Morocco, seen from the Americas

For North Americans: Morocco is widely cited as the first country to recognise the United States, in 1777, and the treaty of friendship signed in 1786 is still in force. The first property the US ever owned abroad is the old American Legation in Tangier, now a museum.

For Latin Americans: Spanish in the north, and the courtyards, tiles and carved ceilings of Al-Andalus, the same tradition that, as Mudéjar art, travelled with Spain to the New World. Many Spanish speakers find it oddly familiar.

Haggling is expected in the souk, and the first price is rarely the price. Cash still rules in small shops and taxis. The pace: things take longer, and the conversation is part of the deal.

Being approached in the medinas of Marrakech and Fes. A smile and a firm no thank you while you keep walking usually ends it.

The hospitality, the food, the desert night. And the sense of depth: cities that have been at work for a thousand years, lived in rather than preserved.

We found no reliable study of how Moroccans see visitors from the Americas, so we would rather not generalise. What the history does show is an old friendship, on paper since 1777. Tell us how it was for you.

The classic first loop: Marrakech, over the High Atlas to the kasbahs and a night in the dunes, then Fes. If you fly into Casablanca, add Rabat and Tangier for the history.