This Blog is also available as an RSS Feed
Morocco possesses a diverse and lively history that witnessed a long succession of different ruling people such as the Romans, French, Spanish, Jews, Arabs and Berbers. This diversity is reflected through many aspects of Moroccan life, namely the languages, the clothing, the cuisine, and the culture.
Morocco is a rich country in terms of history, traditions, people, culture, religion, climate, geography and so forth. Every one of these aspects of the country influences how Moroccan people are dressed. Among the variety of clothes in Morocco, we find the djellaba and kaftan, two fine garments that speak of the luxurious clothing style of the country.
Asilah's history has another commonality with that of its sister port town of Essaouira – they both have a turbulent history. Being ruled by Rome, Morocco, the Portuguese, and the Spanish, it is a wonder that the town remains so calm after such a historical juggling of identity. Iberians were shipped here during Rome’s brief rule over the area and the Portuguese came near the end of the 1400s. Spain re-captured the area near the end of the 1500s, while Morocco regained the territory with the rule of Moulay Ismail near the end of the 1600s.
Coming across the boat from Spain into Tangier, you might immediately be presented with Morocco's worst – touts, faux guides (false guides), and taxi drivers claiming that they will give you a deal, wherever you are heading. While Tangier and the surrounding areas of the port need swept clean to offer a better introduction into exotic Morocco, about 30 miles (45km) away lies the tranquil port of Asilah.
Recently, the clouds accumulated in Morocco's southeastern corner. The houses of mud stood under the shadow of the sun's piercing rays. Even the villagers living in small oases towns, found on no map, stopped to stare at the sky. The areas of the Sahara Desert around Merzouga, on May 26, along with Erg Chebbi, thought to be the highest dune in Morocco and the world, were about to see more water than they had seen in nearly forty years.
Northwest of Rissani and Northeast of Ouarzazate, just up the road from Tinerhir are the Todra Gorges. Driving the windy, thin road will necessitate your full attention, as the alluring beauty of the lush palmeries below have been known to cause mishaps even with the most skilled of drivers.
In our last article, we talked about preparing yourself for the climb up Mount Toubkal in the High Atlas Mountains.
We discussed how you must painstankingly prepare and bargain for a mule and muleteer, and perhaps a mountain guide,
at least a day in advance before attempting to trek up to the Mount Toubkal Refuge. The place to begin trekking is in
Armed, a small Berber town situated 45-minutes up the mountain after Imlil, positioned perfectly so that you can hit the
Mt. Toubkal trailhead in the early morning.
Preparing for our trek up the mighty Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa, we took a grand taxi from Marrakech to Asni, which has a great ‘souk’ on Saturdays, a type of farmer’s market, where you can buy provisions at a much cheaper cost than in Imlil. Being late to the souk, all that we discovered were the remnants of onionskins and some spongy carrots.
