Disclaimer: I am still trying to figure out how to post pics to this blog, so sorry if the page seems out of sorts! If you know how to work blogs, let me know! Thanks.
Finally! A short trip to someplace less isolated and less Western feeling than the university... as an aside Ifrane (location of the uni) is called Little Switzerland... so that should give you some idea of what it is like... built by the French as a resort town in the 1920s.
Anyhow, we arrived in Meknes yesterday and after dropping bags at the hotel, we got back on the bus for a quick tour of Meknes and the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail. Meknes is a large city (1 mil people I think)... the old medina (city) has the longest emcompassing wall of any city in the world at 25 mi total!
The gate we saw (there are 3) is called the Bab el-Khemis (Thursday Gate) pic above, called so because of the Thursday market that drew people to the medina. A lovely gate, with same aeration holes all throughout where swallows and chickadees have made their homes. Lucky birds!
We then drove to see the stables and graineries of Moulay Ismail. Moulay Ismail was a great sultan, who ruled for 55 years (1672-1727)... to put that in perspective, he was a contemporary of French King Louis XIV (14th). We couldn't go inside the structure, but was told that Moulay Ismail stabled 12,000 horses! My kind of guy! :-)
The Mausoleum of the Moulay Ismail was next (above). A beautiful structure, containing 3 rooms with wonderful zellij (geometric tilework), fountains and carved cedar wood ceilings. Although we could go inside, we weren't able to go into the actual room where the tombs are located.
We walked through the medina, which I loved. I love markets. Here is a shot of a man stoking the hammam fires by throwing sawdust in the fire...
We took a group photo in front of one the medina gates, and one of our guides was taking our pic with my camera, when a little old lady comes toddling by slowly in between him and us... we wait for her to cross, but she stops in front of Youness and tells him in Arabic "take my picture!" So he did... funny because she was very adamant and didn't ask for money!
The Fulbright GPA Morocco gang!
L to R front row: Maceo, Jen, Manny, Jenny, Angela, Azeb. L to R back row: Beate, David, Sherry, Laura, Sylvia, our Meknes guide Abdellah, Casey, Carol, Julani, Shondale.
A small request: PLEASE ask me questions via the blog comments... Admittedly, they are keeping us very busy, so sometimes when I get time to blog, I am soooo brain dead, I have no idea what to write here... Odd, no? So I need your feedback as to what you want to read about!! Hopefully it will be easier to post pictures in the near future...
Next post: Volubilis
Just read them all Angela. I love it! The places and the culture look amazing. Keep up the great work. I have passed this onto Dennis. He will love reading about your travels.
ReplyDeleteLove You
Peter
Looks great sweetie! Hope all is well. Beautiful pictures so far. Love you, Mom
ReplyDeleteTell us about the crafts and the architecture. I see the roof of the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail appears to be green tile. Is it really copper that has turned green or in fact green-glazed tile? If the latter, are there mineral deposits nearby that would make such a glaze so commonly available?
ReplyDeleteI guess the same question goes for the blue glaze so typical of Morrocan ceramics--are there cobalt deposits in Morocco so that the blue is ubiquitous?
Bonne chance et bon voyage. C'est un temps parfait apprender le francais, n'est-ce pas? Avec amour de Texas, Ceil.
Well, I am trying to learn how to send a comment to you. Pictures are wonderful! Think of you everyday. Love, Mom
ReplyDeleteLove this place! How beautiful and OLD. Keep safe, Love you, Mom
ReplyDeleteGreat photographs. Keep the photos coming! Love the little lady-- seems hams are born in every culture!
ReplyDeleteAny "live" horse sightings so far? What about other livestock? Do the locals there in the city treasure pets (like cats and dogs)the way we do?
Finally able to moderate your comments and post them! I have to moderate your posts, so don't freak if it tells you that your comment won't be posted until I moderate it (I don't want random people commenting).
ReplyDeleteTo answer questions:
Ceil - the green roofs of mosques in Meknes are green glaze, not sure about mineral deposits, but will look into it. Learning more about the arts & Architecure, but haven't had time to get a good post going on it yet... Merci! And I should also say Shokran (thanks in Arabic!).
Carrie - yes, plenty of live horse and donkey sightings so far! Some in good shape, others not so much. I will do a post on them soon. I have alot to catch up on when I get back to the university! Not many stray dogs, but PLENTY of cats. :-) It has been quite heartening to see that many people do take care of them (even the strays), leaving out water and leftover food. But it should be noted that Mohammed states in the Quran that one must take care of animals... I'll post more about it all later!