Month: February 2016

Marrakesh is possibly the most important of Morocco’s four former imperial cities (cities that were built by Moroccan Berber empires). The region has been inhabited by Berber farmers since Neolithic times, but the actual city was founded in 1062.

The Jemaa el Fnaa is one of the best-known squares in Africa and is the center of city activity and trade. It has been described as a bridge between the past and the present, the place where Moroccan tradition encounters modernity.  Today the square attracts people from diverse social and ethnic backgrounds and tourists from all around the world. Snake charmers, acrobats, magicians, mystics, musicians, monkey trainers, herb sellers, story-tellers, dentists, pickpockets, and entertainers in medieval garb still populate the square.

Marrakesh has the largest traditional Berber market in Morocco and the image of the city is closely associated with its souks (markets), a honeycomb of intricately connected alleyways comprising a dizzying number of stalls and shops.

There is so much to see and do in Marrakech, but the center of activity truly is the Jemma el-Fnaa square. And that is where we spent our first day in Marrakech.  The sheer number of street performers is best watched both up close and from the rooftop cafes around the square.

Our riad is in the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter in the medina and affords us easy access to all of the cafes, performers, souks, music, mosque, and anything your heart desires in Marrakech.

During our days in Marrakech we visit the Jardin de Majorelle, the Ali Ben Youssef Medersa, the Marrakech Museum and sample some of the best Moroccan food on earth!

On our final night in Marrakech (tomorrow we head to Casablanca for our last day in Morocco), we have another wonderful dinner accompanied by music and a bellydancer.

 

 

 

One of the reasons I travel the world is to learn about other cultures, beliefs, and traditions. I find it best to do this by living in a place, becoming part of a community.  This is what I did in South Africa while I volunteered at a children’s home. While I couldn’t do this in Morocco, I was still able to better understand Moroccans in general and Muslims in particular because of the efforts of our guide. Aziz arranged for me to meet with a woman (Fatima) who talked to me about the strides women are making in Morocco. While Moroccan women do not have the same status as women in the west, they have come a long way in the last few years.  Fatima is a college educated professional woman. She is slowly educating her two young sons about equality and respect for women.  One willingly helps in the kitchen, while the other still believes it is woman’s work.  Change comes in small steps.

Aziz also moderated an intense discussion with our group about how Moroccans feel about terrorists (they fear and dislike them) and how westerners sometimes mistrust Muslims.

We spent some time with pre-schoolers learning the Quran in a fun way with women in their Fez neighborhood.  These were smiling happy children, not much different from the children we know and love in our own country.

Our time with the farmer, Mohamed, and his wife and Idris, the djalaba shop owner, and his family allowed us a look inside the family life of average Moroccans, who happen to be Muslims.

So, I leave Morocco with a better understanding of its people, history, customs, and beliefs.  It isn’t perfect.  People sometimes skirt the law. Its healthcare system is lacking. There are still too many poor families.  But it is a warm, funny, exotic, and ancient country with people who make great food, love their children, and strive for a happy life…Inshallah.

 

The Sahara – it’s where I had that moment, the one where you say to yourself….I’m here!  Oh my….I’m really here. And I had that moment while sitting atop a camel, on top of a sand dune.  If this is a dream, don’t wake me.

Our first stop was at the camp where we would spend our nights in the desert.  I use the term “camp” loosely as our accomodations were more than tents. Furnished with beautiful furniture and rugs, flushing toilets, and showers, they rivaled hotel rooms in the real world.

We drove to another part of the Sahara in our 4 X 4 vehicle and met with a family of nomads. They had been in this particular spot for two weeks and would probably be moving on in another week, once their goats had finished off the nearby vegetation.  The family was comprised of a mother, her children and their spouses, and her grandchildren.  Someone asked if she thought her grandchildren would grow up to choose a different life.  She was surprised by the question….why would they?  This is their destiny. This is their life. Life is about what we know. To most westerners life is a house and a job and family, with the added distractions of modern life.  It’s what we know.  To the nomads life is following the water, the vegetation. It’s their job.  They love their families, but they are accustomed to loss.  There are no doctors or hospitals in the desert. If herbal medicine and prayers do not cure, then they bury their dead.

In the desert I saw beautiful and happy children.  A woman showed us how she spins camel hair into wool.  The baby goats squealed in fear at our approach.  Life was as it should be, just different.

Day two in the desert heralds the arrival of the camels! Their fur is coarse and their eyelashes are long and thick, and they do not spit! They were actually very well behaved, sure footed, dromedary.  Our guide dressed in his best royal blue Arabian garb and made sure we had a memorable experience.

Nights in the desert are cold, crisp, lit by stars.  We would be bundled in our thermals and heavy clothes overnight into early morning, then in tee shirts and shorts by afternoon.  Our hosts entertained us at night around a big fire. They drummed while we danced and star gazed. Magical.

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I had been looking forward to Fez and it did not disappoint.  It was as if we left the 21st century and all preconceived notions of urban design behind as we entered Fez’s Medina. Fez is often considered the world’s most well-preserved medieval city and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The souks are brimming with color and contrast. The ancient section is a maze of narrow streets filled with bazaars, shops, cafés, donkeys, and people. We were entranced by the vibrant display of age-old urban tradition, and the intensity of life bursting around every corner.Our riad is pure Moroccan design and hospitality. We are welcomed with mint tea, cookies, and the smiling face of owner, Abdullah.

 

 

 

Our guide, Aziz, arranged for us to have dinner with a local family. Idris owns a djalaba shop in the medina and he and his wife, Nadia, have five adult children, all of whom live with them.  Even their married son and his wife are living there until they finish building their little home.  Idris and Nadia are clearly very proud of their children. Two of their children joined us for dinner. Idris’s daughter very shyly explained that she doesn’t date (she is 22).  She is working for a bank and her parents will decide when she may keep company with a man (of whom they approve).  Their son (age 26) does have a girlfriend who lives in France, so they only see each other every few months. In some ways we are all so different, and in others we are the same. We love our children.

 

 

 

Volubilis Volubilis was a Roman settlement constructed on what was probably a Carthaginian city, dating from 3rd century BC. Volubilis was a central administrative city for this part of Roman Africa. Volubilis was also administering contacts with the Berber tribes which the Romans never managed to suppress, but who only came as far as to cooperate with the Romans for mutual benefits.
Unlike so many other Roman cities, Volubilis was not abandoned after the Romans lost their foothold in this part of Africa in the 3rd century. Even the Latin language survived for centuries, and as not replaced before the Arabs conquered North Africa in the late 7th century.

We were amazed by the condition of the mosaic floors in the complex given that they are over 2000 years old and have been exposed to the elements for centuries. And in the middle of this historic site, the pelicans have erected their giant nests precariously at the top of the pillars.

Much of the stonework that was removed from Volubilis was used to build the palace of Moulay Ismail in nearby Meknes. Below is a photo of the stables at the palace in Meknes.

Meknes

Ismail’s famous stable housed 12,000 horses under a single roof supported by stone arches. An enormous granary adjoining the stable stored grain at controlled temperatures to enable both the horses and the residents to survive a long siege. It is difficult to convey the size of the stables, but when standing inside it appears as though the arches are three stories high and go on for hundreds of yards.

We leave Fez to journey to the Sahara, but along the way there are some beautiful people and landscapes. Until next time….I hope you enjoy these images.

 

 

 

 

When I would dream about going to Tangier, it was the Tangier of the 1940s that stoked my imagination.  At the top of Africa, with Gibraltar and Spain on the horizon, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean….Tangier seemed exotic and a world away. But it was the beat generation vibe that I read about in books about authors Paul Bowles, William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, and Alan Ginsberg living in the International Zone of Tangier that really framed my impressions of Tangier. Fragments of the Tangier of the 1940s still remain, but it is also a new city in many ways. So I revised my dreamy expectations and enjoyed it nonetheless.

As we entered the city we happened upon an unexpected Fantasia performance – beautifully dressed horses and riders, running in formation while firing ornate guns into the air. It’s a kind of hokey show put on for cruise ship passengers, but it is beautiful and full of pageantry….and we watched from the outside with the locals, so all the more fun.

 

 

 

 

A friend of friend connected me to Nick, a young American Muslim who moved with his wife and children to Morocco 2 years ago. Nick was kind enough to spend an evening with us to talk about his perspective on life in Morocco.  He is happy in Tangier and has found ways to adapt to living in a place so different from his home in Delaware. Thank you Nick and best wishes for your continued happiness.

Next afternoon, we were off to the Cave of Hercules, west of Tangier on the Atlantic Ocean. It is believed that Hercules slept in the cave before his 11th labor. It is also believed that the opening is a mirror image of the shape of the African continent.

 

 

 

RABAT

One week in to my Moroccan adventure and we are joined by a small group (ten) from the states.  They come from Washington, Wisconsin, Arizona, Maine, and DC.

Our time in Rabat included a visit to King Mohammed V’s tomb (somber), the medina (lively) and dinner at the beautiful restaurant – Dinarjat (delicious).

 

 

 

Next up…..Fez!