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Fears and Denver, both residing near Terre Haute, Indiana, will be flying to Ouarzazate Morocco (famous for its Morocco film studios where movies like Babel and The Gladiator) were shot. The race in English is known as the Marathon of the Sands and is in its 22nd year.

Only about 500 other runners from around the world are going to participate in the elite event. Each year, the winners of the race are a set of Moroccan twins living in the Erfoud area, who also receive international sponsorship for their endeavors. While Fears and Denver may not win the event, simply finishing the grueling course will be an accomplishment worth lots of praise – especially from their families who are supporting what many call a “crazy” attempt.

The race is put on by an international organization known as Dreamchasers Outdoor Adventure Club, LLC. The official race predictions call for temperatures nearing 120 degrees (well over 45 degrees Celsius). Furthermore, of the 500 involved in this years event, around 25 are making the pilgrimage from the United States to experience conditions they have never faced before. Besides the regular aches, pains, and foot problems that come along with a regular marathon, the Marathon of the Sands requires participants to carry anti-venom pumps in case of scorpions, ultra-light but effective sleeping bags (temperatures can drop to near freezing at night), along with enough food for the entire race, which includes special energy bars (worth a whopping 2,500 calories each), salt tablets, energizer powder, and other high-calorie, low-weight foods. Each participant will receive around 9 liters of water daily, along with two 20-ounce bottles to carry along.

Physically the two runners are sure of their chances at success. What makes this race different than any other, even the yearly Marrakesh marathon, however, are the elements. The six-stage event includes the first three days at 20 miles (~40 km), another day of 50 miles (nearly 100 km), and the last two days a full marathon, following a final 10 miles (or 6 km), respectively.

View their training & race journal here: www.michelobultraadventureteam.vox.com

Brought to you by: Morocco Travel News at Journey Beyond Travel
Source: The Tribune-Star, Indiana – by Deb McKee

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The women, who are given different duties, can do just about anything that men can do in the mosque – everything but lead in prayer. Their role is to help women better understand Islam and to help balance a religious society often controlled by men. The Moroccan minister of religious affairs has said that society on a whole will benefit from the new Mourchidat inserts. The role of Moroccan women, especially in religion, is viewed by many on the governmental level as beneficial to ensure they are properly represented on all levels of society.

The idea of women leading discussions is both innovative and somewhat confusing, admit some skeptics. Even if the idea is excellent, what has to be less abstract are the terms and exact roles of the women participating. While some of the women are gearing to fill their roles quite well, others have been found to hold sympathies to certain illegal political groups residing in the country. Those supporting the women in their newfound freedoms want the best for everyone involved, especially when it comes to a region of society that has been for centuries controlled only by men. Some critics say that the women will be pawns for certain organizations, but optimism seems to outweigh any doubts that it is another step in the right direction on a country that is opening its doors to innovative and progressive ideas.

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In a recent study entitled “Arab Reform and Foreign Aid: Lessons from Morocco,” two authors toured, visited, and asked questions to members of various organizations around Morocco in order to learn more about how the people’s viewpoint and the view from those in power aligned. In essence, the study concluded that the current King, Mohammed VI is held in high esteem for his social reform efforts over the last years. Reform is at the top of his agenda, but as many agree, the result of it all will take years to realize. As one political professor stated, “Changes in Morocco are occurring. The pace is steady, which is much better than too fast or not at all. The current feeling of the people is that Morocco is moving along with the proper momentum that it can evaluate itself along the way”.

Additionally, Morocco has opened its doors to encourage more participation with its citizens in voting for reform. Indeed the country is already working towards its attempt to broaden its legislation to meet the highest standard of human rights. In Morocco’s recent decision to abolish the death penalty, which is being hailed by both Amnesty International and the 99 other countries who no longer have capital punishment clauses in their constitution. Citizens of Morocco feel they have more political freedom than ever. Even journalists are pushing their own borders to see where that limit might extend. While the government doesn’t yet allow 100% freedom of the press due to certain factions, magazines and newspapers that critique the government and its leaders are finding their way to newsstands without much reaction. So, Morocco has opened its doors with civil freedoms much more than other Arab states, many agree.

According to many organizations, including NGOs (non-governmental organizations), Morocco is an exemplary model for the way reform takes place in Arab countries. The reason Morocco is seeing success is that it has openly adopted specific plans of reform into its long-term agenda. The modern King Mohammed VI wants democracy and is working to promote it throughout his country. This success is also linked to the fact that the country started its own reform process itself – it wasn’t started by any outside organizations. Morocco only needs some help with the logistics and financing of such reform. But, the country has already embraced it wholeheartedly. Furthermore, Morocco has not shunned its political parties involved in the process. Democratic, Islamic, and women's groups all hold seats in parliament. Keeping communication open and a willingness to compromise keeps every party involved. In what is being dubbed “The Moroccan Experiment,” the world is watching and even more are visiting a country that is leading the way in a balance of the old with the new.

Brought to you by: Morocco News & Travel from Journey Beyond Travel
Source: Magharebia (Washington D.C.) 16/02/07

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Director Gavin Hood has had his eye on Morocco for some time now, trying to find what might be the perfect location to shoot his political re-making of the events at Guantanamo. The film, based on a true story of a CIA analyst who witnesses the brutal interrogation of an Egyptian chemical engineer who is suspected to be involved in a terrorist ring. The movie will star Meryle Streep, Reese Witherspoon, Peter Sarsgaard, and Jake Gyllenhaal.

The palace in Marrakesh known as El Badia has been transformed into Guantanamo with Moroccan actors wearing the somehwat humilitating orange jumpsuits found in the American camps. The scenes that take place in Guantanamo, which will be filmed in Morocco are schedule to last up to two months. Also in Hood’s filming schedule are shots that will be shot in Essaouira, where the famous Orson Welles once shot scenes for Othello.

Following his stint in Morocco, the film about Guantanamo will have remaining shots to be filmed in both South Africa and the United States.

Brought to you by : Morocco News at Journey Beyond Travel.

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Sijilmassa was founded by the ever-rebellious Moroccan Berbers living in the southern region that wanted to form their own form of Islam, as they didn’t agree with the more orthodox practices of the more northern regions of Morocco. The area was quite wealthy mostly due to the very fertile Ziz River and the Rheris River that were slightly diverted to run through the area. The fertile region coupled with its importance as a stopping point along the Salt Road trail to West Africa meant that its power and importance grew rapidly, which is one cause that the city later became divided and why civil unrest and an eventual civil war led to its downfall.

Some recent scholars who have studied the area, namely one Dr. Ron Messier, are interested in the actual importance of the region. Some historians believe that Sijilmassa in Morocco was never really one, united ksour, but more a conglomeration of several ksours that simply lived along the river. The city would have been about 8 miles (about 15 KM) long from one point to the other. The gate to the city is located just past the Oued Ziz (Ziz River) on the north side of the city, known as Porte Errih, or Bab Errih.

The area is the home to the Alaouite Dynasty, who thought Sijilmassa as a shrine to their ancestry. Made into the capital of the Tifilalt region, the town’s main ksar hasn’t been restored to its grandeur, but the route is still visited by tourists doing the route touristique. Recently, the Moroccan Institute of Archeology and a State University in Tennessee in the US have funded a joint venture to uncover more relics from Sijilmassa’s past.

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The entire area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea has always been a hotspot for earthquakes. Much like the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Mediterranean plates are as old and agitated as any on Earth. Morocco, which usually gets a few minor tremors a year, has had its own share of earthquakes that have not only wiped out entire cities, but has cost thousands of people their lives.

The US Geological Survey, an organization that oversees seismic activities around the entire globe, said that the earthquake was rated at a 6.1 on the Richter scale. Its exact location was 335 KM from Lisbon and about 340 KM just northwest of Casablanca. In Rabat, several people claimed to feel the tremor that others had dismissed until they heard that an earthquake actually occurred.

What followed the quake was a minor disruption of cell phone use across the country and a clogging of other landlines due to the minor scare. Those who felt the earthquake at its core in the cities along Morocco’s coastline were taken aback, forced to think about the devastating earthquake in 2004 that left thousands without power and electricity for weeks on end. The infamous Agadir Earthquake, that occurred in the 1960s flattened the city, but was quickly rebuilt thanks to European aid, namely from Germany.

Other cities located inland from Morocco’s coast also felt the tremors that caused pots, pans, and other appliances to rattle on their shelves. No one in the internal areas of other countries affected was hurt. Only some people near Lisbon were evacuated in preventative measures meant to keep people away from structures should the earthquake have produced any strong after shocks. For now, citizens of all the surrounding countries are thankful that everyone was safe and that no real damage was incurred.

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Karim Ghellab, Morocco's minister of transportation stated recently, "It's not easy to predict a date yet, but it is a project that will happen". The tunnel will be beneficial to both continents, linking lands that will be a part of the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Zone. Morocco, which has seen a tremedous influx of tourists from both Europe and elsewhere are on track promoting their 10-million tourists by 2010 campaign. Tangier has already been undergoing a massive makeover in order to attract foregin investors. Additionally, interstate sytems are being built to match the goals. Recently, Morocco and Europe officially signed an open sky agreement that allows low-budget carriers to land in the country with hardly any taxes.

The Swiss firm running the geological tests have confirmed that the tunnel will have to connect Morocco and Spain at points where the depths of the water are not so great. In some areas between Morocco and Spain, the Mediterranean is 3,000-feet (about 1,000-meters) deep. Ghellab went on to say, "We’ve already done a tremendous amount of work to make this dream come true, to go from an idea—a concept that is just philosophical—into something we can transform into reality.”

Europe and Africa wait on the day that construction will begin. Working in the depths of the Mediterrean will be an engineering marvel, to say the least. The Strunnel* will link Cape Malabata to Punta Paloma at nearly 1000-feet (about 300-meters) below sea level.

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*Strunnel is a phrase first coined by Journey Beyond Travel.

Starting with the highest peak in the High Atlas Mountains with Djebel Toubkal (Jebel Toubkal), you’ll have to start your ascent in Armed (Armedi, Aroumd, or Aremd), a town that reminded one local traveler of “a reversed-mirror image of how Ait Ben Haddou probably used to look”. Most Morocco travel guide books describe the starting point at Imlil. This is somewhat of a falsity because Imlil is nothing more than a roadside stall where you can fuel up for your journey. Additionally, if you haven’t arranged one beforehand, there is a plentiful amount of Berber mountain guides available to take you to the summit. No set pricing system exists, but if you don’t hunt around and bargain, you could pay five times as much as someone else. Climbing to the summit of Toubkal, you’ll need one day to the refuge and another to summit and come back down to Armed (Armedi, Aroumd, Aremd) and Imlil. The peak sits at a whopping 4167 meters or well over 13,000 feet.

For those travelers who are not decently fit or who do not acclimate well to higher attitudes, you want to prepare yourself for the hike. Before you visit or take a tour in Morocco to do some climbing and hiking, whether it is in the Mount Toubkal National Park or elsewhere, it’s a good idea to be able to walk three to five hours at a time. Did we mention, uphill? For those who are fit, you’ll need to bring certain supplies with you. Comfortable hiking shoes or boots, along with clothes and gear that you can layer are highly recommended. A rain jacket, fleece, and breathable under garments are essential. If you are hiking in the winter months, it is a good idea to bring a tent, emergency blanket, and a below 0 degree sleeping bag. Winds can pick up and snow can blow without notice.

Additionally, unless you are quite savvy about hiking, trekking, and survival if the weather turns bad, it isn’t a bad idea to hire a local guide – one that has lived in the area his entire life. In the summer months, it might be less necessary. Remember, though, Toubkal can have snow on it from November through May each year. And, in summer, rains and sudden storms can wreak havoc. In the winter months, crampons are necessary. Hiking or walking poles are a great item worth their weight. Some of this gear can be rented in Imlil. Mountain guides will also bring along a mule guide and muleteer to carry baggage and supplies for an extra cost.

From Armed (Armedi, Aroumd, Aremd), you can start your ascent towards Sidi Chamarouch and towards the Toubkal Refuge. (BTW: If you are coming from March through June and September through December, book ahead if possible for your night (or two) in the Toubkal Refuge, once known as Refuge Neltner.) Here, you’ll run into the few people who actually live at the place and the other pilgrims who visit the shrine of near the waterfall to be healed or released from their impairment. Non-Muslims cannot cross the bridge that leads to the holy shrine.

Continuing onward, the trail continues for most hikers another three to four hours and eventually leads to the Toubkal Refuge, located snugly at 3207 meters, or well over half a mile high – the snow line in the latter spring months. The next morning after your initial ascent is the best time to venture up to the top of Djebel Toubkal (Jebel Toubkal). The most popular route that you can take (by hiring or following a guide) is called the South Cirque. It begins just behind the refuge and will take an average, fit hiker about three hours to summit. The more arduous track that many guides will not mention unless you are in top shape is the North Cirque route. On this route, you’ll not only be able to see the remains of a plane crash as a cairn. The final stage of getting to the top, on either route, requires some scrambling and in the winter, some snow hiking. But, zigzagging your way up, the ever-present pyramid tri-pod marks the top. Enjoy!

Source: Morocco Tours, Excursions, and News – Journey Beyond Travel, Morocco News

The move has been under way for some time by King Mohammed VI and Ben Dhikri, who works with the Consultative Committee on Human Rights. The delegates met in Paris for a two-day conference that was to bring the agreement to a full understanding. Amnesty International and the Committee are working with other North African nations and Morocco has been the first to heed the calling.

Morocco which has been taking the steps necessary to modernize itself with advancements its internal policies in education, health care, women’s rights, and tourism, will be highly regarded by its neighbors in Europe. Abolitionist groups in the United States, a country that has yet to abolish its own death penalty laws, are watching with fervency.

In order to appease skeptics to the change in their penal code, Dhikri has stated that since their State is one of Islam, then it must know that the “positive aspects of Islam need to be stressed. It does not order people to kill…”

Morocco, which will finally eliminate the death penalty clauses in their constitution, has not used capital punishment in more than a decade – meaning that they have already eliminated it in some sense as abolitionists, but this step will finalize an issue that will mark another step in Morocco’s steady rise in the global community.

Brought to you by: Morocco News by Journey Beyond Travel

Source: Press Release, Paris, www.ADNKI.com