Mousharabia: The window to the world outside.

Mousharabia is the Arabic word for the screens that adorn middle and upper class houses and other historic buildings in the old medina.  They refer mostly to the intricately carved screens that women sit behind in order to see what is going on below them without actually being seen.  This architectural innovation comes from the Arab customs of gender segregation and the custom that women should not be seen unveiled by men outside their immediate family.  Even then, they were required to express some modesty, covering their hair and most of their bodies.  (This was especially common for upper class women.)  

Although today women are more integrated into society, they are still expected to exercise modesty, piety, humility and correct sexual behavior- which requires them to stay out of spaces reserved for men in order to maintain their family's reputation.  Many women opt for more conservative dress because they wish to ward off unwanted male attention, others choose to because they want to show their modesty, which holds significant value in Morocco when it comes to a woman's role in society.  

Mousharabia are not widely used today to conceal women from the outside world, thus relegating to them to private spaces.  Instead, they are artistic and architectural masterpieces of a time where women were forbidden from having active participation in public spaces.  While they are beautiful in their individual designs, they serve as important reminders of the position of women in the classical Arab world.  Here are some photos that depict some beautiful Mousharabia that I have had the opportunity to photograph during my stay here.

The Gnaoua

We have been at the University all day today, so nothing new to report.  But, we did have the standard three hour Arabic class this morning.  Then, we had three hours of lectures afterward.  

Since I have nothing exciting about today in particular, I decided to elaborate on some things that I have already posted, and some new information that I came across today.

In the last two posts, there are reference to North African Musicians.  In fact, there is a video too.  In Morocco, they are members of a group referred to as the Gnawa (or Gnaoua in French).  The reason the French/English spelling is always different is that these words are obviously Arabic words, and there is no specific way of writing the transliteration because there are letters and sounds that are specific to the Arabic language.  Each language then, takes its own alphabet and phonetics to spell the words trans-literally.  

So, the Gnaoua are the very dark-skinned people that you see in the pictures and videos below.  As I have mentioned before, the racial and ethnic population of Morocco is so diverse that there is no one way to tell who is Moroccan and who is not.  The Gnaouans are no exception.  Their name comes from the Tamazigh word for "black" which is Agnaw.  They call themselves Sudanese, which also refers to black, or dark-skinned people as well, rather than the country that we now know as Sudan.  Their origins in Morocco are from the Trans-Saharan slave trade, instituted by the great king, Moulay Ismail, who ruled from 1680-1728.

Moulay Ismail's rule coincided with the height of Absolute Monarchy in Europe (and Africa), and Moulay Ismail imported some tactics of ruling his empire from the practices of the Ottoman Empire.  One of these tactics was the use of Janissaries.  In the Ottoman empire, these were young Christian boys who were kidnapped and brought to court to be educated in either civil administration or military science.  The idea was that these children would have no emotional ties to their homelands and serve as ideal civil administrators or in the standing armies of the powerful empires of the time.

Moulay Ismail empoyed the same tactics in Morocco, but with a shortage of Christian boys, he turned to kidnapping Muslim Moroccan boys from the Saharan Oases.  He typically chose boys with dark skin until he experienced opposition from Moroccans, at which point he turned to lands south of Morocco.  These countries included Senegal and Mali, where very dark skinned children were brought to be educated in Morocco.  Most were Sufis who practiced the form of Islamic mysticism that is very popular in  areas in Western Africa.  

In the late 1600's and early 1700's, they were part of Moulay Ismail's standing army. Today, their children are known for their musical tradition and link to the spirit world that is associated with Sufism.  Their role in Moroccan society today is twofold.  One is that they are musicians who play the Sufi music that they brought with them from Mali and Senegal.  The second is their role as Ma'lem, or spirit doctors who diagnose conditions where spirits or djinn have possessed people (mostly women), and perform exorcisms.  

The exorcism ceremony is interesting because it includes the use of the musical performances that have become popular displays for tourists.  After a woman has been diagnosed by the Ma'lem, the musicians will arrange a time for the ceremony and the woman will invite her close female friends and relatives to her home.  No men are present during the ceremony, except the musicians and the Ma'lem.  The Ma'lem tell the woman what color she can and cannot wear because the spirits are color-sensitive.  Music is played and the woman goes into a trance at which point the spirit is invited to leave.  

There are entire studies on Sufism that I am excited to delve into after my research on gender roles is complete.  But, these are just some interesting details that were really helpful in understanding these people, their music and their ancestry.  Now, perhaps, if you go back and look at the video, it will have a new meaning for you, as it did to me.  

National Geographic

The day after our camping experience, we had breakfast then hopped into SUV’s that were going to take us to the desert.  Here I was thinking that we were in the desert the whole time, and what could possibly get more desert-y than where we were.  I had no idea what to expect. 

So, we head off into the desert, and after a few seconds traveling at 80 km/hr, the hotel is out of sight and so are all other signs of civilization.  It was like something you’d see on national geographic.  The first place we stopped was a rock quarry in the middle of the desert.  The rocks were mainly black granite (or maybe marble), but I’m no geologist.  The coolest thing about this place was that I took three steps and looked down and found myself standing on a huge sheet of rock with a hundred little nautilus shells embedded in it.  All around me there were fossils of squids, shells, other animals that I don’t even know how to identify or even describe.  It was so cool and we were in the middle of nowhere with no one around, so we were able to take small pieces of rock with fossils in them if we found them.  It was mind-blowing to find prehistoric sea creatures in the middle of the desert, though. 

After spending some time at the “archaeological site” which was not well maintained at all and thousands of fossils were being desecrated and carried off by people, we got back into the air-conditioned Land Cruisers and continued through the barren landscape. 

As we passed through the desert along the Algerian border, the occasional home would come out of the distance, every time we passed a house, the children would come running outside.  We would stop and give them pens and notebooks (although they would have rather had money… such teachers). 

We ended up in a little village where the musicians from the night before live.  We were greeted by them and welcomed in for a performance and tea.  One of the men had a little boy who was an apprentice musician and was very cute.  He was probably five and he and I hung out and ate peanuts and drank tea. Look at his pose in this picture with me below.  Tough guy.

Finally, after three phone calls by the secret police asking us where we were and why we hadn’t checked into our hotel yet (I’m not even kidding), we arrived at the next hotel. 

Sidenote… Barbie’s evil wrath can even be seen here in Morocco where similar dolls are made and manufactured just like Barbie is in the US and Europe.  Only, in Morocco, her name is Fulla.  Fulla is 100% Barbie in every way, and I am even the proud owner of some Fulla coloring books. 

I’m mentioning this here because Jenny and I decided that the hotel was Fulla’s palace.  The pool was glorious and we spent most of the day lounging and swimming and having a good time.  That is, until the sand storm had us running for our rooms in the early evening.  It was hot that night, and we left really early because we had an eight hour bus ride, which turned into ten, and the AC broke on the bus, so I am so looking forward to getting in bed in my cool mountain resort.  I have never been so happy to be in this sterile dorm room.  Two days of class then off to Fez for the weekend!  I’m sooooo excited!  Bon Nuit!

North African Musicians

Sahara Sunset

Tuesday, we got off to a very early start because we had five hours to drive in the hot, hot sun.  I was so not looking forward to the drive, but I was excited about our agenda for the day.  After 8 hours, we arrived in Merzouga, located in Southeastern Morocco near the Algerian border. Although it used to be more lush and green thousands of years ago, desertification is causing the Sahara desert to overtake Eastern Morocco. 

Here’s an interesting tidbit… Millions of years ago, Morocco used to be covered in water.  The country was covered entirely by the body of water we now know as the Mediterranean Sea.  So, driving through the desert, you see people who have set up little stands selling fossils, shark teeth and other ancient ocean fossils that are scattered all through the desert.  It’s strange to think about when you’re driving through hot, dry, arid mountains and deserts that vast oceans once covered them.

Ok, so back to the adventure.  We arrived at a small commune about 10 kilometers off the road.  When we walked in, a group of African folk musicians played some awesome music for us while we all drank tea.  They took us out to our “rooms” which were wool nomad tents that were surrounded by sand and had a wool blanket hanging in front as the “door.”  It was awesome.   

The man told us to hurry and put our bags away because they were preparing our camels.  I did a total double take… What?  We walked out to the front of the campsite and there were fifteen camels ready and rearing to go, but I had no idea where and for how long.  We ended up taking a two-hour camel ride up to the top of the sand dunes to watch the sunset.  It was amazing.  Camels aren’t the smoothest way to travel, but it was a great experience nonetheless.  My camel was sweet and kept nuzzling me when we stopped because I was scratching her behind her ears and she loved it. 

By the time we got back to the compound it was dark.  The music started again and we got ready for dinner.

We ate dinner in a huge tent, and then went outside for a bonfire with music and dancing. We had to shower in outdoor showers with little baby froggies cruising around which required so much constraint on my part because I hate anything that jumps.  When we got back to our tent at one in the morning it was so hot that we ended up swinging open the whole front of our tent and sleeping with it wide open.  It was a full moon over the desert and it was unbelievable.  Surprisingly, I slept like an absolute baby until we had to leave in the morning, when I woke up sandy. It was a great experience and one that I wouldn’t have traded for anything.  By far my most memorable experience yet.

Princess for a Day.... just long enough.

So, today when I was stuck at the hotel all day, I guess I was the only one at the hotel.  When you come to the Dades Valley, people usually come to see the Gorges and the Oasis.  They don't come to hang out by the pool all day.  So, after being here for an hour, the maids knocked on my door to ask if I was ok.  I said I was fine, that my back was just hurting.  An hour later, the manager came to the door to tell me that they needed to clean my room, I grumbled, but he said "please go to the pool."  

Good idea ;)

They had made a bed for me in one of the little Cabanas by the pool, so I lounged and basked in the hot, hot sun.  It was perfect.  Then they made me lunch and asked what I wanted... "Anything, as you wish."

I felt like a princess.  Great day!

Watched the sunset over the valley from the bar.  It was really a beautiful, relaxing day.  Back still hurts, but we're getting on the bus to go to the desert.  Awesome ;) 

Camel Rides and Camping under the stars.  I can't wait.

Laid Up at the Kasbah!

So, anyone that knows me well enough knows that my back has a tendency to render me completely useless from time to time. Right now is one of those times. Fortunately, we’re staying in one of the nicest hotels that we’ve stayed in so far and I’m not going to mind being laid up all day here, but it is really less than ideal. But, fortunately, it is going to allow me to spend some time catching up on the past week and working on my project which I really haven’t had very much time to do at all since we’ve been here. 
I caught up on my blogs too, so there will be about ten more after today... Yaaay!

Here is the view from our room.

Can't complain that much!

Kasbahs and Camels

            I had my most fulfilling day yet in Morocco yesterday.  We woke up early and we went to the old Kasbah in Ozzruarte.  It was really beautiful, but it was also sad to see how degraded the historic site was.  This is true with so many monuments in Morocco, they are not well preserved or restored, and in a few generations they will be destroyed.  I’m glad that we are getting to see these things now because, odds are, that it is just a matter of time until they are entirely gone.  

            We were able to tour around in the Kasbah, then the surrounding village that has been there for hundreds of years.  The architecture here in the desert is really beautiful because everything is that desert red terra cotta color that is contrasted by bright Moroccan blue shutters and doors.  The color of the buildings is the same color as the earth, so sometimes you don’t notice them until you are fairly close when you are traveling on the road. 

            We were able to visit a Qu’ranic school for boys in the city, and one of the boys was sweet enough to let me take his picture.  They live at the school from a very early age.  The school is state-sponsored because many of the students will go on to be lawyers or Imams.  They boys study using slate boards and indigo chalk.  It is an archaic way to study, but when you think about the age of the texts in the Qu’ran that they are studying, it seems a little more appropriate, and nonetheless unique.

            We went from the Qu’ranic school to a women’s cooperative.  Women in the countryside of Morocco are stigmatized by the fact that they are feminine, although their female counterparts in the cities are enjoying more freedom due to the Personal Status Codes.  Because work is not formalized in rural areas, women are not as directly effected by these new pieces of legislation and their gender is often a great obstacle to overcoming poverty.  Different NGO’s have sprouted up in the form of Women’s Co-ops to help women sell their traditional handicrafts for fair prices.  It must be said that I really doubt that these organizations are non-profit, but they do have a fairly legitimate system in place that makes me think that the women who work for the Co-op probably get more reasonable prices than elsewhere. 

            I have been thinking about what I want to bring home from Morocco as a memory from this trip.  The problem was solved when they started bringing out beautiful Camel and Silk carpets in Saffron, Poppy, and Indigo.  I couldn’t resist.  Now, it must be said that the ongoing jokes about this whole trip have been pretty consistent.  One, that I can’t for the life of me barter for anything, so I never buy anything.  Two, that I’m the youngest and the most baby-ed by everyone.  When I returned after having been gone for half an hour with exactly what I wanted for exactly what I wanted to pay for it, I was so proud of myself.  I got this beautiful rug that is saffron with white and indigo embroidery… c’est parfait!

            We left when everyone was getting antsy after waiting for an hour or so for a few of us to finish our transactions, and I was so excited about my new prize.  I guess it’s true what they say about retail therapy.  

            After Shopping, we went off to the next Kasbah.  This one is the one where the filmed Lawrence of Arabia and the North Africa Scene in Gladiator.  It is very well kept up because of the movie industry.  Again, the red mudbrick is the weapon of choice when building in this region. 

            We hiked down the valley, across a little river up to the top of the hill of the Kasbah overlooking the valley.  It was really beautiful and it felt really good to be active for once this trip!  After the walk, thank God it was overcast, we stopped and rested in the river for a while which was really, really nice. 

            After we regrouped we got back on the bus and continued through a series of villages leading to the Dandes Valley, which is where we are staying today.  This hotel is truly amazing!  I squealed when I found out they were going to let us stay another night.  All my friends are emailing me from home… I am going to have to make the best of it here, even though I soooooo want to be there.  This nice hotel is going to make that a little easier.  ;)

Road to the High Atlas of Morocco

            Unfortunately, we were only in Essaouira for the afternoon and had to depart the next morning.  We were on the bus for five hours and all of a sudden our driver pulled over and jumped out.  Radiator hose broke, which was a huge bummer because it rendered us incapable of moving in the 100 degree afternoon heat for two hours until it got fixed.  Bummer.  I felt really bad for our poor driver, though.  He worked so hard and it was sooo hot!  Poor guy.  We arrived at our hotel way later than we planned on and only had time for dinner.  I was so glad, and slept so well after that day, but my back was killing me from the long bus ride. 

Here is the view from the top of the ridge.  Pretty Breathtaking.

 

Essaouira

I was really excited about this trip, despite the all-day bus rides which have been killing my back.  After thinking about all the places that I have been and traveled to, even when I was working in New York and Massachusets, I realized that I have never once laid eyes on the Atlantic Ocean.  We arrived in Essaouira a little after three, had a great lunch on the beach in the sun, played at the beach a little while and checked into the hotel.  Angela and I wanted to watch the sunset (which you can only do on this coast of the Atlantic) so we went back to the beach, had a bottle of wine and some fried Calamari and enjoyed my first Atlantic (and Moroccan) sunset.  

Baby Obama

30 June 2009

Tuesday I really just wanted to lounge by the pool all day.  But, Angela (my roommate) is a horse and animal lover, so she researched an agency that works as an animal shelter in Marrakesh.  Spana is a British-operated organization that has three major goals: 1.To care for animals that are sick and injured if their families cannot pay for it, 2. To serve as an adoption agency for the various animals that it treats, and 3. To educate both school children and animal owners that if they take better care of their animals, the animals will yield more money for them in the long run.  Angela and I fondly refer to Spana as “the donkey hospital” and I'm glad they have one here because there are more donkeys in this country than I have ever seen.  Largely, they are used and visualized as a beast of burden, carrying heavy loads and carts that people cannot carry themselves.  Donkeys are the minivans of Morocco, and a family will use their donkey for the same things that we in the United States use our family vehicles for. 

So, after waiting an hour for the tour guide who overslept and forgot that we were going, we headed off to the donkey hospital.  As we pulled up, a man was whipping his mule from the cart that it was towing behind it, and the animal’s bit was tight against the corners of its mouth.  The animal was unusually thin; its tongue was hanging out to the side, and its eyes looked as if the animal was in distress.  Unfortunately, this is commonplace for Moroccan animals.  Being a developing country, and largely third world, Morocco does not take care of its four-legged citizens as well as we do in the United States.  Basic survival needs are a priority rather than the health of the family’s pets.  I am often appalled at the way some of these animals look, but one thing that I learned from being in Cambodia, which is being reinforced here in Morocco, is that it is not fair to use my Western framework to conceptualize things in other countries.  I am constantly reminding myself to remember that things are just different here.

 Unfortunately, that man was not bringing his animal into Spana for treatment.  My naïveté led me to hope that the man would eventually take his animal there, because he was working in such close proximity to it, and it is a free service for families who cannot afford it.  For families that depend on their animals for their businesses and income, spending the day at the animal hospital is not always an option. 

We walked into Spana and there were three animals (a donkey and two mules) whose owners had brought them in for treatment.  The director and veterinarian, Boubker first guided us through the dog and cat shelter then into the museum that they built for the children’s educational program.  The donkeys bayed in the background and the horses were stirring in their stalls, and Angela commented, “I wonder what God was thinking when he gave donkeys their voices.”  Amen to that.  They were loud!  And if you think about it, their noise is awful.

We walked around to the donkeys and mules and visited various animals that were injured (mostly donkeys suffering from bites from other donkeys).  We met one who was the “Spana mascot” and she was so sweet and fat.  She had come there as an orphan.  She was a good girl and I called her over and she gummed my hand and my camera.  All the while, there is an obnoxious one vocalizing in the background.  Come to find out, there was a very good reason for all the racket.  When you’re a tiny baby and you’re being involuntarily weaned off of milk mixed with honey, you’re probably going to feel a little anxious and need to talk about it.  Obama was sitting expectantly in his stall waiting for snacks and attention and I melted immediately.  Boubker let him out of his pen and he jumped and kicked and skipped around.  He was literally the cutest thing I have ever seen. 

We played with him for at least half an hour and he followed us around like a puppy would.  When we weren’t paying attention to him he would nibble on a pocket or nuzzle you with his head.  Ohhhhhh!  He was just so cute!

After visiting Obama, we went back to the hotel and I laid by the pool for the rest of the afternoon.  Ahhhhhh!!!  It was soooo nice, and a good end to a great day.