Agadir Morocco: A Country Veiled In Mystery

Like it's women. Morocco is veiled and mysterious, revealing it's beauty only to the perceptive. Morocco, country of the Moors. It seems so far away and obscure, yet Morocco is remarkably accessible. You can jet to Morocco nonstop from New York on Royal Air Maroc in less time than it takes to fly to Rome, or by TWA via Lisbon three times weekly, including Saturday. If you are planning a European trip. you can get to Morocco in only a few minutes from several spots in Southern Spain—from Malaga by plane or ferry, Marabella by hydrofoil, Algeciras by ferry. Morocco's accessibility, rich culture, and history offer myriad treasures for any traveler.

Tangier And Fes:

There are the casbahs of Tangier and Fez, the beaches of the western coast, and a variety of scenery and climate. There are the temperate winds of the Mediterrean regions of the North, the cool Alpine areas of the High Atlas mountains, and the stark Saharan sands of the extreme south. And, there is an added appeal for the black American. Contrary to many travel brochures'depictions of Moroccans, they come in all shades and hues. Members of the Royal Guard outside the king's palace in Rabat are descendants of Moulay Ismail's African guards. Frequently, a black person in Morocco will be taken aside from a tour and told proudly that the mother of the present king. Hassan II, is a black woman. There is a feeling of welcome in Morocco which is simply another reason to visit and unfold its treasures. Morocco's past holds great fascination for many people. Much of the history of Morocco can be seen in the four imperial cities: Fez, Meknes. Marrakech. and Rabat. First there was Fez.

Even to this day Fez is the intellectual. cultural, and religious center of Morocco, but for centuries it was the political capital as well. Today the city is divided into three major areas: Fes el Bali (Old Fez), Fes Djedid (New Fez as of 700 years ago), and the modern Fez. There are many hotels in Fez. ranging from the elegant Palais Jamais, located in a 19th century palace, to the fondooks, local inns where you can get a room and stable your donkey, all for a pittance A hotel like the Volubilis. one in a chain of the French P.LM. Company, represents a moderate-priced happy medium. It offers all the modern amenities, including a swimming pool. The hotel's restaurant serves Continental food but includes a Moroccan dish daily on the menu—a perfect introduction to Moroccan food. On my first day in Fez, I ate chicken tajine for lunch there. It is a kind of Moroccan stew, delicious, redolent of coriander seed, and steaming hot. Soon after lunch I hired a guide for a tour of the old city. He was an amiable Moroccan gentleman dressed in djellaba, the national Moroccan dress, a traditional fez, and babouches. Turkish slippers.

 Back In time 2000 years:

We took a taxi to the massive walls that surround the Old City then walked through the Bab Guissa gate and went back in time two thousand years. The streets turned into narrow, tortuous alleyways that no car could navigate, but traffic was nevertheless thick with pedestrians. Suddenly, a cry of "Balek" (Lookout!) went through the streets and pedestrians made way for a donkey and his driver. "Balek" became an extremely useful Arabic word thai afternoon as I wove my way through twists and bends filled with people. As we went farther and farther into the Medina, 1 became accustomed to the pace and began to fully experience my surroundings. It was like being lost in a sensual paradise; sights, sounds and scents were all so penetrating. There were mounds of fruit everywhere--stands full of tangerines still holding their stems, ripe red tomatoes that betrayed no trace of artificial coloring, freshly picked lemons and watermelons still glistening with dew. The visual perfection of the fruit was enhanced by the scent of mint. a Moroccan market staple and an essential ingredient in mint tea, the national beverage. Soon the fruit competed for attention with silks and brocades. perfumed with the essences of goods in adjacent stalls. Around another corner, the smell of cedar emanated from the newly completed works of woodcarvers. We took an alleyway to the right and saw mounds of babouches.

There were yellow and white ones for men and multicolored velvet oncs embroidered with gold thread for women. Next to them were gold embroidered belts for the women of Fez, and yarn ones orna-mented with sequins for the Berbers. Near the tomb of Moulay Idriss, we saw hawkers selling intricately designed candles. A few steps away were caftan salesmen, but I was advised that true natives of Fez buy cloth from weavers and take it to tailors for custom-made robes. The guide and I continued to walk and talk and watch. Each area was a complete entity. The spice merchants were recognizable by the fragrant odors of their goods, while the tannery had an unpleas ant smell. The cop persmiths were recognizable by the clatter of their craft. On a street off the coppersmith's square, we stopped to watch the dyers at work. The white skcins of silk were dipped into vats of luscious colors- pink, deep purple, indigo, and shades of green and brown--and then hung up to dry in the next stage of intricate textile process. We followed our noses to the tannery. a honeycomb of vats and various liquids.

We were jostled constantly by workers in various stages of undress, carrying dripping skins from one vat to another or climbing the stairs to get close to the drying area. We, too, climbed the stairs wet with the liquid of dye jobs past. On the second floor, the apprentices were softening the leather and completing the final processes. Another flight of stairs took us to the roof where the skins were laid out to dry. We paused on the roof to enjoy a breathtaking view of Fez. The entire city stretched out beneath us, and on the horizon we could just see the faint hint of the green Moroccan countryside. Fez is a feminine city. Like the traditional Moroccan woman, it is veiled and mysterious. It does not reveal its beauty to all, only to those who take the time to get to know it well. To the discerning visitor, Fez reveals new wonders at every turn: the rhythmic chanting of a Koranic school class heard over the radio's blare, or the corner vendors, who look like Old Testament prophets. selling mint and tangerines. Meknes is a short ride from Fez by train, bus, or car. And depending on your preference, you can stay in one city and visit the other. I stayed in Fez, visited Meknes for a day, and felt that I had seen both places. It's a matter of choice. Meknes. the imperial city built by Moulay Ismail, has none of the delicacy of Fez. It is a man's city built on a massive scale. In 1672. when Moulay Ismail selected the site to build the capital, he was impressed by Louis XIV's Versailles and set out to crwle his own. lie did, and it took him over 50 years. but the palace is of such scale and magnitude that even today. in ruins, the place is awe inspiring. The granaries with their thick amber colored walls arc so immense that you are careful not to stray too far from the guide for fear of getting lost. The underground prison, built for Christian captives, has only a few rooms open to the public: it is so huge that the government worries about people getting permanently lost inside. (This, however, was no problem for me as I clung to the guide like a leech, already intimidated by the musty smell and dank atmosphere of its cavernous bowels.) The stables are legendary.

At one time they could hold twelve thousand horses, each with its own stall. They are perhaps most representative of the massive scale of the place. The Medina of Meknes has some interesting areas particularly the Mellah, or former Jewish quarter, where goldsmiths can be seen at work, and the Bou mania Mcdrassa, a former Koranic school that is noted for its architectural beauty, though not comparable with the beauty of the Medina of Fez. Meknes offers one glowing, luscious A A surprise: sugar- roasted almonds. Piping hot and aromatic with rose- water, they have become a symbol of the might that was Meknes to all Moroccans.

Marrakech:

Marrakesh is the southernmost of the imperial cities. located where the mountains meet the desert. Marrakesh is perhaps the Moroccan city that leans the most toward Black Africa. It is also a city that is in the midst of change. Hippies who dream of staying high on kir (hashish) rub elbows with elegantly robed Moroccan ladies, and European travelers mingle with the hawkers in the Medina. Marrakesh has long been one of the winter retreats of wealthy Europeans. Winston Churchill frequently wintered at the Mamounia Hotel, and Yves Saint Laurent has a home there. Marrakech is a mix of old and new, a cosmopolitan city where there is still some of the excitement that pr sailed when Casablanca was 'n its heyday, and some of the same sense of intrigue.

A stay in Churchill's Mamounia Hotel will show the staid old moneyed side of the coin, whereas a week at the Club Mediter-ranee will reveal a "wilder" side. One place is an absolute must, for all meet here, it's the Djemaa cl-Fna (The Assembly of the Dead). Through this square pass mer-chants, tourists, dancers, acrobats, story-tellers, scribes, school children, and anyone who is in Marrakesh it seems. The square is a microcosm of the city. You cannot pass through it without understanding why Marrakesh has and will always have its magical attraction for young and old alike.

Rulers of Morocco:

There is a Medina in Marrakesh and the Saadian tombs of former rulers of Morocco, but the heartbeat of the city is the square; it is Marrakesh.Rabat is the fourth imperial city and present capital. Though Rabat has many sites of historical importance, like the Hassan Tower, the Chellah, and the rasbah, Rabat is a modern city and to me repro- i sents modern Morocco. The palace you see I in Rabat is not in ruins, but inhabited by King Hassan II. The pageantry of Rabat is not a lix to the past, but a glorification of the present. The mausoleum is not one of some long-dead and half-forgotten monarch, but rather an impressive monument to Mohammad V. a leader in the indepen-dence fight and father of the present ruler. Rabat is a city on the move, expressing the vitality of modern Morocco. A hotel that perfectly} complements this feeling is the Rabat Hilton. An up-to-the-minute establishment that is run with the precision of a fine Swiss watch, the hotel boasts a night- club, swimming pool, and three restaurants, each of which serves a few Moroccan specialties. The place seems to bristle with the excitement of diplomatic reunions and gala evenings, and speaks eloquently to the importance of present-day Morocco.

Fez. Meknes, Marrakesh, and Rabat- four cities, four capitals, four places that in a brief two-week tour can lead the willing traveler through the history of Morocco. from the almost Biblical atmosphere of the old city of Fez to the modern bustle of the current capital, Rabat. TWA's low season apex fare to Morocco. booked 30 days in advance. is S295 round trip for a 7-to-45-day stay. High season apex fare also booked 30 days in advance is S345.

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