All posts by chaput@live.com

Morocco

Archological site of Volubilis

We went to see and explore the Roman ruins at Volubilis in Morocco. This site was excavated by the French during their rule over French Morocco between 1912 and 1955.  Apparently the French army undertook scientific explorations as early as the 1830s and by the 1850s it was fashionable for French army officers to investigate Roman remains during their leave and spare time. By the late 19th century French archaeologists were undertaking an effort to uncover Volubilis through excavations and restorations of this archaeological site.

Built in a fertile agricultural area, Volubilis was developed from the 1st century BC onward as a Berber, then proto-Carthaginian, settlement before being the capital of the kingdom of Mauretania. It grew rapidly under Roman rule from the 1st century AD onward and expanded to cover about 42 hectares (100 acres) with a 2.6 km (1.6 mi) circuit of walls. 

There were lots of areas of Volubilis that remained fairly well preserved. We were able to walk freely throughout the ruins and explore the site. We came to some ruins that still had the original floor mosaic tiles in place. The details and design were ornate and beautiful

Mosaic floor of Volubilis in Morocco known as the Mosaic of the Labours of Hercules.

The details of the mosaic floors were quite unique with designs and images of people and animals. We continued exploring the ruins and came to some large pieces that were still standing after all these centuries.

Shelley in the Volubilis ruins in Morocco

Ray stopped to take a rest and enjoyed a seat on one of the 1st century pillar bases in Volubilis.

 

The Arch of Caracalla in Volubilis

This arch of Caracalla which stood somewhat by itself in the ruins was quite impressive. It was built in honour of the emperor Caracalla.

Opposite side of the Arch of Caracalla
Ray taking in the moment

We walked through the ruins and imagined the history and lives that lived here over the centuries. There was a main road system that ran the entire length of Volubilis.

In the centre of the Road were flat stones that covered a ditch which was used for water and sewer run off. It was quite advanced for the times and overall the site was very impressive.

We had a very enjoyable time exploring Volubilis.

“دراسة التاريخ ق بداية الحكمة”-Jean Bodin

Morocco

Fez, Royal Palace and the Medina

We spent the day exploring Fez which is the second largest city in Morocco and considered as the the “Mecca of the West” and the “Athens of Africa”. The city was first founded in 789 and has a rich and interesting history. Our first stop was at a lookout that provided us with amazing views of Fez. We walked along the wall and looked at the different views of the city. It truly is a large and unique city.

After admiring the beautiful vistas, we headed to the Royal Palace in Fez. The 80-hectare Dar al-Makhzen known as the Royal Palace has some ornate gates which were built in 1969.

Front of the Royal Palace in Fez
Ray and Shelley in front of the Royal Palace doors

They are the main feature visible to the public, the grounds are not open to the public. The Palace and grounds are still used by the King of Morocco when he is visiting the city.

After visiting the Royal Palace we went to the UNESCO world site, the Medina of Fez. It has 9400 narrow alleyways and streets which would make it very easy to get lost. We were fortunate to have a local guide who lived in the Medina most of his life. 

Our guide explaining the Medina

It was very interesting walking though the Medina, there are no motorcycles or vehicles of any kind permitted in the Medina. In fact the Medina is the largest vehicle free zone in the world. The only way to move merchandise or supplies is by donkey or pushcart. We began our walk in a larger area of the Medina where the alleyway was wider than most.

Ray and Shelley in the Medina of Fez

As we walked along it wasn’t long before we found ourselves in narrow alleyways.

We followed our guide through these very narrow alleyways and explored unique areas of the Medina.

Our guide leading us through one of the narrow alleyways in the Medina

Some of the alleyways were completely covered and it felt like walking through a narrow tunnel.

The Medina has over eight kilometers of city walls and has an estimated population of 200,000 living within the Medina. Each area has a mosque, school and other traditional services. It felt like we were walking back in time to centuries earlier.

Each alleyway had a marker which indicated the name of the alley.

The doors of homes were unique and had two door knockers. One was set higher and made a different sound, which was for non family visitors. This provided a unique sound letting the homeowner know it was not family. The second knocker lower into the door was for family who were familiar members of the home.

Traditional door of a home within the Medina of Fez

The Medina of Fez is considered as one of the most extensive and best conserved historic cities of the Arab-Muslim world. We walked along the unpaved alleys and spaces which seemed to have frozen in time and not been destroyed by modern times. This was an amazing feeling to wander the alleys and see people still making products by hand and selling products made right in the Medina.

Metal pots and copper pots being made on site and sold in the Medina

The people living inside the Medina walls also buy food and merchandise within the Medina. We came across many vendors of different foods.

Olives and other pickled items for sale at one vendor in the Medina

There was even camel meat for sale at one or two specialty shops. The shops would displayed the heads of the dead camels to advertise the fresh camel meat.

We eventually walked to the area of the dye-pits and to the tannery inside the Medina.

Material and wool being dyed by hand in the dye pits of the Medina

Wool being dried above us as we walk through an area of the Medina

We then went to the largest and oldest tannery in the city called the Chouara Tannery, which is located in the Medina. It is believed that this tannery has been operational since before the 12th century. The tanning industry in the Medina has been operating basically the same since the early centuries. There are round stones that are hollowed out and filled with dye or other white liquids for softening the leather hides.

View of the Tannery with the hollowed out stone vats used for the tanning process.
Leather hung to dry naturally

It was interesting to see the process and to walk through the store looking at the amazing hand crafted leather goods. After a few hours in the alleyways of the Medina we stopped for lunch. We enjoyed the time to sit and relax while taking in the aromas and sounds of the Medina.

The local food was delicious and overall it was surreal experience. After lunch we continued our exploration of the Medina for a while before heading out to start our next adventure. We really enjoyed our time exploring and walking through the Medina of Fez.

“لا تدع الخوف يمنعك من تجربة أشياء جديدة واستكشاف العالم”

 

Morocco

Off to the Sahara

We headed out into the Sahara to spend a night in a dessert Berber camp. The trip started by heading out either on a hour and half camel ride or go by Jeep through the dessert sands to the camp. We decided to try both ways so Shelley took the camel ride out to the camp and Ray went by jeep.  

The camels were lined up in groups of four or five and tethered together. The guide was very helpful and ensured eveyone got on ok and was comfortable.

Shelley was wearing her keffiyeh scarf and ready to head out on camel back.

 

Shelley on the camel ready to head to the Berber Camp site.

The trip on camel back was a slow paced walk allowing time to take in the views and experience the Sahara. It was quite the experience seeing the vastness of the Sahara. It is the World’s largest and most extensive hot desert in the world. The desert covers an area of 3.6 million square miles. 

Ray took a 4 X 4 ride out through the dessert reaching the Berber camp earlier than Shelley.

View of the berber camp from atop a nearby sand dune.

This gave him time to climb up a large sand dune and admire the sunset.

View of the dunes as the sun was setting.

We enjoyed a great evening having a traditional meal then taking in a bonfire with Berber singing and dancing before heading to our tent for the night.

Carpets lining the tents in the Sahara

The stars were amazing and we enjoyed an excellent evening under the stars. 

 

It was a very memorable time in the Sahara and we enjoyed this unique experience very much. 

“تبدأ الحياة على حافة منطقة الراحة الخاصة بك”

Morocco

Todgha Gorge and adventures of the day

Our day began with a drive to the dramatic Todra Gorge. It is a natural large gorge created by the River Todra which carved its way through limestone throughout the centuries.

We were surrounded by towering vertical limestone cliffs reaching heights of over 300 meters (1000ft), We walked through the gorge area admiring the steep cliffs and uniqueness of it all. Our guide Jamal explained some of the history and said it is known as Morocco’s Grand Canyon. 

Jamal in the Todgha gorge in Morocoo explaining the history of the gorge.

Jamal explained how the restaurants were closed after a large bolder feel through the roof of the restaurant behind him. We could see the huge bolder inside the restaurant. Fortunately no one was there when it occurred.

Shelley in the Todgha gorge of Morocco.

There were locals in the gorge and some of them were looking for money. Some were selling trinkets or simple asking for a donation. I paid this woman who was using a mule as a means of transporting goods to allow me to take her photo. Mules are quite common and used in the Atlas mountains as a means to transport goods.

Woman with her mule that she uses for transporting goods.

After time wandering through the Todra gorge it was interesting to see how the colours change as the sun slowly moves from the east to west.

We left the gorge and continued on our trip heading towards Merzhouga. Our next stop was at a town called Midelt which is known as the “Apple City.” Our guide Jamal stopped at a roadside fruit stand and bought a large bag of delicious apples for the tour. He hinted that we may want to save some for another adventure. We continued on and drove through an area with some dense cedar forests and were surprised to see macaque monkeys along the roadside. We stopped and got out to explore the area and see the monkeys.

We brought some apples out with us and went to see the monkeys. They were very well behaved and not like what we expected. Normally monkeys are bold and try and steal food or items but these were very calm and not aggressive at all. Some of the monkeys sat in the trees and stayed away from us while others came for the food. 

Monkey watching us from the safety of the tree

Jamal was quite comfortable around the monkeys because he has experienced them over the years on his tours.

Jamal with a monkey

It was quite interesting to watch the interaction of the monkeys with us. They were very friendly and did not seem nervous but yet they were not bold or aggressive.

Jamal even gave one a drink of water from his bottle. 

Jamal Giving a Monkey a drink of water.

We fed the monkeys and watched them for a while before heading back on our bus and continuing on towards Merzhouga, which would be our base before heading out into the Sahara.  Before we reached our final stop for the day we came to a cafe and shop called Tenere. We stopped here to buy a head scarf for our adventures in the Sahara because depending on the wind there is a lot of blowing sand.

Shelley with her scarf

We tried on different coloured scarfs and even put on the traditional clothing for a photo. It was fun trying on the scarfs and learning how to tie them properly.

Ray in the full outfit and trying on different scarfs.

Then we went outside and took a group picture before heading out to our last stop for the day.

Our tour group with a picture of the berber flag.

We continued to our final stop of the day before heading out into the Sahara early tomorrow morning.

Shelley on the bus wearing her scarf

It was a very interesting day with some unique experiences.

“تُصنع الذكريات يومًا بعد يوم، اصنع أكبر عدد ممكن منها.”

Morocco

Views of the atlas mountains

Today we left Marrakech and drove through the Atlas mountain range in Morocco which are defined as High Atlas, Middle Atlas and Sahara Atlas. These Great Atlas mountains form part of the mountain rage of the Maghreb in North Africa. We stopped several times along the way to admire the fantastic views.

Shelley and Ray in the Atlas mountains of Morocco.

The Atlas Mountains separate the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.  We drove through the High Atlas mountains and normally there would be snow on the peaks at this time of year, however there has been a major lack of rain and warmer weather than normal.

View of the High Atlas mountains in Morocco.

We continued our drive up through the mountains eventually driving over the pass of Tizi n Tichka, where we stop for a few pictures of the amazing views before heading downward and stopping for lunch in Tisseldeï.

Lunch with our group in Tisseldeï

The view from the restaurant was beautiful and we enjoyed a great meal.

After lunch we continued our journey and stopped to take in the view of a traditional Berber town called Ait Ben Amer which is located on the hillside of a mountain. Berbers or the Berber peoples, as they are known, are a diverse and distinct ethnic indigenous group to North Africa: The Berbers predate the arrival of the Arabs in the Arab migrations to the Maghreb. They are indigenous to the Maghreb region, where they live in small scattered communities across parts of Morocco, Algeria, Libya.

View of the Berber town of Ait Ben Amer

We continued our drive until we reached the town of Ait Benhaddou which has an incredible ancient fortified Kasbah. It is listed as a Unesco world heritage site and was built in the 11th century for defence purposes.

View of the Kasbah in Ait Benhaddou

The fortified kasbah is located on the slopes of a hill next to the Ounila River.

We walked along the riverbank before crossing the river bed using rocks and then headed through the entrance of the kasbah.

View of the inside the kasbah of Ait Benhaddou

It is a well preserved medieval town which has been featured in many Hollywood movies, including Gladiator and Laurence of Arabia.

After visiting the kasbah we drove through the city of Ouarzazate, which is famous for being the filming location for many other Hollywood blockbusters and famous TV shows including James Bond – The Living Daylights, The Mummy and more recently Game of Thrones. Quarzazate is considered the Hollywood of North Africa. We ended our day in Quazazate. It was a long day of exploring the Great Atlas mountains and seeing some amazing sites.

“السفر هو العيش”.-Han Christian Anderson