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MORE THAN COUSCOUS, CASBAHS AND CAMELS
Morocco Meanderings
By Sandra Lee Larsen
"Balak! Balak! Make way!" cart pullers shout, pressing forward, forcing pedestrians to flatten themselves against the walls between fruits, vegetables, spices, and other goods erupting from ancient storefronts. Loaded donkeys are pushed and dragged through narrow alleyways, most wearing nosebags to prevent them from plucking greens from other baskets.
Morocco, a long, thin country about the size of Calafornia, curves from southwest to northeast over the left shoulder of Africa. The Atlantic Ocean borders one side and the Mediterranean borders the top. Morocco has roots in Africa and branches in Europe.
This is a magical place, not only because of the ongoing dance between old and new, but because of the warm, gracious people who bring the country and its varied traditions to life. At every turn, visitors see the history of Islamic rule and the influences of Roman, Portuguese, Spanish, and French invaders, who were first resisted by the native Berbers and later the Arabs.
Medieval and modern, East and West are constantly juxtaposed in Morocco. From the 3rd century BC Volubilis, with its tumbled columns, mosaics and triumphal arch, to the country's meticulously clean, French-inspired wide tree-lined boulevards and efficient toll roads, Morocco is a canvas of ancient to around-the-corner opportunities.
Morocco became a French protectorate in 1912, remained so until independence in 1956, and today retains a tenacious 'Frenchness'. The late king Mohammed V was a major participant in Morocco's fight for freedom and is still revered by the people; every city has named its main street in his honor.
Morocco's popular young king, His Majesty Mohammed VI, enjoys enthusiastic support. Improving healthcare, education, human rights, and advancing democracy - all challenging issues - have been confronted by the king, who ascended to the throne in 1999. His efforts and beginning successes have earned him the affectionate nickname, 'King of the Poor'. Resolving to put Morocco on the map as an important player in the world's global economy, he has imposed a 'zero tolerance' policy toward corruption. Under his watchful eye, Morocco has become a haven for peace - for citizens and visitors alike.
In 1777, Morocco was the first country to congratulate the young United States on her independence. Solid mutual support has been maintained ever since, and Morocco prides itself on the bond. Few nations with such strategic location and importance have displayed continual friendship and support to the U.S.
Increasingly West- (America) and North- (Europe) oriented, Morocco maintains its heritage while looking into the future. Tall signs of current-century companies embellish art deco facades, while around the corner the open market bears the cacophony of medieval Morocco.
Religiously and racially tolerant, Morocco is 99 percent Moslem. Synagogues are unguarded, co-existing peacefully with mosques. During the German occupation in WWII, Hitler demanded that King Mohammed V turn over all Moroccan Jews. The King replied, "We have no Jews; we have Moroccans," successfully rebuffing Hitler.
While men and women predominantly wear jellabas and caftans, others in larger cities sport western attire. Moroccan women are clothed in varying degrees of covered tradition, but city shops display mini-skirts and stiletto heels. Porters at fine hotels are in traditional attire - white shoes, long white stockings, white pantaloons and a red fez.
Blue is everywhere - the blue of the sky and the sea. And, nestling within the protection of the ochre-colored ramparts, is a gleaming white city with a minaret (tower) reaching up to touch the clouds. This is Rabat, Morocco's capital.
Increasingly busy, modern Rabat is clean, fresh, and - despite its impressive wall - open. Old Muslim quarters with packing-crate architecture and beautiful remains from all periods of Moroccan history grace the city. A pair of color guards on royal white Arabian steeds, sentinels for the King's Mausoleum, rotates every two hours. 'Water sellers' wander in most crowded areas, in red fringed hats with brass cups, provide welcome water from a goatskin bag, for a small tip.
At the crossroads of civilization where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic, flaunting its magnificent bay below lush green hills, the ancient city of Tangier is renowned for the Mendoubia Gardens, with 800-year-old trees, and the Sidi Bouabid Mosque, its minaret decorated with multi-hued faiences.
Best known to Americans as the gin joint where Ingrid Bergman encountered Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca is Morocco's largest city. Today, Casablanca and romance are synonymous. Residents of Casa, as they call themselves, scarcely notice that reputation or that they're living in an Art Deco museum - with some austere French Colonial buildings mixed in.
Historians have spoken of Casablanca's Port of Anfa since the 12th century, as the axis of its neighboring regions' connections to Europe. Today's Casablanca is increasingly important as a business capital and center in world affairs. An international metropolis, its development is linked to its harbor trade.
Though a commercial and industrial city, Casablanca retains its strong religious traditions in the Hassan II Mosque, one of the most spectacular in the world. Although stunning Moorish mosques are off-limits to tourists, Hassan II is the exception. Located on the harbor, the mosque's towers majestically stretch from sea to sky. The prayer room has space for 25,000 worshippers and an esplanade for a further 80,000. This gem of religious architecture subtly mixes Moroccan tradition with state-of-the-art technology.
Morocco's third-largest city, Fez (Fes), looks as it did in 1000 A.D., with narrow alleys, and distasteful smells oozing from wood-stoked bread ovens, pots of lamb stew, and mule hair. At the doorway of the leather shop, the offered mint sprig is not only thoughtful but practical.
Overlooking the centuries-old concrete leather-dying pools, some filled with red, blue, white, yellow and brown dye, fumes filter through the store's open windows. Yet, with two floors of enticing leather goods, the offensive odors are overlooked and the mint is forgotten.
Fez is Morocco's intellectual and religious heart. Its medina (the ancient quarter of North African cities) is the most complex, with more ancient monuments, mosques, Koranic schools, inns and souks (Arab city markets) than any other Moroccan city. Its citizens aren't concerned about relevancy to the modern world, and visitors are barely noticed.
Fez has the granddaddy of all souks. With their serpentine, tangled alleyways, souks are the lifeblood of the city, with natives trading and laboring in over 10,000 stalls. While shopkeepers hawk fabrics, silversmiths, tanners of fine Moroccan leather, copper engravers, and tailors are hard at work. Carpet sellers beg passers-by to enter their cramped cubicles.
Other jumbled cubbyholes are loaded with pumice, shampoo (made of ground stone mixed with rose essence), spices - saffron, ginger, verbena, cloves and orange flower - arranged in carefully carved pyramid shapes among stacked sacks of almonds, dates and chick peas. They're surrounded by casks of olives, sacks of apothecary herbs, pots of henna, flasks of rose extract, jasmine, kohl, chucks of amber and musk amalgamate. Fused, the sights, sounds, fragrances and colors overload the senses.
For a taste of tranquility, there's nothing more enchanting than savoring a glass of syrupy mint tea while watching the lavender twilight settle over medieval roofs and hearing the muezzins calling for prayer.
If Fez resembles Morocco of the 12th century, Ifrane, with its sharply peaked red-tile roofs and cosmopolitan air, suggests Switzerland at the beginning of the 21st. About an hour and a half south of Fez, Ifrane is the center of Morocco's skiing industry and the site of Morocco's newest university, Il Akhawayn. An international institution where English is spoken, Moroccans and foreigners mingle to study the liberal arts. Families stroll in the university's park and snap pictures by the great stone lion. Ifrane is like a small town anywhere - endearing and serene.
As eternal as the snows on the highest peaks of the Atlas Mountains, as steeped in history as the palm trees rooted in the earth, Marrakech, founded in 1062 A.D., is a portrait of timeless beauty. One of Morocco's most important cultural centers, this imperial city gave Morocco its name. With rose-colored ramparts and a 1,000-year-old palm grove, radiating splendor and mysticism, Marrakech casts a magic spell.
Visitors are enchanted by the wide gardens and overwhelming perfection of the Koutoubia Mosque, first built in 1147. Not correctly aligned with Mecca, the original 'Mosque of the Booksellers' was demolished, and finished in its present shape in 1199.
Djem-el-Fnal Square is a phenomenon where shoppers, preachers, storytellers, medicine men, snake charmers, beggars, fire-eaters, and fortunetellers all mingle, and the air is scented with aromas from charcoal-grilled sausages, kebobs, snails, and curious Moroccan finger foods, merging in what one traveler called 'the world's craziest Arab playground'.
Near the most beautiful of the city's gates, Bab Agnaou, the Saadien Tombs represent the apogee of 16th and 17th century Moroccan building, dripping with decorative plaster and carved cedar, and provide the evocative remains of a late 16th century palace called El-Badi. The flat, tiled graves of Saadien sultans, who ruled from 1524 to 1668, surround a secret courtyard garden bordered by rosemary hedges (for remembrance). Storks - frequently seen in Morocco - nest in crenulated walls. A court fool, it's said, rightly told the Saadien sultan who built the palace that someday 'it would make a fine ruin'.
Marrakech, while anchored in the past, is rich with outstanding modern attractions, events, accommodations and conference facilities. It is an escalating magnet for international events, trade missions and summits.
Directly west of Marrakech lies Essaouira, an enchanting seaside town with rocky shores, screaming gulls, and blue fishing boats dotting its scenic harbor. Sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdullah built its parapets in the late 18th century and designed by a French engineer he had captured.
Essaouira is called the 'blue and white town' for its whitewashed buildings trimmed and shuttered in the brilliant azure blue of its skies. Just off the shore are the exotically named Isles Purpuraires (Purple Islands). During the first century, a highly valued dye was manufactured in Essaouira, from the island's purple snails, which gave the islands their name. Lydia, a wealthy Biblical woman, gained her riches as seller of this purple dye.
Always a retreat for artists and musicians, the annual Gnaoua Festival of Mogador is celebrated in Essaouira. Artists from all over the world are invited to engage in this great cultural experiment and create a new musical language. Crowds 20,000 strong, from over the globe, find harmony and mutual peace at this event.
Essaouir's labyrinth souk of pigeon hole shops is rather tame, but it's the best place in Morocco to buy the most fashionable babouches (pointy-toed Aladdin-looking slippers). It's also the best place to find thuya tree (unique to Morocco) woodworking.
Argan trees, also endemic to Morocco, grow nearby in natural groves. This is the only country where the argan grows and produces fruit, which is known in gourmet circles for its oil, and in beauty arenas for its skin-enhancing properties. The medical field is increasingly attentive to argan for diabetes and colon cancer treatments. While both thuya and argan trees have graced Moroccan landscapes for thousands of years, the argan, like Morocco itself, is poking its head into future discoveries and strengths.
With all of Morocco's historical wealth, its people are its gems. They are warm, helpful, welcoming - and camera-shy. Although many do not speak English, relying on French, they try their best to either communicate, or solicit someone that can. Solicitousness and sensitivity is in their veins. This includes their language of flowers, with rose petals gracing the evening hotel fingertip towel and bath mat, rosewater-dipped towels following a meal, and fresh floral arrangements commonplace.
Moroccans excel in gastronomy, so be prepared with elastic waistbands! Abundant tasty foods are served as works of art. Servers take great pride in not only preparation, but also artistic display. It's a challenge to maintain control in the face of such lavish culinary delights, so it's no surprise that Moroccans dig into a common dish with their fingers (of the right hand)!
The pièce de résistancé is the tagine, a fragrant stew cooked slowly over a charcoal brazier. Tagines can be made with fish or almost any kind of meat - such as rabbit, lamb, goat and chicken - combined with prunes, apricots or raisins, and often garnished with preserved lemons. Other staples include steamed couscous, traditionally made from coarsely ground wheat, and served with a spicy stew. The coup de gracé is the addictive Pastilla (the famed Moroccan pigeon pie), made of layered filo pastry, nuts and spices, and coated with sugar.
Getting around Morocco is easy. Efficient Petit Taxis (mini-cars, distinctly marked) are everywhere. If you're not traveling with a group, the Moroccan Tourist Office can easily arrange a car with driver. One of the many pleasant surprises about Morocco is that it's effortless and relatively inexpensive to travel from one great historic city to another, given rail connections and modern highways.
Radiating exuberance, splendor and mysticism - and comforts of the modern world - Morocco is more than couscous, casbahs and camels.
This ancient kingdom, while focusing on the future, extends a welcoming hand to visitors anxious to experience the fabric of its antiquity, and understand its place in the 21st century.
TRIP PLANNER:
Moroccan National Tourist Office USA
20 E. 46th St. - Ste. 1201
New York, NY 10017
(212) 557-2520
Fax: (292) 949-8108
Attention: Mourad El-Hebil, Assistant Director
AFRICA Travel Magazine with USA links
http://www.africa-ata.org/bulletins.htm
SHEETS:
Youth Hostels & Rest Centers
A guarantee of quality, the Royal Federation of Moroccan Youth Hostels is affiliated to the International Federation of Youth Hostels. You can find them at Asni, Azrou, Casablanca, Chefchaouen, Fez, Laâyoune, Oujda, Marrakesh, Meknes, Rabat and Tangier. Prices vary from 30 to 40 DH per person per night. Reserved for 13 to 30 years old.
ACCOMMODATIONS (Especially recommended):
Palmeraie Gold Palace & Les Jardins de la Palmeraie
Merrakech
Circuit de la Palmeraie PB 1488
Telephone: (292) 44 30 10 - (292) 44 36 87 51
Fax: (292) 44 30 20 20
E-mail: fatima.hassoune@pgp.ma
www.pgpmarrakech.com
Le Royal Mansour Meridien
27, av. De l'Armee Royale
21000 Casablanca
(291) (0) 22 54 50 28
www.lemeridien.com
Sofitel Palais Jamai
Fes
www.sofitel.com(292) (0) 55 63 31/32/33/35
Fax: (292) (0) 55 63 50 96
E-mail: Resa@palais-jamai.com.ma
Hilton
Rabat
Telephone: (292) 37 67 56 56
Fax: (292) 37 67 40 39
E-mail: rabathilton@mtds.com
RESTAURANTS:
Delicious Moroccan and French food can be found on any budget. On your own, ask at hotel. Cuisine is a cultural crossroad.
Despite Islam's prohibition against alcohol, palatable red & white wine and beer are made and served in Morocco.
TABLE SUGGESTIONS:
Yacout - Marrakech
Chez Ali - Marrakech
The Red House - Marrakech
Mezeh - Marrakech
Beni Mellal - Fez
Palais Mnebhi
La Maison Bleue
Mirage Hotel - Tangier
Dinajate - Rabat
MUSIC:
Yosefa (great beginner album - somewhere between Celtic & Hindi), Moroccan Rai varieties, sacred drums, Malhun of Meknes, The Voice of the Atlas (Amazon.com)
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