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Published: August 25th 2007
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I spent the next week traveling north to Casablanca, Rabat, Fez, and Meknes. True to its name, Casablanca is full of white buildings and houses. The only thing really worth seeing (according to the guide books) is the Hassan II mosque. It’s the third largest mosque in the world. It was funded by the Muslims of Morocco, designed by a French architect, and built by 35,000 pairs of hands over 7 years. It was completed in 1993. Casa (as the locals call it) is on the Atlantic coast and the cool ocean breezes are a refreshing change from the heat of Marrakesh. There’s a touristy area near the beach in Casa called Corniche full of restaurants, hotels, cafes, and beautiful beaches. Seafood is fresh and safe to eat here. Throughout Morocco, meat and seafood are not frozen or refrigerated so seafood is safer to eat along the coastal regions and a bit risky inland. The meat is halal meat hung in the markets freshly butchered each morning. Women go to the markets daily to shop for food for the day.
The train system in Morocco is surprisingly efficient and safe. It makes getting around extremely easy. I met a couple
of girls on the train from Marrakesh to Casa and it was a big hit when I played songs from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai for them from my iPod.
I’m always amazed how many people are entranced by the Bollywood cinema. Hindi films are quite popular here - there are even separate theaters for Hindi movies.
After 2 days in Casa, I hopped on the train to Rabat, the capital city. Rabat has been the capital city since 1912 but has ruins from Roman cities and Kasbahs dating back to the 12th century.
Fez is one of the world’s greatest religious and cultural centers full of history dating back to 9th century. The main souk has withstood the test of time through centuries of invasions and natural disasters. With over 1,000 twisting alleyways, the market is a mesmerizing blend of food stalls, fish markets, henna stands, tailors, coppersmiths, shrines, mosques, medersas (religious schools), restaurants, and much more! As you can imagine, it’s incredibly easy to get lost.
The oldest library in the western world, Bibliotheque Qaraouiyine, stands in the Place Seffarine across from the makers of large copper pots used for cooking sumptuous meals for elaborate Moroccan
weddings. This library is part of the West’s first university, built in 857 by a wealthy woman. Many scholars have studied here, including Sylvester II, who was the pope from 999 to 1003 and introduced Europe to the Arabic mathematical system. From the small alleys, it’s difficult to believe the grand residences that exist behind the tiny doors. Small entrances give way to breathtakingly elaborate restaurants and shops once the homes of Moroccans or rest houses used by traveling camel caravans.
Fez is well-known for its ceramics, carpets, and leather goods. Everything is painstakingly handmade. Carpets take 2 to 6 months to make depending on the complexity of the design and the size of the carpet. Large ancient vats are used for dying leather goods and fabrics. Knives are sharpened on large wheels, mosaics are delicately hammered by hand, and bronze pots are intricately engraved with tiny tools that look like they should be in a museum. It’s amazing - the families here are keeping their traditions alive through their everyday lives. It doesn’t make them much money but it’s enough to support their families and they take pride in knowing they are carrying on the traditions of their
fathers and their fathers before them. It’s comforting somehow to know that these centuries-old traditions are being kept alive and thriving.
Located between the Rif and Middle Atlas Mountains, Meknes sits as the Berber capitol of Morocco. The palace of Sultan Moulay Ismail, who ruled from 1673, still stands prominently in the center of the city. It is said that he had 60,000 slaves, 12,000 horses, and 500 wives.
Instead of taking the 10-hour train ride south to Essaouira, my last stop in Morocco, I decide to drive through the Atlas Mountains to take in some of the scenery. It’s impossible to see anything from the trains, especially when you’re packed in like sardines and have to juggle your bags. The mountains are beautiful and the Berber towns interspersed between them are a pleasing sight. Vegetable and fruit stands can be seen along the way as well as trucks carrying everything from hay to goats. We stopped in a little spot to feed the monkeys. They were so used to human contact - they came right up to you and took the bananas from your hand!
We reached Essaouira around 8 in the evening. It was unexpectedly
chilly. I had to put a sweater on for the first time in 2 weeks. Essaouira is a beach town, founded in 1765, popular with Moroccans and vacationing Europeans. There was a music festival going on the same weekend so the place was packed! The look and feel of Essaouira is a mixture of Morocco and the Mediterranean. Houses and are painted white and blue and the influx of Europeans makes it feel more like Europe than Morocco.
The port of Essaouira is a hub of bustling activity in the mornings: fishermen bringing in their catch of the day and locals bargaining for the best price. There were eels, squid, shrimp, sardines, crabs and a long, flat fish I’ve never seen before.
Morocco is an astonishing mix of the old and the new. Kasbahs and city walls from the 9th century, Roman ruins, and artisans find themselves next to internet cafes and bars. Every town has an old part with ancient architecture and bustling markets and a new part of town with modern apartment buildings, hotels, restaurants, hookah lounges, and cafes. It’s easy to get lost in the mysticism of centuries past, but you’re never far away from
Chellah
Ruins of a roman city in Rabat a pizza joint if you feel the urge to return to the 21st century.
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AJ Hasan
non-member comment
Inspiration
Jen, even before you arrived there, I had aspirations of traveling to Morocco. Now, as your knowledge of the country has been shared through your experiences, I am growing more and more anxious to partake in journeys through the land. Thank you for the wonderful blogs. Keep having and being safe.. (oh yeah.. I know you are in Paris now, but I had to go back and catch up)! Take care. AJH