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Published: September 29th 2011
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Marrakech's main mosque
The three golden balls atop are said to have been made from the gold donated by a queen who ate 3 grapes during Ramadan. She had all of her gold melted in order to be forgiven the indiscretion. Marrakech....
We arrived in Marrakech, our final stop four days ago. It’s distinctly African in character, with its dry heat, myriad of palm trees and deep red walls. It is a place to feel rather than see, to experience rather than visit. The main street in every city in Morocco is Avenue Mohammed V; Marrakech is no exception but it’s Avenue Mohammed V is full of bars, cafes and restaurants. Jemaa el Fna, the main square, is the heart of Marrakech, and some would say Morocco. Nowhere else in North Africa possesses the same hypnotic enchantment, the buzz of the thronging crowds, the colour, smell and sound, and the sense of being on the edge of a mystical ritual. The vast square, circled by cafes and grill restaurants, is home to the best of Morocco’s street entertainers. From mid-morning you can purchase a fresh glass of orange juice for 4 dirhams (50 cents), watch acrobats and musicians perform, the Jemaa is pure theatre. Monkeys leap, snakes hiss, drums clash and everyone bustles about. As dusk falls, the centre of the square becomes a huge open-air restaurant, with dozens of food stands serving anything from goat’s head soup to fried testicles,
or simple but delicious harira (soup). There is no other place like it on earth. People come out every night to enjoy what the square has to offer. No one is worried about getting up for work the next morning. The people live in the now and enjoy themselves playing with the children that come with their parents and joking and talking with the restaurant stall vendors as they make their way through the throngs of people.
Memories, Colours and the Best of Morocco....
When I first arrived I longed to see above all was the Sahara desert. Now I have seen and experienced so much more. Morocco is a land of contrasts and diversity. The north seems like a continuation of Europe, with a rocky Mediterranean coast. Further south are the waves of mountains – the Middle Atlas, inhabited by Berber tribes; the High Atlas, which stretch 700km and contain over 400 peaks of over 3,000m high; and the dry Anti-Atlas, following the borders of the Sahara. There are expanses of fertile lands of olive trees, corn, citrus, sugar cane and vines. East to the Algerian border is a barren steppe region that gradually merges into the
Sahara. We were but 15kms away from the Algerian border for our overnight stay in the Sahara.
Morocco’s cultural heritage is not only Arab and Berber: the country used to have the largest Jewish population in the Arab world. It has also been influenced by the Spanish and the French that occupied parts of Morocco. The French did not leave until 1956 and its influence is still felt today. Moroccans are a proud people. They are storytellers and friendly exaggeration is common. They enjoy the reputation as the most hospitable of Arab peoples and as I have expressed to a few of you already, they are among the most gracious, humble and friendly people that I have ever met. If this is what it means to be Muslim, then we should all strive to live under the influence of Islam. Moroccans are renowned linguists. French is spoken almost everywhere and many Moroccans are bilingual Arabic-French. In much of the north the second language is Spanish and English is spoken by most young people. The most common Moroccan saying, “inshallah”, means “if God wills”. The Moroccan mentality is directly linked to this philosophy. Ultimately Allah knows all and controls all –
it is better to sit and wait for his will to happen than to do things for yourself. The influence of Islam is everywhere in Moroccan daily life from the women wearing veils, to the call of the muezzin , to the forbidden consumption of alcohol and gestures of affection in public between men and women frowned upon. Yet the younger generation is changing. As our tour leader, Miloud declared, “I am Moroccan first and above all.”
My most cherished memories of Morocco were not only the diversity and beauty of this country but above all the people. I will never forget the groves of olive trees, the palm trees overburdened with dates, the dust and diesel in the air, the mint teas and mojitos, the tajines, cous cous and grilled meats, the caramel Sahara desert, the red rock of the Todra Gorge, the intricate mosaics of stonework, the calls to prayer from every mosque, the “bonjours and ca va?” from every person you meet, the lemons, the oranges, the pomegranates, the Argan oil, the dates and walnuts, the honey, the mist and the wind of Essaouira, the Gnawa music.
Tonight my last night in Morocco, I had my last
tajine of chicken with lemon and olives and a mint tea known as Berber whiskey. I love this country…. I shall return….Inshallah.
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princess jillian
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wow!
Happy belated birthday other princess! Your photos are beautiful! Glad to 'see' you again.. xo