Visiting Historical Morocco
Let’s say that you are a multifarious traveler looking for a trip that will meet your diverse, dare we say Eclectic needs. You might head to France, but you are not interested in the haute couture or the Louvre. You would rather explore caves. Next, let us say that you are interested in Stonehenge, but the depressing fog of England will not sprite up your mood. Or, how about Spain or Portugal with its Moorish architecture? Too many tourists and the historical tales only begin when Spain took over the region. What about a trip to Morocco? Morocco has pre-historic cliffs and caves, Roman ruins, thriving medieval cities, and tribes in the mountains who seem to be stuck in time.
If you are into fossils, the Alnif basin, trilobite fossils are plentiful. The geological stories here prove that Morocco was once completely submerged by ocean. Morocco’s prehistoric settlers go back 75,000 years or more. These people left behind Stone Age tools.
Morocco’s Stonehenge can be found near Asilah, where a Monoliths of M’Soura consisting of 175 stones still stands. Many of the stones have fallen and broken, but that does not stop it from being impressive. Like its famous cousin in England, it probably was built around burial sites.
Nearly 5000 years ago, early settlers called the Amazigh were drawn to what is now Morocco. Later came Mediterranean fishermen and horsemen from the Sahara Desert. Bronze Age petroglyphs are found in the High Atlas Mountains, showing hunting, fishing, and horseback riding skills. This would date from about 1600 BCE. Phoenicians found Morocco, in the 800s BCE. Eastern African people came in the 500s BCE. When Romans arrived in the 4th century AD, it found a versatile and multicultural people, they called Berbers, which translated means barbarians. Berber descendants are still there.
Rome took over Carthaginian and Phoenician sites for their cities. A couple worth mentioning here are the ancient cities of Volubilis and Lixus. Both cities have many sites worth your time. Volubilis is bigger and better preserved than Lixus. Bath houses, amphitheatres and forums are found in both places. Fish were processed in Lixus, and the garum pits are visible. Volubilis produced olive products. Mosaics are found in both places, however, many have been removed and placed in the museum in Rabat. Volubilis has an entrance fee and is in somewhat better condition. You can roam around Lixus for free. There are no caretakers and the ruins are not protected. Still either place gives you an idea what life was like in the days of Pompeii.
If you want to go medieval, head to the UNESCO World Heritage Site that spans the entire circumference of the Fez Medina in Morocco. It has an ancient feel, but is still viable city today. It is filled with narrow alleys that are not big enough for cars. Foot travel and donkeys are the modes of transport just like the Middle Ages. Streets are filled with bazaars, shops, tanneries, mosques, and medersas (or Koranic Schools), among other places that date to antiquity. You wouldn’t know you are in the modern century, except satellite dishes for television have sprouted up on some of the buildings.
If you time your visit around the Tissa Horse Festival, you will have the experience of seeing a tent city built around a square in the same manner of earlier era. All the tents are like those of medieval times, complete with Moroccan carpets and rich tapestries. Men and women dress in the traditional gandoras and djellabas that have been worn through history. If you stand still, you can imagine the proud sultans with sword in hand.
Morocco is filled with something from every historical buff. It is home to a natural beauty that defies time. From the Sahara to mountain tops, and to ancient Medinas, Morocco has something for every type of traveler. You might also trek in Morocco to see the Berber populations far removed from modern city life. But, now matter how you design your custom Morocco holiday, you will assuredly feel as if you have visited five countries in one.
by Carole Morris
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