Fez:find your way thru illegal guides& prayer call

  Fes, Morocco
Wednesday, April 25, 2007

by Christine Ka'aloa



Insha'Allah: "God willing" or "If it is God's will" (and spoken as if to imply the future as "hopefully")
If there is a word I would use to describe some certain first impressions of my trip to Morocco in Spring 2007, it would be  "Insha'Allah".
This is a wonderful expression that I think every GRRRL traveler ought
to have in their back pocket for moments when one's travel plans go
awry. Ultimately, I feel, "it is God's will..." that things turn
out the way they should and do so perfectly when you don't struggle
with pre-planned expectations. Travel challenges us to keep open minds
and when you are forced to confront and leave your faith up to the unknown, you allow for events to flow naturally and often times, with greater success.
After having had our backpacks lost by EasyJet at the
Mohammad V Airport in Casablanca, purchasing Moroccan underwear and
toiletries at a local convenience shop and taking a 4 hour train ride
whereupon a friendly chat with a passenger imparted me with the (above
mentioned) all-too-perfect-local- colloquialism to sum up events (& those to come...), we arrived into Old Fes around... 9 or 10P! We were dropped off in the RCIF,
what seemed like a huge, deserted parking lot and entrance way into the
walled city. No shops were open and our only companions in the night
roam were men, shadows and cats.


Being 2 female travelers ( I was traveling with my friend,
Margaret), the latter was my first  panic until I remembered we were in
a strict Muslim community where women, for the most part, are protected
by the community against sexual crimes. However, the next obstacle
immediately arrived - "How to find our guesthouse?"  The city of Old Fes is like a medieval labyrinth with over 9,000 winding streets with dark and dusty alleyways which lack bold signage.  We were staying at Dar Seffarine,
a traditional Moroccan riad (a house or palace whose rooms all open to
a central atrium or garden) which was snuggly tucked into the center of
the city.  A young boy, around 13 years of age, emerged from the
shadows with
an offer to take us to our riad (at no charge). We were reluctant to
accept his offer- we had read traveler cautionary tales about young
boys posing illegally as guides and how they could be punished with 2
days imprisonment if caught. He led us to our riad and we were
fortunate he did- there were no signs or visible house numbers to
ensure we'd find it and it was tucked away in an alley.
Our guesthouse was palatial adorned with calligraphic Arabic design
and illustrious architecture but we didn't have the energy to explore
it. We had dinner (a traditional Moroccan dish, Tagine), went straight to our room, unpacked our newly bought bed clothes and went to bed.
YouTube video here

GrrrlTraveler's Postcard Diaries:   "Prayer calls in Fez, Morocco"

(Video note- the first part of the audio in this video is a better
than the second; although the second is closer to what I initially
heard as I emerged from my stupor of sleep)
I was awoken around 3 AM by the adhan or "prayer calls" which occurs
five times a day. It was actually one of the most mystical and
meditative moments I've experienced with sound and one of my fondest
take-aways of Morocco. Haunting yet heavenly, the prayers are called
out by a muezzin (a chosen person who leads the calls) and amplified over the mosque loudspeakers as a community reminder of its religion.
Here are some of the phrases of the prayer:

* God is great.

* I witness that there is no god but God.

* I witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God.

* Rise up for prayer.

* Rise up for salvation.

* God is great.

* There is no god but God.
My Riad:

DAR SEFFARINE

14 Derb Sbaa Louyate, Seffarine

30020 FES MEDINA

MOROCCO

Tel:  00212 (0) 671113528

Fax:  00212 (0) 535635205

mail:   info@darseffarine.com
Other useful Fes links:

Fes Travel Guide **

NY Times Article "The Soul of Morocco"