Some day I will wake up and be able to think my blog entries instantaneously to you. Things that I see from the road can also be snapped and cropped in perfect resolution just by blinking my eyes…but until technology can catch up with the speed of thought, I have to apologize for the days on the road when I go MIA.
But I’m back and today we are in Meknes–some mere 60km outside of Fes and half an hour south of Volubilis–
a former capital city of Morocco (until the capital moved to Marrakech) founded by a Berber tribe. The vibe is totally different here than in Fes, more outwardly facing. But that’s just a superficial impression on my part.
One of the key sights in Meknes is the Bab Mansour, an enormous Almohad gate
flanked by marble columns taken from Volubilis:
Just across from the gate is a huge open square
with entries into other parts of town
and markets…
You could also grab a sandwich or drink at one of the many restaurants’ outdoor tables and people watch.
So after a quick lunch and mint tea, it’s time to visit the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, the sultan of Meknes who ruled the capital during its golden age. The gate, Bab el-Khemis, that leads to the mausoleum is lovely:
Beyond these doors to the mausoleum,
is a fountain
followed by series of arched entries into other rooms
and courtyards
until you arrive at the inner sanctum:
where some of the finest zellij mosaics can be found.
It is deathly calm in here, and I can imagine what a refuge it must be on a scorching summer day. Just across the street from this oasis is an underground prison:
where another kind of deathly calm might also be found. But I have no idea as I opt out of visiting it. I’d rather stay here just a bit longer and enjoy my private sanctuary…see you back in Fes tomorrow.
Tags: Almohad, Bab Mansour, Bal el-Khemis, Berber, Fes, Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, Meknes, Morocco, Volubilis
Today I’m taking you on a road trip to see Volubilis, an enormous UNESCO World Heritage site whose ruins mark a once vibrant Roman town.
It is reachable by car within two hours from Fes unless you make a lot of pit stops to check out what’s beyond the hills:
From the parking lot, the ruins do not look that huge even if already impressive…
and I am more enamored with the museum that’s a few short months away from completion–so modern in juxtaposition to the ruins:
You can walk the ruins on your own (especially if you have a guide book handy) or you can pay a guide for a personal tour. The first thing my guide shows me is this, the definition of Volubilis (Morning Glory flower):
Volubilis was built over a Carthaginian settlement that was built on top of a neolithic community. It served as an administrative center for the Roman civilization and prospered from trades of olive oil and grain. Certainly it was the most distant point of the Roman Empire, yet it swelled to 20,000 strong in its heyday. It is believed that the town was demolished by an earthquake in the late 4th century AD.
Once I set foot on the grounds, the ruins open up in more ways than one. Let’s talk about the first way, and that is the sheer enormity of it all. There are kitchens, public baths, forums, public halls, grand arches, basilica, and private courtyards…
even places for the Romans to worship the sun…
The main road that cut through town is immense and stretches into the horizon in both directions:
It’s hard to tell you how big this place is from photographs, but maybe these pictures will give you some perspective:
Now I know that there are some five basic Roman columns and arches, but I can’t really point to them exactly right now. Here are a few that I find:
One of my favorite things from the ruins are the intricate mosaics covering the floors. They are like tapestries carved into the ground…
My guide pours a little bit of water on it to reveal the true colors:
So I’d mentioned above that this place opens up in more ways than one….after a couple of hours of walking through history here, I can feel its legacy. I can clearly imagine those bygone days where these grounds rumbled in trades and politics and thousands of personal stories. Lifetimes from now, I wonder if someone will excavate my home town and imagine the same things? I’ll just sit here in my Tory Burch tunic (I know, I’m still trying to remember to work in the fashion angle on the road) and revel in the past a little bit longer…
Tags: Morning Glory, Morocco, mosaics, Roman ruins, Tory Burch, UNESCO World Heritage, Volubilis
On a short tour around Fes one of my guides summed the city up as having a 9th century Medina, 11th century gate, and 19th century “new town” (from the French). Walking through much of Fes and its outlaying towns you get a sense that the 21st century has indeed arrived yet there’s no hurry to change too much. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Everywhere cars, motorbikes, and four-legged animals co-exist as people go on about their lives. I have seen everything from food to furniture to Coke bottles to gasoline cans being delivered via donkey backs. If only I could have seen a UPS guy hop off a mule instead of a brown truck it would have made my day.
Speaking of Coke, remember the dinner that I posted about yesterday? I was really craving something fizzy like a soda on my way back to the riad. But before I could spot any Coke at the convenience stands, I get swept up in a wedding celebration…
About ten minutes into it, the procession pulls to a stop here, in front of a store,
where I make this video:
A charming man comes out and tells me this is just a prelude to the big wedding tomorrow. It is his cousin’s wedding and he invites me to come back the next day and attend the real deal. While we chat, one of the revelers offers to let me take a picture of his lantern:
Unfortunately I don’t make it to the wedding but instead happen along a funeral procession the morning after outside of the Medina gates,
by the Jewish cemetery,
while I’m visiting the ramparts which I’ll show you in another entry. As I sit there lost in thoughts, I see a solitary man riding a donkey, easily navigating the steep slopes of the cemetery:
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Tags: Fes, medina, Morocco, wedding procession
Let’s start the new year by returning to Morocco from Belgium. As we’re just now slowly weaning ourselves from the holiday excesses, I’ll take you through this entry with not one but three outfit changes in one day (celebs eat your hearts out!). It’s just one of those days when you wake up enthralled by the colors around you and want to play dress up for the fun of being a girl. I do this once in a while in my closet at home when I feel blue–let me tell you, I don’t need to see a therapist if I can get the same release from trying on a few…let’s say thirty…pairs of shoes and a slinky dress. Fashion happens to have the same kind of chemical effect on my brain as any prescription drug. And no side effects. Unless you call shopping addiction a side effect.
So anyway, I begin the day with a colorful sweater from one of Gucci’s runway looks a few seasons ago…
It’s surprisingly chilly in the early morning so I pile on an Etro wool scarf, BR cashmere cardigan (which is a staple in my luggage anywhere), and Gap sherpa hoodie over it. It’s the only other black warmer outerwear I’ve packed, but I’ve always liked mixing luxury goods with less expensive items together anyway. My thinking is that the geometric pattern of this top pays tribute to a city full of geometric zellig, which we can clearly find here at the magnificent Bou Inania Madrasa:
This madrasa was once both an educational institution and a mosque. It is presently one of the few religious places where a non-muslim can enter:
The sun comes out later in the morning so I go back to my riad to change into a silk JCrew top but keep the cardigan before heading back into the souks for more loitering:
Down some random path in the Medina I run across the Qaraouiyine Mosque, which is definitely off limits to me. Here is where the University of Al-Karaouine or Al-Qarawiyyin resides. It is considered the oldest and one of the leading educational/spiritual institutions in the Muslim world. I wish I could have gained entry…
By the time I return to the riad, the sun has set and the courtyard is lit by lamps. There are shadows playing on the wall. I’d written before that my first impression of Fes is that it’s not the most romantic city in the world, but at night, there is no other word to describe any riad but romantic. Which explains my inspiration for getting into the third outfit for the day. It’s Look 7.
It’s a bit formal for a night of casual dining, but can you blame me?
The exotic spices and sounds and sights of Morocco are a cause for celebration, and any kind of celebration should always involve cute clothes! Tomorrow, less about fashion and more about daily life in Fes.
Tags: Bou Inania Madrasa, Etro, Fes, Gap, Gucci, JCrew, Morocco, mosque, Qaraouiyine Mosque, University of Al-Karaouine, zellig
WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTOS IN TODAY’S BLOG ENTRY
One of the joys of eating in Morocco, besides its melange of exotic spices, has to do with the fresh produce and other ingredients used by restaurants, street vendors, and regular households alike. You only have to walk through the souks to see people snatching up legumes, meat, eggs, dried fruits and a million types of olives for their daily needs. Restaurants will run out of dishes toward the end of the night, which is a good hint that they are not substituting with frozen or canned ingredients just to sell another meal.
Anyway, I thought it’d be fun to show you pictures of things I encounter in the souks that translate to actual dishes I find throughout my week in Morocco. About the warning at the beginning of this entry…let’s just say Morocco is a GREAT place to be vegetarian. Lentils, chickpeas, Fava beans, and a million other protein sources
are jazzed up with a touch of cumin or Ras El Hanout (a blend of many spices)
then cooked slowly with aubergines and other vegetables:
When they come served as a tagine
or falafel with tabouleh
I’m a happy camper. No need to ever go back to my carnivore ways again. Especially if it means thinking about the ingredients required for meat dishes…
FINAL WARNING: GRAPHIC PICS AHEAD
such as camel meat
for camel burgers:
Or chickens…
for the Moroccan pastilla, which is sweet and salty:
Or lamb…
for meat sandwiches sold at these stands:
All I can say about all of this is, thank goodness I’m a vegetarian. Remember when I said earlier that I can’t eat anything that used to make a sound? Well, no legumes had to suffer for my food. The only guilt I have is thinking about this poor man working in this hot oven…
so that I could enjoy this bread…
over and over, with every meal:
Yummy.
Tags: camel burger, carnivore, chickpeas, cumin, falafel, Fava beans, lentils, Morocco, pastilla, ras el hanout, tabouleh, tagine
