Morocco Pavilion

Morocco Pavilion
Epcot
Land	World Showcase
Attraction type	Themed Pavilion
Theme	Moroccan Village
Opening date	September 7, 1984
Sponsored by	Kingdom of Morocco

The Morocco Pavilion is part of the World Showcase at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. It opened on September 7, 1984 being the first expansion to be added at the World Showcase.

Layout

The Morocco Pavilion, designed to look like a Moroccan city with a realistic Minaret, features the only pavilion in which the country's government aided in the design. Guests to the pavilion gain insight on lifestyle and culture of the Moroccan people through the Gallery of Arts and History. The Fes House shows guests the typical Moroccan house. Inside the pavilion, North African plants including citrus trees, date palms, and olive trees. The pavilion plays hosts to entertainment, including a belly dancing show in the evening. Restaurant Marrakesh, along with the Tangierine Cafe, serve Moroccan fare, including roast lamb in Tajine, Couscous, and Harira soup. Six shops adorn the pavilion, selling patrons everything from rugs to leather goods, and traditional Moroccan clothing.

Some of the major defining structures of the pavilion include Chellah, a replication of the necropolis in Rabat, and the Koutoubia, a replica of the minaret of the same Marrakech. A replica of Bab Boujeloud, the gateway to the Fez medina leads you to a Bazaar area.

King Hassan II actually sent Moroccan artisans to design and create many mosaics. Due to Islamic religious beliefs on the content of art, the mosaics contain no representations of people. The government also sponsors the pavilion, while a corporation holds sponsoring rights on every other pavilion.

Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, and the Genie from the 1992 Disney film Aladdin can be met in this pavilion.

Attractions and Entertainment

Current

• Gallery of Arts and History
  • Race Against the Sun: Ancient Technique to Modern Competition

Former

• Mo'Rockin

Restaurants

Current

• Spice Road Table

Former

• Restaurant Marrakesh
• Tangerine Cafe

Shopping

Current

• Tangier Trades
• Brass Bazaar
• Casablanca Carpets
• Souk-Al-Magreb

Former

• Outdoor Bazaar
• Medina Arts

Meet Disney Characters

• Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, and the Genie from Aladdin

Trivia

• While construction started for the pavilion, the King of Morocco sent Moroccan artisans to work on the mosaics inside the pavilion.
• Due to specific reasons, the Moroccan pavilion is strictly prohibited from having any lighting attached to it. The Moroccan landmark is one of two landmarks that does not light up during IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. The other landmark is from Norway, which is directly across the lagoon from Morocco. In order to keep symmetrical, Norway does not light up its Stave church during IllumiNations as well.
• The Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios can be seen at an angle from the Morocco Pavilion, and the top of the Tower is designed with Moroccan architecture making it blend with the Moroccan architecture.

Gallery

The logo for the Morocco pavilion.

Restaurant Marrakesh.