"The Dog Market"
An open air market in Sále which sells everything-from fish to high fashion. Most of it was counterfeit. There is also a "Wolf Market" but we didn't get there.
Sale, Morocco
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Bab Chellah
A gate in the Andalucian wall
Rabat, Morocco
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Bab Bou Haja
One of the main gates into Sále
Sále, Morocco
Salé - سلا - (from the Berber word asla, meaning "rock") was founded in the 11th century, and in about 1630 it became a haven for Moriscos-turned-Barbary pirates. (Moricsos are former Muslim residents of Spain who were forced to flee. The city dates back till at least Carthaginian times and was called Sala Colonia when it was part of the Roman province of Mauritania Tingitane. Pliny the Elder mentions it (as a desert town infested with elephants. In Roman times, elephants and lions populated all of North Africa. There was even a European lion. However, the need for wild animals to slaughter at the gladiator games drove the North African elephant and the European lion to extinction. The Barbary lion never recovered from the Romans. The sultans continued to use lions, donating one to the United Sates early in the 1839 and the last reported Moroccan dissident was fed to a lion in 1914. He was given the option of a reprieve, but he told the Sultan "It is better to be eaten by lions than bitten by dogs" and he was granted his wish.) The Vandals captured the city in the fifth century A.D, and left behind a number of blue eyed, blond haired Berbers. When the Arabs arrived, they retained the old name and and believed it derived from "Sala" (sic., his name is actually Salah), son of Ham, son of Noah; they said that Salé was the first city ever built by the Berbers. |
The Slave Market
North of the Bab el Mellah.
This is where christian captives were auctioned off during the height of the piracy of Sále. Today, it is largely a carpet and textile suq. Covered suqs are called kissaria.
Rabat, Morocco
Salé pirates roamed the seas as far as the shores of the Americas, Ireland, Wales, Iceland and Newfoundland, bringing back loot and slaves. However, they really concentrated on Spanish ships returning from the New World. Queen Elizabeth I licensed a number of pirates as "privateers" in her war against Spain. Their piracy, heavily taxed, helped fund Moulay Ismail's building. The character Robinson Crusoe, in Daniel Defoe's novel by the same name, spends time in captivity of the local pirates and at last sails off to liberty from the mouth of the Salé river. The coin has flipped however. The city now is a poor resdential suburb of Rabat - polluted and poorly planned. The "rag trade" has moved in - the clothing industry. It is estimated that 2/3rds of all employeed women are involved in sewing clothing for western manufactures. There is a huge Fruit of the Loom factory on the outskirts of Salé, where they hire women for just two hours to sew underwear for 10Dh, under the minimum wage which is 6.60Dh per hour. |
Mustafpha and a clothing dealer in Rabat.
I purchased a Djellaba, a fez and a woman's Djellaba from him-about 630Dh or about $78.00.
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Ablutions Fountain, The Grand Mosque
The Grand Mosque of Rabat was built by the Merenids in the fourteenth century.
Again, no non-musliums may enter.
Rabat, Morocco
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Rim with Racing Pigeons
Sále, Morocco
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Marjane
A supermarket-kind of like a Wal-Mart in the Islamic world-they even sold liquor which I was amazed by. They were celebrating their 10th year in business.
Rabat, Morocco
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A Moroccan Folktale
A Moslem, a Jew and a Christian are all sitting around a cafe discussing heaven. Each one felt it was a difficult place to get into, but each had a better chance than the others. So off to the gates of heaven they go to test their theory.
The christian strolls up to the gates, and Lord Solomon, who guards it says "where are you going?"
"Inside"
"Who are you"
"I am John."
"Stand Back," says the Lord Solomon.
The Jew and the Moslem then contemplate the failure of the christian to get in. The moslem says "OK
OK, he didn't get in but we will."
The Jew says "I will go first" He walks up to the door and the Lord Solomon says "Who are you?"
Yaqoub, says the Jew.
"Stand back" orders Lord Solomon.
The Moslem sees this and says to himself, Neither of them got in but surely I will. He walks up to the gate of heaven and pulls his djellaba down over his face. Lord Solomon stops him and says "Where are you going?"
"Inside" replies the Muslim.
"Who are you?"
"The Prophet Mohammed" and he went in. The Jew sees this, picks up a bag filled with sticks and slings it over his shoulder. He walks up to the gate and Lord Solomon stops him and says "Where are you going?"
"Inside."
"Who are you?" asked the Lord Solomon.
"Mohammed's manservant." and walks inside.
The Christian had been watching all of this. He was afraid to try to get in by lying and so he went back to his own country and told everyone heaven didn't exist.
"Cowardice"
by Abdeslam Boulaich
told to Paul Bowles
from Three Hekayas.
1961
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Abdoulkader and I dressed in djellaba's-the traditional hooded gown worn by both men and women. Check out my yellow babouches-hand made leather slippers.
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Farewell Party
Abdelmalek Assaadi Lycee
Kenitra, Morocco
November 10, 2007
The school in association with the Parents club held a very nice going away party for me. There was orange juice, Moroccan pastries and tea. Speeches, toasts and jokes were shared. |
(L to R.) Fatiha Elghazi Jarniti (French Teacher), Khadijia Benaabid (English Teacher), Driss Semlani (English Teacher), Abdelrrachmane Chikri (Math Teacher), Abdel Ali Ehkasri (French Teacher), Mustapha Lionboui (English Teacher and my host), me, Abdelmajid Saligane (geography and History teacher) Mustapha Marouch(principal) Mohammed Chadli (French Teacher).
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Khadijia Benaabid (English Teacher) , Driss Semlani (English Teacher) , me, Mustapha Marouch (Principal of Abdelmalek Assaadi Lycee), and Mohammed Chadli (French Teacher). Alazami Hassani, the Director of Studies, gave a very nice speech about how this echange is about building bridges between both the United States and Morocco and a bridge between Webster Groves High School and Abdelmalek Assaadi Lycee. Khadija Benaabid presented me with a hand made Bab (gate or doorway in Arabic) and spoke about how we could be a gateway between cultures. The Bab is brass, wood and bone with a mirror set in the doorway.
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The principals office had some very neat photos of the high school back to its early history. This is a picture of the faculty and staff of Abdelmalek Assaadi Lycee faculty, 1958. This is the first year after independence. Driss and I figured one teacher and the "Gate Guy" were Moroccan nationals, everyone else was French.
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A French class at Abdelmalek Assaadi Lycee, circa 1958.
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A women's Physical education class at Abdelmalek Assaadi Lycee: March 22, 1958. You can tell all the students are French because of the short shorts all the girls are wearing.
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The woman in the black, Aicha Benzekri, is a Philosophy teacher. She ran in the most recent election as a leftist (USFP) but lost. She asked me at the party "Why haven't the American people forced a government change towards the Arab people?" I didn't hear it-I really didn't want to have another debate over US policy in the Islamic world.
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Mr. Aassou trained to be an Imam, meaning he has memorized all 6600 verses of the Koran. He lives on campus, in part of the old boarding school, with his family. He is the night watchman, gofer, and "tea guy." There is an afternoon tea break for teachers and he makes coffee and tea. He had just returned from a funeral, and is dressed in a djellaba.
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Rachid is the "gate lady." She opens the gate in the morning and closes it after classes start. If you are late to school, you can't get onto campus without her consent.
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All the students have asked me what I was going to miss, and I replied "The cows in the morning." You can see the mist has come in from the Atlantic ocean. Mustapha calls this "growing cows on the cheap" in other words, just allowing them to wander, feed off trash, and then sold when their big and fat.
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Rim and I playing in the Atlanic Ocean.
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A message to my students back at Webster.....
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