First impressions
As an Indian travelling around the world, I am used to worrying about visas. Our online visa application for Morocco was approved in 2 hours and it was a sign that this entire country and its people were ready to pull out the red carpet. Immigration agents were so happy to welcome somebody from India and always brought up Shahrukh Khan and his movies. Amitabh Bacchan, Hritik Roshan, Amir Khan and Salman Khan got some mentions as well but Shahrukh is the king khan. It's fascinating how the film industry creates soft power around the world and makes people living so far away feel connected. As we traveled through Morocco's varied landscapes, from the old to the new, from the valleys to the desert, from the Medinas to the Mosques, I kept on admiring how the Arabs and Amazighs have built a successful political system based on Allah, al watan, al malik (God, Country, King) when so many of their neighbors lie in ruin.
The grandeur
Casablanca welcomed us with the magnificent Hassan II mosque built on the shores of the Atlantic.It's a masterpiece in Islamic architecture but also reminds one of European cathedrals. Marrakech as the imperial capital of the Almarovid dynasty boasts of some beautiful buildings like the Ben Youssef Madarassa and the Bahia palace. Fes, the first imperial capital has the Royal palace. But the most fascinating characteristic of these cities is the presence of magnificent Raids (houses) and Paliases (more opulent houses) throughout the old city medinas with nodescript entrances which make them literally hide within plain sight. Most of these Raids and Paliases have now been converted into hotels and it's an experience to stay in one of these places when visiting Morocco. As we understood later through our English speaking lady guide in Fes, hiding the grandeur behind closed doors is a truly Islamic practice. Fascinating to see the contrast with the Mellah (old Jewish quarter) which had open balconies. Mellah means salt in Arabic and Jews were salt traders so Jewish quarters across the Arab world are called Mellahs.
Hassan II mosque, Casablanca
Beautiful interiors of a Raid
The Mellah with open balconies
The reason so much grandeur exists and has been preserved to this day is a testament to the importance given to art and architecture by succeeding Arab dynasties as well as the elites in society. While the Sultan could have spent money building a mosque or a royal palace, many affluent private citizens must have paid for the numerous Riads and Paliases.
The landscape
From the Atlantic shores of Casablanca and Agadir to the deserts of the Sahara. From the High Atlas mountains across the south east to the Mediterranean port of Tangier. From the bustling modern French speaking city of Casablanca to Ait ben Haddou, a castle on the ancient caravan route from Timbuktu. Ifrane (Little Switzerland) where beautiful fountains and plazas were built by the French to the 12th century Fes Medina with 9000+ streets and the world's largest car free urban area. This diversity is amazing for a country the size of California.
A mule ride up the High Atlas took us to a traditional house to have lunch. A camel ride over the sand dunes of the Sahara was a mesmerizing experience. Travelling on 4x4 vehicles across the barren landscape of the desert, we visited nomad tents and were served bread and tea. As we climbed on top of Ait ben Haddou, I imagined how camel caravans coming from Timbuktu would have asked for food and rest before heading towards Marrakech. Morocco also managed to slip in a beautiful gorge which reminded me of Zion National Park, Utah!
Climbing the High Atlas on mules took us to a traditional house where we had lunch overlooking Mt. Toubkal which is the highest point in North Africa
Camel Safari
Moon rise over the Sahara
Barren landscape of the desert
Ait ben Haddou. A UNESCO World Heritage site on the caravan route
Fes Medina, the largest car free urban area in the world
Toudgha gorge
People, Islam and culture
Amazighs are the indigenous people of the region in North Africa called the Maghreb. The Europeans and later Arabs referred to them pejoratively as barbarians which became 'Berbers'. While the Amazighs all eventually converted to Islam, they maintained their language, food and practices. In general the Amazighs dominate the countryside south and east of the Atlas mountains while the Arabs dominate the cities and north west. While the Amazighs have faced persecution and discrimination from time to time, they are now a recognized minority. Their language is recognized as an official language and they are allowed to display their own flag. In Ifrane (little Switzerland), the statue of the now extinct Atlas Lion was dressed in Christmas spirit and Christmas lights and candy cane decorated the town square. Morroco boasts of 1000 plus Sufi traditions when many other Islamic countries have persecuted Sufism. Such things make clear to a visitor the moderation of Moroccan society and probably the reason for its progress and stability.
Atlas Lion in Christmas spirit in Ifrane
Islam is all encompassing in the life of Moroccans as is true with almost all countries with a majority Muslim population. Every town or village has a mosque with a minaret and no other building is allowed to be taller than that. Hotels have a sticker on the ceiling showing direction of Mecca so guests would know which direction to pray to. Public buildings have a prayer room and the nearby restroom will have an area where one can washup (abulation) before prayer which is mandated in Islam. The Moroccan flag has a 5 pointed star for the 5 pillars of Islam. And I am sure there won't be any legal shop selling pork although I was told the government does allow Wine production as economics probably trumps religion!
But in spite of the all encompassing religion, it is surprisingly not in your face as a visitor and the incredible magnanimity and kindness shown by everyday people makes Morocco the best antidote to Islamophobia. Most women on the streets are seen wearing a head scarf but there were many others, especially in big cities who let their hair flow. I never saw a full face veil (hijab). I saw ladies shaking hands with men, even in rural communities and women police officers. Our guide in Fes was a smart modern lady (with a head scarf) who didn't hesitate to go grab the hand of a blind man on the street to help him out.
At the airport, a sweeper just smiled and offered to take away my garbage without any expectations of a tip. The immigration officer came around to put a hand around my son's shoulders and asked us if we liked our stay in Morocco and thanked us. And yes he mentioned that he liked Shahrukh Khan! When a young girl walked by trying to sell us some home made sweets (more like a beggar than a seller), my guide looked at her with warmth (not malice), smiled and just said shukran.
Throughout our trip, we walked around medieval Medinas similar to Mumbai's Crawford market or Delhi's Chandni Chowk but the area was surprisingly clean. We never saw open sewers, open defecation or spitting in public. All places frequented by tourists had a western toilet which was reasonably clean and with a wash basin with soap.
Food
We experienced Morrocan food as mostly dominated by tajines. A tajine is a slow cooked mix of vegetables and meat in a uniquely shaped pot which is also called a tajine. We did not see a lot of variety in tajines with most restaurants serving a kind each of chicken, lamb, beef and vegetarian. Light on spices and salt and with little gravy, one could only have a small slice of bread with a pot of tajine before the gravy dries off. No rice is served as part of the main dish making the tajines a low carb, low spice diet. The other common item on the menu was cous cous, the usual variety with vegetables and meat mixed in.
The mainstay of every place we visited was the Moroccan mint tea. Brewed green tea like concoction with fresh mint leaves was a refreshing warm drink. We were served tea at the village house in the high Atlas, by the Berber family making traditional carpets, by the nomads in the desert, by the fancy riads in Marrakech and Fes, at our desert camp in the Sahara and everywhere else in between!
Moroccan pastries are made with different kinds of fried dough. Very different flavors which may need getting used to. I wasn't very impressed.
We tried the amlu which is Morocco's version of nut butter made with almonds, argan oil and honey. Yummy spread which we packed for us back home!
The berber pizza was quite delicious, very close to an Indian stuffed meat paratha.
The Pastille is a vegetable/meat pastry which we tried. We happened to like the vegetarian version.
Jemaa el Fna in Marrakech has numerous food stalls which prop up every night selling everything from Sheep's head to kababs and tajines. Jemaa el Fna was also the only place where the touting by food stall owners was annoying and I couldn't even take a peek, forget tasting the range of food on offer. One of the stall owners even called me as-salamu alaykum Amir Khan to which wa 'alaykum as-salam brought a smile to his face. I kept wondering to myself that despite having grown up in a city which has ~40% Muslims, how many times in my life have I ever said that? It's a sad reality of modern day segregation.
Camel meat and camel milk is sold in some places and there was a camel burger on the menu in our hotel in Fes. I felt sorry for the Camel who we had just used as our transport in the desert and didn't have the stomach to try its meat.
(left) Chicken tajine with preserved lemons & apricots; (right) a tajine pot
(left) Our table set with salad and Khobz; (right) a Berber pizza
Jemma el Fna, Marrakesh at night is a bustling place full of street food and cacophony
Final thoughts
As our return flight took off from Casablanca's Mohammed V international airport, the beautiful sight of the African coastline was the perfect adieu to this fabulous country. I could see the Hassan II mosque on its coastline. A young boy must be standing there looking towards the Atlantic and dreaming about America which lies exactly straight across. But it's time for young boys and girls in America and around the non-Muslim world to stand off their shores and look across the ocean towards this wonderful country and visit it once in their lifetime. Getting to know each other is the only way humanity can live in peace. Inshallah!
Leaving the shores of Africa
