Written by paul c. on 26 Jun, 2000
Outside of Aoufuss, the date capital of Morocco, our guide Salah, speaking Berber gets us free dates. (The eating kind.) One old Berber said he had none with him, but we were welcome to go to his house and help ourselves. We…Read More
Outside of Aoufuss, the date capital of Morocco, our guide Salah, speaking Berber gets us free dates. (The eating kind.) One old Berber said he had none with him, but we were welcome to go to his house and help ourselves. We didn't. This valley is the most spectacular oasis I've seen. Two old Berber men, dressed in white, sitting in a cave. Taxis constantly travel up and down the desert highways. Arabs or Berbers sit by the road waiting for them. The taxis, mostly Mercedes, carry as many as eight or nine people at a time. Morocco seems to be populated by children. They're everywhere. In fact, someone told us that in the countryside, a couple has an average of nine children. In the cities, it drops to four. Speaking of four, Moroccan law allows every man to have four wives as long as he can treat them equally -- financially as well as sexually. Close
I was told that the Rissani Souk was once the most famous market in all of Africa. This was where all the trading caravans stopped on their way to and from Timbuktu. They loaded up on supplies, got medical attention, satisfied their desires…Read More
I was told that the Rissani Souk was once the most famous market in all of Africa. This was where all the trading caravans stopped on their way to and from Timbuktu. They loaded up on supplies, got medical attention, satisfied their desires (not necessarily in that order) and traded slaves. A major portion of the market is now dedicated to trading in tourism but it is in no way a 'touristy' place. It is completely run down, dirty and certainly out of the way. The center of the market, however, seems to still sell what they probably sold over a hundred years ago - dates. Lots and lots of dates. These are the dates that end up on our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner tables. Does Aunt Martha know where those dates in her fruit cake and date-nut bread come from? I know. Now you do, too. Close