In early June 2012, Sharon and I joined a General Tours trip to Morocco. We flew from JFK in NYC directly to Casablanca on Royal Air Moroc Airlines. On our first tour of the city one of our first stops was at the impressive Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world. One could not help but be impressed by the immensity of the architecture, and by the gorgeous doors and portals and the intricate designs in the tile and plaster work.
Later in the day we visited the Royal Palace in Casablanca. There is more than one Royal Palace in Morocco, and this is not the main one, but this is where the current monarch, King Mohammed VI and members of the royal household stay when they are in Casablanca. Again -- wonderful doors and intricately beautiful plaster and tile work.
On the third day we left Casablanca and drove to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Our first stop was the Royal Palace -- the main Royal Palace. A number of guards were stationed at the main entrance, and when looking into the front doorway one could see a series of doorways in the distance.
Continuing our journey we passed Shallah Kasbah. A kasbah is basically a fortified castle. It is built on a square plan with fortified walls and towers at the four corners.
We next visited the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the grandfather of the current king. At the entrance gate to the mausoleum there was a guard atop a horse.
Next we visited Kasbah Oudaia. Built on the top of a cliff, its gates and walls date to the 12th century. As we walked through the narrow kasbah streets I was struck by the beauty of the houses, built in the 17th and 18th century, and lime-washed in blue and white.
Before leaving Rabat we had lunch at a seaside restaurant. Walking to the restaurant we passed through a vast Moslem graveyard.
One of our first introductions to the city of Fes was to spend several hours walking through the narrow streets of its medieval medina. Colorful shops with interesting wares appeared at every turn.
While in the medina we stopped for presentations at a variety of different cooperatives and shops -- a carpet shop, a tannery and leathergoods shop, a co-op where artisans were producing beautiful tile and plaster objects, a woodworking shop, an antique shop, and a metalsmith shop. The talks and demonstrations were all interesting and, of course, it was hoped that we would purchase something afterwards.
Our next stop was at another Royal Palace -- the Royal Palace of Fes or the Dar el-Makhzen. The palace is imposing, with a beautiful richly ornamented Moorish gateway and seven exquisitely engraved bronze doors.
We next visited the Karaouiyine Mosque, one of the oldest and most illustrious mosques in the western Muslim world. It was the site of the first university established in Morocco, in the year 859 AD. We did not actually enter the main mosque but we did explore the teaching school and marvelled at the beauty of the intricate tile and plaster work and the Arabic calligraphy.
As we explored the Fes medina we saw many gate entrances to the medina. One of the most beautiful was the Baujouloud gate.
The following day we drove to Meknes, another of Morocco's 4 imperial cities. Before arriving in Meknes we stopped at Les Celleurs de Meknes, a very large and modern award-winning winery, where we sampled several of their wines. In Meknes we explored part of the medina and saw several of its beautiful gates, such at the lovely Bab El Mansour. After our explorations we entered our van and travelled out into the countryside, passing the sacred city of Moulay Idriss. The bright white town clings to two rocky outcrops. It is here that one of the most sacred sites in Morocco is located, the tomb of Idriss I, a descendent of Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed. It was Idriss I who founded the first Arab-Muslim dynasty in Morocco, before his death in 791 AD.
A short distance from Moulay Idriss are the ruins of the ancient Roman town of Volubilis. At the site one finds a forum, basilica, capitol, and the remains of private villas with tile floors, some still in excellent condition. One mosaic floor showed Venus, another portrayed Atlas, and yet another villa had a tile floor showing the 12 labors of Hercules. At one end of the site stands the Arch of Caracalla.
Leaving Fes after 3 days we travelled to the exotic city of Marrakech. We checked into another riad, the beautiful La Maison Arabe. The following day our first stop was Le Jardin Majorelle, a lovely garden created by a Frenchman, and later purchased and maintained by Yves St. Laurent.
Later we visited the tombs of the Saadian dynasty. The tombs illustrate some of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in all of Morocco. Under each rectangle of elaborate tilework there is a tomb.
I especially enjoyed exploring the souks. A souk is a market, typically laid out in a pattern according to the types of goods or services available. The souks of Marrakech are fascinating and the narrow labyrinthine passages seem to go on forever.
On another day we drove out of Marrakech and into the High Atlas Mountains, following the verdant Ourika Valley. Berber villages dotted the landscape, their brown walls blending into the brown mountainsides. As we travelled along the valley we saw small houses, cafes, grocery stores and small hotels clinging to the hillsides. The highlight of this day was our opportunity to visit a traditional Berber home, where we were welcomed by grandmother Fatima. As we snacked on a large flat slab of homemade bread, homemade butter, local olive oil and local honey, Fatima prepared us delicious mint tea in the traditional manner.
Morocco is a country with a rich cultural history and beautiful scenery. Moroccan people are friendly and welcoming. It is a Moslem country on the move. Everywhere we went we saw new construction as older sub-standard buildings gave way to fresh and modern development. If you've not been there it's a country you should consider adding to your Bucket List.
