Implemented in a haphazard manner, with hiccups almost every year, and unpopular with Moroccans, daylight saving time is set to be phased out in 2026.
In Morocco, we have time – and plenty of hours… in summer, winter, and during Ramadan…
Before the time, it’s not the right time; after the time, it isn’t either – but which time are we talking about? Daylight saving time, standard time, Ramadan time, French time, Moroccan time?
It’s a whole saga that began in 2008, when Morocco decided to switch to summer time.
But not all the time, as we have to switch back to solar time (used in winter) during the month of Ramadan. That year, Ramadan began at the end of summer, so daylight saving time ended prematurely and, in the panic!
Every year, it’s the same old story: when does it start, when does it end – with the dates changing each time.
Things are becoming too normal, so the government has decided to make a bold move: it’s scrapping daylight saving time, but changing the time zone, so it will be daylight saving time all year round. As always, ‘except during Ramadan’, which will therefore switch to standard time, even though it takes place in spring!
To top it all off, very few public clocks in Morocco are accurate. Or, if they are, it’s only twice a day.
Morocco experienced its first time change in 1918. A century later, the definitive experimental switch to GMT+1 has not succeeded in setting the clocks back. But this is not a change to summer time.
Usually, smartphones are slow to adjust to the time change. Not this year, though – in fact, they were a week ahead of the change. As if Moroccans weren’t stressed enough already!
Knowing when you’re on holiday in Morocco isn’t quite as straightforward as you might think.…
Moroccans are starting to get used to the time change, but Maroc Telecom hasn’t arranged for mobile phones to be updated – just to make things easier!
As usual, the decision to switch to daylight saving time was taken “shortly beforehand”, since…
The big summer drama series, 2011 edition, and Ramadan in August! Stay tuned!
At last the date for daylight saving time in Morocco is known. And of course, it's not the same as last year or two years ago... but we still have a problem with Ramadan...
Will we have learned from last year's problems?
Following the last-minute time change due to Ramadan, Royal Air Maroc is doing everything it can to contact its customers to avoid delays and missed flights.
This year, Morocco has decided to switch to summer time. That's not easy enough, but it's even harder when you have to change time again as a matter of urgency because of the arrival of Ramadan. Didn't anyone think of that?
