By the sea at Casablanca. Photos by Molly Titus (above) and John Titus.
By John Titus
PEACHTREE CORNERS | On a recent overseas trip my wife, Molly, and I spent five days in Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco. Located in northwest Africa, it overlooks the Mediterranean to the north and the Atlantic to the west.
With a population of approximately 37 million, the official and predominant religion is Islam. The government is a semi-constitutional monarchy with King Mohammed VI as its head. In 1912 France and Spain divided the country into respective protectorates, but Morocco gained its independence in 1956. It is not a “developing” country, but rather a modern one, with the fifth largest economy in Africa and is considered a “middle” power in world affairs.
Tower near Rabat
Our tour group of 44 persons arrived in Morocco at the port of Tangiers and then drove to Rabat, the capital. It is a modern city. We visited Chellah Gardens, originally a royal necropolis which has now been converted to a series of gardens which display a wide variety of plant life to attract tourists.
Another attraction is the Kasbah (citadel) des Oudiais, a unique part of the city where all of the houses are white with bright blue parapets and look like they have just been painted. A third attraction are the gardens surrounding the royal palace which are guarded by the military. If the king is in residence, his royal guard with their bright red tunics are present. A final site visible as one leaves the city is the massive Mohammed VI tower, 55 stories high.
We drove through Casablanca, Morocco’s westernmost city where the highlight is the Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest in the world, its minaret soaring to 689 feet.
Then it was on to Marrakech, founded in the Ninth century. It is a tapestry of ramparts, mosques, palaces, gardens, public squares and souks (markets), where buying, selling and a fascinating carnival of entertainment, including snake charmers and begging monkeys occurs daily. A highlight was a visit to
Gardens in Marrakech
Majorelle Gardens, a two-acre botanical garden once owned by fashion designers Yves St. Laurent and Pierre Berge. Their foundation now owns and maintains the gardens.
Last, we traveled to Fez, visiting the ancient part of the city with its madrasas (Islamic schools), foundouks (business areas) , palaces, residences, mosques and fountains which are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What impressed us was the pride our guides had in their country and how eager they were to show us its highlights and express the Moroccan outlook on life.
One of our guides, Abdullah, described their outlook as, “Think more, speak less, have more, show less.” He went on to describe how the second part of this saying was put into practice. One notices that many Moroccan homes are built with high walls around them. He told us the walls are not for safety, but rather not to flaunt the beauty of the interior to a neighbor who might have less.
One last interesting note: On Dec. 20, 1777, Sultan Mohammed III of Morocco issued a declaration opening his ports to American ships, becoming the first national leader to recognize the new United States. He reissued it on February 8, 1778. He also opened ports to several European countries hoping that increased trade would help the Moroccan economy.
To sum it all up, it was a wonderful learning trip to a fascinating country about which we knew very little. If you get the chance to visit Morocco, go! You will enjoy it.
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