BootsnAll Travel Community

Hey everyone,

I am an architecture student from Montana, USA, looking to do a semester abroad next fall. Can anyone give me their thoughts on Morroco vs. Istanbul? I would be in Ifrane Morocco, east of Fez, or at a school in the old district of Istanbul. In reguard to ease of travel, safety, english speaking people, adventure, architecture, livability, etc. what would you reccomend? Living somwhere for 4 months is a bit different than a week of vacation, so I want to do some serious research and get lots of feedback.

Michael

I haven't been to Morocco, but I can't recommend Turkey enough. People are friendly, the intercity buses beat pretty much any other mass transportation system in the world, and there is so much to see and do.

For travelling around the country, as I said, the buses are amazing. On most routes, leaving from a large town, you can just show up at the station, let the touts know where you want to go, and whoever has the next bus leaving (the longest we waited using this system was a little over an hour), will take you back to his office to sort out the tickets. Then you get on the bus, and will be served snacks, water, and a choice of tea, coffee or pop. Istanbul also boasts a modern and reasonably efficient tram & metro system...don't rely on the Lonely Planet map for these because it was out of date before it was printed.

For architecture, Istanbul has a huge variety of eras, ranging from the ancient Byzantine, scattered around the sultanahmet, through various types of Ottoman architecture, to the 19th century European style that boomed during the years after the railroads started bringing in visitors from Western Europe, to the modern legoland suburbs. Taking the train in from the west, you get treated to a views of endless fields of condo towers...most of them empty.

English doesn't present much of a problem...many Turks speak our language. Of those that don't, we found Turks to be unusually patient in trying to communicate with gestures. One of the nice things about Turkey we found when arriving from Arabic speaking countries is that they use our alphabet, so its easier to figure out place names and so on.

Both countries are wonderful and with plenty of great opportunities for travel, but Ifrane can´t even hold a candle to Istanbul. You will be bored out of your mind there (in Ifrane), though Fes is quite simply the most fascinating medieval city in the Islamic world.

Go to Istanbul. The only thing you'll do in Ifrane is want to leave.

I have lived in Istanbul for some time, and when I wanted to see something new, something always arose. As an architecture student, you may want to see more than Ottoman style buildings.

Most of the Roman buildings are gone, but there is the cistern, a 2000 year old water storage area. It still holds water very well. There is a roman aqueduct to be seen in the city.

If you want byzantine architecture, there is the Chora, a 8th-12th century church, and some mosaics in the mosaic museum. Then there is Haghia Sophia, of course, one of the worlds best churches in the world, bar none. It predates St. Marks, which was made as a copy of haghia Sophia. Now, of course, St. Marks preserves its gold mosaics and Christian trappings, while Haghia Sophia has suffered through riots, earthquakes, and Muslim rule. Still, it never fails to impress, especially the stonework.


Don't forget the Islamic museum in the center of Sultanhmet.

If you take a one week tour from Istanbul, you can see several roman cities in fairly good condition, including Ephesus and Hieropolis. There is, a days bus ride away, a set of thermal baths that Cleopatra bathed in. I swam in those baths. I never met Cleopatra's ghost, unfortunately. Still, they are marvelously roman and decadent.

Most of the seven wonders of the world are in Turkey.

Well, if you want to learn Arabic, there is always Morocco.
I've never been to Morocco, so I can't speak of the opportunities there.

istanbul.

Go Turkey Istanbul is a very young city. They are trying to keep their young people in the country which means nightlife and young porfessionals.

perhaps it's unfair to cast my vote for Turkey, having never been to Morroco, but it's a guarantee you won't get bored in Istanbul or Turkey. There's absolutely something for everyone, and then some. Lying on the divide between East and West, the contrast is apparent. More so if you actually travel around Turkey (despite the physical continental divide actually being the Bosphorous which divides Istanbul, the cultural divide happens more gradually inland as you head East).
I'm not a student of architecture, per se, but my layman's eye tells me there is quite a bit to explore, as 2wanderers mentioned above. Especially if you do decide to venture out of the city - Ephesus and Heiropolos being a couple of great examples.

There is also the little touted Hittite settlement Hattusa which we saw (I think) on a Discovery Channel special. but perhaps that's of more interest to archaeology students?

That's my biased 2c.

As yet another poster who has not been to Morocco, I cast my vote for Istanbul. I say that with the same conviction as the posters above, though. I've been to a few places, and I ain't lying when I say that Istanbul is one of the greatest cities in the world.

I would not pass up a chance to live there.