Tag: Morocco

The work of so many hands

stitchesoftime1 Comment

The lasting impression from Morocco is a culture with just so much rich adornment. So many beautiful wood carvings on doors and ceilings, incredible plasterwork, endless mosaics, decorated shoes, beautiful clothes, an absolute riot of colour and pattern that is breath taking and bedazzling. Now back in England it all seems a bit plain in comparison, and although it is lovely to be here, I am missing the tiles and the gorgeousness of it all.

Marrakesh was a great way to end the tour. I did originally wonder if I should have done it the other way round, and ended up at the peaceful seaside resorts of Essouria and Agadir, but on reflection am happy with the way it turned out. Morocco is a place of so much colour, and noise and vibrancy, (and traffic!), that it was probably better to ease into it.

Most days in Marrakesh I visited the Jemaa el – Fnaa Square in the centre of the city. I have been before and knew that it is the lively heart of the medina, with so many stalls, and restaurants, and entertainers of all sorts. It is noisy and chaotic and wonderful!

As well as all the daytime offerings, such as the horse carriages and the many cafes and juice bars, every evening from around 4pm a whole extra set of temporary food stalls get built, such a lot of work each day. I sat one of the days with another cup of delicious tea just watching all of the frantic activity.

I love the contrast in the last photo above of the traditional water sellers, who pose for pictures, and the silver ‘statue’ performer.

This trip I also went to the museum at one side of the square, which is housed in the old Moroccan National Bank building, constructed in 1927.

I didn’t realise that the square has been in existence since the 1600s, and has always been used as as place for musicians, storytellers and entertainers of all types. It was a lovely museum, mostly using old photos and film to document the life of the square, and really interesting.

This water seller was photographed in 1966. I also saw these little roundabout seats in the woodwork museum in Fes, but am not sure when they date from.

Near the square is the Koutoubia Mosque, thankfully it only sustained minor damage in the 2023 earthquake, and is being restored. It has parks and fountains all around it, so I usually had my lunch there.

The other museum I visited linked in really well to the Jemma El-Fnaa one, the Mouassine Music Museum is in another beautifully restored mansion, which dates from the 16th century.

If I thought the lower floors were impressive, that was nothing compared to the guest apartment on the upper floor. They hold music sessions here every Monday evening.

The building has been extensively restored and there were some really good videos showing the work. Apologies for the slightly grainy pictures, but this is when they were scraping off all of the plaster that had been put over the wall frieze, and cleaning the paintwork.

It is so brilliant to see so many skilled people being able to restore the buildings as well, there must be so much to do here, with so many wonderful places that need TLC.

There were excellent displays of instruments, but more importantly for me, lots of videos and photos of people playing them, and dancing and a great focus on the dress of the performers.

These facial tattoos, in the second photo, are fascinating. These are from some of the women in the Atlas hill tribes.

Although there was not much in the way of textiles in either museum, I did find a little bit. This gorgeous shawl had very delicate whitework embroidery. The main history museum is closed at the moment, so I expect there would have been more there.

I did see quite a few shops selling traditional embroidery and textile goods as I wandered through the medina, as well as more modern kaftan shops. I was also very excited to see a little zellige workshop in the medina near my riad. I stood and watched the artisan chipping the tiles for a little while.

In the same way that the Hassan 2nd mosque in Casablanca is supporting training of current artisans, there is an artisan’s centre in Marrakesh, just outside the medina. It is an amazing building and contains workshops as well as places to buy the wonderful creations.

Of course I must finish my Moroccan series of blogs posts with revealing the taxi colour for Marrakesh ! It is a creamy yellow.

I think in this city there must be one taxi for every three people, I have never seen so many in my life. That does make it really easy to get around, though most of the time I enjoyed walking. You can’t stop and take door photos as easily from a taxi can you 😉

I shall finish this post with some of the wonderful doors from my last few days of wandering in the medina.

I was really thrilled to find this lovely old door open, and was able to peek inside at an amazing riad. I think it was still being restored, but what a palace!

It has been such a privilege to be able to visit this country, to see where all the inspiration for the places that I love in Spain come from, and to find out more about its history. I have really enjoyed the visit and would love to go back, albeit next time with a bigger suitcase and a lottery win to spend on lamps 😉

I have had a lovely couple of days with Ellen. She came back from her month in Europe the day I left for Morocco. She visited Spain, Switzerland, France, Belgium and The Netherlands in her time away, everything from mountain cable cars, medieval Alsace towns, and chocolate museums, as well as a quick trip to Disneyland Paris where she met up with her friends. She loved everything and is now planning another month in Asia for later in the year. I am so proud of her for being a confident solo traveller and having such amazing adventures.

I am off again tomorrow, to Scotland, to spend a few days with my friend Sue, can’t wait as I am so looking forward to seeing her, and the beauty of Scotland again. I will be back next weekend, so until then, have fun, take care, stay safe, and thanks for visiting.

Hidden beauty

stitchesoftime4 Comments

It occurs to me after nearly a month here in Morocco that so much of its beauty is hidden, both from people who are visiting, and from the outside world. That is partly from a practical point of view, all the things that you can’t see, as a non-Muslim, or all the things that you just don’t know that are even there, until you go down a passageway, or open a door, and all the reasons that people might not come here, as they are concerned about visiting.

I would love to be able to go into more of the religious places here, but appreciate that is not possible. It was wonderful to be able to visit the Hassan 2nd mosque, that was amazing, as was the madrassa in Fes. I had visited one madrassa before in Marrakesh and they are such stunning places.

I am truly fascinated by how much of the medinas’ beauty is hidden from sight . The idea of the riads, the courtyard houses is just so different to what housing is like in many other cultures. I know that a lot of it is practical, to have houses that are covered so that they are cool, but it is that lack of externality that I find so different.

In the UK, and in where I live in Spain, we put a lot of emphasis on what our houses look like from the outside. We have this idea of ‘kerb appeal’, that a house should look good even from the outside, that you should have a lovely garden, that everything should be very well kept and neat.

Here, things are very different. Most of the time, and I have noticed this in Spain as well, in the more traditional places I visit, there is not that emphasis. The streets are narrow, they are often in need of restoration, they look as if nothing beautiful could be contained within. Spanish village houses often have very little kerb appeal, and look very ugly and unkempt.

This is the door to my current riad, at the top of the medina in Marrakesh. Not much to look at from the outside, and I wouldn’t even have stopped to take a picture usually 😉

The street is full of little food stalls, and bike and motor bike repair places. It is noisy and dusty, although there are lots of street sweepers going up and down, so it isn’t dirty. Motorbikes dodge past you all the time, and there are cars coming down as well. At the top of the street is a crowded marketplace. It doesn’t look like a place of peace or beauty at all.

And yet a few steps away is this, my accommodation, Riad Carol. The riad still has a garden in it, as it originally would have done. There is an orange tree and it smells just like home at the moment, which is great as I love the smell of orange blossom. There is also a banana tree, right outside my room, which is so cool!

My room is on the ground floor and opens out onto the courtyard. It is quite small and dark, to keep out the sun, so no good pictures, but has a very lovely painted door and window.

As well as the garden, and a kitchen and storage rooms, there is a large living area at the back of the space, it has the traditional sofas around the walls and this wonderful plasterwork ceiling.

I would love to know the history of this place, I can’t find anything online, but since this is one of probably a thousand similar places in this city I didn’t really expect it. It has clearly been restored, and so not all the paint work is original, but I would imagine most of the plasterwork is. It is still in need of some TLC, and the plasterwork is showing signs of damage, but I would imagine places like this are a DIY nightmare, with so much to try and maintain.

However, it has been really good to stay in another traditional house in a traditional area. I think it very much depends what kind of a traveller you are. I am very much a ,’budget accommodation and more to spend on experiences’, person. I would rather have something like this than a modern hotel, even if the plumbing in some of my accommodation in Morocco has been interesting. It is clearly quite difficult to fit en-suites into riads, so I have some unique wet room arrangements, a bit like the showers you see on van life videos!

The other thing that strikes me is that people might not come because they are concerned about travelling here. When doing research for this trip, there were so many websites that I visited that had warnings, or articles entitled, ’10 things to watch out for’, or ‘Is Fes safe to visit?’ As a solo traveller as well, people often worry that I am not going to be safe on my own in a country where people might approach me because I am European, and either want me to buy something, or offer to help me when I don’t need it.

I have felt very safe here, I have been asked so many times to come and see something, and I just say no politely. I wandered all over the cities, down little alleyways on my own and felt fine. One man in Fes medina asked me what I was looked for, and he was a little confused when I just replied ‘pretty doors’. These are some of the lovely ones just up from my riad.

I think, as in any city, you have to be aware of your own safety, but that applies to everywhere. Ellen and I visited New York last year, and the late night subway trip from the airport was one of the dodgiest experiences I have had in while.

As for the other things that people are concerned about, like beggars and poverty, yes it is here, obviously, however my old home town of Huddersfield had a lot of that as well, so sadly I am used to being approached for money. Again I just say no, as I would rather give money directly to charities who support housing and well being.

I really would urge people to not be put off, and come to Morocco, as it is such an amazing place. I feel as if I have seen enough now to say that I have got a real feel for the country, from the rolling green hills and mountains of the north, and the deserts here, the wonderful coastline, and the brilliant cities. I would love to come again sometime to see more of rural Morocco. There is a tantalising glimpse of the Atlas mountains from here, capped in snow.

The people are very welcoming and friendly, and I have stayed in some fabulous places, as you have seen from my posts. In case you are interested, I have spent an average of £20 a night on accommodation costs, and think that is excellent value for all the lovely places that I have stayed in. However there is so much choice that you can have very modern luxury with lots of ‘kerb appeal’ if you want it.

I had a wander in the newer part of the city yesterday and walked past the famous Mamounia Hotel. Mum, Jake and I did visit last time we came and it was beautiful, but it is also about £800 a night to stay there! I didn’t even try to get in this time, as they have a really strict dress code and these people in the picture had just been turned away. There are also lots of lovely places that don’t cost the same as I have paid for my whole month here!

I only have two days left here now, so am trying to visit as many museums, and see as many doors 😉 as I can before returning to the UK for five weeks. I am excited to be catching up with friends in Scotland and Yorkshire, as well as my sister and her family in Worcester. I will also be spending time with Ellen, who has been on a wonderful adventure of her own in Europe, which I haven’t had chance to hear about yet.

So I will be doing my next post from the comfort of Ellen’s house. See you soon and until then have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.

Aladdin’s Cave

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It may sound like a cliché, but the medina here in Fes is like going into a wonderful world of treasures. The first part of the street that I am on is mainly food, with piles of sticky sweets, all wrapped in cling film to stop them toppling over, stalls selling spiced olives, and lots and lots of sweets and nuts.

There are also many butchers, and you can tell the chicken is fresh as there are live ones in cages at the back of the stalls. It’s not a place for those who don’t like to think about where their food comes from!

Further in and you start to see the leatherwork, the pottery and carpet stalls, and the shoe stalls. I have never seen so many pairs of decorated slippers ever, they are beautiful with crystals and embroidery.

Luckily I have such poor feet I haven’t been tempted. With my dodgy knees and tendon issues I need to wear things that feel like slippers and have support at the back, but I can dream about lounging around in palaces on couches looking as if I am from an Arabian Nights’ tale.

There are so many little food and drink places as well, and on every wander I have to stop for a mint tea, usually served in a gorgeous little teapot here, rather than by the glass as in Tangier.

I have eaten twice in this restaurant with views overlooking the tops of the medina, a jumble of towers and walls, and buildings with terraces which are other restaurants and riads. There are lots of cats living on the roofs, and this one was very interested in my chicken skewers!

From my riad terrace I can see the buildings at all different heights, some restored, some crumbling. Working in town planning must be a nightmare here, especially as the World Heritage Site designation will limit what can be done. As with all the other cities that I have visited there is so much restoration taking place here.

I managed to have a peek into this doorway where there are some amazing pillars, it looks as if another one of the palaces here are being restored.

On one of my wanders I managed, eventually, to find my way to the Museum of Woodwork, housed in an old trading inn. The wonderful tiled and decorated public water fountain outside was provided by the inn.

The Nejjarine Museum is in the carpenters’ area, and houses displays of both functional and decorative woodwork. I wasn’t able to take pictures of the exhibits, such as the highly decorated doors, windows and chests, but as you can imagine they were stunning. The museum itself showcases the balconies made with ‘mouchearabie’ woodwork, which is formed of geometric patterns and is used for window shutters and room partitions.

I did find this picture of a modern kitchen shelf for spices, there were lots of these in the museum and they were so beautiful.

While searching I also came across this Moroccan inspired kitchen, if only I had a bigger house I would love this, the woodwork is so gorgeous.

There were a few ornate wooden doors as well. Much of the wall space beside the little shops is covered with goods so the doors aren’t visible, but I found these in a side street.

As this is very much a place where local people live and work there are mosques along the small streets and two madrassas, Islamic schools, and one of the oldest universities in the world, founded in the 9th century by a woman.

My riad was next door to a 14th century water clock. It was built to drop metal balls into bowls below on the hour, and is part of the nearby madrassa. It is not currently working but may be restored at some point if the historians can work out exactly how to do that.

This picture in the madrassa shows the clock with the bowls and the balls suspended from their chains. When they dropped into the bowl the noise indicated another hour.

The madrassa was beautiful, I remember going to to see the one in Marrakesh which is similar. It was built in the mid 1300s, and has been restored, but even so it is looking marvellous considering all the wood and gypsum plasterwork is exposed to the elements.

There were some good examples of the ‘mouchearabie’ screens here on the passageways. Such incredible work by those craftspeople, I am in awe of their skills.

I am so glad that I was able to stay here in the medina, it was lovely walking back and forth every day and seeing this amazing place, definitely one of the most wonderfully colourful and interesting places that I have visited in Morocco.

Oh, and the answer to the question everyone wants to know, the petit taxis here are red, as they are in Casablanca. That may well be because Casablanca and Fes were both considered as capitals of Morocco, before Rabat was designated as the official capital. That leaves only Marrakesh to go and from my vague recollections from 13 years ago, they may have been green. All will be revealed soon!

I will see you soon with the other delights of Marrakesh! Until then have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.

Language acquisition

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Although it’s not something I think I will ever be able to say more than a few words in, I am learning a little Arabic while I am here. As I mentioned in a previous post, I cannot really make sense of things, but am starting to see some repeated patterns.

When I used to teach language and literacy, particularly to adults, we would talk about the importance of social signs, the things that you see around you, the labels on food and the different standardised signs that are not only common to one country, but are also worldwide. For example, I know that this means STOP. I have no idea how to say the word, but I know from the position of the sign, the colour and the shape, what it signifies.

I have been able to say some basic greetings as well, I was chatting to a young waiter in the medina a few days ago and we were talking about learning languages, and he clarified for me that you do use ‘shukran’ to say thank you, which I did think it was. I have also learnt, ‘salaam alykum’, which is hello.

As always I am picking up things from maps as I travel around. Although many of the roads here are called rue, reflecting the French influence, there are also ‘derbs’, which are the smaller streets in the medina. My favourite thing though are the ‘babs’. These are the enormous gates that I have seen in other places, but which are especially gorgeous here in Fes.

This place has the most incredible walls around the medina. The medina itself is the largest in Morocco, and one of the best preserved in the Arab world, so it has been designated a Unesco World Heritage site.

All around it are very large walls, with towers and gates. As well as the walls around the medina there are also extensive walls around the rest of the city, some which are now ruined.

Originally these would have been defensive, and are also aided by forts, such as this one Borj Nord, overlooking the medina. I walked up here a couple of days ago, unfortunately the museum that the fort now houses was closed for restoration, but I was able to walk on to the Marinad tombs that I can see from my riad, and have amazing views over the city.

My riad is very near to Bab Bou Jloud, which is known as the Blue Gate, although it is actually green on the inside. This displays the same gorgeous zellige tile work as other sites.

There are lots of gardens surrounding the walls, that are mostly very new additions to the landscape. As in all hot countries it is lovely to able to sit and listen to the sound of water, and have some shade.

One of the gardens that I found on my way into the newer parts of the city, Jnan Sibil, is a much larger one, with the most stunning public and decorative fountains. The gardens have recently been refurbished and have specific areas for different types of native plant.

As well as the walls of the old city, I also walked down to see the palace. It was built in the 1960s, and at the end of the very plain walls and guard huts you come to a plaza with the very ornate golden doors. As you know I love doors and these are some of the most gorgeous modern ones that I have seen here.

Just at the side of the palace walls is a street of restored shops, that sell bridal favours and these incredibly beautiful containers to serve them from.

You can choose glass pyramid ones, embroidered conical ones, and the bags of almond dragees all come in their own little embroidered bags or cases. They are also given as gifts for births.

Sadly the main textile and heritage museum here has been close for renovation for a while, but I did manage to visit one craft museum here, and have a good wander around the medina, so I will post about that next. There is so much amazing craftsmanship here in this country, it is just wonderful to see.

I leave Fes for Marrakesh today. I have visited that city before, 13 years ago, but have few photos from that visit, as at the time I was using slideshows in my blog posts that are no longer available. I am looking forward to being able to visit some of the places that I did last time, as well as a few new ones. Until then, as always, have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.

Little palaces

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I wanted to experience a variety of different types of accommodation in my time here in Morocco and have chosen to stay in a traditional riad, or courtyard house in the medina of Fes. According to this blog the difference between a riad and a dar, like the one that I stayed at in Essouria, is that riads have a courtyard or garden.

I am staying at Riad Skilffo, it is very easy to find, although it is a little way into the medina, it is just off the main street and is clearly labelled. After having experienced trying to find my previous accommodation in Venice and Marrakech I wanted something I wouldn’t get lost trying to get to!

Most of the courtyards in riads are not used as gardens anymore but are tiled, often with a water feature or small pool. My room is on the ground floor next to the courtyard. The first photo here shows the amazing doors to my room.

It is clear why this traditional style of house was built as it is wonderfully cool inside. As in Spain, where we need our houses to protect us from up to 50 degrees in the summer, the emphasis is on shade and cool tiles. I really appreciated this yesterday as it was 24 degrees and I went for a long walk up to the nearby hill fort which I will show you in the next post.

Inside these houses are what looks like a small palace, my own version of the Alhambra or Real Alcazar in Seville. As you know from my post about the hotel in Casablanca I love staying in such amazingly built and decorated places. This is a small riad, just six bedrooms over three floors, and it is gorgeous, with so much beautiful decoration everywhere. There are smaller seating areas on the upper floors as well.

Many of the riads in this area have been restored as tourist accommodation, but it is still very much a working medina. Unlike the one in Tangier, where the majority of shops were aimed at tourists, this is a real market with butchers, spice stalls and so many massive piles of sweets and dates for sale. I will post more about the medina next time, but it is lovely to walk through and see everything for sale. I’m still being good though and not been tempted by any lamps 😉

Every morning I have my breakfast on the upper terrace, with views over to the ruins of the city walls and tombs. It is a stunning view, with the hills in the background, and I love it.

There is a small covered area to sit in up on the roof as well, and the top of the courtyard area has a cover that can be used in case of rain, which is clearly a modern addition.

The breakfast is equally amazing here, all this just for me every morning!

The staff here are so lovely as well, and as a bonus it has very good wifi, not very traditional but essential for all my updates!

I have been reading two autobiographies by Freya Stark, while I have been on my travels in Morocco. She was an explorer in the 1930s who travelled extensively in the Middle East, learning Arabic and Persian while she did so.

She arrived in Baghdad not long after the death of Gertrude Bell, another fascinating woman traveller. Freya writes brilliantly about constantly being told how ‘brave’ and ‘foolish’ she is to want to go on all these adventures on her own, as an English woman as well, in a very imperialist Persia. I think she’s someone I would loved to have been able to meet 😉

It seems highly appropriate to be looking at the sorts of ruins that she would have loved, while reading about her travels. I came across her last summer, when I read a number of fictionalised accounts of archaeological digs, as she was one of the author’s sources.

There are so many of these beautiful riads here in Fes. Just this morning Facebook showed me an advert from Booking.com, who I use for all my accommodation now, with some of these equally lovely places to stay. From the left they are Riad Dar Diwan, Riad Khouloud and below, Rian Maison Adam.

It really does make me feel as if I am having a very exotic adventure, to be here in my lovely tiled room, with its amazing corniche, and then to step out into the bustling medina.

I am so glad that I chose Fes as one of my destinations, it is an amazing place and I look forward to showing you more in the next post. Until then have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.

Other people’s history

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I am always very interested in visiting museums in other countries partly to get a sense of how they interpret events that I know about, and obviously have my own perspective on. This is somewhat based on what I have been taught at school, and I know there are huge gaps in my knowledge of world history, but also about seeing things from my little island perspective.

To me, it is fascinating to read the interpretation in these museums, to give a wider understanding of how things are seen by other countries, as it makes travel all the more interesting. On my visit to New York last January, I was really impressed by the way that migration was dealt with at the Ellis Island museum. It is such a delicate subject, but such a huge part of the USA’s history. Here in Morocco I thought that the Tangier history timeline I saw was very diplomatic, pointing out the advantages of having Tangier as an international city, when basically it meant it was occupied and controlled by other people for so long.

One of the Tangier museums I visited was the American Legation Museum, housed in what was the old American Consul building, until it moved in the early 1960s. I didn’t realise that Morocco was the first nation to recognise the USA in 1777, when of course England was still in shock from having lost her ‘colonies’ in the American War of Independence.

The then Sultan of Morocco, Moulay Sulelman gave the USA the legation building in 1821, following the two countries signing a treaty of peace and friendship in 1786. The building is still owned by the USA and has had a long and varied history.

There were some very interesting maps in one of the rooms. I am not sure of its date but this one has Morocco labelled as Barbary, with underneath Desert of Barbary, and below that Negroland. I love the little insights that old maps give us.

It was fascinating to see the different aspects of décor of the building, parts of it still have its very early 19th century feel and look. Other parts, which were gifted as the legation grew, have a traditional Arab feel in their architecture and décor. The two sides are joined by a beautiful patio and garden.

The museum houses many collections linked with the political and diplomatic relations between the two countries, but also art and artefacts collected and created by Americans who settled in Morocco.

Thus, it is a very unique collection of the relationship between both the countries in a formal sense, and of the people who lived in Morocco, and came to love it, Many of them were artists or writers and so the collection is really varied.

It was brilliant to see some of the collection of old photos of Tangier, these were taken by amateur photographers, among them a French soldier called Paul Servant, and they are all digitized in an archive. The museum is now used as a centre for the study of Morocco by US universities. I have walked past both of these places in the photos below regularly while I’ve been here.

After it closed as a legation it was firstly used as an Arabic language training school for diplomats, then as a base for the Peace Corps volunteers who came to Morocco to work with development projects. One of my favourite bits of the timeline was this.

As an ex adult Literacy tutor it is heart-warming to see that the organisation has been helping local women become literate in Arabic for so long.

The legation was also used as the secret headquarters for Operation Torch during World War Two, when American and Allied soldiers landed in Morocco to free it from German occupation. The messaging machine was hidden in this cupboard, but apparently could be heard from neighbouring rooms!

A brilliant museum, so interesting, and very different to others that I have visited. It is great that it is still very much a working organisation, offering a very wide variety of projects.

After the museum I wandered down to the seafront. This is where the newer part of Tangier starts, which looks very much like any other Mediterranean seaside city.

You can really tell it had a strong Spanish influence, with the marina, the palm tree promenades, orange trees, and the yellow and white buildings, you could be in any of cities near my house.

On my final day I went to the headland behind the medina, there are some amazing villas and lovely parks up here and this is where the Royal Palace is, though not open to the public, and far away behind locked gates.

I actually went to this area to visit the Tombs of the Phoenicians archaeological site, which also gives an amazing view over Tangier and the Straits of Gibraltar. You could see the start of the Rif mountains just behind the hills.

Such amazing blues in these photos, so much lovely blue on the trip, I love it!

There is a very popular café on the headland, Café Hafa, so I stopped for another mint tea and watched the seagulls wheeling around for a while, with a backdrop of the Spanish mainland.

Tangier has definitely been one of my favourite cities on my Moroccan tour, it has a very unique vibe and a gorgeous location.

However, I am now in Fes, which is equally amazing. I only arrived yesterday, after a fascinating train ride through lots of rolling green farmland, so have only done a tiny bit of exploring as yet. I am staying in a wonderful Riad so I will show you that, and the medina here in my next post. Until then, have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.

An accidental visit to a modern art museum!

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I mentioned in the last post that I was really looking forward to visiting several museums while in Tangier. So I set off a couple of days ago, Google maps in hand, for a walk around the fortified medina to find the Kasbah museum.

The walls here are incredible. I know I said the ones in Avila were amazing, and they were, but these are stunning as they are so irregular, and have been repaired, extended and built upon in the following centuries since they were first built.

They are partly medieval, from the creation of the original medina, with gates dated from the 1200s to 1300s. They were enhanced by the Portuguese, who added lots of towers and guns, and also extended by Charles 2nd of England, when he briefly owned Tangier as part of Catherine of Braganza’s dowry.

They now have their own interpretation centre and access has been built for modern visitors to the steepest parts, which give great views over the port. There is also a small medieval palace built into one part, at the start of the Kasbah, which is where I was aiming for.

I especially like the way that the more modern houses incorporate the wall structure into them, having stairs, doors and windows through the original bricks.

Having found my location the museum was closed for lunch, which was not on the Google info, but I took the opportunity to go and have a wander around the Kasbah.

This area has been extensively restored and there is lots of work still going on in the middle of it. It must be a real challenge for everyone, trying to demolish and restore in these tight spaces. I have seen lots of carts used for delivery, and the builders are doing a brilliant job, it’s looking gorgeous .

I ended up having lunch at a very nice little café overlooking Kasbah square. I had only gone in for a cup of delicious mint tea, but when I saw the menu, with all the little kemmias, Moroccan versions of tapas, I ordered those as well.

It wasn’t until I was sat down that I noticed the wall behind me was full of spools of silk, which made the most gorgeous display. I had noticed a few weavers’ shops in the area so think this was a reference to their trade.

Back to the museum, and went straight into an exhibition of contemporary art so wasn’t sure that I was in the right place. It also didn’t look very much like a palace, but I thought it might have been stripped to be a gallery.

I have to confess I am not a fan of most modern art. I did have a good wander round, and there were a couple of interesting, and very thought provoking pieces relating to war and conflict in the region. There were no photos allowed so I can’t show you any of it.

However, I was quite relieved when the nice custodian pointed me in the right direction of the other half of the museum. The art side is based in a former prison, which although architecturally interesting, was not what I’d come for 😉 First thing I came across was some lovely old doors!

Peace and harmony restored in my little heart I was very happy to see some more amazing examples of Islamic art from the 12th and 14th centuries when the Sultan’s Palace was originally built. There is a small exhibition of archaeological finds as well.

The central courtyard of the palace was especially stunning, of course very like the Alhambra and the Real Alcazar in Seville,on a smaller scale. They all date from the same periods, and the Spanish palaces would have probably been built by craftsman who came from here.

I had a happy wander back to the hotel, collecting a few more door photos on the way 😉

I leave Tangier tomorrow, which I will be very sad about as it is a wonderful place. It is such an elegant and beautiful city. The location is so gorgeous, as you will see in the next post when I show you more of the stunning views here. However I am off to Fes, cultural capital of Morocco, so I’m sure I will find things to keep me happy there!

I will be back as soon as I can, looking forward to seeing you all then. Have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.

A sense of history

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This is my third day in Tangiers, and it is very different to Casablanca. I am staying in the heart of the medina, which is very Spanish inspired, all around me are yellow and white buildings. However the medina itself looks very similar to others in terms of its gates, walls, and lots of little shops with wooden porches.

I am going on another wander later today so will take more pictures of the walls for you. It was a bit mizzly and grey yesterday so I have not done much scenic photography yet.

I actually partly chose where to stay, the Hotel Fuentes, as they had these photos on their description. The Petit Socco which is the little square where my hotel is hasn’t changed much since the 1920s when these pictures were taken. They have a café downstairs which looks like it could have made a fabulous ballroom.

As you can see the hotel has hardly changed at all, and I enjoyed my breakfast on the terrace yesterday people and cat watching.

There are far more tourist shops now though, but the medina is still lovely. There has been a lot of restoration, and there are gorgeous cafes and restaurants, and lots of jewellery shops, among other souvenirs. I am trying to be really good and remind myself that I have at least six Moroccan candle holders at home, but it is very difficult!

This is the place, Restaurant Al Maimouni, just inside the medina walls, that I ate in on the first evening, which I may just have chosen for its beautiful tiles. Look at that gorgeous cutlery as well! The tapas was a delicious olives and Arab soft cheese dish.

This is a city with a fascinating history and you can really feel it here. Casablanca is so modern, and although there is a modern city here at the other side, the older areas are still very thriving, whereas in Casablanca they didn’t seem to be. I expect that is due to tourism, it is clearly far more of an international tourist destination, and I have seen people of more nationalities here than in any city I have visited so far.

This very much reflects the history of the city, Tangier has been owned, occupied, shared by so many different countries in its lifetime. The photo above shows the tower of the Spanish mission, and a little further down the street is the main mosque.

It was actually given to England as part of Catherine of Braganza’s dowry when she married Charles 2nd, at the time it was occupied by the Portuguese. England built fortifications and used it as a defensive port.

In the late 1800s it was the diplomatic capital of Morocco, and in 1923 it became known as the Tangier International Zone, administered by France, Spain and the UK. From then on until Moroccan independence in 1956 it developed a reputation that Wikipedia describes wonderfully!

‘In the 1940s until 1956 when the city was an International Zone, the city served as a playground for eccentric millionaires, a meeting place for secret agents and a variety of crooks and a mecca for speculators and gamblers, an Eldorado for the fun-loving ‘Haute-Volee’. During the Second World War the Office of Strategic Services operated out of Tangier for various operations in North Africa.’

I have not seen any of the above so far, but it definitely has a vibe to it that is very different to other cities. The setting is also beautiful, it in a city built on hills, and I can see the Spanish coast from here! Pity I am not allowed back in until April 9th 😦

I think the other thing that helps with the sense of history for me, is that there are so many museums. As you know I love visiting museums and am looking forward to seeing three here. They are all housed in historic buildings as well, which is a double dose of history!

My first visit was to the old French Consulate building, now the Musee Dar Niabla, just a short walk from my hotel in the medina. It has been beautifully restored from its very sad former state as pictured here.

The museum has a really interesting timeline of Tangier’s history on the ground floor, and is also an art gallery. Tangier has attracted many artists and writers in its history, and they currently have a selection of portraits and landscapes by international artists. They are not only lovely to look at, but beautifully framed.

They also have some ceramic panels, depicting scenes of Tangier life. You may remember that I posted about zellige (or zellij) which is the mosaic style used in the mosque and my last hotel. This grew in popularity in the 1900s, but is incredibly time consuming to make. The solution was to create zellige style enamelled tiles like these, which are faster and cheaper. I have seen them before in many Spanish buildings, and didn’t realise the connections.

I am off for a wander around the port area soon, and to museum number two. In between I will of course have to stop off for more delicious Moroccan tea, and a spot of people watching while imagining myself here in the glamour and intrigue of the past!

Oh and in answer to my question about petit taxi colours, here they are all turquoise with a yellow stripe. Guesses for Fes and Marrakesh please!

See you all again soon. Until then have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.

Trees, traffic and a time machine

stitchesoftime2 Comments

I have spent the last couple of days just wandering the streets of Casablanca, looking at all the buildings, and visiting a few more landmarks. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the city before I got here. I know it is the largest in Morocco, and that it is the economic capital, and a very busy port and popular cruise ship stop. I also knew of its colonial past, the French influence in terms of the architecture and that, fun fact, none of the famous film starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall was actually filmed here.

In lots of respects it does look very much like other French cities that I have visited, but there are some very notable differences in the vast amount of trees here, particularly palm trees. My first impressions of the city arriving by bus were of so many trees, lining the streets and in the squares. It makes me feel very at home, as do the parks and squares with their fountains. I had a picnic in this park yesterday and it was lovely.

The Arab League Park is right next to the deconsecrated Sacred Heart Cathedral, a relic from the French days which is currently closed for renovation and will reopen as a cultural centre.

It emphasises the other very noticeable thing about Casablanca, and that is the number of beautiful white buildings, very in keeping with the name of the city, which means ‘white house’ in Spanish. This is both a blessing, as the buildings look lovely against the blue sky, and a curse.

As I have mentioned before in a post about architecture in Spain, there is a good reason why so many houses in these climates are painted yellow like mine. A sandy, dusty environment does not treat the paintwork kindly. You can see the contrast between those that have been repainted really clearly.

There is so much restoration going on here, like this hotel just up from mine. This clearly a focus for the government, as there are signs in most of the streets detailing the work being done.

The ones that haven’t been repainted are still beautiful but many look very sad.

It is also a very busy city, the traffic here is quite crazy and everyone loves to use their horns. There are so many pedestrians crossings, but no-one stops at them, so I have been crossing in large groups where I can, safety in numbers!

About 50% of the traffic seems to be taxis, there are two types in Morocco, grand and petit, and they are great as the petit taxis have a flat fare of about 80p. Another fun fact for you, I will check this out in the next three cities but so far each one has its own colours for the petit taxis. Agadir was orange, Essouria blue and Casablanca red. You can see three of them in this picture. Every third car seems to be a Renault Kangoo or some kind of MPV so Katy would feel very at home, but not sure I would want to drive in this city!

So it has been a very interesting city to visit. There are some really beautiful buildings here, but sadly lots that are just falling apart. There is a huge amount of work going on to restore things, but I would really love to have been able to visit the city in 1920 in its heyday. You can see that it must have been even more stunning. It is lovely now, but it also has a sense of being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work there is to do in keeping Casablanca beautiful.

I love the street signs here, which really sum up the dual heritage of the city. I have not seen as much of the Berber language here, it is mainly just French and Arabic, although a lot of people speak Spanish as well, at least basic phrases, so I am getting lots of practise in both languages.

By the time you read this I will have arrived in my fourth city. I am very interested to see how different that will be. Tangier has much more of a Spanish influence than French, partly due to its geography, so it will be really nice to see how that influences it.

I am so glad I’m getting to see so many aspects of the country, it is difficult when planning a trip to know what to include, but I feel as if I’ve got a good mix of locations. See you next time, from a hopefully sunny Tangier! Have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.

The wonders of Islamic art

stitchesoftime4 Comments

When I used to teach maths to my teacher trainees I used the marvels of tessellation that are Islamic decorative pieces to introduce the subject the my students. There are so many parallels between art and maths that people rarely see, and of course tessellation is a key part of other things that I love, such as quilt patterns.

I have long been fascinated by how these patterns are made, and the history of their design, so my trip yesterday, to the Hassan 2nd Mosque here in Casablanca was brilliant for having some of those answered. The mosque is the third largest in the world, and the largest in Africa, and it was built in the 1990s. It took 6 years, and over 12000 craftspeople were involved. The scale of the place is incredible, 25,000 people can worship inside at a time, the mosque covers 2 acres out of a total 9 acres site, and underneath the plaza there is parking for 1000 cars!

It is one of the few mosques that can be visited by non-Muslims, I booked my tour with Get Your Guide, and I had a great time. I don’t usually book tours, as I am too busy photographing doors to keep up 😉 but you can only go in as part of a tour group. I am glad I did though as the guide was fantastic, and and I had a nice chat with a Muslim family from London who were telling me about their local mosques, and other places they have visited in Egypt and Iran.

One of the really interesting things for me about the visit was that, unlike the cathedrals that I visited in Spain, we know who built this, who these amazing craftspeople were. The complex has a training facility, and is still teaching people these skills. Obviously the place needs to be maintained, but also it is great to know that there is still the opportunity to train in these wonderful arts.

If you want to know more about the history of the place then read this blog post by The Whole World or Nothing. I have been following James and Sarah on Instagram for a while now, and they have a really useful website with so many great destinations covered. They have given me good tips of where to eat in my next destination, Tangier.

The tour starts with a small exhibition about the crafts, which is great. The tessellation technique used on the panels is known as zellige (or zellij) and there is a really useful Wikipedia page that tells you more about the technique. I have seen so many of these types of mosaic in Spain, and I really wanted to learn more about it here. There are going to be other amazing examples in Fes as well, which I am excited to see.

Inside the prayer hall is just breath taking. The skills of the mosaic makers, wood carvers and gypsum craftspeople combine together into the most stunning works or art. The tour also answered some of my other questions about the plaster work. I have seen many examples and always wondered whether is was carved or not. It is moulded, from wet gypsum, and then painted. The ceilings are made of cedar wood and are carved and painted.

Most of the materials come from Morocco, with the exception of some of the white marble from Italy and the crystal chandeliers, which are from Murano, the glass making island I visited with Mum last year as part of our Venice trip.

There are the most stunning brass decorations and lamps everywhere. I have a few small ones Moroccan lamps at home, and love the patterns they give with candles in.

The second half of the tour takes you downstairs to the washing rooms, past some amazing doors.

As well as the beautiful tiles and pillars, there are all these flower shaped fountains for the ritual washing before prayer. The water comes from the centre of the flowers and falls into the drains below.

The mosque cost $800 million, and a third of this was paid for by the king, the rest by public donation and subscription. It is a truly amazing place, and such a testament to the skills of the people who made it and look after it. The tours finance the running costs of the place, so it is self supporting now.

Whenever I visit a religious monument, be it cathedral, or mosque, and look at the amazing work inside, I can’t help thinking about the costs of all that gold, marble, and labour, and wonder about the needs of the people that live in the communities around these wonderful places.

Although I love visiting them, and truly appreciate them, they represent an investment that is often not reflected in the practical lives of the people who live near them. You could argue that an investment in a spiritual place is just as important to people as investment in housing, education or healthcare. Or that places like this, and all of the cathedrals I recently visited, bring tourists to the place, and that benefits the local economy. It is always a difficult question to answer.

It really is an exceptionally beautiful place though. The mosque is partly built over the sea, and it was a windy day yesterday so there were really high waves. It was lovely to see all the children watching them, from the walkways near the mosque, daring each other to go nearer the wall and get splashed.

I have a couple more days here, and then it is my first trip on a Moroccan train. If the bus experience is anything to go by, it will be a very comfortable and efficient service. It is just a short trip this time of a couple of hours, but I am very excited!

Until next time, have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.