Is Morocco good for shoppers and souvenir hunters?

Shoppers and souvenir hunters are in their element in Morocco — the souks are some of the most rewarding marketplaces on earth, and unlike a lot of tourist shopping, much of what you buy is still genuinely handmade. In Marrakech the medina is a maze organised loosely by craft: leather goods and babouche slippers in one quarter, dyers' alleys, metalworkers hammering brass and silver lanterns, and carpet souks where dealers unroll rug after rug over glasses of mint tea. Fes is even deeper, with its tanneries, ceramic cooperatives and intricate metalwork.

My favourite buys to recommend are the ones with real provenance: a hand-knotted Berber rug whose symbols carry tribal meaning, blue-and-white Fassi ceramics, carved cedar boxes, hammered brass trays and lanterns, soft leather poufs and bags, and the textiles — cactus-silk "sabra" throws and handira wedding blankets. For lighter, suitcase-friendly gifts there is argan oil and amlou, saffron and spice blends, ras el hanout, rosewater, ceramic tagines and beautiful little tea glasses.

The thing to understand is that haggling is the system, not an inconvenience. Prices are not fixed, the first number is an opening bid, and a relaxed back-and-forth over tea is the expected ritual — aim to settle somewhere around half to two-thirds of the first asking price, and never start negotiating something you have no intention of buying. I always tell clients to walk the souk once without buying, get a feel for quality and price, then commit on the second pass.

A few honest cautions. Quality varies enormously, so for big-ticket items like rugs it pays to know what you are looking at — I can send you with a vetted dealer or come along to keep things fair. Reputable shops will arrange international shipping for carpets and large ceramics, which saves your luggage allowance. And do check customs rules at home for anything containing animal products or antiques. Buy from the workshop where you can watch the maker, and you take home craft, not a knock-off.