almost everything in a Moroccan medina is haggled, much of it is handmade, and some of it is not what the seller says. Below are 12 things worth buying from our 24 days in Morocco (Tangier to the Sahara, by way of Chefchaouen, Fes, Rabat and Essaouira), how to tell the real thing, which ceramics to keep off the stove, and the VAT refund that only kicks in at 2,000 dirhams. Prices are tiers: $ is small change, $$ a considered purchase, $$$ a splurge.
This page contains affiliate links. If you book or buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Haggling is normal for everything in the souk except food sold by weight. Our souk haggling guide covers how to do it without offence.
| Souvenir | Type | Price tier | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argan oil | Beauty or food | $ to $$ | Women's cooperative |
| Amlou (almond, argan and honey spread) | Food | $ | Grocer, cooperative |
| Spices and ras el hanout | Food | $ | Souk spice stall |
| Mint tea, glasses and a teapot | Food and kitchen | $ to $$ | Souk, supermarket for the tea |
| Dates | Food | $ | Souk |
| Rugs and kilims | Craft | $$ to $$$ | Specialist rug shop, cooperative |
| Leather babouches | Craft | $ | Fes leather shops, any souk |
| Leather bags | Craft | $$ | Fes leather shops |
| Tamegroute green pottery | Craft | $ to $$ | Tamegroute cooperative |
| Painted ceramics and tagines | Craft | $ to $$ | Pottery shops in Fes, any souk |
| Thuya wood boxes | Craft | $ to $$ | Essaouira marquetry cooperatives |
| Woven baskets | Craft | $ | Souk |
• Argan oil ($ to $$). Buy from a women's cooperative or a shop whose label lists only argan kernel oil. Laboratory tests have found argan oil cut with cheaper vegetable oils, and the cheapest bottles in the souk are the most likely to be cut. Cosmetic oil is pale and almost scentless; culinary oil is made from roasted kernels, darker and nutty.
• Amlou ($). Ground almonds with argan oil and honey, eaten on bread at breakfast. Heavy, so buy a small jar.
• Spices ($). Ras el hanout, the house blend every spice seller mixes differently, plus cumin and cinnamon. Smell before you buy, take a small bag first, and buy whole spices where you can: they keep their flavour far longer.
• Mint tea ($ to $$). Moroccan tea is gunpowder green tea brewed with fresh mint and a lot of sugar. The tea is cheapest in a supermarket; the small painted glasses and a metal teapot come from the souk.
• Dates ($). Sold loose by weight in every souk. Check your home country's rules on fresh fruit before you pack them.
More on the food shelf in what to buy at a grocery store in Morocco and our Morocco food guide.
• Rugs and kilims ($$ to $$$). The real thing is hand-knotted (a pile rug) or hand-woven (a flat kilim) wool. Turn it over: on a handmade rug the pattern shows clearly on the back and the knots are slightly uneven. Take your time, never buy on the first visit to a shop a stranger walked you to, and ask the shop to ship or fold it for your luggage.
• Leather babouches and bags ($ to $$). Fes is Morocco's leather town, and the shops around its tanneries sell slippers and bags made nearby. Real leather smells of leather and has an uneven grain; stiff, shiny, perfectly uniform "leather" is often synthetic.
• Tamegroute green pottery ($ to $$). Tamegroute, a village in the Draa Valley south of Zagora, makes a rough green-glazed pottery fired in wood kilns. A cooperative there lets you watch potters work and buy directly. We passed through on the way to the desert.
• Painted ceramics and tagines ($ to $$). Beautiful, but New York City's health department lists traditional ceramics from Morocco among those that may contain high levels of lead. Treat painted and glazed pieces, green Tamegroute ware included, as decoration, and cook in an unglazed or certified lead-free tagine.
• Thuya wood boxes ($ to $$). Essaouira's woodworkers make boxes, trays and chess sets from fragrant thuya wood, often inlaid. The marquetry cooperatives in the medina are the place to buy and to watch the lathe work.
• Woven baskets ($). Light, cheap and sold in every souk. See the customs section if you are flying to Australia or New Zealand.
Practical travel tips, straight to your inbox. Unsubscribe anytime.
• Fes: the medina of Fes el-Bali for leather, brass and ceramics. Our Fes guide and how many days in Fes cover the medina.
• Essaouira: calmer souks, fixed-ish prices, thuya wood and argan oil. See our Essaouira guide.
• Rabat: the medina's main market street sells spices, dates, baskets and household goods to locals, with far less pressure than Marrakech or Fes.
• Chefchaouen: woollen blankets and woven goods hang outside shops along the blue lanes; see 2 days in Chefchaouen.
• Tamegroute: the pottery cooperative, on the road south from Zagora toward the desert.
• Supermarkets (Marjane, Carrefour) for tea, amlou and spice jars at fixed prices.
• Painted cookware you plan to cook in. See the lead warning above.
• The "Berber festival today only" shop. Anyone who says a street is closed or a special market is on today is steering you to a commission shop. Our Morocco scams guide lists the common ones.
• Cheap argan oil at roadside stops. Buy from a cooperative or a labelled bottle.
• "Antiques". You cannot check an age or provenance claim in a souk, and cultural goods are excluded from the VAT refund. Stick to new crafts.
• Animal products. Skip anything made from wild animals, shells or tortoise.
Morocco refunds VAT to non-resident visitors on purchases of 2,000 dirhams or more, including tax, from one shop on one day. Purchases from different days or shops cannot be added together. The shop issues an export sales slip; show it with the goods and invoices to customs when you leave, within three months of buying. Food, medicines, cultural goods and a few other categories are excluded. Refunds are paid by approved operators such as Global Blue.
In practice this matters for a rug, a large leather order or a set of ceramics, bought in a proper shop that issues invoices. Souk stalls generally do not.
• Cash: the souk runs on dirhams in small notes. The dirham is a closed currency, so spend or change your last notes before you fly; our dirham guide explains the rules.
• Australia and New Zealand: you must declare wooden articles, baskets and other plant material when you land. Clean, finished thuya boxes and baskets are usually released after inspection; undeclared items can mean a fine.
• US: one litre of alcohol fits in the $800 duty-free personal exemption if you are 21 or over. Declare spices, dates and other food.
• Rugs: a folded rug can go in checked luggage; many shops vacuum-pack them. Keep the receipt.
More in things to know before visiting Morocco, tipping in Morocco and our souvenirs by country guide.
Argan oil from a women's cooperative, a hand-woven rug or kilim, or leather babouches from Fes. Thuya wood boxes from Essaouira and Tamegroute pottery are good smaller buys.
Not always. New York City's health department lists traditional Moroccan ceramics among those that may contain high levels of lead. Keep painted and glazed pieces for display and cook in an unglazed or certified lead-free tagine.
Yes, on purchases of 2,000 dirhams or more including tax from one shop on one day. Get an export sales slip and show it with the goods to customs within three months. Food and cultural goods are excluded.
Buy from a cooperative or a bottle whose label lists only argan kernel oil, and avoid the cheapest bottles in the souk, which are the most likely to be mixed with other oils. Cosmetic oil is pale and nearly scentless; culinary oil is darker and nutty.
Usually, but you must declare them on arrival. Clean, finished pieces are normally released after inspection; undeclared items can mean a fine.
Practical travel tips, straight to your inbox. Unsubscribe anytime.
Look up Morocco hotels near the places in this guide on Booking.com.
