CLINICAL MATTERS
Many people travel during the Christmas holidays and our family is no exception. One thing my wife and I always look for when travelling with our children is to visit places that deepen their knowledge of the world at large and are steeped in history that can help them become better human beings. Amid all the conflict and turmoil going on in the Middle East, we thought it would be a good idea for our kids to visit an Islamic country that has a long history of tolerance for other religions. Morocco is one such nation, and being able to go visa-free as Filipinos is a major bonus.
Morocco is a country in northern Africa that is just across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain and Portugal. It is a crossroads between Africa and Europe. This reminded me of Istanbul in Türkiye, which is a crossroads between Europe and Asia. Morocco’s Arabic name is “al-Maghrib,” which means land of the sunset or the west, and it is historically the westernmost part of the Islamic world. It is a melting pot of different cultures and religions with its own unique and rich multi-ethnic traditions.
The major ethnic groups in Morocco are the Arabs and Berbers. Mixed in are many other ethnicities and cultures reflecting its history as a major trading post. Berbers were among the first inhabitants of Morocco, having descended from Stone Age tribes of North Africa. Berbers have their own distinct identity and language and ruled this region for centuries. The Arab conquests of the seventh and eighth centuries incorporated this region into the Islamic world and led to an influx of Arab immigrants. Major colonial powers including France, Portugal, and Spain have controlled different parts of Morocco in the past, and there remain some areas that are still under Spanish control. The western Sahara desert is also in Moroccan territory, although its rule in some parts is disputed.
We flew into Casablanca airport, which for fans of old Hollywood movies evokes memories of the classic movie starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart set in World War II. We will return to Casablanca toward the end of our trip but for our first day our destination is the city of Chefchaouen. Chefchaouen is in the norther part of Morocco up in the Rif mountains, a five-hour drive from Casablanca.
On the way we stopped by the capital city of Rabat where the monarch, King Mohammed VI, lives. Rabat is a modern city, which reminded me of Paris and other European capitals. The old part of the city, or “medina” as the locals refer to it, is inside walls that date back to the 12th century. Modern buildings and streets stand side by side with ancient structures in an interesting contrast, which reflects the rich heritage of this part of the world.
From Rabat we drove through the Moroccan countryside where we saw donkey-drawn carts carrying firewood for fuel in winter, wild olive trees and newly sprouted wheat fields. One recurring odd sight was large stork nests on top of electric poles, including a multi-level communication tower with several stork nests. Our driver said that it was considered unlucky to remove stork nests and so they were tolerated despite the inconvenience. We stopped for lunch just outside Chefchaouen and were promptly surrounded by cats of all sizes as we ate our food. Cats are considered clean animals in Islam and roam freely in most Islamic countries.
Chefchaouen was initially founded as a military base in 1471 but its population grew quickly due to the influx of Jewish refugees from Spain following their expulsion by the Alhambra decree in 1492 after the reconquest of Granada. Similar decrees expelling Muslims from Spain and Portugal led to a further influx of people. The city is referred to as the blue city because many buildings are painted a beautiful shade of blue. There are many theories as to how this practice started. One popular theory is that the Jewish refugees started painting their homes blue signifying the sky and heaven in Judaism. The non-Jewish locals liked the color and started painting their houses blue as well. Another theory is that the blue color repels mosquitoes. Whatever the reason, the result is a city brilliant blue city that catches the eye.
Chefchaouen is built around a mountain spring that continues to produce the best drinking water from the country, frequented by the locals for swimming and for cooling fruit. We walked through the medina and admired the architecture and browsed through the shops selling different local merchandise. We then hiked up the mountain to a mosque that had a magnificent panoramic view of the city as we watched the sun set over the Rif mountains.
We spent the night in a magnificent riad, an old-style residence that has been converted into a hotel. The riad had an indoor courtyards and the walls were decorated with intricate tile mosaics. We were awoken at dawn by the Muslim call to prayer in the adjacent mosque and had an incredibly health Moroccan-style breakfast. We are going to Fes today to continue our adventure and I will write about it in my next column.
Despite being in a majority-Muslim country, the Moroccan Jewish community remains the largest in the Arab world. The Jewish people have been around in Morocco almost as long as the Berbers, having initially migrated from Jerusalem in ancient times and a second wave after their expulsion from Europe. The Jewish population was much bigger prior to the 1940s until Israel was founded and most of the Sephardic Moroccan Jews migrated to the newly formed country. Nevertheless, enough Jews stayed to continue their traditions and relations between Israel and Morocco remain strong as a result of their shared history. Islam in Morocco is relatively moderate and the Moroccan people themselves are very tolerant of other religions and races. I was not surprised at all to learn that Morocco was the very first country to recognize the United States’ independence and the relationship between these two countries is quite strong. I feel we have a lot to learn about tolerance and living side by side with people who are different from one another. With what the world is going through, Morocco’s example is something we can all emulate.