Gobbling up one "eid" and sheepishly celebrating another: Thanksgiving and Eid al-Kabeer in Morocco

As chance would have it, the Gregorian solar calendar and Islamic lunar calendar aligned in such a way this year that within two days of the great American turkey slaughter, millions of Arabic-bleating sheep met a similar fate across the Islamic world. That’s right: it was a holiday double-header this past weekend for us Americans in Morocco.

Kareema and Kamilia go jellaba shopping

Many, many people in Morocco dress in Western-style clothing, but there are also a good number – especially in Fes – who opt for a more traditional wardrobe, the centerpiece of which is the jellaba. The best way I can describe the jellaba is as a sort of elven cloak: full-length, pull-over, hooded. It comes in all different patterns and materials, from leopard print to the “Moroccan cashmere” a shop owner touted to Sam the other day when we were out shopping (and which I might edit as “glorified felt”).

Independence-ing in Moulay Idriss and Volubilis

Wednesday, November 18, was Independence Day, established in acknowledgment of the liberation of Morocco from the French and Spanish protectorates in 1956. We had the day off from school, but the truth is that most Moroccans let the holiday pass without much more than a tip of the hat in its direction. As my friend Mustapha put it, independence was a big deal when it first happened, but over the years, celebrations have become more and more subdued, dying away to essentially nothing in recent years. That being said, a day off from school is a day off from school, so Rod and I decided to use it as an opportunity to visit the small town of Moulay Idriss and the Roman ruins of Volubilis, both accessible from Meknes, a city forty minutes east of Fes.

Under Moroccan Ground

We've established that Morocco has some pretty great mountains, but who knew that it is also home to the largest cave system in North Africa? Called the Gouffre du Friouato (the "Abyss" of Friouato... who or what Friouato is I don't know), this natural wonder can be found thirty-five kilometers outside of the small city of Taza, two hours northeast of Fes.

Oct-over? Already?

After a week or so of settling into the new apartment, it feels like Cath and I were here hardly at all during the last two.

Our extra-Fes excursions have been three-fold: to the nearby town of Azrou, to the Sahara Desert and to the small cities of Tetouan and Chefchaouen up north. Although the latter was an independent trip undertaken by just Cath and myself, the first two were organized for larger groups; together, I think that the trips encompass two rather distinct styles of travel.

Welcome to Fes. Make yourself at home. Part III: The ville nouvelle and finding an apartment

A common practice in speaking or writing about Fes is to accord chronological distinctions to its geographical ones. This description, for example, comes from Lonely Planet: "Traveling from the ville nouvelle to Fes el-Bali [the medina] is like literally stepping back in time." Or, several pages prior: "... for all the romance of medina life to visitors, many residents have been happy to sell up to foreigners to swap their sometimes medieval living conditions for a modern apartment in the ville nouvelle." In short: medina - medieval; ville nouvelle - modern.

Thinking this way is unfair.

Welcome to Fes. Make yourself at home. Part II: Fes Jdid and Moroccan Jewry

For a couple days I was really excited at the idea of living in Fes Jdid, the "New Fes" -- new in this case meaning that its construction began in the late 1200s. It lies geographically between the medina and the Ville Nouvelle, and I thought that it would be a nice balance between the two, combining the winding alleys and medieval architecture of the former with some degree of the latter's mellowness (i.e. less "bonjour"s and "ca va?"s from the menfolk). My evaluation of this second characteristic, however, turned out to have been skewed by the nature of my first walk-through of the area, which was under the guidance of a young Fassi student named Mohammed. A friend of a friend of a friend (of a friend?) of my current roommate, Alma (another Fulbrighter), he was kind enough to tour us around one afternoon two or three weeks ago. His presence was like a protective shield; when I returned to the neighborhood last week with two other girls, the pestering comments, they were a'flyin'. And so Fes Jdid got the boot.

Jebel Zalagh

A group of us went hiking today! We scrambled straight up the side of a small mountain next to Fes, of which there was a great view from the top. It was a beautiful day -- high-70s but somewhat overcast, so no blazing sun -- and truly lovely to spend a solid amount of time in the out of doors.

A Tangerine Vacation

Although Muslims in Saudi Arabia and some other Islamic countries observed Eid el-Fitr (the end of Ramadan) on Sunday, the new moon didn't appear in the Moroccan sky until Monday, and so our holiday was yesterday, with today thrown in for good measure. A group of us decided to take advantage of this four-day weekend with a trip up north to Tangier.

Welcome to Fes. Make yourself at home. Part I: The Medina

Traditionally considered the spiritual and cultural heart of Morocco, current-day Fes consists of three main parts: Fes al-Bali, or the medina; Fes el-Jdid, which contains the royal palace and the old Jewish quarters; and the Ville Nouvelle, constructed by the French during the protectorate period. Each section occupies a distinct geographical location (the medina is even bounded in by stone walls), and combined they make for a very large city, home to just over a million people. Lots of space to consider when embarking on the hunt for an apartment.

Of running and Ramadan

Anyone who knows me will not be surprised that my number one anxiety prior to leaving for Morocco was exercise, specifically running. Depriving myself of oxygen for an hour every day is what keeps me sane, but I had no idea how Moroccans would feel about a red-faced foreigner puffing up and down their streets. Several friends who had spent time in the country observed that reactions would vary from city to city, that cosmopolitan Rabat would be a more accepting environment than conservative Fes, where I would be safe but certainly a spectacle. So it was with some trepidation that I packed my running shoes into my carry-on suitcase -- right next to a set of yoga videos, my back-up plan should running prove intolerable.

Negotiating the New Reconquista: Catholics and Muslims in 1930s Morocco

The original reconquista, or reconquest, of the Iberian Peninsula (present day Spain and Portugal) took place from approximately 800 to 1500 CE, when Christian forces advancing from the north gradually overthrew the Muslim rulers in control of the rest of the region. Over time, a common narrative, which describes this long series of battles as a sacred and patriotic struggle to wrest Spain from the hands of infidel Muslim foreigners, came to be a national myth for the Spanish. It is hardly surprising, then, that General Francisco Franco drew on this powerful discourse to frame his nationalist rebellion against the Spanish Republic in 1936 as a new reconquista. The portrayal faced some obstacles, however: not only did the nationalist effort launch itself from what was then the Spanish Protectorate in northern Morocco, it also relied heavily on over 78,000 Moroccan Muslim troops to achieve its 1939 victory. My project would investigate and examine the specifically religious dialogue taking place between the Catholic Spanish nationalists and the various factions of Moroccan Muslims who engaged with them.