Ah, Salaam, and good evening to you worthy friend. Please, please, come closer… Too close, a little too close! From intricate details and authentic architecture to the modern takeover by Disney’s Imagineers, this middle eastern pavilion has a lot to offer. The Morocco Pavilion is a Moroccan-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase, within Epcot at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, United States.
Located between the Japan and France pavilions, nearest to the International Gateway, the showcase re-creates the architecture and atmosphere of this famed northern African kingdom. Three cities are represented: Casablanca, Fez, and Marrakesh.
When World Showcase opened, the neighborhood included pavilions for Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the American Adventure. Today, you can visit 11 countries, thanks to the addition of the Morocco Pavilion in 1984 and the Norway Pavilion in 1988.
On September 7, 1984, the Morocco Pavilion became the first new addition to the World Showcase. And it was the first and only pavilion to have its origin country as its sponsor. Unlike most Epcot pavilions, Morocco was originally operated by the Moroccan government before Disney took full control in 2020. As of 2025, following closures from Covid and construction, the pavilion has fully reopened, with most shops and dining locations back in operation.
With Morocco sponsoring the EPCOT pavilion, special consideration was made to ensure the authenticity of the details that guests would see. The country’s sponsorship also ensured that the pavilion’s shops and other offerings would make sense for promoting the real Morocco as a destination to visit.
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Regular visitors to the pavilion have noted changes since Disney took over. But, to this day, the Moroccan Embassy and Morocco Tourism Board continue to serve as consultants.
Plan your trip around World Showcase with the help of an authorized Disney vacation planner at Academy Travel. They will be your tour guides to planning a perfectly passport-ed trip at no extra cost to you!
What is your favorite part of the Morocco Pavilion?
Immersive Design and Architecture
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. The Pavilion’s layout suggests a Moroccan city. At the entrance is a reproduction of Marrakesh’s 12th-century Koutoubia Minaret. Other notable buildings are the Chellah, modeled after Rabat’s necropolis, and Bab Bou Jeloud gate, leading to the Medina or “old city” Bazaar area.
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, and fountains can be seen.
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In addition to the intricate mosaics and brasswork seen around the Morocco Pavilion, this area of the World Showcase features some of the most realistic replicas of landmarks from the North African country. The Koutoubia Minaret, as seen in EPCOT, could easily be mistaken for the real landmark in Marrakesh. Of course, the interior of this building serves a more practical purpose in EPCOT.
King Hassan II actually sent Moroccan artisans to design and create the many mosaics. The attention to detail by the Moroccan artisans was exquisite. The architects and tradespeople purposefully installed flawed mosaic tiles in the displays, which kept with the Muslim belief that only Allah can create perfection.
Due to Islamic religious beliefs on the content of art, the mosaics contain no representations of people.
Something to look for is the tower above the pavilion, called the Koutoubia Minaret. It’s an exact replica of the popular icon located at Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, the largest mosque in Morocco.
True, there is no ride or movie in the Morocco pavilion. But if you bypass it, you’re missing a pretty special opportunity. The detailed tile work, the fountains, and the immersive layout combine to create a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of the crowds.
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Morocco Pavilion at Epcot - Relaxing Stroll in 4K 60fps - Walt Disney World 2019
Fountains of Morocco
There are three fountains in the Pavilion. Water was precious in Morocco, where fountains symbolized life, hospitality and purification. Providing a fountain was both a charitable and a religiously significant act. The intricate tiling on the fountains (zellige) represents the infinite nature of creation. Tiles were hand-cut and assembled by Moroccan artisans; no two are identical.
The entrance fountain is modeled after those in Marrakesh’s public squares. It’s intended to welcome visitors, as it would in a real Moroccan city. Re-tiling on this fountain and nearby planters in 2024 lacks the intricacy of the original designs.
The Marketplace fountain, a replica of the Nejjarine Fountain in Fez, sits in the middle of a courtyard of shops. Smaller and more intimate, it suggests the community fountains in Moroccan medinas. The third fountain is in the Fez House courtyard.
Gallery of Arts and History
Guests to the pavilion gain insight on lifestyle and culture of the Moroccan people through the Gallery of Arts and History. Often overlooked, this is a wonderful display of the science, music and technology of Morocco.
The current exhibit in the Gallery of Arts and History is called Race Against the Sun. Displays give a fantastic look at how the Berbers survived in the Sahara, covering the topics of tea, tents, and clothing in this inhospitable region.
Guests will find immersive experiences including a diorama of Marathon of the Sands with race gear and trophies, plus a photo op of the Rally of the Gazelles, which is an off-road, all-woman desert rally. The exhibit also shows how the Berbers mastered living in the Sahara’s formidable environment.
Fez House
Inside the Pavilion is the Fez House, designed to represent a typical Moroccan house and offering a quiet contrast to the busy public spaces. To the right of the Gallery is the Fez House which represents a typical Moroccan home. There are beautiful mosaic tiles, carvings, and artifacts from daily life.
Dining Experiences
Morocco has some of the best dining locations in all of the World Showcase. This World Showcase pavilion is also home to three restaurants - Restaurant Marrakesh, Spice Road Table, and the Tangerine Café.
Let’s eat!
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.
| Restaurant | Cuisine | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant Marrakesh | Moroccan | Offers traditional Moroccan cuisine and live entertainment, including a belly dancer. Lunch and dinner are served. |
| Tangierine Cafe | Mediterranean | A small open air cafe offering sandwiches, humus, vegetarian platters and desserts. Serves hummus, various salads, rotisserie chicken, Baklava along with beverages including coffee, mint tea, slushies, beer, and carbonated beverages. |
| Spice Road Table | Mediterranean | A Mediterranean-inspired Table Service eatery serving small plates and more. Indoor and outdoor seating is available. Offers small plates for lunch and dinner, plus a wide selection of adult beverages. The offerings are authentic Moroccan dishes, including lamb kefta, calamari, and chicken bastille. |
Restaurant Marrakesh
When open, Restaurant Marrakesh is a table service restaurant offering Moroccan delicacies as roast lamb, shish-kebab, couscous, and brochette of chicken. Traditional belly dancers appear occasionally, sending your sense back to those of the Sultan’s palace. Stained-glass chandeliers bathe diners in a warm, dim glow, all while intricate tile mosaics evoke timeless majesty.
Select an à la carte favorite-or partake in a culinary adventure with a feast featuring hearty meats, Moroccan pastries, and more. From the full bar, Guests 21 years of age and older can delight in such specialties as the Casablanca Sunset, the Sahara Splash and the Marrakesh Express.
Tangierine Cafe
For those looking for a quick-service eatery, the Tangerine Café offers shawarma platters, pastries, and falafel. The Tangierine Cafe is the counter Service restaurant featuring wonderful Mediterranean specialties, salads, and desserts. The Quick Service Tangierine Café may only be open during EPCOT’s festivals. But this is the not-to-be-missed place for authentic kebabs, so if it’s open while you visit, be sure to give it a try. A charming, covered seating area, making it a great place to escape the crowds.
Spice Road Table
Lastly, Spice Road Table offers waterside seating for the spectaculars over World Showcase Lagoon. "Spice Road Table" focuses on a menu of "small plates." This restaurant is located right on the water, so during the day, guests can enjoy the sunshine and nighttime diners will have a great view of IllumiNations.
Other Dining Options
Oasis Sweets & Sips offers a wide assortment of pastries. You’ll find familiar baklava and almond crescent cookies, and also more exotic (but tasty!) kataifi, ergolavos, and flogeres. Finally, Sangria Sips is a snack and beverage cart in the Brass Bazaar. Here you’ll find shareable sangria (white or red) and other snacks.
Entertainment and Activities
The courtyard plays hosts to entertainment, including a belly dancing show in the evening. In addition to the Koutoubia Minaret, the opening of the Morocco Pavilion featured belly dancers both outside and inside Restaurant Marrakesh.
Live entertainment in the pavilion is provided by Atlas Fusion, a music and dance group. Performing on the stage in the pavilion’s front, their energetic music and belly dancing act even includes some audience participation.
Should you hear music coming from the pavilion, look for Musique Aramenco, which is a show combining traditional and modern music and accompanied by belly dancing. The 20-minute show (when running) repeats throughout the day.
Like the other pavilions in the World Showcase, the KIDCOT Fun Stop in Morocco offers the littles a chance to collect an activity card. They can learn more about the culture and traditions of the Moroccan people. Speaking of traditions, Henna artists in the Pavilion can create wearable works of art for you. Prices for these tattoos currently range from $25 to $45, and they take 5-20 minutes to create.
Shopping
As of February 2025, the Morocco Pavilion at Epcot offers a variety of shopping experiences, though some locations remain closed. Prior to 2020 and COVID, guests had the opportunity to shop in several locations. Sadly, at this writing, the Marketplace in the Medina, Tangier Traders, the Brass Bazaar, and Casablanca Carpets are not open.
Located at the entrance of the pavilion, this shop offers Moroccan clothing, bags, jewelry, hats, and Aladdin-themed merchandise. Literally, “Souk” means “market” and “al Magreb” translates to “the West” or “the sunset” in Arabic, meaning the North African region west of Egypt, including Morocco. Here, Souk-Al-Magreb can be said to mean simply, “Moroccan Market”. Offering a variety of Moroccan souvenirs, including jewelry and clothing, you can also find Disney merch here. (Aladdin-related items, of course).
Please note that the status of these shops can change.
Hidden Details and Recent Changes
EPCOT has been under so much construction lately, leading up to its 39th birthday, with the addition of Ratatouille, the Skyliner incorporation on the backside of the park, the reimagining of Future World, and more. The new skyline of Morocco is quite different, but some old additions remain.
For instance, have you ever look at Morocco from across World Showcase Lagoon and noticed the Tower of Terror looming in the background? But now, the skyline of Morocco involves the “Go Away Green” shadow of the Ratatouille building and the cable system of the new transportation line, making the area look incredibly busy. The initial, careful blending of the Tower of Terror seems in direct contrast to the hasty, inconsiderate addition of these other elements. Tower of Terror and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure show building behind Epcot Morocco. Also Disney Skyliner.
It must be mentioned that a fan favorite display was removed from the Morocco Pavilion recently. The backside of a chimney near Restaurant Marrakesh was deemed inappropriate by Disney for attracting the wrong kind of attention. The chimney was converted into a false door, keeping the base shape and adding a blue wash wooden door.
Due to specific reasons, the Moroccan pavilion is strictly prohibited from having any lighting attached to it. In the late evening, as EPCOT’s firework spectaculars startup, you’ll notice that each country in the World Showcase lights up with rope lighting and brilliant bulbs. Each one, except Morocco. 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.
Disney Guests can stop by the Morocco Pavilion to meet a few familiar Disney characters! What you may not see are characters from the movie Atlantis. While the movie itself takes place in the waters offshore of the southwest coast of Morocco, the film does have roots in this country.
When you’ve passed through this exquisitely decorate pavilion in the World Showcase, be sure to stop by the other countries featured on the World tour. Nearby, you’ll find Japan, France, and across the International Gateway, the United Kingdom.
Have you visited the Morocco Pavilion? What do you love about it?
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