Unrelated piece of useless information:
Satellite dishes are becoming quite prolific in Morocco. They cost about $100, supposedly get 3000 different channels and have absolutely NO monthly service charges! (where do I sign up)????
Aziz Kebiri: accomplished troubadour, guide extraordinaire and aspiring rap artist.
Shots of Chellah and
Kasbah des Oudaias (top row center).
The Royal Palace (Kasbah des Oudaias), built by the Almohads in the 12 century on the site of the original 10th century ribat fortress, is the residence of the king,currently Mohammed VI (1999-present)+ guest house for family & visiting heads of state. It sits on 160 acres and includes a mosque where you see many men wearing the traditional garb of fez, white jalaba &yellow slippers.
Aziz gave a short summary on the predominantly Hanafit Sunni sect of the Moroccan population (moderates who believe that religion is personal and between a person & their god), then discussed how the role of women in society was evolving slowly but surely - certainly abetted by the fact that the current king, Mohammed VI married a commoner with PhD in computer science. Some of these changes involved inheritance (previously the women received only 1/3 while the men receive 2/3); divorce & birth control were not available to women; men could have multiple wives. Our next stop was Chellah (A.D. 40), a southernmost Roman settlement ruins and Islamic burial place, enclosed by 14th century gates & walls. It was a bustling trading post & one of the last to sever ties with the Roman Empire. The scattered ruins include a main road, the Decumanus Maximus, which passes through a triumphal arch and past the Jupiter Temple, coming to an end at the forum. It was finally abandoned in 1154. The very tranquil and pleasant place is overgrown with a myriad of plants & aged fruit trees which are habituated by a colony of white storks (snowbirds) that migrate from Switzerland & Germany each year. They mate for life and are considered a sign of good fortune.
Our last stop before lunch was the Hassan
Tower & the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, which stand opposite one another. The tower is a minaret 12th century. It was intended to be the tallest minaret in the world but it was abandoned after the sultan died in 1199. Despite this is still looms over the remains of its ruined mosque, which was flattened by an earthquake in 1755.
The shrine of Mausoleum of Mohammed V, King Hassan II and Prince Moulay Abdellah was designed by a Vietnamese architect & inaugurated in 1961.
Hassan Tower
Mausoleum of Mohammed V
The different uniforms of the guards
of the Mausoleum of Mohammed V
reflect the national colors of red & green.
Our lunch today consisted of fish shish kabob, lentils, rice, vegetables and nougat ice cream for dessert. (Not sure that nougat would be something I would want to eat again). The main attraction during our lunch was the roiling Atlantic Ocean just outside our windows- providing free entertainment with incredibly high waves crashing the shore and the pier all the way up to parking lot. leaving lots of sand & debris behind. (Apparently it was part of the The "Black Swell" hitting the UK, Ireland and Portugal).
After lunch we had a short Morocco vocabulary lesson with the following important definitions:
- Medina: ancient walled cities constructed through the years by various dynasties.
- Kasbah: palace.
- Riad: an interior courtyard w/fountain in the center of the quadrants +garden, usually in 4 quadrants + possibly some fruit trees. Focus is the spiritual relationship of sight & sound
- Darr: an interior courtyard. no garden
Then a lesson on the 5 requirements of a medina:
- a mosque
- a fountain- a shared bakery for bread
- a hamman (steam bath for men & women - separate times. 1X/wk).
- a madrasa (Koranic school)
A visit to the Oudaya Medina, 16th century homes in Rabat.
The Oudaya Medina during the day (left) and night (below).
Trip to the Marjane supermarket (like a super Walmart), with toys, furniture, books,food & sampling stations for Nescafe & roasted meats, electronics and just about anything imaginable.
Closed out a phenomenal day with a phenomenal dinner @ Restaurant Marocain:
round 1 - assorted vegetable tapas dishes + bread + olives
round 2 - pastilla (upper left): flaky phyllo pastry pie with chicken filling, topped with powdered sugar + cinnamon.
round 3 - tagine (upper center): meat (pork) with fruits/vegetables (dates +apricots) slowly cooked in 2-piece earthenware cooking vessel with a cone-shaped lid.
round 4 - pastilla au lait (upper right): layers of crispy, flaky phyllo pastry with sweetened milk + amlou (almond paste + honey + argan oil), and topped with crushed nuts. Supplemented with mint tea (lower center) of course.
round 5 - serious food fatigue followed by crashing in bed and starting again the next day.
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