Of the three buses provided by Princess, we felt fortunate to have Niema, the only woman, as our tour guide. Passengers on the other two buses thought the male tour guides were very arrogant. Niema had a great sense of humor as demonstrated in her introducing yourself and the tour in Arabic. When she saw our puzzled faces, she asked, "What? You don't speak Arabic?" To much laughter, she announced that lunch that day would be at McDonald's, the American Embassy. She and her 11- and 14-year-old daughters like McDonald's for both the food and the clean restrooms. McDonald's chose Casablanca as the site for its first restaurant built in an Arab country. Someday that McDonald's may become a national monument. During the day, she kept mentioning how far women had come in Morocco and how things had changed. Perhaps as Shakespeare so aptly stated, "The lady doest protest too much."
Morocco is considered by many experts to be part of the Middle East with its dominant religion being Islam. Niema reminded us of the five pillars of Islam (one god, prayer, observation of Ramadan, alms for the poor and pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime) and pointed out that all minarets in Morocco are square with one of the four corners facing Mecca and five or three balls--five for the pillars of Islam and three for the major religions of Islam, Judaism and Christianity because Morocco is a country of tolerance.
From 1912 to 1956, Morocco was a French protectorate and benefited from greatly expanded education, communication and public welfare. When Germany defeated France in 1940, Morocco was officially neutral but under strong German influence. This unusual diplomatic limbo provided the setting for the movie Casablanca with Bogie and Bacall based on the genuine espionage and intrigue in the city. When the French withdrew from Morocco, they restored full control to the monarchy. While the official language is Arabic, all school children learn French with the choice of a second language of English, German, Italian or Spanish.
Casablanca, the heart of Morocco, received its name from the countrymen who decided to occupy the city after it had been destroyed by Ferdinand of Portual in 1465. All that was left of the original city called Anfa was a small white house, thus the name Casablanca. Today, the city is quite modern but we were able to get a taste of the authentic Morocco at the old Medina, or market district. In the olive souk, the tubs of black, green and purple olives, which had soaked in water with lemon and salt for two to three weeks that was changed every week and were now ready to consume, gave us a sudden craving for that fruit early in the morning.
Niema pointed out a door knocker on one of the houses in the market district in the shape of the Hand of Fatima that brings luck to the owner or wearer. She pointed to her blue, yellow and green hand-shaped charm on her necklace, made of silver because silver is cheaper than gold and is a fashionable reminder of the Berber tribes, the original residents of Morocco. She also informed us that the men like to wear blue because it does not get as dirty as white and blue powder on the body acts as a sunblock and mosquito repellent. She pointed out the small windows of the houses, which are typical of Morocco because the jealous husbands did not want their wives to be seen from the streets. Niema commented that now the husbands carry a white flag asking only for peace and love, another sign of the liberation of Moroccan women.
In addition to the movie, the other two things that have made Casablanca famous all over the world are the Kasbah, an Arabic word for a fort that the city does not have, and the Hassan II Mosque, built by the current King to either inform tourists about the Islamic religion or to mollify the city's residents after selecting Rabat as his capital, or both. A mixture of modern and traditional architecture, the mosque, with two-thirds of the nine hectors of 2.5 acres each built over the water, was constructed in six years by three shifts of 5,000 workers working around the clock.
Before we entered, we put our shoes in plastic bags to help to keep the carpets clean. The beautiful handwoven carpets on the floors were made from natural colors of red from henna, blue from indigo, yellow from saffron and black from coal. The ornate metal ceiling was the equivalent of two sliding doors that could be opened. Through the glass windows, we could admire the Atlantic Ocean. The columns were made of granite and the floors of marble, 95 percent of which was imported from Italy. The Murano glass chandeliers were from Venice.
The mosque is only open for prayers. While 10,000 people can pray on the outdoor esplanade, 25,000 can pray inside. Every Friday, the practicing Muslims have time off from work between noon and two for prayer. Muslims pray five times a day at sunrise, mid-morning, noon, 3 p.m. and sunset. While prayers at home may last only two to five minutes, those at the mosque are much longer. Muslim kneel and put their foreheads on the floor to feel closer to Allah and ask him for the best things, like health and prosperity. People with bad knees can pray while sitting in a chair.
Muslims use the conveniences, or restrooms, to wash before prayers. Niema demonstrated the process, which she said sounded complicated but can be completed in a minute or two if one does it every day. Muslims do not have to wash five times a day if they had not broken absolution, which meant they had not used the toilet. After menstruation, a woman has to wait four to five days before praying and after giving birth, she cannot pray for 40 days in a mosque. Niema also explained in great detail the rituals that a bride in Morocco undertakes the night before her wedding that include relaxing massages, beautiful makeup and ornate henna tattoos.
After leaving the mosque, we stopped at the food market so that we could see the fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish and lobsters. Alexi, probably the world's most traveled 6-year-old, delighted in touching the lobsters. Outside the market was a stall selling T-shirts for Rick's Cafe. Lunch included green tea that was boiled for two minutes before mint was added. After steeping for five minutes, the tea was poured back and forth between two glass pots to mix the ingredients. Sugar was optional. Niema warned us not to drink the tea in the morning before eating or we might suffer the consequences of gas.
On the drive between Casablanca and Rabat, we noted the rich agricultural district and the magnificent coast line with its beautiful beaches. Morocco suffered a drought between 1990 and 1996 with no rain at all so that people could not irrigate the land. Many of them emigrated to Europe or moved to the big cities. The Green Belt was the late king's idea to preserve the natural green lands.
Rabat is a walled city. The holes in the wall keep the wall from cracking during extremely hot weather. Across from the Royal Palace is the House of Fez, a mosque with a large esplanade for prayers. In the cemetery, the dead on buried with their right side facing Mecca. The good-looking guards at the palace wore handsome red uniforms with ivory caps while the military wore gray uniforms with green hats and the police sported gray uniforms with red hats. Greeters donned yellow slippers known as banana slippers. The king lives in Salee while his mother lives at the Royal Palace. The two blue fountains at the palace, which was built in the 18th century, were only filled when the king was visiting.
Our next stop was the Mausoleum of King Mohammed V with its design influenced by Napoleon's tomb at L'Invalides. When the king died in 1961, he was first buried at the Royal Palace while the mausoleum was completed. When the mausoleum was finished in 1971, his body was moved there. Now the men of the royal family are buried there while the women are buried at the palace. The gorgeous resting place rivals the Taj Mahal for its beauty. Niema told us to be sure to admire the ceiling with its stained glass and metal inlays. From a green marble railing with a metal front and a tile back, we looked down on the tombs of King Mohammed V, his younger son who died at age 43 from cancer and another male royal. On the mosque beside the mausoleum was an unfinished minaret. The king wanted it to be 77 meters high. When he died, it was only 45 meters. No one wanted to finish it because it was a tribute to the king the way it was. Seems like a good excuse not to spend any more money. The water sellers outside the mosque, who wore red hats and Mexican garb,did not really sell water any more but rather asked the visitors for $1 to take their photographs.
We then visited the Kasbah of the the Oudaias, a maze of narrow lanes and souks. The sky started to turn gray and threatened rain but the white buildings looked magnificent against the dark gray background. In the courtyard was a fountain where families and lovers enjoy coming to on the weekend to get away from the busy work week. At an area where we could purchase even more delicious green tea than what was served at the restaurant during lunch, Sara was befriended by a cat who curled up in her lap, making her even more homesick for our cat, Foxy. The rain that had been threatening all day turned into a downpour so Niema hurried us to our bus.
On the ride back to the ship, we passed a school for surfing with boogie boards. Sara wondered if the school in the white villa needed an instructor because she knew many former students who would have been on the Dean's List there. Niema told us more about the 48-year-old king who was really the King of the Poor People. He was the first king to introduce his wife, a commoner who is now 32-years-old, to the Moroccan people. While women suffered in the past after a divorce because they received nothing, the king has ensured that husbands now share their property with their wives. Also in the past, single mothers were rejected by some people. Now Princess Selma helps single mothers. Women are not obligated to cover their heads but many still do so out of respect. All of these are signs that things have changed for women in Morocco. Because Niema had endeared herself to us as a gracious and knowledgeable tour guide, we all hoped so for the sake of her and her daughters.
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