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.