medina – pmoroni.it

Chefchaouen, the blue village

10 October 201720 June 2010 by moro

The few villages give way to extensive pine forests and plantations (many of those kif), we are surprised by the contrast between this lush landscape and the desert we left a few days ago. The atmosphere is one of frontier and past. The night is already coming when we see the sinuous shape of Chefchaouen, Chaouen for its residents, the blue village for tourists. An eccentric musician, philosopher and traveler, Maurice Toulouse known on the road, recommended us the Hotel Goa and there we go with quick walk, accompanied by the usual shadow of Mustafa. We spend a whole day getting lost in the maze of alleyways that make up the Medina. The atmosphere is unique, all the houses are plastered with amazing blue tones. They say to keep away the flies during the summer heatwave. The visual result is brilliant and we are fascinated by this town. We spend the evening in Chefchaouen, together with Mohammed and Abdel Rahim, two friends of Goa.

Chefchaouen, la ville bleu

Tinghir and Berber people

10 October 20173 June 2010 by moro

In the evening, upon leaving our backpacks at Tombouctu hotel, we go out to discover the suq. As frequently happens, we find a new friend, Nazihr: a really nice guy, who tells us about Tinghir and the origin of its peoples, the nomadic Berbers. The next day we go with him to the Todra Gorge, a massive rock formation, up to 350 meters high, from which numerous springs of clear water flow, feeding the palm of Tinghir.
Going beyond the gorge, we clamber up a steep path, which follows the arid slopes of the mountains, foothills of the Atlas towards the desert… Nazihr guides us where we can enjoy a breathtaking view over the valley of Dades. We get to a camp of nomadic Berbers: people still live in simple tents to shelter from the sun during the day and in natural caves to protect from the cold of the night. A woman, confirming the hospitality of this people, prepares a tea of thyme, while her children Lazhen and Youssef play with us and the goats; more distant, her eldest daughter, not married yet, show us timidly the carpet she is weaving for her marriage together with the grandmother.
Then comes the night and, walking in the shadow of the ancient medina of Tinghir, we perceive the presence of ghosts coming from a distant and lost world: they are Berber men, women and children who left the hard life of the mountains, to disappear in the chaos of the city. Their spirits still roam desperate, in memory of their past nomadic life.

Tinghir and Todra gorge

Marrakech, imperial city

10 October 201715 September 2009 by moro

Marrakesh is one of the four Moroccan imperial cities and its suq, which extends into the heart of the ancient city (Medina), is one of the most lively in North Africa. Nouns, banners or showcases do not exist. Everything you can see, it is on sale. In the suq, the merchant shows a different behavior with each customer. It develops all around Djemaa el Fna Square, where sales men and artists meet: musicians, orators, prostheses sellers, dentists, snake charmers… But Marrakesh is unforgettable for its fragrances, craftsmen, dyers who wash skins in the stone pits, smiths and the other thousands of magical figures who populate and make unique this African and deeply Arabic-Maghreb city.

The history of the region around Marrakech is linked to the Berber population. Present on the African territory from thousands of years, these people still have a mysterious origin, though it is thought they come from Caucasus. In Roman times, these “men of the earth” had already established the Kingdom of Mauritania, whose borders reached the Mediterranean sea. After the fall of the Roman Empire, they began to grow, up to lead their warriors to the conquest of Spain, bringing Islam to Europe. The imperial city of Marrakech was founded in 1062 by Sultan Ben Youssef Tachfine, who built the defensive walls that surround the city. Extended up to 19 km during the dynasties of Almohades and Saadians these city walls vary from pink to red and are interrupted by 200 square towers (borjs) and nine monumental gates. The prosperity of Marrakech made it the capital of an empire that stretched from Algiers and the Mediterranean to Senegal and the Atlantic ocean.

After 400 years of Berber dynasties, the descendants of indigenous Atlas tribes (the Almoravids, Almohads and Merinides, who reigned until 1465), the sixteenth century saw the advent of the Arab rulers. The Saadians (1554-1603) united Morocco, while in 1659 came to power the Aluites (1672-1727 reigned the Sultan Moulay Ismail), which are still in power in Morocco. One of the most remarkable monuments of Marrakech belonging to this historical Moroccan period is located in the casbah (Qasba). Located in a small garden, the tomb of the Saadian dynasty, dating back to the sixteenth century, are among the best examples of Islamic art, especially the elaborate gypsum decorations and cedar ceilings of the mausoleum.

Travel tip: sit down in a kiosk in Djemaa el Fna Square to enjoy meat, fish, couscous, heads of mutton, snails or kebabs every night from 6pm.

Babouche, Suq of Marrakech