Morocco at the end of Ramadan

Morocco


Let’s begin with nine (9) things you might not know about Morocco:

1. Morocco was the first country to recognize the legitimacy of the newly declared United States in 1776 and they are very proud of that fact!

2. Most of the plants are grown in southern California like hibiscus, bougainvillea, eucalyptus, oleander, birds of Paradise and palm trees. In fact, as we drove along the beach where the rich live and play in Casablanca, I was reminded of La Jolla. This is the most expensive housing in all of Morocco. But only soft drinks, fabulous orange juice and mint tea were served in the cafes along that lovely stretch.

3. Morocco was a French colony from 1912 to 1956, so French is the second language here. English is taught at the university, but we did not here much from most people.

4. At the end of Ramadan, a fast of forty days, the Moroccans celebrate Eid for three days with visits to the mosque and family meals of traditional foods like couscous, 50 different kinds of pastries, tagines of lamb, chicken and fish and lots of sweet mint tea.

5. The government pays for health care for the poor but they might wait for three days in the emergency room unless they pay bribe. Those with pay checks have a portion set aside for health care, but they can also buy private insurance. Hospitals are improving greatly in the past few years. Social Security is having lots of children. The boys always remain in the home. The daughters are promised early, marry early and go live in their husband’s home. Older parents are revered.

6. The population is 30 million. They export phosphate which hung thickly in the air all around the port where we docked. The phosphate workers did not wear masks! They also export oranges, olives, and fish. They produce a wonder oil, argon oil prevents wrinkles – google it!

7. They produce wine for export only. Moroccans cannot buy alcohol. It is sold to foreigners in tightly controlled state stores e.g. supermarkets.

8. The common people were very warm and hospitable. Those who stayed in homes of Moroccans had marvelous experiences with their hosts. However, the merchants in the markets and cab drivers were often very aggressive and expect you to negotiate price for everything.

9. The walled medina had everything one could need back in the 10th century and today. They do not have ovens in their homes, but all women bring their breads and pastries to the neighborhood oven for baking. Bathing is also done in the neighborhood baths. Men and women are separate. Each neighborhood has its fountain where water for the day is gathered in buckets and carried home. There is no refrigeration in most homes so shopping for all meals is done daily. The streets of the medina’s are too narrow for cars. For the most part, donkeys and hand-pulled carts carry everything to the market stalls. If you want a chicken for dinner, it is killed and dressed before your eyes. We saw several bite the dust.

In four days we learned so much about the people, foods and customs. Most of our time was spent in the Medina of Fes, a 10th century city. No kidding this medina is the oldest walled city in Morocco. It is a maze of 15,000 “streets” and 300,000 people in just a few square miles. One person described it being like an ant hill. “Streets” are often too narrow for a ‘fat American’ to pass through and never go straight and perpendicular. The walls of the buildings are old, 3 to 5 stories high, and dingy. But pass through a door to always a surprise! Beautiful ryads (large family homes built around center courts,) or lovely mosques or restaurants and hotels hid behind these walls. Moslems believe the outside of a home should be plain which discourages envy, and keep the beauty on the inside for family and friends to enjoy.

The architecture is 98% Islamic throughout the country. I did see one pretty art deco building during the Casablanca city orientation. Islamic art is composed completely of geometric design – no scenery or figures. All mosques are built in the same style although some are fancier than others.

We were fortunate to see the finest and largest mosque in Morocco during Eid when the people were gathering for prayer and celebration in their finest clothing. This mosque is second in size to the main mosque in Mecca and built on the coast over the ocean– a stunning setting. The minaret (akin to a church steeple) is 650’ tall. It holds 25,000 people inside on the marble floor and 80,000 of the area outside. It was built by the previous king and finished in 1993 after 6 years of 24-hour construction.

Speaking of the King, the current King, Mohammed VI, is revered by the people. He married a commoner (never happened before) and she appears in public in Western attire and on photos with him (never before done.) The King has made new laws allowing divorce, discouraging polygamy and encouraging education. In the Fes medina, the illiteracy rate is very high and girls are not sent to school. But he is trying to bring this 10thcentury city into the 21st century – quite a chore!! There was no electricity in the Fes medina until 1950s when the French installed it. Fes has been designated a World Heritage site by Unesco, which means money is now flowing to restore more parts of it. We observed many walls of buildings propped up against each other to support them.

Fes is difficult to describe. I suggest you check it out on the internet or library if interested. But I do want to tell you about the ryad where we stayed, our cooking class, the endless maze of markets and the train ride back to the ship.

Six of us took a train to Fes, a 4 hour trip. Our host at the Ryad Mabrouka sent a van to pick us up and bring us to the Ryad. A ryad is a Moroccan house in the Medina that has been restored and is akin to a bed and breakfast. These ryads, as I said earlier, are behind plain walls and narrow passages. Small ceramic signs placed on the walls guided our way. The passage was very dusty and we were all apprehensive. I had made the reservations via the internet and it looked so lovely on the website. The door to the ryad was a lovely brown teak wood, but not fancy. When it opened, we were all pleasantly relieved! The place was gorgeous! You can check it out at www.ryadmabrouka.va I think. It sits up high on the edge of the Medina and has a rooftop garden which overlooks the entire Medina and the new Medina (it’s 12th century.) The location was perfect! Hot sweetened mint tea, the traditional welcoming drink was served in the garden upon our arrival.

We hired a guide for two days who showed us both Medinas and took us to the tile and pottery makers, the tannery, the rug salesmen and the spice shop. We did not buy any rugs although they tried hard to close sales and offered us a “shocking price.” In the markets we saw numerous fruit and vegetable stands, separate meat and fowl stands, dates, olives, spices, pastries, candies and stuff we did not recognize. There was no refrigeration and the meats were cut on counters and left there for purchasing. Some proprieters used feather dusters to brush away the flies. Skinny cats and kittens were ubiquitous. Our guide warned us to be alert to donkeys, horses and hand pulled carts or be run over. And I saw that happen twice! Paul saved me from disaster.

Compared to the market in Cadiz which is clean, large and airy, that of the Medina is dirty and narrow. And on many streets (if you can call them streets!) since each neighborhood has the items needed for all household needs. After a few days of this, we had no fears of walking around if we kept on the main drag. Because of the maze, it’s very easy to get lost! Even the gal who taught our cooking class who lives in the Medina gets lost sometimes and has to call her husband to come find her!

Speaking of the cooking class, we learned to make several traditional Moroccan foods like chicken with preserved lemons and lamb with carmelized prunes. These dishes will be fun to prepare for guests in our new tagine, bought in the market in Fes. Our teacher wove stories of their culture into everything she prepared like serving one kind of dates for breakfast, another for lunch and dinner, a soft sweetened date for welcoming guests and still another for cooking.

Picture of coast of Italy, Greece and other Mediterranian countries. Do you see white houses with red tile roofs? In Morocco, the roof tiles are a lovely shade of blue green because that color means “peace” in Islam.

Now imagine, if you can, settling in to a new first-class, air-conditioned compartment with our friends for the return to Casablanca on the fast train after three days of cultural overload. The train starts to move and a loud “kerplunk” comes from the front of our car. Would you believe it? They connected the electrical cables but forgot to hook up the cars! Oooops! People started moving around outside, no running, no announcements. Eventually, we got off the train back into the heat and stood around trying to determine what was going to happen. Very few spoke English – we were in the dark. They had a get back on the train in third class and find seats among the third class passengers. It felt like a sauna in there while we waited. Then, the slow train to Fes arrived on the next track. Time passed – two hours since the “kerplunk.” Sweat rolled down and soaked by passport which was under my clothes.

All of a sudden, people started getting off our train and onto the other train to Fes which was already crowded with people returning from the Eid holiday. We actually jumped down onto the tracks and climbed onto the second class car. A few found seats but most, including us, stood in the aisles. But we were on our way home! Horray! The kind Moroccan people gave up their seats for us female travelers. We could not converse with them, just offer an appreciative smile. With the train doors open and some little windows, the temperature was not too bad. Poor Paul, however, was uncomfortable and having hot flashes. Thank goodness we had water. The serving cart could not go down the aisles. The conductor never even collected tickets. We were back on the ship at 12:30 am, very tired.

So that’s it. Next we will tell you about some of our traveling companions.

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