The Kasbah

MOROCCO was one of the world’s hippie capitals in the 60s and 70s and is for most of us, still an exotic destination. In reality, both the holiday destination of millions of Europeans every year and one of the most story book countries I have visited. On the one hand, people living as they did a thousand years ago and on the other hand, restaurants, hotels and private villas that few other countries can boast.

My first stop is Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco, where a visit to the second biggest mosque in the world and one of the very few mosques in Morocco that can be visited by non-believers, is obligatory. It was built at enormous cost, the money having been contributed by the Moroccan people and not always voluntarily. It sits on the water’s edge and is very impressive, both from the outside and from within. Then take a drive for a couple of kilometers westward along the coast. Villas, costing in excess of a hundred million dollars and owned by the likes of the Saudi Arabian king, look out over the sea, while the jet set and those aspiring to join it stroll along the beach front. Certainly not what most of us imagine when thinking of an Arab country.

Our next stop is Marrakech, which has one of the most exciting squares in the world, Djemaa el Fna. During the day a few snake charmers, fake dentists, and other professional tourist fleecers, share the square with the many orange juice stalls, which for a shekel and a half will give you a glass of the sweetest orange juice. The real action starts in the late afternoon when tens of  restaurant  owners wheel their stalls onto the square and the locals flock to join the tourists in order to be entertained by the evening’s more serious events. Fortune tellers, clowns, story tellers, jugglers, henna artists, and a boxing ring, where anyone can have a bash at the reigning champion, are only a few of the shows being put on by people trying to earn a few dirham. Wonder around and enjoy yourself, but remember that the these people are hoping to earn a few dirham, so you are expected to pay for taking photos or just for watching or listening. When you need a rest, go and sit on the terrace of one of the coffee shops overlooking the square and enjoy the view from on high. Another attraction in Marrakech is the souk with its seemingly endless alleyways, where you can buy anything from antique furniture to an aphrodisiac. Visit an old medresseh, a religious school, housed in a beautiful building, which seems to have been built as a stage to exhibit the works of the carpenters and stucco artists of the day. If your budget allows, have dinner in one of the riads (an old house built around a central patio), some of which have been converted into restaurants and some of which serve  home cooking , at not such homely prices. And if your budget is limited, couscous, tagine and delicious Moroccan pastries can be had for a song. Quarzazat is across the Atlas mountains and the start of the desert. The scenery on the way is spectacular and while snow closes the roads in the winter, my last visit was in the spring, when a green covering tints the brown and red rocks and the desert snow now only adds to my feeling of wonder. The houses, built of mud and rocks, blend in with the surrounding hills, and it seems that one is driving through the set of the movie Babel.

We are now in Berber country, the original inhabitants of the area before the arrival of the Arabs, and who are also found in Algeria and Tunisia. In fact, the Berber consist of different tribes who speak different dialects, but for us the differences are not really significant. Our main aim is to visit the Kasbahs, fortified houses built of mud, straw and stones. They are so photogenic that one can only think that they must have been built as a tourist attraction. While some do serve this purpose, most are still used by the families who built them and who live in them often without electricity, running water or sewerage.

The Tudra and Dades gorges cut spectacularly into the south side of the Atlas Mountains and the strong red color of the rock make it all the more amazing. For those who like to hike, a few hours can be happily spent investigating the side gorges which lead off the Dades gorge, while for the climbing enthusiasts the 300 meter high red cliff face of the narrowest part of the Tudra gorge is a challenge not to be missed. For us mortals it is sufficient to stare in disbelief at the tiny bodies visible high above us, making their way ever higher, seemingly stuck to the rock with contact glue. Another fun way to spend the day is to rent a bicycle and ride through the palmary in the Tudra gorge, seeing first hand how the dates, olives and vegetables are grown. Don’t expect a tarred path or even a straight sand one, as the paths between the fields wander every way and it is no simple matter to progress in the desired direction. However, help is always close at hand and for a few dirham one of the children will be happy to show you the way if - no, when - you get lost. Our next destination is the sand dunes that we imagine the Sahara to be and which we can find near Merzouga.

But first I recommend a stop in Rissani with its covered market, it is small enough not to be overwhelming and is at the same time both touristy and authentic. Another advantage I found here was that the asking prices for things were usually only ridiculous and not as in the markets of Marrakech and Fez, where the word ridiculous would be a gross understatement. Another fascinating attraction near Rissani are the ksour, walled villages built for defense against attacks by the desert tribes. Through the arched gate one enters a passageway formed by buildings built over the alleys of the village. The passages turn and twist and black covered figures can be vaguely seen moving through the occasional shaft of light that manages to filter through. One needs to pinch oneself in order to be sure that this is real and that we haven’t gone back a thousand years in a time machine. The sand dunes rise up suddenly from the stony, flat plain reaching a height of 150 meters. A number of hotels/guest houses dot this point of transition. All will be willing to arrange a jeep or camel trip onto the dunes, with or without a night’s accommodation in Bedouin tents. Be warned, an hour or so on the camel is enough to let you understand why the man leading the camel walks! It is a fun excursion and a good way to experience the sunset and sunrise in the desert, with the added advantage of meeting other travelers from all over the world.

Fez. Going into the souk through Bab Boujeloud, the main gate into the medina, or old part of the city, is a trip back into the middle ages. The market slopes gently downhill and ahead one sees the river of people wending their way between the small stalls on either side of the narrow street. The open sky above the street is covered with bamboo, allowing the morning light to filter through and causing the faces of the people to flicker in the light as they move up the hill towards you. Shops selling spices, tourist trinkets, pastries, cloths and toiletries, are next to each other, their owners trying, in every possible way, to entice you into their shops.  Not buy, just look ,  Just for luck  are phrases heard over and over. Then there is a camel’s head on a spike at the front of the butcher’s shop. The crush of people at the counter tells me that camel meat is in demand. The repeated clang of metal on metal leads us to the copper workers area and young men ask if we want a restaurant, in the hope that if we eat there, they will earn a few dirhams’ commission. The stench leads us to the dyeing vats. We climb the narrow staircase which leads us through a small shop selling leather goods to tourists. From the shop’s roof one can watch the people below, dressed only in a small loin cloth, as they dip the leather into the different colored vats. Today is brown and red. Yesterday, we are told, was green. An elderly, bored, well fed gentleman rattles off an explanation of how the leather is dyed. Then it’s time to go and one has to leave by passing through the shop again. This is what the shop assistants have been waiting for and one of them attaches himself to you, trying desperately to convince you to buy a bag or pair of slippers. Back in the alley below we try to find our way back to a shop selling carpets. Within seconds we are lost. No matter, there are a hundred others selling similar work. If you decide to buy some jewelry or a carpet for example, remember, the price you are asked to pay for the desired article, bares no relationship to the price that you should pay at the end of a long drawn out bargaining process. The shopkeeper may ask five or even ten times the final price, but will act deeply insulted even when you make an offer 30% less than their original quote. So the golden rule is, never give your price, however much they insist, until you reach the stage that you think is their lowest price, then make a ridiculously low offer, and this is the stage that the real bargaining only begins. In Fez, stretch your accommodation budget to include at least one night in a riad that has been converted into a boutique hotel. Choose carefully and you will experience luxury that for most of us is only achievable in dreams (try the Dar Al Andalous). Eat pastilla, the specialty of Fez, itself reason enough to visit this exotic city. Finally, for us, no visit to Fez would be complete without spending some time in the mellah, the Jewish quarter, visiting the graves of famous rabbis, the Alliance school, which has now been turned into a museum, and at least one of the old synagogues.

Meknes, Rabat, Tangier, Agadir, other cities with palaces, beaches, markets and artisans, all worth a visit and only a few of the many other sights that Morocco has to offer. Maybe another visit is needed to see an Argan tree, with goats climbing up to its highest branches. Or a potter making tagines. Or spend an entire holiday exploring Morocco’s rich Jewish past, which started well before the Christian era. This exotic, ancient land has something for everyone.

Bon Voyage

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Brian Braude

Brian Braude passed away on August 3, 2011. He was born in South Africa in 1948 and came to live in Israel in 1974. He was married to Jehudit, who was born in Morocco, and altogether they have five ch...
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