1. Magnificent Morocco: Get lost in time in this ancient, amazing country
The Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Page: K1 / FRONT
Section: Style Weekly: Travel & Leisure
Byline: Daniel Drolet
Dateline: FEZ, Morocco
Source: Citizen Special
In narrow alleyways barely as wide as my outstretched arms, the city's bustle pushes past me in unrelenting
waves -- giggling schoolchildren chasing each other, veiled women on their way to market, wizened old men in
traditional djellabas walking hand in hand, Moroccan style, and chatting.
Every minute or two, weary donkeys laden with the cargo of commerce trot past at a fast clip, their masters
yelling "Balik! Balik!" as a warning to get out of the way. I sometimes have to push myself flat against the walls
of the houses to let them pass.
Thin shades pulled overtop of these labyrinthine alleyways keep out most of the sharp North African sun and
create a dark, dappled place where the scent of orange blossoms mingles with the acrid smell of ammonia.
Somewhere nearby, in a cubbyhole off the street, there is a schoolroom, and I can hear the angelic voices of
tiny children chanting their lessons. The sound of it is as sweet as honey.
For a moment I am disoriented, unsure not only of where I am, but also -- more strangely -- of when I am. Is
this the 21st century?
A man talking on a cellphone walks past me. I sigh with relief: I am not in the 13th century after all. I am in the
medina of Fez, the ancient capital of Morocco. And Fez, like all of Morocco, is a strange mix of new and old,
modern and traditional, cellphones and donkeys.
It's a mix the Moroccan government wants more Canadians to see. About 32,000 of us visited the country last
year, said Abdelghani Ragala, Canadian director of the Moroccan National Tourist Office in Montreal.
Moroccan authorities are trying to triple that number over the next five years.
From Canada, the road to Morocco usually starts in Montreal. Royal Air Maroc offers direct flights from
Montreal to Casablanca -- the only direct Canadian air connection to the African continent. (There are also
excellent connections through Paris.)
As my plane swoops in to land at Casablanca's Mohammed V Airport, I am struck the fact that from the air,
Morocco looks like Alberta: wide, fertile plains framed in the distance by the snow-capped peaks of the High
Atlas mountains. Beyond the mountains lies the desert.
That Albertan impression remains as I travel the north of the country.
There are ski resorts in the High Atlas, and cool cedar forests with alpine architecture in the Middle Atlas, and
broad plains elsewhere. The expressway between Fez and Rabat, the capital, is as modern as any Canadian
highway.
Morocco is a California-sized country with a population equal to that of Canada. But unlike Canada, about half
the population is rural. And most of the people are concentrated in the fertile area north of the High Atlas.
Northern Morocco is green and bountiful: In the markets I saw strawberries lusher than any I had ever seen
here. I saw oranges, artichokes and green peas in their pods, and every manner of fresh herb, and beans and
grains, dates and apricots, nuts and figs and mounds of spices.

2. Morocco's peoples are a mix of Arab and Berber, with black Africans in the south and smatterings of Jews and
Christians. But it is an overwhelmingly Muslim country, and many mornings I found myself being woken by the
sound of the muezzin calling the faithful to early morning prayer. A service centre on the highway between
Casablanca and Marrakech included not only a restaurant and washrooms, but also a prayer room for the
faithful.
But if the country looks like Alberta, it sounds like Quebec: French is universally used as a second language
after Arabic, and virtually all signage is in both Arabic and French. The French connection dates from France's
protectorate over Morocco from 1912 to 1956 and it remains strong.
For anyone visiting Morocco, there are three main attractions: the Sahara Desert in the south, the beaches
near Agadir on the Atlantic, and the great cities of the north -- the imperial cities, as they are called here.
I was on a week-long tour of the imperial cities that took me to Marrakech, Fez, Meknes, Rabat and
Casablanca. It was a circle tour of more than 1,500 kilometres, done in a group, with a guide, and organized
through a Montreal-based company. A number of tour companies offer similar visits. While it certainly is
possible to travel on one's own, I would never in a million years have been able to find my way around the
medinas -- the old Muslim quarters -- of Morocco's imperial cities without a guide. The medinas are daunting
mazes -- and the most fascinating things I saw.
The medina of Fez was the most amazing of all.
Now designated a World Heritage Site, it is 1,200 years old -- and feels it. The buildings are too tightly packed
for motorized transport. You visit on foot, and commerce moves on the backs of donkeys.
A few decades ago, after the capital was moved to Rabat, the medina of Fez nearly fell apart. Much work has
been done in recent decades to restore it.
Apart from its age and its medieval feel, two things make it special: First, it is a thriving place, where people live
and work -- often in tiny shops no larger than a walk-in closet. And second, much of that work is hand-crafted
by artisans using time-honoured ways. In a country that prides itself on its craftsmanship, Fez is the capital of
crafts.
I see men sitting on the ground hammering designs into metal trays. I see women embroidering tablecloths.
And in one courtyard, I see a man carving wood on a hand-operated lathe: A bare foot holds the wood in place,
one hand pushes what looks like a violin's bow back and forth to turn the lathe, and the other hand wields the
wood-carving tool. In about five seconds, he turns a stick into a gri-gri, a good luck charm.
The most amazing of all the craft shops of Fez is the city's tannery. After being given branches of mint to wave
under our noses for the smell, we are led up a narrow set of stairs to a shop full of leather goods. At the back of
the shop is a balcony, and from the balcony is the most amazing sight.
At our feet, two storeys below, is a large open space filled with what look like dozens of over-sized children's
paint pots. Each pot is filled with a liquid, and barelegged men stomp on hides in the liquids as if they are
stomping on grapes. Some liquids are coloured, to dye the hides. Others are white. These, we are told, are
filled with pigeon droppings. The ammonia from the droppings gets the hair off the hides. It also contributes
largely to the smells wafting up.
On nearby roofs, other men spread the newly tanned leathers to dry. The sight of it all is truly from another
century.
As we leave the balcony, we pass back through the shop where all manner of leather goods are being sold.
Would we like to buy something?
Moroccans are a commercial people, always intent, it seems, on selling, selling, selling.

3. And at each craft shop we visit, we are urged to buy, buy, buy.
It is all part of the experience, but it is not always pleasant. That's because shopping is done very differently in
Morocco than it is in Canada.
With few exceptions, nothing wears a price tag. Every purchase is negotiated -- often at length. If you so much
as glance at goods in a shop, you may be approached and asked to come in. In some cases, I was grabbed by
the arm in the street and literally dragged toward a shop.
Vendors assured me that I needn't buy anything, that I should come see their wares "only for the pleasures of
the eyes." However, once in the shop the strong sales pitch began.
If you are interested in buying, great: Settle back and start haggling.
But if you aren't serious, don't start the negotiation process. The process starts whenever you name a price for
an item, however ridiculously low. One member of our group was literally chased for half an hour by angry Fez
carpet salesmen when he pulled out of a purchase.
If you want the crafts without the hassle, most major cities have what is called an Ensemble Artisanal -- an
"official" crafts store -- where the approach is more North American, though obviously less colourful.
And if you find the medinas too disorienting, most cities also have a European quarter that feels much more like
home, with wide, car-filled streets and sidewalk cafes and tearooms selling a delightful assortment of pastries.
But part of the fun of travel is getting a bit disoriented, and there are plenty of things to see in Morocco's
imperial cities. These cities are the cradles of the country's learning and its commerce, and everywhere are
wonderful examples of Islamic art. In bustling, modern Casablanca, for example, the most European of
Morocco's cities, the newly built Hassan II mosque is a stunning piece of architecture that rivals any medieval
cathedral of Europe.
We ended our trip in fabled Marrakech, where all the buildings old and new are in the city's trademark ochre
colour.
At day's end, we made our way to Jemaa el Fna Square, the heart of the city.
Imagine the Byward Market run by the Cirque du Soleil and you will begin to get an idea of Jemaa el Fna:
Snake charmers, fortune tellers, monkeys and musicians share space with row upon row of open-air kiosks
selling every kind of food imaginable, from boiled snails to roast lamb. And people! Everywhere, a crush of
humanity, sightseers and locals, mixing in a roiling, jostling melange.
We climb to a cafe overlooking the square and sit down to take it all in while the moon rises over the High Atlas
behind us. Only the satellite dishes on the ochre-coloured buildings remind us of what century we are in.
IF YOU GO
Getting there: I flew Royal Air Maroc, which has regularly scheduled non-stop flights from Montreal to
Casablanca several times a week. The flight lasts about 71/2 hours. For information, visit
www.royalairmaroc.com/ call 1-800-361-7508, or see a travel agent.
Finding a tour: Call the Moroccan tourist office in Montreal (1-514 842-8112) or visit a travel agency. Expect a
basic two-week tour -- one week in the imperial cities and the other on the beach -- to cost between $2,000 and
$2,500 per person, which includes your flight and most meals. But tour costs vary tremendously depending on
what you do, when you go and what kind of accommodation you want.

4. Money: The dirham, Morocco's currency, is not internationally traded so you can't change money here before
you go. The easiest thing to do is use ATMs, of which there are plenty. Or you can change Canadian cash or
travellers' cheques at banks and many hotels.
Weather: Hot and dry, particularly in the summer. But it can also cooler than you'd think, so bring something
warm. And there is rain in winter.
Dress: In the imperial cities, you will see people wearing a mix of western and traditional garb. Shorts are
generally acceptable in tourist areas, but remember that this is a Muslim country.
Accommodation: Major cities have European-style hotels. But if you want something more authentic look for a
riad, a small hotel usually established in an old, renovated house.
Language: Arabic is the official language, and French is widely used. English is common in major tourist areas.
More: Consult the multilingual government website http://tourismmorocco.ca/ or call the Moroccan National
Tourist Office in Montreal at 1-514 842-8112.
Daniel Drolet is an Ottawa freelance writer.
Illustration:
• Colour Photo: Photo Courtesy of Tourisme-Marocain / Ruins near the ancient capital of Fez.
• Colour Photo: Photo Courtesy of Tourisme-Marocain / The High Atlas mountains just beyond Marrakech -- some parts of Morocco
look strangely like Alberta.
• Photo: Photo Courtesy of Tourisme-Morocain / Of Morocco's imperial cities, Casablanca is the most modern. Its jewel is the new
Hassan II mosque, which rivals any medieval cathedral of Europe.
• Photo: Photo Courtesy of Tourisme-Morocain / Moroccans are a commerical people, intent on selling, selling, selling. An olive
vendor displays his bounty at the market in Marrakech.
• Photo: Photo Courtesy of Tourisme-Morocain / Jemaa el Fna Square, the bustling heart of Marrakech
• Photo: Photo Courtesy of Tourisme-Morocain / A typically narrow street in Casablanca.
Idnumber: 200509170042
Edition: Final
Story Type: Feature
Length: 1969 words
Illustration Type: Colour Photo Black & White Photo