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Morocco - the Star of
the Sahara, the Gateway to Africa - is a nation with a long and rich history of
cultures coming together. With its blend
of indigenous Berber traditions, Arab influences, and European arrivals, Morocco
is both sophisticated and exotic – a feast for the senses, with a rhythm all
its own. 
Morocco is located in northwest Africa and many people think it’s just another third-world country. That would be a bad assumption. It is true that Morocco is a land of timeless traditions, but in many respects it is a very progressive country. King Mohammed VI has led efforts to make changes in women’s rights and in Morocco’s infrastructure. For example, women are encouraged to get an education and a paying job outside the home and they now have the right to initiate divorce proceedings – big changes from longstanding Muslim tradition of male dominance in all things.
Infrastructure
improvements are seen everywhere. Every
city, town and most villages have ongoing rebuilding, restoration and
renovation projects, as well as new roads and bridges – all with beautiful
streetlights. The railway system is
being improved, including new high-speed train services. Tangier’s harbor has been updated and greatly
expanded, making it the largest port in all Africa. The King set a goal of having the country free
from use of fossil fuels, and Morocco is well on its way to 100% solar
power. Last – and most noticeable –
Morocco has banned the use of plastic shopping bags; result – almost no litter!
Morocco is full of surprises:
Morocco is full of surprises:
- Before the rifts that split the continents in the late Triassic age, New Jersey shared a land border with Morocco. Their coastlines now face each other across 3,700 miles of Atlantic Ocean.
- The national costume, the djellaba, is unisex, a pull-over worn by men and women alike, which distinguishes not gender but marital status by its color and decoration.
- In 1786, Morocco became the very first country on earth to sign a treaty with the United States, recognizing it as a sovereign nation.
- Despite being associated with desert imagery, the Atlantic Ocean serves as Morocco’s entire western border, and the Mediterranean Sea outlines its northeast, which explains how Morocco became the world’s biggest exporter of sardines.
- Escargot is not a delicacy for the rich or reserved for fine dining; prepared snails are a popular finger food easily found in souks and humble cafes.
- The highest ski resort in Africa is in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains, even though the average annual snowfall never exceeds eight inches.
- There is a dentist for every 800,000 residents in Morocco, where tooth extraction is so common, you will see open-air dentists in souks literally plying their trade with pliers.
- The glossy burled thuya wood used for the dashboards and interiors of luxury cars by Mercedes, BMW, and Rolls Royce—including the famed Silver Ghost—comes from only one place on Earth: the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.
- During the Iraq war in 2003, Morocco offered to send 2,000 monkeys to help US allies by detonating landmines; the offer was not accepted.
- In heavily Muslim Morocco, it is legal to own a Christian Bible, but not if it’s written in Arabic.
- With its desert often compared to Mars, it is fitting
that when a 700,000-year-old meteorite from the red planet crashed to
earth in 2012, it fell in Morocco.
And off we go on an adventure to another world! With good friends Jo Wilson, Carol Bennett,
and Dennis and Vicky Shepard, we traveled with Overseas
Adventure Travel. Not sure what to expect - perhaps we will ride a
camel, camp in the Sahara, explore ancient towns, and drink tea with Berbers. Our trip started with a very long plane
trip: Columbia to Atlanta to Paris to Casablanca, with long layovers, long
lines, and lots of traffic. After 20+ hours of travel time, we arrived
exhausted about 8PM local time.
It was just a short walk to Chefchaouen’s medina - the old town or core of the city, where the first settlement got started. It is mostly walled-in, a maze-like complex of small streets running through the oldest part of town. Lots of blue color! Blue painting started here about 100 years ago, to help guard against deterioration of the stucco walls. The blue color represents heaven, but it can only go as high as the ladders will allow.
All over town, there are many fine houses with carved and decorated doors and all sorts of interesting people walking everywhere.
Fountains are common, dating back to a time when they provided all water to residents of the town. One of the most distinctive fountains is Ain Souika, set in a recess in the district’s main street; it has a semicircular basin and interlaced lobed arches.
Ihsaan put us to work helping prepare lunch. It was quite a feast – fava bean soup, vegetable tagine (veggies from their garden), Moroccan chicken with figs, cauliflower and cabbage, homemade bread, and flan for dessert (milk from the father’s cow).
Two-thirds of
Moroccans are, in cultural and linguistic terms, Berbers. Thought to be descendants of people of mixed
origins – including Oriental, Saharan and European – the Berbers do not make up
a homogeneous race. Berbers have been
around for at least 4000 years, with various groups settling in Morocco at
different times. By finding refuge in
mountainous regions, they survived several successive invasions – of
Mediterranean countries, the Arabs, and later, the French and Spaniards. They still speak several dialects and
maintain distinct cultural traditions. Many
Berbers were traders in the earlier times, but today most are farmers,
including this village of Berbers who have settled in the Rif Mountains of
Northern Morocco.
Farming here is hard
work; crops are grown on the steep slopes by building small
terraced fields along the mountainsides.
Rock walls retain the soil, which is carefully fertilized each year with
manure and composted plant material.
These soils are rich enough in some areas to allow two grain groups to
be grown each year: barley, then
wheat. Broad beans, peas, chickpeas and
lentils are also important.
Morocco is the leading producer of hashish (cannabis), in spite of government efforts to limit its cultivation. They’ve not had much luck, as the prosperity of the cannabis farmers contrasts starkly with small-scale farmers elsewhere in the country, who have suffered from several years of drought.
Agriculture is still
the number one source of income for the Moroccan economy, followed by mining of
phosphate minerals and tourism. Sales of fish and seafoods are important as well. Mining and other industry contribute about
one-third of the country’s annual gross domestic product.
TETOUAN, sometimes called the ‘daughter of Granada’ or ‘little
Jerusalem,’ is a seaside town that was inhabited by Jewish refugees from
Granada and Moors from Andalusia. The
city has a rich mix of cultures and traditions – Roman, Andalusian, and
European. Founded by Andalusian refugees
in the 15th century, the city’s labyrinth of squares, markets, and
beaches still maintains its old-world charm.
Tetouan is located at the mouth of a river and surrounded by orchards of
almond, pomegranate and cypress trees.
The medina is, above all, a marketplace, and just about everything is for sale here, much of it still made by hand. In spite of the rainy day, its narrow streets and tiny storefronts explode with color. Vendors offer carpets, jewelry, and leather, as well as local dishes for sale from food carts.
We stepped inside the
communal bakery, a common feature of every Moroccan neighborhood. There are big wood-burning ovens where bread
is baked all day long, but local women also bring their bread to be baked –
much easier than having a hot oven in their homes.
We also enjoyed
watching a man spin thread from the fibers of the yucca plant. He had long strings hanging all along the
walls; he reeled them in to make all sorts of items from ‘Moroccan silk’ –
ropes, belts, you name it!
Leaving Tetouan, we
drove through more mountains and lush valleys, finally arriving at the
Mediterranean Sea for a late lunch and a walk on the beach. 
The twisting, turning lanes of Tangier’s medina beg for a GPS – good thing we had a local guide to get us in and out. The narrow streets are filled with interesting people as well as stalls and stores selling artisanal goods – traditional items as well as Moorish-modern designs. 
The road from Tangier to Rabat hugs the coastline and much of the land is agricultural. The most striking man-made structures were greenhouses, growing everything from avocados to bananas to tomatoes to zucchini. This requires less water than open fields and provides a year-round source of important foods.
Tucked inside the old palace grounds are the Andalusian Gardens, a quiet, secluded place
designed by a French landscape architect in the twentieth century. The gardens give the
impression of being abandoned, with its structures in need of restoration,
but it still has a certain charm. Not far from the gardens is a large cemetery, said to be the final resting place of many famous Moroccans. We couldn’t read a single name (written in Arabic), but we did admire the beautiful tilework.
The medina itself is teeming with
activity. Some of the streets were quite
crowded; all were quite colorful and people were generally friendly and
welcoming. Too bad they don’t speak
English – we could have used some help getting out of there …
Chellah is an ancient site originally settled by Phoenicians and
rebuilt by Muslims in the 13th century. It was initially a fortress before it was
chosen in 1284 by Abou Yacoub Youssef (an early Muslim ruler) as the site for a
mosque and the burial place of his wife.
He also was buried here, as were several of his successors who
embellished the burial complex and built walls around it.
Within the walls are
the ruins of Carthaginian and Roman buildings, as well as the mosque, a monastery,
and a pool of eels. After the necropolis
was abandoned, it was ransacked several times and largely destroyed by
earthquake in 1755.
The building features white walls and green-tiled roof. The interior is finished in white marble and granite floors and walls and a beautiful granite block with a headstone indicates the final resting place of the great king. The doors and ceiling are carved in beautiful motifs and designs. Traditional artistic techniques combine with a touch of modern design to create a wonderful display of tilework and stucco sculpture.
Not far from Rabat, we stopped a while in the town of Khemisset for an educational visit to the local fruit and vegetable market. The market was “housed” in a makeshift array of stalls, poles and sheets of plastic, and it was chock full of fresh, luscious items to make us all hungry.
Inside the market folks were selling every imaginable type of fruit and/or vegetable. Hard to decide which was more interesting, the food or the people themselves. They were most welcoming, though not everyone was up for having a photo taken.
FEZ is the oldest of Morocco’s imperial cities, its second largest city and
its cultural and spiritual capital. Founded
in the 9th century, Fez reached its height in the 13th–14th
centuries, when it replaced Marrakesh as the capital of the kingdom of Morocco.
Its medina has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our lodging was the Riad Dar Dmana, located in the heart of
the medina of Fez. This jewel of
Hispano-Moorish architecture is over 400 years old and has been completely restored while maintaining the
architecture and traditional building materials. The feeling here is not so much a hotel as a
refined, elegant house where the owner, his family members and staff, welcomed
us in a family atmosphere. The stained-glass windows in our room, the
tile-work and chiseled plasters all were enchanting, a trip back in time to another
world.
On a hill overlooking Fez, there is an old fortress and tower offering a panoramic view over the Old Medina and its environs. We had heard that the Fez medina was quite large, but its expanse is hard to take in – the medina itself is sprawled all over the countryside. It's easy to get lost in there.
On a hill overlooking Fez, there is an old fortress and tower offering a panoramic view over the Old Medina and its environs. We had heard that the Fez medina was quite large, but its expanse is hard to take in – the medina itself is sprawled all over the countryside. It's easy to get lost in there.
The city walls seem to go on forever, with
all manner of gates for entrance and exit.
The holes in the walls are to hold scaffolding for maintenance
and repair; most of the time they are occupied by pigeons.
The medina is a walled-in, wall-to-wall urban beehive, a city within the city, where half a million people live and work. Fez was founded between 789 and 808 AD by Idriss I, the grandson of the prophet Mohammed, This intricate maze of streets lined with open markets, shops, schools, fondouks (hostels or rest stops for travelers), palaces, residences, riads, mosques and fountains. Its narrow streets, 13th-century buildings and busy markets are hidden by the massive walls that were built to defend against attacks.
Today no motorized traffic is allowed in the old city; the medina ranks as the largest car-free plaza in the world. Donkeys and mules are commonly used for transportation in the old city's maze of narrow streets, which lead to bustling markets and souks.
Founded in the 9th
century, the Fez medina is home to the University of Karueein, the oldest existing
and continually operating educational institution in the world. Here students have studied theology,
jurisprudence, philosophy, mathematics, astrology, astronomy and languages.
Since the middle ages, the university’s students have included famous people
from all around the Mediterranean Sea. Also within the medina is the Medersa el-Attarine, a former Islamic school. Like all religious buildings in Morocco, it features five elements of design: marble, carved cedar, chiseled plaster, calligraphic inscriptions, and zellige tilework. None of this ornamentation depicts animals or humans as Islamic law forbids it. No icons or idols are allowed to stand between man and Allah.
The medersa was established in
1325, and students would come here to study with the goal of memorizing the Qur’an.
This could take years, as this religious text contains more than 6000
verses spanning 114 chapters. Some
students would move on to become imams,
or Islamic scholars and leaders of worship. 
In the Potters’ Quarter, we visited a pottery
co-operative, which highlighted the art of Moroccan pottery as well as the
process of zellige, or Moroccan tilework. Pottery-making starts with soaking the clay in water for a week, then kneading it first by foot (think “stomping grapes”), then by hand in order to release air bubbles and create a soft, pliable material. Fez pottery is shaped by hand, the pottery wheel is turned by foot for complete control, and a fine thread or piece of wire is used to cut the shape from the wheel. Once the desired shape has been formed, it is set out in the sun to dry. Pieces are painted by talented artists before firing in kilns fueled by crushed olive pits.
Traditional Moroccan tilework (zellige), was equally fascinating; full of beautiful geometric patterns, elaborate mosaics are a distinct feature of Moorish or Moroccan architecture. Historically, colorful tile has been used to decorate homes as a statement of luxury and the sophistication of the inhabitants. It is typically a series of patterns utilizing colorful geometric shapes. This framework of expression arose from the need of Islamic artists to create spatial decorations that avoided depictions of living things, consistent with the teachings of Islamic law. The process is tedious and requires painstaking attention to detail, but the products of these artisans are wonderful.
Leather tanning is a craft with traditions that go back
thousands of years, and the tanneries of Fez are well-known for turning animal
hides into soft, rot-proof leather. The
hides of sheep, goats, cows and camels undergo several processes including the
removal of hair and flesh. This is
followed by soaking in vats, then by drying and rinsing, before they are ready
to be dyed and handed over to leather-workers.
The process is fascinating to watch, but the smell is almost unbearable
– our guide gave us sprigs of mint to hold under our noses.
Vats, some of which
have been in use for centuries, are used for soaking the skins after the flesh
and hair have been removed. The tanning solution that turns them into leather
is made from the bark of mimosa or pomegranate.
The tanned hides are
hung out to dry on the terraces of the medina.
Roofs of houses, hillsides, even cemeteries, may be used in the drying
process.
The dried hides are
rinsed in generous quantities of water.
They are then softened by being steeped in baths of fatty solutions. Natural pigments,
obtained from plants and minerals, are still used by Moroccan craftsmen to
color the hides.
Moroccan weaving tends
to favor geometric and abstract patterns. These patterns are chosen for their
aesthetic values of symmetry and harmony rather than direct representation of
earthly objects and ideas. Still, there is a deep meaning within these
patterns. Embroidered textiles are found across all aspects of Moroccan life,
from walls to floors to bags to clothes. Babies are swaddled in embroidered cloths,
families are clothed in embroidered fabrics, and the dead are covered in
embroidered shrouds.
Pottery, textiles and
leather are just three of the traditional
markets, or souks, found in the medina.
In fact, the medina is full of souks
that specialize in various types of goods.
In theory, each specialty is housed in individual sections, each one leading
to the next. Craftsmen and sellers are
grouped together by the products they offer, and each type of craft has its own
street, usually surrounding the main mosque or kasbah. It sounds logical,
but the result is hopelessly complex to the uninitiated – we settled for
wandering around trying not to get lost.
The souks in Fez are said to be the largest and most confusing souks in
all Morocco. We believe it.
There are seven magnificent doors – one for each day of the week. They are made of cedar and covered with bronze; the closed doors create a commanding row of golden shields. Its knockers are decorated with symmetrical 8-pointed stars, which symbolize harmony and paradise in Islam.
We resisted the urge to knock – the doors are permanently closed. It’s enough to admire the artistry of the doors and exterior walls. But it does make one wonder what’s inside …
Our home-hosted dinner in Fez was unlike
any other – it was a girls’ night out.
Five women from our group went for dinner with four women of Fez – a
mother, two daughters, and one granddaughter.
They lived in a traditional Moroccan home – a two-floor U-shaped
building with a lovely courtyard, beautiful tilework, carved ceilings, and
elegant rooms.
Mom was a superb cook (dinner was excellent) and the grandkid was a born entertainer. They told us about their lives, their jobs, their family. One of the daughters was recently engaged to be married, and we learned that Moroccan tradition is to throw a big engagement party – the wedding is just a simple civil ceremony. They played a video-recording of the engagement parting and dragged us into the middle of the room to learn how to dance. The mom put us all to shame, but it was good fun and lots of exercise.
Mom was a superb cook (dinner was excellent) and the grandkid was a born entertainer. They told us about their lives, their jobs, their family. One of the daughters was recently engaged to be married, and we learned that Moroccan tradition is to throw a big engagement party – the wedding is just a simple civil ceremony. They played a video-recording of the engagement parting and dragged us into the middle of the room to learn how to dance. The mom put us all to shame, but it was good fun and lots of exercise.
VOLUBILIS AND MEKNES are two cities located near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, at the heart of the agricultural area that has been Morocco’s grain store since ancient times. The historical importance of the two cities can be seen in the ruins of Volubilis, the most important archaeological site in Morocco, and in the grandeur of the Moorish buildings in Meknes. The drive from Fez to Volubilis took us through rolling hills, farms and orchards.
VOLUBILIS, an ancient town at the foot of the mountains in a
sweeping valley filled with olive and almond trees, is the crown jewel of
Morocco’s Roman ruins and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This
former city of 20,000 was settled in about the 3rd century BC and
prospered until the year 40 AD. The
sprawling floor plans and brilliant mosaics of its buildings suggest this was a
city of great wealth. Temples and other
structures from the Roman era have been uncovered, and there is plenty more
here for archaeologists to explore.
The site is dominated
by the remains of the grand public buildings around the forum, with the
impressive arches of the basilica
(courthouse) arranged in front of pillars of Jupiter’s temple – now topped with stork nests. Every old ruin in Morocco seems to host its
own population of these large black-and-white birds, which soar overhead or
preen in their nests.
A triumphal arch, commemorating Emperor
Caracalla, marks the beginning of the city’s main street. Lined with shops, the Decumanus Maximus was the most desirable address in town.
Expansive villas boast the colorful floor mosaics that have made the ruin famous: House of Orpheus, House of the Athlete, House of the Dog, and House of the Ephebe.
Expansive villas boast the colorful floor mosaics that have made the ruin famous: House of Orpheus, House of the Athlete, House of the Dog, and House of the Ephebe.
After Rome withdrew from Volubilis, the city declined. When the Arabs arrived in the 8th century, Christian inhabitants of Volubilis were still speaking Latin. The city was soon Islamized, although its
structures remained in good shape until the 18th century when Sultan
Moulay pulled them down to use for his palace in nearby Meknes.
The medina is
encircled by a wall 25 miles long, giving it the appearance of a sturdy
fortress set with elegant gates. Bab Mansour is the most spectacular
entrance to Moulay Ismail's new city. It is considered one of his greatest
works and is the largest gate in North Africa. It is ranked among the four most
beautiful doors in the world. Note the
columns that were brought from Volubilis.
Another impressive memorial to Moulay Ismail is the Royal Stables. This massive stable yard was constructed to house twelve thousand horses. The sultan’s horses were waited on hand and foot, with a groom and a slave for each horse, to ensure that all their needs were met and stables kept in immaculate condition. Today, most of the stables are in ruin and due to an earthquake during the eighteenth century, the roof of the stables no longer provides protection. Even so, its sheer size is amazing, not to mention the effort that was put into the construction.
The sultan constructed granaries to store horse feed; they held enough grain to feed the horses for twenty years! To store such large amounts of grain, the granaries needed to be kept cold, and for this, the granaries were constructed with thick walls and a suspended forest was grown on the roof. Water from the reservoir below, was forced through ducts in the floor, to maintain a low temperature and keep the grain from rotting.
The MIDDLE ATLAS MOUNTAIN RANGE covers a vast area, lying just south of Fez
and Meknes and running towards Marrakech. It is a wild region of great
beauty: often covered in thick forest,
with oak and cedar prevalent in the north, it is home to lakes, the Barbary
“ape” (really a macaque) and numerous Berber towns, many of which are rarely
visited by tourists. It is the most fertile of the Atlas ranges and runs
for around 220 miles south of Fez and Meknes. Although lower and
generally less craggy than the High Atlas range, it has several peaks near
10,000 feet. 
They live in a makeshift sort of shelter – part tent, part lean-to. Most of the buildings and enclosures are for their sheep. Their Moroccan sheep dog keeps a close watch on everyone. It’s a hard life – impossible to imagine what it’s like living in such a harsh environment with such flimsy shelter and so few resources.
ERFOUD is a peaceful village, an oasis town in eastern Morocco, known as the Gate of the Sahara Desert. Many fortified villages have existed in this area for centuries, but Erfoud was built by the French in the 1920s. Berber tribes in the area put up a long, drawn-out resistance to French rule, and this valley was one of the last regions of southern Morocco to surrender. Erfoud’s main sources of income are dates and fossils.
RISSANI is a small town on the edge of the Sahara. The Rissani souk is one of the most famous markets in the area – donkeys,
mules, sheep, goats, dates, vegetables, spices, jewelry, daggers, carpets
baskets, pottery, leather, you name it.
This was once a thriving city of 100,000 inhabitants; it is now only
about one-third of that. Lack of water
led to mass exodus and hard times, but the locals were happy that we stopped to
wander around, check out the souk, and do a little people-watching.
One of the most entertaining stops was a place that sold jellabas and caftans and other traditional clothing. Several in our group came away with fine new outfits; others settled for a photo-memory.
We also grabbed
photos of some interesting road signs
…
One of the most entertaining stops was a place that sold jellabas and caftans and other traditional clothing. Several in our group came away with fine new outfits; others settled for a photo-memory.
Nory took
us to visit another semi-nomad family. He has taken a special interest in this
family because the husband (head of the family) had died a few months
before. His wife, two daughters and
several grandchildren were struggling to stay alive in their home – a couple of
adobe buildings, a tent and some sad-looking livestock. In Muslim tradition, a widow can’t be seen by
other than family for an extended period of time, so she was secluded in one of
the back rooms. The daughters offered us
tea, but we didn’t stay long – just visited outside, gave the little girl a bag
of chocolate, and Nory gave them some cash. One can only wonder what will
become of these folks …
Fortunately, fossil shops also are easy to find. We stopped at one that provided an interesting and educational tour – before dropping us off in the showroom. The folks haul in giant pieces of fossil-filled rock, slice them into manageable pieces, and painstakingly polish or carve out the fossils.
The products of this work are incredible: tables, sinks, bowls, and beautiful stand-alone, very old fossils. Thankfully, some of these were small enough to fit into our already-bulging luggage – a wonderful souvenir of our first day in the Sahara.
After dinner, most folks headed to bed – it had been a couple of long days and we wanted a good rest before setting out to further explore the Sahara. Plus, we also wanted to get up in time to see the sunrise. Sky was a bit cloudy but still worth the effort to get out of bed early. Sunrise also provided a chance to see the tracks of friendly natives who had been wandering around the camp while we slept.
Nory’s farmer friend (Mohammed) and his grandkids showed us around. They grow a little bit of everything, from olives to dates to grain for livestock to vegetables for the humans.
Dates are the money crop. Mohammed showed up how he pollinates the date flowers for the best fruit – and then he proceeded to hop up the nearest tree to show us how to reach the flowers and later the fruit. No ladders needed here!
This is all made
possible by a well and an elaborate irrigation system – all sorts of channels
and diversions to carry water to different parts of the farm. This water is a bit salty, so the family gets
its drinking water from another well some miles away – his daughter uses their
donkey to fetch water every day. 
Khamlia is a small desert village inhabited by Gnaoua Berbers who
have been living there for generations.
Somehow, they have eked out an existence from the scorched land where
temperature can reach up to 127°F in the height of summer. A new paved road into the village has
provided the opportunity for these folks to showcase some of their traditional
songs, dances and costumes. Check out the short video below.
Back in camp for a late lunch and some free time and then a cooking lesson from the camp chef who showed us how to make chicken tagine. This traditional dish has many ingredients and is cooked in a special earthenware pot (also named tagine). We took careful notes – we have tried to make it at home, but just doesn’t taste the same.
Perfect spot for a group picture - taken by our guide, Nory.
Sunset was quite nice – the sand takes on yellow, orange and red colors, as do the people. It’s a magical/mystical experience just to be standing in the middle of the Sahara Desert, watching the sun set. Who would have thought we'd be there?
Just as the sun was
gone from view, we were passed by a woman who had been out all day searching for
places to let her goats graze and trying to gather firewood. She had a lot more goats than firewood. Once again, we are struck by the hardship of
living in this place.
For our last evening
in the desert, the camp staff and Nory, serenaded us with traditional music –
and a little dancing as well. Lots of
drums, lots of noise – good thing we’re in the middle of nowhere.
Built of piseʹ (compressed clay), this ksar is still inhabited and has kept its architecture and atmosphere of yesteryear. There is no concrete or brick construction; the traditional and original materials have been scrupulously preserved.
The complex has one
main alley and a number of side alleys. The houses were built over the alleys
so the alleys are cool. This ksar has a special artistic value
because of the structure of its covered streets, absolutely rectangular, with
shafts of light at intersections. The main and the side
streets are mostly shaded by the first floors of the houses. Only the crossings
are not; so they appear like fountains of light and give the whole ksar a mysterious look.
This ksar now is being restored by a local
association with the help from international groups and private investors. The association has offices inside the Ksar
and conducts various activities that to boost economic and cultural life of its
inhabitants: crafts, preschool courses, literacy courses for women, and art
exhibitions. We stopped by the nursery
school and the bakery before heading to the museum.
OUARZAZATE is a former garrison town of the French Foreign Legion; it was founded in 1928 as a strategic base from which to pacify the south. Today it is a peaceful provincial town with wide streets, lots of hotels, and municipal gardens. It is home to Ait Benhaddou, a ksar standing on the bank of the river Wadi Mellah and backed up to a pinkish sandstone hill. This picturesque village was built near water and arable land, fortified and in a place safe from foreign attack. Since it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site, some of its buildings have been partly restored.
Today, the remaining
residents live across the river, where they plow the land, work the fields, and offer tours to visitors. They work hard, farming without machinery,
using old traditional methods.
One man is an artist, painting local scenes with a magic paint that deeps in color when heated over a gas burner. Several members of our group took one of these home with them.
One man is an artist, painting local scenes with a magic paint that deeps in color when heated over a gas burner. Several members of our group took one of these home with them.
We also “helped” make cookies and couscous before enjoying a home-hosted meal of (you guessed it) – Chicken Tagine.
After lunch, we learned a bit about henna, a dye which has been used since antiquity to dye skin,
hair and fingernails, as well as fabrics including silk, wool and leather. Henna parties usually take place within the
week before a special occasion, such as a wedding or baby showers. We had a pretend wedding, and most of the
women in our group came away with a lovely, but temporary, tattoo.
MARRAKESH, the Red Pearl, was founded by the tribe of Muslim
Berbers known as Almoravids – warrior monks from the Sahara. They carved out an empire that stretched from
Algiers to Spain, with Marrakesh as its capital. Today it is Morocco’s fourth largest city, known
for its rich history, its fabulous palaces, its dusty pink walls, and its
luxuriant palm grove.
The Riad Nesma was our hotel, located in the medina of Marrakesh, only a short distance from the main market square. It also was some distance from the road where the bus stopped - no cars (or buses) allowed in the medina. Our guide arranged for special transport for our luggage.
The Riad Nesma was our hotel, located in the medina of Marrakesh, only a short distance from the main market square. It also was some distance from the road where the bus stopped - no cars (or buses) allowed in the medina. Our guide arranged for special transport for our luggage.
The riad is built in traditional Moroccan style around a central courtyard - open to the sky. It seemed that we had been invited into the home of a Moroccan noble family in the 17th century – ornately painted ceilings, arched doorways hung with white curtains, tiled floors, and intricate ironwork covering the interior windows overlooking the beautiful patio.
Each of the guest rooms is individually designed and decorated. Our room was charming and included views of the inside of the building and of the street in the medina outside - quite a contrast.
The Medina of Marrakesh dates from the 11th
century. but it includes architectural and artistic masterpieces from different
periods in history. These structures are
some of the reasons that the medina has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site: 12
miles of ramparts and gates (in pinkish clay, like most of the original
structures), - the Koutoubia Mosque with its 250-foot high minaret, the Saadian
tombs, and the Djemaa El-Fna square.
The ramparts of Marrakesh completely
encircle the medina. From the time of
its foundation, Marrakesh was defended by sturdy walls set with forts. These walls are 12 miles long, up to 6 feet
thick, and up to 30 feet high. Some of the monumental gates at pierce them are
excellent examples of Moorish architecture.
The Saadian Tombs constitute some of the
finest examples of Islamic architecture in Morocco. The tombs date from the late 16th to the 18th centuries; their style is very decorative, somewhere
between magnificent and ostentatious.
There are two mausoleums which are set in a garden symbolizing Allah’s
paradise.
The Jemma el-Fna Square is the main market
square in the medina of Marrakesh; it
is a unique and extraordinary place that has been the symbol and nerve center
of Marrakesh for centuries. The square
is a showcase of traditional Morocco and UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Site. A large market is held here each morning;
medicinal plants, freshly squeezed orange juice, and all kinds of
confectionery, fruits and nuts are sold.
The square is full of people coming and going, flowing just like the
“inland, tideless sea” that writer Peter Mayne described in A Year in Marrakesh. This is the same place where countless
Saharan caravans arrived - bearing spices, salt, gold, and slaves.
After sunset, it is a gigantic, multifaceted open-air show. The square fills with musicians, dancers, storytellers, showmen, tooth pullers, fortune tellers, and snake charmers. As darkness falls, the air fills with smoke from grilling meat and the aroma of spices. Food stalls appear everywhere, selling snails in boiling water, sausages, kabobs, goat heads, and couscous.
After sunset, it is a gigantic, multifaceted open-air show. The square fills with musicians, dancers, storytellers, showmen, tooth pullers, fortune tellers, and snake charmers. As darkness falls, the air fills with smoke from grilling meat and the aroma of spices. Food stalls appear everywhere, selling snails in boiling water, sausages, kabobs, goat heads, and couscous.
Snake charmers set up camp around the square –men sitting
on carpets, surrounded by assorted snakes, including a hooded black cobra. Just lying there, less than six feet from
where we stood. We had expected all the
snakes to be contained in baskets, standing up only when they heard their
favorite melodies. And the snake charmers expect to be paid for the privilege of taking a picture, so many thanks to other travelers who shared their photos.
Magical origins aside, snake-charming is a cruel, money-making spin. When the snakes rise up to the tune of a flute, it has nothing to do with ‘being charmed’; their owners starve the creatures, feeding them only when they emerge from the basket, so that they associate the music with food. The snakes stand upright before their ‘charmer’ because they’re actually feeling threatened, and are poised to attack. Most snake charmers needn’t worry about being bitten as most of these snakes have had their fangs removed and, in some cases, their mouths sewn shut. A small gap is left for their forked tongue to flick out and to allow for small amounts of liquid to be imbibed, but the snake will only survive like this for a few weeks. Snakes have no place in ‘entertainment’. They belong nestled under a log, camouflaged in a pile of leaves or stretched out on a rock in the sun; not in a bustling marketplace, being thrust upon anyone with a camera.
Magical origins aside, snake-charming is a cruel, money-making spin. When the snakes rise up to the tune of a flute, it has nothing to do with ‘being charmed’; their owners starve the creatures, feeding them only when they emerge from the basket, so that they associate the music with food. The snakes stand upright before their ‘charmer’ because they’re actually feeling threatened, and are poised to attack. Most snake charmers needn’t worry about being bitten as most of these snakes have had their fangs removed and, in some cases, their mouths sewn shut. A small gap is left for their forked tongue to flick out and to allow for small amounts of liquid to be imbibed, but the snake will only survive like this for a few weeks. Snakes have no place in ‘entertainment’. They belong nestled under a log, camouflaged in a pile of leaves or stretched out on a rock in the sun; not in a bustling marketplace, being thrust upon anyone with a camera.
Carpet Souk: Here one can see all sorts of carpets on display, from the more refined Arab rugs with intricate designs to the intriguing Berber carpets adorned with talismanic symbols that often tell a tribe’s story.
We also enjoyed seeing how a traditional Berber carpet is made. Berber weaving is highly dependent on women and traditionally is passed down within the home. The young apprentice is expected to learn the different looping techniques, patterns, color ranges and motifs. Colors, patterns and weaving techniques of different regions have their own distinct style and each tribe has a signature pattern.
Slipper Souk:
Perhaps the very prettiest souk in Marrakesh, here are walls of
traditional Moroccan leather slippers called babouches. There is
incredible variety, from simple and streamlined to bedazzled, embroidered and
jeweled. The bright yellow ones are meant for men, and those slippers
with a hard sole are meant to be worn outside.
Metalworking Souk: While
there are many things made of metal to buy in this souk, Moroccan lanterns take
center stage—from basic ones made from tin, to ornate beauties that take days
to make. It’s fascinating to watch the craftsman in meticulous action before
your very eyes.
Jewelry Souk: Closely related to metalworking, but also lots of individual arts and crafts sorts of jewelry. We never made to the center of the souks, where most of the gold and silver shops are located.
A symbolic hand was one of the few human-related designs that we saw anywhere in Morocco. For example, see the small charms pictured above and the beautiful hand-carved piece below. In Morocco, this is known as the Hand of Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed; her hand is said to protect the owner from the evil eye and bring happiness to the holder. It also represents the Five Pillars of Islam: faith, prayer, pilgrimage, fasting and charity. Imagine our surprise when we spotted this card in a gift shop in Manteo, NC - who knew?
Spice Souk: The spice souk simply smells wonderful, though it’s also quite a colorful display, with spices heaped into large cones. Here you can buy a wide variety of spices at affordable prices.
We also visited a
small shop that sells all sorts of herbs and spices – those used for cooking as
well as those used for beauty and medicinal purposes.
A symbolic hand was one of the few human-related designs that we saw anywhere in Morocco. For example, see the small charms pictured above and the beautiful hand-carved piece below. In Morocco, this is known as the Hand of Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed; her hand is said to protect the owner from the evil eye and bring happiness to the holder. It also represents the Five Pillars of Islam: faith, prayer, pilgrimage, fasting and charity. Imagine our surprise when we spotted this card in a gift shop in Manteo, NC - who knew?
Spice Souk: The spice souk simply smells wonderful, though it’s also quite a colorful display, with spices heaped into large cones. Here you can buy a wide variety of spices at affordable prices.
Woodworking Souk: Woodworkers turn out many beautiful items, mostly made from cedar wood. It was fascinating to watch young men operating homemade lathes to create handles for skewers, chess pieces, honey dippers – anything round. They used feet, hands and a length of rope to turn the piece, which was then shaped with various blades and other tools. Amazing.
Textiles Souk: There are dozens of markets and stalls selling fabrics, silks and patterns from
Morocco and around the world. You can skim through an endless selection of raw
silk, cotton, and embroidered fabrics and maybe find your exact print and color
among the hundreds of reels of cloth. In
addition to fabrics and cloths, there are ready-made outfits and a galaxy of
buttons, sequins, stones, lace and other accessories.
Leather Souk: At one
edge of the medina, the leatherworkers are busy cutting out templates for
babouches (slippers), hammering and polishing, and making up bags and satchels
from several types of animal skins. Here, too, are musical instruments and woven baskets. The tanneries, where the raw hides have been prepared
and dyed, are located elsewhere due to their unpleasant smell. 
Pottery Souk: Pottery-shopping in Marrakech is easy. Whether plain or decorated, shops here have tajine pots, vases, flowerpots, decorative objects and more stacked up outside the premises in higgledy-piggledy fashion. If you stay while, some of the stores will let you see how tile tables or ceramic lamps are made.
Food souk? The main square is the place to find lots of food stands and restaurants, but there are food shops scattered all over the place. Dried fruits were very popular (and tasty), as well as shops selling ready to eat meals in ceramic pots or tagines.
More souks, more shops: There seems to be no end to the marketplace, and oftentimes shops pop up almost anywhere, making it hard to know which souk is where. No matter to these wanderers – the place is endlessly fascinating. There are junky souvenir shops and shops for local artists, as well as folks at work - dying yarn and painting tables. Amazing place.
People-watching is another fine pastime. All sorts of folks, doing all sorts of things.
Elsewhere in Marrakech …
The best craftsmen in the kingdom were hired
to build and decorate the palace, and it is decked out with highly prized
marble, carved cedar, and handmade tiles. 
The Jardin de Majorelle is a small, beautiful garden built by a Frenchman, Jacques Majorelle. In one corner he built a splendid Moorish villa and later added an Art Deco studio. The bright blue color throughout the garden is known as 'Majorelle Blue.'
The garden is divided by four walkways that cross each other to create patterns of brightly colored tropical flowers. There are also 400 varieties of palms and 1800 species of cactus. Water lilies grow in a pool bordered by papyrus.
Gueliz, established during the French protectorate, is the Ville Nouvelle (New City) of Marrakesh. It is a commercial district with a spacious layout – wide avenues, municipal gardens, large hotels and cafés with shady terraces. We saw some of this part of the city while enjoying a ride in a horse-drawn caliche (carriage).
CASABLANCA, the White City, is Morocco’s largest city, the largest port in North Africa, and the country’s commercial capital. The city shows its French-Colonial influence in much of its architecture.
Its prayer hall can accommodate 25,000 people; it has a sliding roof that can be opened to the sky. The minaret, the Lighthouse of Islam, is 656 feet high, topped by two laser beams shining in the direction of Mecca. The building was designed by Michel Pinseau; 35,000 craftsmen worked on it until its opening in 1993. Its architectural features include carved stucco, tilework, a painted cedar ceiling, and walls clad with marble, onyx and travertine.
