“Variety” is the word that jumps to mind when I look back on our recent visit to Morocco. Before the trip my husband and I had visions of unrelenting desert and people riding camels as their major source of transportation. Those elements are there, too, but so are colors and flavors and sounds -- and everywhere exquisite craftsmanship in architecture and design. Roman ruins sit next to modern buildings and windmills whirl out clean energy next to the crowded ancient Medina -- the old city.
Perhaps nowhere is this range more apparent than in Rabat, which the French made the capital city during their occupation of Morocco from 1912 to 1956 and Moroccans kept once they achieved independence. This is where King Mohammed VI, who is both the spiritual and military leader of his country, maintains his primary residence.
We began with a visit to Dar al-Makhzen -- “house of happiness” -- the vast square where his palace is the centerpiece. We weren’t allowed inside his carefully guarded home, but we were free to wander the grounds to see the gardens, barracks of the royal guards, stables and parade grounds where official ceremonies are held.
The logical next stop was the mausoleum of his grandfather, King Mohammed V, who was exiled by the French for being a proponent of Moroccan independence and welcomed as a hero on his return. His son, King Hassan II, who had it built in honor of his father, is now buried there, too. We were lucky enough to catch the changing of the mounted Moroccan Royal Guards who watch over the tomb.
Across the plaza is Hassan Tower, built in the 12th century to be the largest minaret in the world. When the caliph who was building the mosque died, the project was abandoned, but the tower remains as a national landmark. The Museum of Moroccan History and Civilization and the National Archaeological Museum reveal even more about this nation’s rich history.
Lunch one day in a private riad provided another learning experience. Villa Sbihi was the home of the first governor of Sale, a city just across the Bou Regreg River from Rabat, and his family still maintains the eye-popping property. Colorful tile work and intricate carvings fill the walls, floor and ceiling while tables are draped with rich fabrics and servers pour mint tea from high above the glasses in order for it to aerate. Here we had our first experience with tagines, the conical pottery baking dishes wherein meat and vegetables were cooked to perfection with savory spices that were new to our palates.
But it was learning about the riad’s construction that interested us most. These homes throughout Morocco were built as a square where the only windows overlook an open courtyard in the middle. This was at a time when women were sequestered, and every attempt was made to keep them from being seen by outsiders. Some homes also have an interior wall blocking the front door so that passersby can’t catch a glimpse of the women inside. When I expressed my fascination to our guide, he gave me a book titled “Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood” by Fatima Mernissi, in which the author recalls growing up in this restricted environment, and this added another layer to our education.
In Sale we also came to know gnawa music -- repeated tunes accompanied by instruments such as ouds and drums. The musician can wind himself into a trance, always being sure to keep the tassel on his shell-covered beanie a-twirl. Our first encounter with such a player was outside the Kasbah des Oudaias. The exotic-sounding word “kasbah,” it turns out, means fortress.
A visit to the Musee Bank al Mahgrib, the Bank of Morocco’s museum, yielded another unexpected delight -- a display of money since its inception from all over the world. Walls are filled with tiny cubicles that hold samples of round Persian coins stamped with royal faces, African money to which images of elephants were added, Roman pieces containing Nero’s profile and much more. The exhibit ends with a demonstration of how money is made today.
The museum also has a good-sized art collection, but it was at the King Mohammed VI Modern and Contemporary Art Museum where we discovered room after room of paintings and sculpture by prominent Moroccan artists whose names were not familiar to us. Some pieces are geometric and abstract, owing to the Islamic practice of not reproducing human figures. Others are rich with color, detail and story. Representational pieces reflect their more recent European influences.
We left Rabat filled with good local food, changed preconceptions and a sense of beauty unmatched in just about any other world city. Think of all we would have missed, we told each other, if we hadn’t come here to visit.
When we travel to places where we don’t know the language, we prefer to join a group, often Smithsonian Journeys because of their emphasis on learning. Other advantages are advance tickets to busy venues and special events such as our lunch at the riad: www.smithsonianjourneys.org.
