Route of 1000 Kasbahs - Day 7

The Road of 1000 Kasbahs is a link between the high peaks of the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara. The landscape is sensational, with craggy sandstone and limestone hills (Jeff loved the geologic formations) populated with the stark contrast of beautiful oases of palm groves and rose gardens. 

Kasbahs, of course, abound, the walls of Skoura and Ait Benhaddou’s Kasbahs the same tawny, purple hues as the surrounding rocky land. This particular Kasbah is an example of southern Moroccan architecture. It is primarily a collective group of dwellings. The homes are inside defensive walls, crowding the people together. The homes themselves vary greatly, some very modest and others are like small urban castles. There are also many community areas including a mosque, public square, grain threshing areas as well as cemeteries (one Muslim, one Jewish).  

I've heard of oasis located in a desert but never realized the stark contrast they actually make in the landscaping. We were driving through barren rocks (Jeff loving the extreme geology presenting itself) when we came around a corner to see a wall of green below us. Water was present and literally changed the world from the Browns rocks and dust to green! The contrast is believable and gorgeous.

Desert Camping - Day 6

Desert camping...this was nothing comparable to camping in Qatar (at least the camping trips we have taken). Here we were actually out in the middle of nowhere, no one riding on the dunes, no sounds. It did take a while to locate our starting point - in the dark- but we finally made it to the patiently waiting camels and Omar, our guide. It's hard to describe the trip to our camp on the camels. It was absolutely magical to ride across the dunes -moving silently, the full moon glistening, lighting up the wandering dunes, hearing the occasional animal but mostly just enveloped in a magical cocoon of silence. It was a phenomenal ride!

The desert camp was a mixture of the nomadic tent with modern conveniences - the tent was   "typical" Berber style made from camel or goat hair and many woven pieces decorated the entrance to the tent, keeping the cold air out and the relatively warmer air inside. Once you opened the flap, however, the luxury started - and typical Berber ended. A number of rugs were layered on the floor, on which was located a double bed, the weight of the blankets was delicious to sleep under! Through the next wall of curtains we found...a complete bathroom! 

They served us a fabulous meal with meats (and veggies) prepared with Moroccan spices - they don't seem to have very spice foods but these were quite nice. After the meal, we were treated to a musical performance, again in the historical style. They played various kinds of drums and other percussions instruments and one young man danced to the beat. 

Jeff had wanted to get pictures of the Milky Way that night but, alas, the sky was totally covered with clouds. Even our early morning rising to great the sunrise found too many clouds to get a good picture, though we certainly enjoyed the morning silence and warming sun. 

Riding back to meet our driver was another treat, seeing the passage we had taken earlier, feeling the warming sun on our backs and greeting camels and herders coming out for the day. Wish we could have stayed an entire day - the silence was fabulous with no cars or bikes kicking up sand on the dunes there!

Volubilis - Day 5

Processional Gate

We headed off to the Roman ruins next at Volubilis. It is both a UNESCO site and a current archaeological site, with summers filled with archaeologists and students as they work in the ruins. It is probably most famous for the gorgeous mosaics and colorful tiles depicting Roman mythology. Considering how much of the site was plundered for building materials, it's amazing that the mosaics were so well preserved.

During the 3rd century, it was the capital of Idris, as well as an important outpost of the Roman Empire. It was located in a fertile agricultural area, one of the frontiers of the Roman Empire. The Romans built a number of major public buildings including a basilica, temple as well as a triumphal arch. It was a prosperous community, primarily from olive growing, prompting many people to build town-houses with the large mosaic floor the area is famous for. When it was finally taken from the Romans, it continued to be inhabited by various other groups that settled in the area. 

Much of the ruins actually were intact until the Portuguese earthquake in the 1700's. The demise of the area was hastened when much of the stone was removed by various Moroccan rulers as they searched for stone to build Meknes. One the site was partially excavated and identified as Volubilis, it was eventually designated as a World Heritage Site.

Note the bird nest on the right

I’ve got to take a bit of a bird walk... We’ve noticed, frequently, as we’ve toured around Morocco, that there are these birds, big birds, BIG birds who build big nests – BIG nests! Here are a few snapshots of these critters from around the country…

Meknes - Day 4

Old wall surrounding stables

The next day we headed for Meknes, one of Morocco’s former royal cities (capital). Meknes is famous for buildings erected by Sultan Moulay Ismail bin Sharif, the founder of the Alawite dynasty. He built the area into an impressive city in Apanish-Moorish style. 

Large decorated gate of palace 

The palaces and other buildings were surrounded by high walls with great doors, many of which are still standing (or leaning) today. At one time those defensive walls – with 9 monumental gates – held 25 mosques, ten hammams (public baths), a number of palaces, vast graneries, fondouks (inns for merchants) as well as private houses. Many of the building were built to match his image of Versailles.

Ismail’s famous stable housed 12,000 horses under a single roof supported by stone arches. Three long corridors with an incredible number of stalls filled a huge area...an area that sadly caved in during the Portuguese earthquake in the 1700's. An enormous granary adjoining the stable stored grain at controlled temperatures to enable both the horses and the residents to survive a long siege. A wheel inside the granary pulled water from an underground stream. Now…for a side a side note about the man...he holds a world record for virility, having fathered 867 children!

Fes - Day 3

We headed out to the city of Fes, named, according to tradition, for the silver and gold 'fas' or pick axe that the king used to outline the boundaries of the new city-a boundary now exceeded any number of times!

2. Tile work around door

1. Handwork detail

We spent a delightful day, roaming around and about and above the old walled media, one of the larger new in Morocco. Our guide, Khalid, wove us through a labyrinth of tiny streets to share some of the treats found inside. We had a chance to visit a Koranic college, a place where students would go for religious studies. Normally tourists cannot enter these religious colleges, but this one had been closed and the decision was made to share the beautiful old structure with the public. It has beautiful woodcarvings and paintings, carved wood and/or plaster, as well as gorgeous tile work. Note, this stuff is all hand made – (picture 1) the plaster carvings (top), the carved woodwork (lower left), the intricate tile pieces (lower center) as well as the lower tile work around the door (picture 2). The hand-craftsmanship of these people is incredible. I will have money with me to buy some of their work next time!

We returned to the weaving streets-probably better described as alleyways with shops and craftsmen at every turn. We enjoyed a visit to a carpet dealer who had some gorgeous rugs but very expensive. Little did we know that we'd find another salesman with prices that doubled his! Would be something else to plan for on a return trip... The tannery, for some reason, was not my cup of tea. From my way of thinking, it was good that they were resurfacing and repairing their vats – I avoided the smell of cooked hides. I will say, though, that they used natural colors on their hides, colors produced by various plants and flowers, rather than using artificial dyes. We also passed through various metal works areas including tin and copper. The tin / other metals structures might be simple for candles or very ornate for lighting in the home.

We headed from the actual medina out to a pottery school to see how they make the various pottery and tile pieces. Pots are thrown the same old way but the tiny stars, hearts, squares, odd shaped pieces...they are created by HAND. Yes, the man sat there with a rather sharp, large chisel and hand crafted each and every one of them. Those series that might be trees, fitting in next to each other, one up, one down, perfectly matched? Yeah, by hand! Incredible to watch the fine work. 

Practice sample of pieces
fitting together

Fountains have each tile individually placed in a negative mold...if you lose track, it would be hard to figure it out because all you can see is the random backs, no hint of the colors! They even decorate the underside of the tile tables...another thing to budget for if we return! The attention to detail is incredible. Do you get the idea that I’m impressed with their work?