There is SO much more I need to post, but here it is, 3+ months that I have been home from Morocco... and I have been so busy.... so from now on, it will be just pictures with explanations as necessary...

I will finish soon I promise.... Or maybe never... I have been so busy with getting the curriculum unit done for the Fulbright/ US Dept of Ed...

But for now, here is the lovely tri-metal horse bit I bought in Marrakech. It was out of my budget, but a find I could not leave...

It's a nasty piece of equipment... the mouth size being about 4.5" wide, the port/tongue depressor is abit over 4" long/tall...

But nonetheless a gorgeous piece of metalwork. I present to you the early 1900s Saharan bedouin horse bit.

Artist Aziz Amrani

The Artist Aziz Amrani

Several of his works he e-mailed to me (below):

When in Chefchaouen, we stopped at the Kasabah Museum. As most other museums in Morocco, the older artifacts were depressing to say the least. However, there were several younger artists setting up for a show. One such artist was Aziz Amrani. He has no website unfortunately, but I wanted to share his work. We did our best to communicate in my horrible Arabic and his bad Spanish.

Around the medinas

Ceramics in Fes

Fes is well known for their well-made, handmade, beautiful ceramics. First, you have the clay. The chunks on the left are the dry clay, the pool on the right is where the dry clay is being reconstituted into moist workable clay.

The are master potters who do nothing but make ceramic bowls, plates, cups, tajines, and much more. Note he's working on a kick wheel, no motor.

Then the works are bisque fired in a kiln. This one used wood and sawdust and fire fodder.

After the first firing, the works are then handpainted with a variety of designs, in either the traditional blue and white or in various colors.

The work is then fired once more, and the glaze colors darken and become shiny.

To buy, you must bargain... and I tell you, it was really stressful, hard work having to haggle with the young salesman (below), I mean. Really SUCH a chore to bargain with this cutie to buy mom's display plate. Seriously, the things I do for you mom! :-)

Weaving and the tanneries in Fes

While in Fes, we toured the tanneries. We are quite the olfactory experience... noted by the fresh mint they give you to sniff to help combat the odor of the pigeon droppings. I couldn't cram the mint far enough up my nose, but truthfully it wasn't that bad... The vats on the far left (the white ones) are filled with cow urine, pigeon poop, and acids to soften the leather. It is stripped of its hair etc. by hand before being put in these vats. They tan camel, cow, sheep and goat (the finest leather).

Above you can see the guys start the dying process. The brown vats are full of dye, where the hides will sit for days.

As we toured through the medina we also visited a weaving co-op. Still all done by hand on these big looms.

No, this isn't the GodFather

And no, I don't want to put that camel head on your pillow...

So this was a cool river on the way back from the desert to the uni.

The next couple pics are of King Mohammed IV's palace in Rabat.

The next few are of the Palais Mnebhi in Fez. Here is where France and Morocco signed the protectorate treaty of 1912.

New post from July 8

Just now getting around to posting this from July 8. I have at least three more posts in the queue waiting to have pictures added to be posted. Be patient!  

I have MANY more pics from the medinas we have visited, and will try to post them in short order. However, I may have to finish this blog after I get home... I am off to Rabat and Casablanca in about 30 minutes, so need to go for now! 

Hammama-mama

So while in Fez, Casey and I decided to go to hammam. Casey's description is quite brilliant, so I won't waste my words, just click on her link below. No pictures, thankfully, to share!

http://caseyqrt.blogspot.com/2009/07/hammam.html

Off-roading, Moroccan style

Yes, yes... I know You have already heard about my trip to the desert. But here are my pics. No sunrise, sunset... I took pics, but it was partly cloudy, so no good pics worth sharing.

Our tents. Traditional nomadic, with woven camel hair, wool, rugs...

I now know why they wear it like this... sand gets EVERYWHERE. My camera equipment will never be the same.

Traditional Gnawa singers and musicians.

The view from the topside! I had an awesome camel. She was very sweet and let me scritch her face!

Fennec fox prints (they are nocturnal, so no luck in seeing them) early in the AM. And lastly, the amazing feet of the camel... really so perfect for their job.

The ocean in the desert

So, on the way to Merzouga, we stopped at a fossil store. What, you say? Fossils in the desert, at the beginning of the Sahara? But, of course! Back in the day of the dinosaurs, this part of Morocco was underwater. I kid you not. Take a look at some of the pictures, and you will see shells and sea-like creatures fossilized in the rock... They are called Orthoceras

Why did the camel cross the road?

To get to the watering hole, of course! As we were on our way to Merzouga (the desert), we came across this camel driver and his herd. He kindly let us take pics.

This one in particular, liked to flap her lips/ head after every drink. Pretty funny.

The blonde one was my fav, she nuzzled my hand. :-)

Don't know how those camel babies don't get cricks in their necks!

Dades and the Gorges

The drive is long between Ouarzazte and Merzouga, so we stopped in Dades. This country is amazingly diverse, so you can see the dry red sand but then we toured an oasis. It seems that families each have their own plot to grow and cultivate whatever they wish, and there's a pretty extensive irrigation system (from the Dades River).

Amazing what they can and do grow there: beets, rutabaga, corn, squash, tomatoes, alfalfa, almond trees, date palm trees, pomegrante, figs, and more!

PICS

At one point, Youness (our guide) and I were at the back of the line and a little old man stopped us and begins talking to Youness. He wanted us to see his garden, so we followed him a few steps and he led us behind the mud walls and there was his beautful garden, full of all the wonderful things growing. Next thing I know though, this sprite tosses off his sandals and scurries up the nearest date palm to the top!!

Turns out, Youness asks him how old he was... He said proudly 75! To give perspective, Youness is alittle over 6 ft tall.

So after about an hour in the oasis, we head to the Gorges. A really neat place where families gather to swim, picnic, relax etc. We had a nice lunch there.

Love the water wings on this kid!