What is the meaning of colours in Moroccan design?

Morocco is one of the most chromatic countries on earth, and the colours are never random — they carry centuries of meaning. The one travellers fall hardest for is blue. There is the famous Majorelle blue of Marrakech's gardens, and the rinsed cobalt of Chefchaouen, the blue city in the Rif. Blue is associated with the sky, with the spiritual, and crucially with protection — it is the colour believed to repel the evil eye, which is why you see it on doors, shutters and window frames everywhere.

Green is the most sacred colour: it is the colour of Islam, of the Prophet, of paradise and of fertile life in a largely arid land. You see it on mosque roofs, religious tilework and the national flag's central star. Red is the national colour too — the deep red of the Moroccan flag and of Marrakech itself, the "red city," whose walls and buildings glow ochre-rose at sunset from the local clay. Red signals strength, courage and the earth underfoot.

Then there are the desert colours. Saffron yellow and warm ochre evoke the sun, the Sahara and historically wealth and prosperity — gold without the gold. White stands for purity, peace and simplicity, which is why so many djellabas and prayer garments are white, and why whitewash cools the coastal towns. Black and indigo, traditionally worn by some desert and Tuareg peoples, carry their own dignity and mystery.

When I walk clients through a souk or a riad, I encourage them to read the colour choices as a language rather than just admire them. The blue door is asking for protection; the green tile is a small prayer; the rose-red wall is the city naming itself. Understanding this turns a pretty photo into a story, and it is one of the quiet pleasures of travelling here with your eyes properly open.