Report: Michel Cruz - Photography: J.D. Dallet

...Morocco is immersed in a subtle poetry that takes hold of you slowly, but inexorably. Vibrant, seductive and exciting, it is a place where shadows merge with sunlight and contrasts accentuate the rich diversity of life. In this kingdom of light, colour reigns supreme; the white is whiter, the blue bluer, the red richer and the ochre deeper.

When the Arabs first arrived here in the 7th century, they called the land al bilad al Maghreb, the ‘western extreme’ - the final stretch of terra firma before it is swallowed by the endless waters of the ocean.
A land of horizons, where sea, sand dunes, skies and mountains extend forever, Morocco is also a place of contrasts. Here, snow-capped peaks frame deserts, fertile valleys lie protected by bare rock formations and beauty exists alongside squalor.

Morocco´s unique character is formed by its position at the point where two worlds meet: Africa and Europe; East and West; Islam and Christianity; the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

From its northern shores, Gibraltar looks so close, you think you could touch it, while the Spanish coastline stretches before you, from beyond Tarifa in the west to Malaga in the east. In different times, the straits that separate these two worlds were a stepping stone for Muslim warriors invading Europe.

But Morocco is more than the sum total of its geographic location. The people form a vital part of its enchantment. In ancient cities and half-forgotten hovels, the traditions of a rich culture live on in the dress, food, customs, festivities and, indeed, the way in which guests are received.

Famous for their hospitality and friendliness, Moroccans still welcome strangers according to age-old codes of ceremony, which were once far more widespread. One of the most important of these is the ritual by which mint tea is shared with visitors.

In a symbolic gesture of welcome; the head of the household selects the choicest green tea and mint leaves to be placed along with sugar lumps in a pot before hot water is added. The precise measuring of these ingredients is a much-appreciated skill.

Visitors will most likely first set foot on Moroccan soil at Tangiers. Their first impressions of Morocco will be punctuated by the scent of sulphur that hangs in the air and the sultry atmosphere that accompanies it. It is this very mood that has proved irresistible to writers and artists alike. Henri Matisse, Tennessee Williams, Samuel Beckett, Orson Welles and the heiress Barbara Hutton added a bohemian touch to this remarkable city.

From 1932 until its incorporation into Morocco in 1956, Tangiers was an international tax free zone, under the control of a committee of 30 nations. This was an era that was characterised by financial fraud, espionage, large-scale smuggling and outrageous sexual licence by wealthy and eccentric expatriates.

From the tops of the mountains that surround Tangiers, a magnificent spectacle unfolds as the evening sun sinks into the Atlantic Ocean and a bright moon slowly rises up out of the dark waters of the Mediterranean. Such is the view of Cape Spartel, where the waters of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic meet.

This cape, famed since antiquity, contains the Caves of Hercules - for centuries the haunt of the Barbary Corsairs, the savage pirates who were the curse of the Mediterranean. Altogether more pleasant were the fishing folk of the Atlantic west coast who inhabited towns like SalŽ and Rabat, Morocco´s capital.
Known nowadays as the ‘Washington’ of North Africa, because of its parks, boulevards, monuments, embassies and government buildings, Rabat is also the seat of the Royal Family.

Morocco´s modern metropolis, however, is Casablanca, which has grown in no time from a small settlement into a sprawling city. Everything is bigger here: the streets, the hotels, the office blocks and the slums. The people themselves say that 'Casablanca has no memory and no past, only a future.'

Although the Atlantic coastline is marked by endless stretches of white sandy beaches, the cold water and powerful tides make swimming hazardous. It is these very conditions, however, that make its waters abound with sardines, mackerel, anchovy, tuna and shellfish.
In fact, the fishing town of Safi has the largest sardine port in the world. Sardine vendors can be seen all over Morocco, whilst every corner shop stocks canned sardines in a mildly spiced tomato sauce, a delicious Moroccan speciality.

With green-clad mountains rising sharply out of aquamarine waters, the northern shores of Morocco form a rugged but beautiful landscape of bays and coves. Sometimes called ‘the pearl of the Mediterranean’, this little-developed coast contains the few tourist resorts in the country. Mostly, however, it is a region of unblemished beauty, whose little white villages lie ensconced between the sea, the surprisingly green hills and fields of wild flowers.

Stretching to the Rif Mountains in the west, this part of Morocco shatters the first-time visitor’s preconception of an arid and desolate country. Like a Garden of Eden, this fertile land is painted yellow and orange in the spring with the blossom of wild flowers.

Whereas the coast is dry in summer, the capital of the Rif Mountain region, Tetouan, lies in the cool valley of the Wadi Martil. Formerly the capital of Spanish Morocco, this pretty town has a tangible connection with Andalucia: balconies and windows framed by iron grilles, shaded squares and patios with refreshing Moorish-Andalusian fountains, white plasterwork and - flamenco.

This connection is accentuated by the fact that many of the Moriscos, expelled from Spain by King Felipe IV in the 16th century, settled here. The extent to which their descendants are still nostalgic about Andalucia is borne out by the 400-year-old tradition in which the keys of homes left behind in Spain are still passed on from generation to generation.

Like a fata morgana (mirage) looming up out of the rock, the former royal city of Meknes is yet another unexpected delight. Twenty-two kilometres of town wall, monumental gates and the ruins of an immense palatial complex form an impressive and curious backdrop for the meeting point of Morocco´s main roads.

The 17th century sultan Moulay Ishmail wanted to create a royal capital here that would rival Versailles. He had an army of bricklayers, black slaves and several hundred captured Christian slaves build 120 km. of town walls, dream palaces, stables for 12,000 horses, hanging gardens which were watered by a four hectare pond, and immense storage sheds. Neighbouring Fez is a maze of stone, marble and plaster surrounded by orchards.

An aura of 1001 nights lingers here, but as the spiritual centre of Morocco, the old town lives in the shadow of the minarets, sprawling outwards from the mosque like a spider’s web of alleys, houses and shops. From their workshops in back alleys potters, charcoal burners, goldsmiths and weavers still practise their ancient trades for busy shops and stores in the crowded streets.

Well over a 1,000 years old, the Jewish quarter, or mellah, has long had a reputation for producing some of the finest ironwork in the country, while in the suburb of the leather tanners, ancient methods and facilities are still used to treat and dye hides.

The famed red city of Marrakech forms an oasis between the permanent snowfields of the djebel Toubhal (4165m), the Sahara desert and the Atlas mountain range. The souks (markets) of Marrakech are awash with movement, colour and aroma in a beehive of activity in which everything from wool, silk, leather and copperware to jewellery, spices, foodstuffs and pottery are on sale.

Everything is displayed proudly but without a price tag. It wouldn’t be possible because no price is fixed - this is strictly a haggle economy.
The heart of this historic town is formed by the expansive D’gema el Fna Square, which pulsates with noise day and night.

During the day it resounds with the calls and haggling of market traders, at night it is transformed into a cultural centre - Moroccan-style - as acrobats, storytellers, snake charmers, dancers, musicians and gamblers jostle for a place in the crowded square.

The south of Morocco is the land of the Sahara. Here, where life is only possible in oases and kasbahs, these words, synonymous with water, have a magical ring. At Ouarzazate, scarcely 200km. from Marrakech but in a different world, you stand on the threshold of the mighty Sahara. The nearby kasbah Taourirt is one of the most impressive of its kind in Morocco.

Its tightly packed houses and stately towers, made of a mixture of chalk and sand, melt almost imperceptibly into the surrounding red and ochre-coloured landscape. Like cubes of clay, the dwellings hide away from the unrelenting sun - a narrow doorway being the only connection with the outside world.

Light and air come in through the central courtyard. Yet the harsh desert can also be generous; at the oases of Skoura an annual harvest of 4,000 tons of roses is grown on the fringes of immeasurable expanses of sand.

Wherever you go in Morocco, be it in the city or the countryside, you cannot avoid being moved by a flood of observations, experiences and images that are unique to this part of the world. From its white beaches and cobalt blue waters, its golden sand dunes, green valleys, red soil, blue sky, and multi-coloured dyed fabrics drying against stark white houses, Morocco enchants and bewitches. Made up of a mix of the original Berbers, Arabs who invaded in the 7th century, Jews, Africans moving northwards, descendants of European slaves and Germanic Vandal invaders, the many faces of Morocco´s population vary from pale to pitch black.

This diversity is evident in everything, from food and dress to art and architecture. Morocco´s rich culture is built on Islamic foundations but touched by a great many traditions, both European and African. In short, to travel through Morocco is to go on a journey of the senses.

If you want to experience Morocco at its best, we would recommend a ten-day tour organised by A Taste of Morocco. This all-encompassing trip offers the discerning traveller a unique insight into the country’s history, culture and people. Travelling in a group of no more than 12 people in 4WD air-conditioned Mitsubishis, the 2,500 kilometre journey explores Morocco from the Atlantic beaches to ancient imperial cities, from the desert oasis to the snow-capped Atlas mountains. Expert guide, Glen Wallace-Davis, who has 15 years’ experience of running safaris, offers a personal service whereby the traveller gets the chance to observe the ‘real’ Morocco and experience more than just a holiday.