Monday, July 31, 2006
Renovation update.
The halka in the kitchen ceiling is now nearly complete and the massive ancient beams that we sourced locally are in place as is most of the woodwork around them. The carpentry and woodwork is superb as is the stonemason's work by our master-builder, Mustapha. A great team effort.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Morocco's reaction to Israeli attacks on media.
The people of Fez, like those around the country are united in condemnation of the ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanese targets. Now concern is growing that the media is being targetted.
As Israel is escalating its military operations in Lebanon and Palestine, killing hundreds of innocent civilians, media workers in the area have not been spared. Last week, Suleiman Chidiac, a technician working for the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) was killed when Israeli air raid hit transmission stations used by several Lebanese television channels.
Only one day later, Layal Najib, 23, a freelance photographer for the Lebanese magazine Al-Jaras and Agence France-Presse, was killed in an Israeli missile attack.
”Najib was in a taxi trying to meet up with a convoy of villagers fleeing the Israeli bombardment of south Lebanon when she was hit by shrapnel from a missile on the road between the villages of Sadiqeen and Qana, local media reported. She died at the scene,” said the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in its latest report about journalists killed during 2006.
These killings came after the July 13 strike by Israeli helicopters on the Al-Manar headquarters. Seven people, including one TV worker, were wounded in the attack.
Israeli attacks are also targeting media workers in Palestine. A crew working for Al Jazeera channel in Nablus was recently hit. Technician Wael Tantous was wounded. On July 8, photographer Mohammad Az Zanoun was shot by Israeli forces as he took photographs in Gaza.
Two weeks ago, Israeli police arrested Walid Al Omari, the chief of Al Jazeera's bureau in Jerusalem.
Al Omari, who was arrested two times in two days, along with his cameraman and an assistant, were questioned about footage they had taken after Hezbollah missiles hit Haifa.
The Al Jazeera crew was accused of filming sensitive security locations that can be targeted by Hezbollah.
The International federation of Journalists condemned earlier this week an Israeli army attack on a team working for the Palestinian TV, in which a cameraman was wounded.
“Israel needs to investigate all of the recent attacks on media and it must eliminate this pattern of targeting,” IFJ General Secretary Aidan White had said.
“The appalling perception is of soldiers opening fire on unarmed journalists and of intimidation of Arab journalists to keep them from covering the news in the Palestinian territories and in Lebanon.” He added.
But White's voice remains unheard as Israel's continuing attacks do not even spare unarmed civilians, including women and children.
GOOD NEWS FROM IRELAND
In one positive development, The View From Fez has uncovered a report that says government of the Republic of Ireland will ban all American planes from taking on fuel at Shannon airfield. This has been a regular stopover for American warplanes on the way to Iraq. The move is in response to nationwide anger at the American backing of Israel and the fact that misiles are being sent from America to Israel via Ireland. Hopefully this move will do something to slow down the carnage until a ceasefire can be implemented
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Fez's circumcision case - staff astonished at outcome.
Mohammed Raiss, a surgeon; Ahmed Oudghiri, an anaesthetist; Hassan Cheikh, a nurse; as well as three other medical employees were held responsible for the death of the 22-year-old Ivorian on the medical staff of Raiss clinic in Fez for their negligence, which led to the death of Bogui Nimba Josue Arthur Privat, son of ex-secretary general of the Ivorian Ministry of Education.
The Ivorian man, who wanted to convert to Islam, was required to be circumcised, in conformity with the Islamic teachings. But he died due to the surgery complications.
The court of First Instance of Fez sentenced a medical staff involved in circumcision death of the Ivorian to one year' imprisonment each.
All medical staff, mainly from Fez, were astonished at the court's decision.
Full story here: Morocco TimesTags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Has buying boom in Marrakesh peaked?
According to an article in the Australian press, the boom in Marrakesh may well be over. This will come as some relief to those who feared that the market could not take many more small homestays or hotels.
Marrakesh's reputation as a centre for the glitterati might have helped boost the luxury property market. Europeans from countries including France, Italy, Spain and Britain have bought riads as holiday homes or to rent out.
They are drawn by the charm of houses whose inner sanctums traditionally contain shady orange trees, pools filled with rose petals and central fountains.
The thick, plain exterior walls, providing privacy for Muslim families and acting as a shield against the summer heat, hide often fabulous interiors.
"There is resentment in the poorer quarters, where Moroccans living in shared, rented accommodation see opulent riads built next door being used for only two weeks a year as holiday homes," says Dyer, who runs a guesthouse in an up-market district in the teeming, labyrinthine old town, or medina, which echoes to the regular call to prayer in the mosques.
In Marrakesh, a sign of the pace of change is that the riad buying spree in the old town in recent years may have peaked.
The trend may now be towards property in the fertile Ourika valley south of the city, under dramatic snow-capped Atlas peaks, or quieter areas on the Atlantic coast.
But riads can still command prices at least as high as 20 million dirhams ($2.97 million).
Read full article here: Marrakesh Boom ending?
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Moroccan Chameleon update
The only thing that is certain to stop a chameleon in its tracks is the question - "What the hell colour do I turn now?"
We can report that when Ghengis decided to have a break from the lemon and orange trees in the courtyard, he ended up with a real colour choice problem.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Sunday, July 23, 2006
The View From Fez - renovations
We will be back at full speed in a couple of weeks.
Just so you understand our situation here is a picture of our staff, hard at work preparing the new office.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Morocco names 3G licence winners
Recently we reported on the bidding for the new generation (3G) teleco licences in Morocco. Yesterday ANRT (Agence nationale de reglementation des telecommunications) disclosed the winners and there were no surprises. Morocco said it had awarded the three third-generation mobile phone licences to telecommunications firms already operating in the country for a price of 360 million dirhams ($41.13 million) each.
ANRT named the licence winners as Maroc Telecom, which is controlled by French media group Vivendi, local company Maroc Connect and Meditel, a joint venture between Spain's Telefonica and Portugal Telecom (PT).
Maroc Connect was ranked the first bidder, with the best offer, followed by Maroc Telecom. Meditel came third.
The three telecoms operators are already present in Morocco, where more than 40 per cent of the 30 million population own a mobile phone.
'The operators (already running operations in Morocco) submitted coherent and realistic offers as they know better the market,' said ANRT.
The fourth bidder, Nejma Telecom Maroc, a subsidiary of Kuwait mobile firm Wataniya, failed to won a licence because it was outbid by the three contenders and there were only three third-generation phone licences on offer in the tender, which was launched in April, ANRT added.
The government sees the new licences as part of a drive to liberalise further the telecoms sector and modernise the economy as Morocco strives to turn itself into a platform for exports to the European Union and the US
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Thursday, July 20, 2006
More cheap flights to Morocco.
We can report that we have been taste-testing the cheap airfares to and from Morocco. Firstly we did the Marrakech to Bordeaux route and can say that Atlas Blue gets five stars for service, punctuality and (even) in flight catering. All top marks.
Over the next few weeks we will fly, Ryan Air and Easyjet and will report back. In the meantime, GB Airways, a franchise partner of British Airways, has announced a major boost to flight frequency on its routes from London to Morocco.
The airline has said it will increase its service from London to Marrakech, with the introduction of two flights a day from Heathrow, in addition to a daily service from Gatwick.
Heathrow will also be home to a twice-weekly service to the imperial city of Fez, complementing the existing daily flights to Casablanca.
The flights form part of GB Airways's winter schedule. One-way flights from Gatwick to Marrakech start at £49, including all taxes, fees and charges.
Managing director Kevin Hatton said: "With a total of 32 weekly flights to Morocco, passengers can now travel at their convenience to some of the most popular short-haul winter sun destinations."
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Moroccans protest Israeli aggression
Protesters called on the UNO to shoulder its responsibility and to intervene to pressure Israel put an end to its aggression targeting the Lebanese people, describing the barbaric acts as "a crime against humanity".
In Cairo, Arab foreign ministers started on Saturday their extraordinary meeting to consider the latest developments in Palestine and Lebanon and the escalation of Israeli aggression and threats against them.
Moroccan Foreign Minister, Mohamed Benaissa, is taking part in the Arab league extraordinary meeting.
Morocco repatriate nationals from Lebanon via Damascus
An air rotation program started on Saturday to repatriate Moroccan nationals living, transiting or visiting Lebanon, which has been the target of Israeli attacks and blockade that entailed the closing of the Beirut International airport, a Foreign Ministry communiqué said.
Following royal instructions, the program was kicked off on Saturday with the arrival of a C-130 plane at the Damascus airport, the communiqué added.
The communiqué also said that the Moroccan embassy in Beirut operated on Friday a first road evacuation of Moroccan nationals toward Damascus in order to repatriate them to Morocco.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Illiteracy rate falls to 39% in Morocco
"The qualitative performance is a strong indicator that shows our capacity to curb the illiteracy plague", said Jettou at the academic year end ceremony organized by the State Secretariat in charge of Literacy and non formal education.
Premier Jettou said the national literacy program draws inspiration from various international recommendations and conferences on "education for all".
He added that owing to the importance of the program, the government has established a department dedicated to fighting illiteracy and coordinating national efforts in this regard, and adopted a strategy that uses the needed means to implement the program.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Morocco leads the way in Cultural Tourism
In a recent article in Maghrebia, Tim Resch, president of Friends of Morocco, says, "If you want to do cultural tourism, all you have to do is get off the bus." He thinks that if tourists can find others with similar interests, it will make the travel experience more rewarding. "Tourists can go into shops, and every shopkeeper will befriend them because they're doing business. But for people who are interested in cultural tourism, all they have to do is look within themselves," says Resch.
Resch also agrees that Morocco has a firm advantage because of the number of music festivals.
More advertising needed.
Morocco is the most visited Maghreb country with an estimated 6.5 million visitors in 2005, followed by Tunisia with 5 million. Algeria saw 1.23 million foreign tourists, mostly for visit its ancient rock paintings which are becoming the focus of recent advertising campaigns.
Phil Jones, President of the Friends of Tunisia, states, "There is a lot of joy in Arab culture. To visit any Arab country is to discover just how important they consider hospitality."
Mary Dell Lucas, director of California-based Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural Trips points out the irony that ..."Of all the countries in northern Africa, Egypt is the least safe, and yet it is the country with the most tourism. I think the governments of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco need to devote more money into advertising what they have."
Read the full Maghrebia article here: Cultural Tourism.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
3G Phone Technology for Morocco
According to reports on Friday, four telecommunications operators were bidding for three third-generation (3G) mobile phone licenses it is offering for sale as part of a drive to liberalise the telecoms sector.
ANRT named the bidders as Maroc Telecom, local Maroc Connect, Meditel, a joint venture between Spain's Telefonica and Portugal Telecom and Nejma Telecom Maroc, a subsidiary of Kuwait mobile firm Wataniya.
"The presence of the four operators in the tender process showed the interest and the potential of the Moroccan telecoms market," ANRT said in a statement, adding that the winners of the licences will be named as soon as possible, but gave no precise date.
The offers will be assessed on the basis of the bidder commitments on infrastructure, cover, service quality, diversification and cohesion of the offer. The tender process aims at awarding a maximum of three licences, with a price of 360 million Moroccan Dirhams ($41.23 million) each.
Morocco, where more than 40 percent of the 30 million population own a mobile phone, has three telecoms operators - Maroc Telecom, Maroc Connect and Meditel.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Friday, July 14, 2006
New thriller set in Morocco.
The Cobbler's Apprentice
by Sandy McCutcheon (pub. Scribe)
Publisher's Synopsis:
When Samir Al-Hassani, a young Palestinian who had been captured in Iraq, does the impossible and escapes from Guantanamo Bay, it sets off a chain of events that will lead to anguish and bloodshed around the world.
He thinks he is being helped by fellow jihadis, but Samir is being set up - in more ways than one. He has embarked on a journey into the bewildering heartland of terrorism and counterterrorism, where betrayal and deceit go hand-in-hand with honour and duty. But who is pulling the strings: the CIA, Mossad, or someone even more treacherous?
When he emerges with a master and a mission, the stage is set for a hair-raising development: Samir is about to become a biological weapon of mass destruction, targeted at the very people who released him.
From Guantanamo to Morocco, vengeance has many faces.
He thinks he is being helped by fellow jihadis, but Samir is being set up - in more ways than one. He has embarked on a journey into the bewildering heartland of terrorism and counterterrorism, where betrayal and deceit go hand-in-hand with honour and duty. But who is pulling the strings: the CIA, Mossad, or someone even more treacherous?
When he emerges with a master and a mission, the stage is set for a hair-raising development: Samir is about to become a biological weapon of mass destruction, targeted at the very people who released him.
From Guantanamo to Morocco, vengeance has many faces.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Morocco's new online medical database.
Morocco now has an online medical directory (check it out here) with the added advantage of also being designed to provide visitors with easy, fast and free medical and paramedical information in different cities of the kingdom.
Initiated by doctors, computer specialists and economists, the website is primarily a reference point and described by medical experts as being reliable source of information.
The database is the result of ten years of research by Doctor Abdelaziz Hsseissen., who toured Morocco many times to gather medical and paramedical information.
The website designers say it is characterised by its simplicity with the main objective being to allow visitors to search for and easily locate doctors, pharmacies or medical information. All information is classified by name, region and specialty. To overcome difficulties related to the French transcription of Arab names, many search options were set up. For example, visitors need type only one letter of the name to have the contacts of all doctors whose names start with the typed letter.
Such an online source of information should serve the country well as Morocco is experiencing a boom in terms of Internet and computer sciences and for many research via the internet has become a daily process.
The View from Fez is happy to report that the system worked beautifully and that our staff member has an appointment with the dentist on Saturday morning. Our thanks to all those who made this database possible.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Moroccan police crack terror cell - by accident.
The suspects were interrogated and, after a search of their homes, police discovered documents and CDs related to Al Zarkawi and encouraging people to join al Qaeda. They also discovered that the three men were preparing to go to Iraq. One of them had already visited Turkey and other countries in an attempt to secure the way for the recruiters to reach Iraq.
Further investigations led to the arrest of other four members of the network in Nador, Znaghen and Salwane. The search for other members involved in the now dismantled network is progressing.
The security forces refused to release any information concerning the issue under the pretext of secrecy and the fear that other members of the network might flee.
The investigations are now focusing on any links between the network and other extremist groups, whether they are Moroccan, Algerian or from other European countries.
Earlier this year the Moroccan security forces had arrested a Moroccan man named Mohamed Zaazouii, who revealed that he had intended to go to Iraq to fight the American and British coalition forces. They also found documents belonging to what is called the "military service bureau of Al Qaeda".
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Moroccan hackers attack Israeli websites
The fighting along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon has brought with it an upsurge in attacks on Israeli-related web sites in the past 24 hours, Israeli web sites reported Thursday. Most of the attacks are coming from hackers located in Morocco and Turkey.
As the violence escalated, hackers from the Islamic world have targeted web sites hosted by all of Israel’s major Internet service providers.
To counter the threat, the ISPs added even more security to protect their servers from the latest round of digital warfare.
“We witnessed hundreds of application layer attacks against Israeli-related web sites,” said Ariel Pisetsky, manager of engineering and security at NetVision, one of Israel’s leading ISPs. He added that this kind of attack has become increasingly prevalent in recent years.
Local ISPs are deploying more aggressive security to deal with the threat. The latest onslaught came within hours of Wednesday morning’s outbreak of hostilities. The hackers look for vulnerabilities on Israeli web sites and domains.
They search for domains ending with the suffix co.il. Typically the hacker searches for file-uploading or scripting capabilities. Once the vulnerability of these capabilities is located, files are uploaded to deface the site.
Rapid Response
NetVision and other ISPs responded within a matter of minutes. But the strategy backfired and as Pisetsky said “Our immediate response was to make it far more difficult for all users to enter the web sites.”
In NetVision’s case, the company immediately deployed two new security technologies that it began testing in recent weeks on a trial basis on the servers that had come under attack.
Israeli ISPs are tightlipped about the latest security software systems they are deploying to counter the sharp rise in application layer attacks, but many are being developed by local startup companies.
“This field of security is very hot and a number of local startups are focusing their attention on this space,” said Dan Yachin, a Tel Aviv-based research director for emerging technologies at IDC.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
New Atlas Blue flights to and from Morocco
Atlas Blue, subsidiary of the Moroccan carrier Royal Air Maroc, will open several new routes this coming winter. The program, called "Winter 2006", will start on October 29 with flights from Marrakech to Mulhouse and Bologne with a daily connection through to Paris. The Marrakech-Bologne route will be scheduled twice a week as of February 2007.
Fes does not miss out, with the Fes-Marseille route scheduled three times a week and Oujda-Marseille twice a week.
Atlas Blue is reinforcing its existing destinations ensuring six weekly flights between Marrakech and Lyon, four flights per week from Marrakech to both Bordeaux and Toulouse and two or three flights to Nice.
The Marrakech-Nantes route will be serviced four times weekly in winter and Marrakech-Lille twice a week. Atlas Blue is also maintaining its daily Marrakech-London flight and is to add an eighth in a week as of February. Milan is to be serviced daily, Brussels five times a week and Geneva four times.
To secure the flights, Atlas Blue has bought in 2006 an Airbus A321 and a Boeing 737-800, increasing its fleet to eight planes.
RAM and Atlas Blue flew 4,104,126 passengers by the end of September 2005, a rise of 21% compared to the same period in 2004.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Morocco on standby to gain 2010 World Cup
The country is already behind in getting stadiums ready for the competition, but FIFA president Sepp Blatter is attempting to downplay the crisis and will not confirm that moves are afoot to move the finals elsewhere.
However, sources close to the US soccer federation say there are two countries on standby to host the tournament who have been asked by FIFA to get stadiums ready just in case.
The nations mentioned are the UK and Morocco both of whom are said to be on standby should South Africa fail to live up to FIFA's expectations. If such a drastic change is made it is likely that Morocco would host the cup.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Europe fails to score at migration conference
In a follow-up to our earlier slightly optimistic post about the migration conference being held in Rabat, we have to report that things are far from positive. It seems that while happy to chat about minor details, the delegates have failed to grapple with the major problems of corruption and mismanagement that have turned the wealth gap between north and south into a chasm into which many young Africans plunge in their attempts to escape grinding poverty.
Mohamed Khachani, head of the Moroccan migration research group AMERM was refreshingly blunt when he reported, "We expected a frank and sincere dialogue that goes to the heart of the problem, but it seems that didn't happen. There doesn't seem to be much of a change of tack by Europe, which is still obsessed with fighting illegal migration"
He said little was done to relieve the immediate suffering of thousands of destitute Africans ready to brave treacherous seas in crowded motor launches and decrepit fishing boats for the chance of a new life in Europe.
Europe, keen to prove it is sympathetic, played up the benefits of legal migration and championed ideas like micro-credits for migrants to set up businesses back home, and centres of medical excellence to stop an exodus of African health workers.
A new observation unit will track migrant movements and states agreed to work together to crack down on human trafficking gangs, branded "21st century slave traders" by Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio.
But there was little mention of the waste and corruption that has left swathes of Africa starved of infrastructure and meant economic growth and living standards have failed to keep pace with the rapidly growing population.
"Europe has a fundamental role to play when we talk about bad governance because these governments are often supported by the European Union," said Khachani.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Afternoon tea - Moroccan style
Fez is experiencing a slight heatwave. Yesterday it was 45 degrees Celsius and at the moment it is a mere 40.
Working in such conditions requires special measures. After much research The View from Fez can announce we have found the answer - watermelon.
Recipe:
Leave watermelon floating in a fountain for two hours.
Promise the workers watermelon in two hours.
Relent after one hour.
Slice.
Eat.
Laugh.
Cost of watermelon 17 dirhams
Photo credit: Samir.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Morocco's stock index gains ground.
Le Matin reported last month that Agriculture Minister Mohand Laenser claimed that more than a quarter of the country's 30 million people make their living from grain cultivation. The purchasing power of this number - nearly a quarter of the population - has been boosted by a record grain crop this year. With more money in their hands, new local investors are entering the market.
``Morocco is still quite dependent on agriculture,'' said Ashraf El Ansary, who helps oversee $5.5 billion at JP Morgan Fleming Asset Management in London and holds Moroccan shares. ``A good harvest this year will help the stock market grow.''
The Morocco Casablanca New All Share Stock Exchange Index is the seventh best performer this year out of 80 gauges tracked worldwide by Bloomberg News, with a gain of 41 percent in dollar terms. It's outperformed all other Arab markets and the Morgan Stanley Capital International Emerging Markets Index, a measure of developing nations that's up 6.6 percent.
Morocco's production of soft wheat, durum wheat and barley may double to 8.6 million metric tons this year, more than twice that of the previous year, according to the web site of Morocco's main grain buyer, the Rabat-based National Office of the Cereal and Vegetable Industry.
Read the full Bloomberg story HERE.Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Algerian President "butts in" for Zidane
There is nothing like a little support from the top. Zinedine Zidane must be feeling much better now that the president of Algeria has sent him a letter of support. The French soccer captain was sent off in the World Cup final for head-butting Marco Materazzi after exchanging comments with the Italian defender. Italy won the final after a penalty shoot-out.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika described Zidane, the son of Algerian immigrants, as "a World Cup demi-god" and the best footballer in the world.
"Yesterday I sent a personal letter on my behalf and on behalf of all the Algerian people to express my solidarity and my friendship to Zidane, and to give him some comfort," Bouteflika told a news conference in London after talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"He was a demi-god of the World Cup, but five minutes later, for many people unfortunately, he become something that sports men should shy away from. He has not lost his own human dimension." said the president, speaking through a translator.
The match was Zidane's last in competitive football and Bouteflika said it was not for others to judge the footballer's actions. "We support him because he is Algerian, we support him because he is the best ... he's the best in the world. It was necessary for Algeria to express itself and to side with him."
Zidane is still waiting for a letter of suppport from the French president. He may be waiting a while.
CORRECTION! We were wrong. President Chirac said to Zidane: "You have the admiration and the affection of the entire French nation," "You are a genius of the world of football!" Well, I guess it takes a genius IQ to head-butt.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Moroccan Property - The essential list.
If you are looking to buy property anywhere in Morocco - here is the list of resources you need. Before doing anything else, read the House in Fez pages. Although concentrating on Fez, the information applies across the country
Basic Information
Telephones http://www.menara.ma/ Maroc Telecom
Yellow pages http://www.pagesjaunes.ma/ Moroccan Yellow Pages
Customs http://www.douane.gov.ma/ Importing info
Police Phone 19
The View from Fez http://riadzany.blogspot.com News from Fez
Property Info
House in Fez http://www.houseinfez.com Essential site for Fez Medina
Fez Restoration http://fezmorocco.blogspot.com Restoration of riads
Rent a riad http://www.fez-riads.com Riads in Fez Medina
Fez Consultants http://www.insidefezmedina.com Fez consultants
Fes Properties http://www.fesproperties.com/ Fez Medina
Atlas Immobilier http://www.atlasimmobilier.com/ Marrakech, Essaouira and the Atlas
Riad 2000 http://www.riad2000.com/ Marrakech, Atlas, Essaouira
Agadir Immobilier http://www.agadir-immobilier.com/ Agadir
Kantakari http://www.kantakari.com Southern Region
La Lune d'Or http://www.villamarrakech.com/ Marrakech
Agadir Immobilier http://www.agadir-immobilier.info/ Agadir area
Cote Sude Immobilier http://www.cote-sud-immobilier.com/ Marrakech
Mauresque Immobilier http://www.mauresque-immobilier.com/ Marrakech
Riad Plus http://www.riad-plus.com/marrakesh Marrakech, Essaouira, Agadir
Bab Menara http://www.babmenara.com/ Marrakech and Essaouira
Semora http://website.lineone.net/ New properties in El Jadida
Aglou Paradise http://www.aglouparadise.com/ New properties south of Tiznit
Morocco Property http://www.morocco-property.com New properties
Palmera Properties http://www.palmeraproperties.com/morocco/ Tangiers area
Arcade Immoservices http://www.arcadeimmoservices.com/ Marrakech
Karimo http://www.karimo.net/en/index.html English language site
Maroc Immo http://www.maroc-immo.com/ In French
Morocco Homes http://www.moroccan-homes.com/ Marrakech and Agadir
Charles Elfassy http://www.celfassy.com/ Marrakech, Essaouira, Agadir, Ouarzazat
Tanger Offshore http://www.geocities.com/tangeroffshores Tangier and Casablanca
Marrakech Immobilier http://www.marrakech-immobilier.net Marrakech and surrounds
Presteige Properties http://www.prestigepropertiesoverseas.com Jawhara Smir (Mediteranean Coast)
Twelf Business http://www.e-maisona.com/ Investment Agents
Villas Laarouse http://www.villas-laarousse.com Moroccan Villas outside Marrakech
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Buying a house in Essaouira.
The one upside to the story is that it takes place in Essaouira and not the Medina of Fez. Essaouira is one of those gorgeous places in Morocco where travelers experience the thought "wouldn't it be nice to live here." Normally, on more sober reflection, people realise that it is fine as a holiday destination but that it just hasn't the same appeal as Fez as a place to live. It is simply not big, complex and culturally diverse enough to sustain interest year after year. Also the tourist hordes and windy beach would soon drive most people barking mad.
However, Abby Arons and her family found a small house in the Chabanat district and - not to mince words - gutted it and built a couple of extra floors. The investment of some forty thousand pounds on top of a purchase price of thirty-seven thousand makes it very expensive by Fez standards but, as Abby gleefully reports in an article in the British Telegraph, the rental market is providing a solid income.
"The house took a year to build at a cost of £40,000. When Maria handed us the keys to the solid wood Berber front door, it was indeed fair to say that she had produced un petit palais. Four years and two children - Solo, two, and Hope, 11 months - later, Dar Ronda, so named because of the rounded outside walls, is rented out for 60 per cent of the year for £550-£670 per week, and we are already taking bookings from EasyJet passengers."
Read Abby's story in the Telegraph
It should be noted that Arons is the author of Buying a House in Morocco which was reviewed on The View from Fez by Helen Ranger. The book is worth a read but far from a definitive account of all the issues involved. For much clearer detail and depth of experience we would suggest that the best source of information is on the internet at House in Fez.
Buying a house in Morocco is not just an investment in real estate, it is an investment in historical and cultural heritage.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Morocco's migration crisis.
The Rabat Declaration, made public at the end of the two-day conference, says the partnership should be "pragmatic and operational" and has to come up with "concrete and appropriate answers" to the central issue of migration flows between Africa and Europe.
The partnership is also to be part of the fight of poverty and the promotion of development, says the declaration, which is accompanied by an action plan agreed upon by some 60 countries and regional and international organizations attending.
The approach, conclusions and action plan of the conference will be presented as a contribution to the high level dialogue of the United Nations on global and joint dealing with migration.
The main concrete orientation and measures contained in the action plan call for the inception of cooperation programs on the management of legal and economic migration. The plan also aims at carrying out the objectives of the Rabat Declaration, including the partnership destined to deal with migration “which cannot be tackled without taking a concerted action regarding the migration root causes.”
United Press International's International Editor, Claude Salhani, wrote in a recent article that... During the first semester of this year Moroccan authorities have foiled 6,824 attempted clandestine immigration crossings, of which 4,200 originated from sub-Saharan Africa. One hundred and sixty networks were dismantled. Morocco's efforts in combating illegal immigration, along with that of Malawi, were "recognized in their dynamism in combating clandestine migration" in the 2006 U.S. State Department report citing them as the only Arab and African countries struggling with greater efficiency against the phenomenon of irregular migration.
Besides re-organizing its border protection and immigration services to better deal with the issues at hand, Morocco has fielded 11,000 security agents to monitor their borders, of which 4,500 have been allocated to monitor the coast.
But just as the United States has learned that no wall, fence, ditch, moat or security forces can prevent immigrants escaping hunger, political and social oppression, so to are the Moroccans and their European neighbors coming to the same realization. The only way to hold back the hordes of would-be migrants is to offer them incentives to stay where they are in the first place. Europe has to start thinking about job creation not only in the 25-member European Union, but in the impoverished sub-Sahara, too. Nothing else will ebb the unstoppable tide of immigration.Read the UPI article HERE.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Reptile Renovation.
And we thought we were the only people doing renovations!
Moving to Riad Zany has obviously inspired Boadicea (pictured below) to tidy herself up.
The photograph of the chameleon shedding its skin was taken at 8 am this morning - photo quality is not up to our usual standard the picture was not taken by Zany, but by Sandy McCutcheon.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Monday, July 10, 2006
A tsunami of Chameleon information.
"Free the Chameleons" read one of the dozens of emails, indicative of the sentiments of everyone who wrote. Thanks for the emails and we are happy to report that several other people have contacted us wanting to find out more about releasing chameleons from certain death in the spice souks.
Meanwhile, View from Fez reporter Helen Ranger has been on the case. She admits in her article to more than a passing interest in chameleons and includes some useful information. Here's her report.
Feeding the freed Chameleons of Fez
Helen Ranger
I've had a lot of fun searching out information on chameleon diets. Firstly you should understand that young chameleons like fruit flies. As they grow older, be careful about how many larger winged insects your pets eat such as moths as all those wings can be difficult to digest. You can imagine they might be a bit windy.
I have to admit a particular interest in chameleons. On a trip to Madagascar a few years ago, my guide in the rain forests of the north-eastern side of the island on the Maroantsetra peninsula showed me the smallest chameleon in the world, less than the length of my little fingernail. And then in the nature reserve close to Toamasina there are those massive specimens that measure half a metre without counting the tail (or indeed the tongue) that are bright turquoise with a red stripe. Best of all though, was the family of much more ordinary chameleons that I had in my Cape Town garden – they live(d) on the rose bushes and the babies were a delight to watch.
Sad to say, the Fort Worth Zoo tells us that these very delicate reptiles usually die while in captivity. They require extensive housing, special vitamin and mineral supplementation, exposure to UV lighting, a varied diet, and unusual watering in order to thrive in captivity’, we're told. Not only that, but you'’re advised to "gut-load" the insects that you feed your little darlings - that is, fatten up the crickets and grubs and other goodies with vitamin-rich foods. Give the insects potatoes, carrots, cabbage, fish flakes, low-fat kitten food, bee-pollen, and thrown in some calcium and vitamins. The bottom line, says ChameleonsOnline.com, feed your insects well so that your chameleons thrive.
Hamdulillah, we don't have to worry about any of that. Fortunately for us and our chameleons, they live in the citrus trees of the riads of Fes (how spoilt is that!!) and can find all the nutrition (and correct UV light, no doubt) necessary for a very happy life.
PS. Sorry Riad Zany, can't find anything about wasps and bees. But I'd like to know how you can tell they're Ghengis and Boadicea … ?
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Pro-Palestinian rally in Rabat
A large demonstration was held in Rabat on Saturday morning. Our intrepid reporter described how the crowd was so large it took more than two hours for the march to pass in front of her hotel on Ave Mohamed V.
They were marching to show their solidarity with the Palestinians. Many of their slogans were in English, no doubt for the foreign press contingent. However the only media present appeared to be local with the exception of Al-Jazeera.
Slogans ranged from 'We are all Palestinians', 'Free Palestine - End Israeli Occupation' to 'Israel Go Out Palestine'. There was also a number of large photographs of Yasser Arafat and Che Guevara flags.
According to our reporter, "It was very animated and everyone had a good time singing and clapping, but also everyone was very self-controlled and well-behaved. It finished promptly at 12.30 so everyone could go home for lunch."
Arab countries need to take action.
Spokesperson, Khalid Sefiani, coordinator of the National Action Group for the Support of the Palestinian and the Iraqi Peoples said, "Arab leadership should pay attention to the fact that it is part of their responsibilities to react against the crimes committed against the Palestinian people. Arab countries can stop these crimes and lift the siege imposed on the Palestinians. Arab countries can provide Palestine with financial, emotional, and also military support; they can also bring international pressure to make the US stop its unconditional support to the Israeli terrorism. Unfortunately, the majority of Arab countries only observe what is going on without taking real action."
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Moroccan Chameleon update
Our post on rescuing chameleons (Rescuing Chameleons in Morocco) got a wide and immediate response. Now, we have several donations to buy and free more chameleons, but two other house owners in Fes have signed up to purchase the endangered creatures for release into their courtyard trees.
We are also happy to report that both of our chameleons are recovering from captivity and have been seen eating. They are hard to see when in the trees, but have taken to coming down onto the second floor walkway for a little shade during the hotest part of the day.
We are curious to see what it is they are eating. Most probably it is flies and mosquitos, but it could be that they fancy a wasp or bee as well. Anyone know if wasps are on the chameleon menu?
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Workplace health and safety in the Fez Medina
Today, however, we had a win. Safety goggles. These were needed to protect the eyes of the women who were stripping paint from an area above head-height. Small chemical splashes were coming back onto their faces and so we moved quickly. We sent out for industrial safety glasses.
What arrived was not quite what we had in mind.
Maybe the women liked them because they were a fashion statement? Sadly the glass fogged up within five minutes and they were totally useless. Another shopping expedition is on the way.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Moroccan essential services - great response time.
The first indication was the smell. Then a trickle of water, followed by a flood of about ten litres a second. Now given that it was a Sunday morning and we didn't know who or what services would be open, the outlook was pretty grim.
First we built a small spillway across the courtyard to a drain and then sent out a messenger to try and contact some local official. Amazingly within half an hour we had an inspector turn up followed some twenty minutes later by two strong lads from RADEEF, the Fez water and electricity authority.
The news was not good. The stormwater drain was not only totally blocked with garbage but broken and would require the street being dug up and that would have to wait until the morning. Driven out by the smell, I was forced to go and watch the World Cup final and have a beer.
In the morning RADEEF turned up and within two hours had completed the work in front of an enthusiastic audience of locals. Later the courtyard was cleaned with highly chlorinated water, incense was burned and now the entire place smells fine.
Our thanks to RADEEF. In Australia we would have still been waiting for the council to call us back.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Rescuing Chameleons in Morocco
The View from Fez recently went on a chameleon rescue expedition into the spice souks and returned with two rather unhappy and unhealthy looking chameleons (Ghengis & Boadicea). We released them into the two large trees in our central coutyard where we are happy to say they appear to be thriving on a diet of flies and wasps.
To most westerners,chameleons are cute little reptiles. To many Moroccans the chameleon is a source of considerable magical power. Go to almost any spice stall or traditional herbalist and you will find live chameleons for sale or dried chameleon skin.
There is also a widely held belief that the bite of the chameleon is fatal and so the first response of many Moroccans is to kill the reptile. They are, in fact, completely harmless.
According to chameleon expert Andy Highfield, Moroccan women who suspect that their husbands are having extra-marital affairs "often resort to the use of concealed chameleon meat or bones in their husband's food in the belief that this will restore his fidelity!"
In Tunisia, it is traditional practice to slaughter a chameleon and bury it in the foundations of new buildings as a protection against the 'evil eye', or bad luck. We have not come across this practice in Morocco, but we did find a small skull buried in the rubble under the floor in our riad.
There are many reports in Morocco of live chameleons being thrown into fire as part or ritual magic and also the drying of the skin in order to burn for the supposed beneficial properties of the smoke. Hence there is a flourishing trade in chameleons that sell from between 15 and 25 dirhams each.
The sad fact is that many chameleons captured for live sale do not survive long as the stall-holders have little understanding of their insectivorous diet and often feed them nothing but mint leaves.
Writing in 1809, in An account of the Empire of Morocco,James G. Jackson commented: "Various medicinal effects are attributed to the flesh of the camelion; and many whimsical effects are attributed to fumigation with it when dried; debilitated persons have recourse to it, and it is accordingly sold in all the drug shops at Marocco, Fas and other places…"
Little has changed in almost 200 years, as a visit to Fes today will readily confirm. A substantial number of chameleons are collected every year to supply the folklore and traditional medicine markets in Morocco; a brief survey of just one medium-sized souk revealed a total of 23 animals being offered for sale at two separate stalls.
The chameleon is also believed, in some places, to be a strong foe of snakes, which it attacks and kills in the following manner; the chameleon proceeds along the bough of a tree, beneath which the serpent sleeps. Placing itself immediately above the snake's head, the chameleon discharges a glutinous thread of saliva, which, upon contact with the snake soon kills it.
Andy C. Highfield and Jane R. Bayley also report Chameleons in Argan trees.
In the future The View from Fez will continue to rescue chameleons and release them into the wild. If you would like to help with the chamelon rescue - a contribution of a few dirhams will go a long way!
Our thanks to the writings of Andy C. Highfield. Andy is the director of British Tortoise Trust and is the author of the Practical Encyclopedia of Keeping & Breeding Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles (Carapace Press). He has almost a decade of field experience in Morocco.
Photographs: Sandy McCutcheon
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Call to end anti-terror laws in the Maghreb
But it is not just the developing countries that need to bewars sacrificing human rights in order to fight terrorism. A sub-regional meeting on "terrorism, anti-terror laws and human rights" has called for removing anti-terror laws in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
The two day meeting, looked into the anti-terror policies and their conformity with human rights in the Maghreban countries, noted that "terrorism definition remains vague," underlining the incompatibility between the anti-terror laws and the International Law and the international conventions and acts.
On the positive side, Egyptian jurist, Georges Abi-Saab deemed that the anti-terror measures in Morocco have not had a negative impact on the reforms launched in the kingdom. He added that international legal experts of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) held meetings with several Moroccan officials, through which they noted a Moroccan Âresolve to keep on the reforms pathÂ
, which augurs well.Â
Several international experts and jurists took place in this meeting, which is part of the project launched in 2005 by the ICJ to look into the conformity of the national anti-terror policies with the human rights principles. This project includes setting up a team of eight distinguished jurists that will examine "the impact of the anti-terror fight on human rights and state of law."
The team, which has a 18 month mandate, will listen, within the framework of a set of regional and sub-regional meetings, to testimonies of civil society representatives, lawyers, journalists, academics and governmental representatives, before elaborating a final report on this subject.
In a press conference, the participating human rights organizations also called for "putting an end to the emergency state in Algeria."
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
New Bloggers in the Fez Medina
Blogging in the old Medina of Fez in Morocco is a very new phenomenon. The advent of the internet inside the Medina has changed everything and in the last few months the number of bloggers has tripled to the huge total of .... THREE!
Regular readers of The View from Fez will have had the pleasure of visiting the fine Fez Restoration Blog of our friends John and Jenny. Now there is a new entrant- a man who describes himself as slightly mad not all bad and joining the wave of Europeans intent on being a part of the renaissance of the Fes Medina to its former glory with a little 21 st century input and finance! The man is Louis Mcintosh and you will find some great pictures (like the Iraqi-glass window above) of his house here: THE MAGICAL MERNISSI HOUSE
We will post a link in our side bar so that you can visit his blog regularly.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
"Lights of Safi" Film Festival
Safi, Morocco, will host the 4th "Lights of Safi" French-language film festival from 11-15 July. Competing films include La Symphonie Marocaine (Morocco), De Battre, Mon Coeur S'est Arrêté (France), L'enfant (Belgium), Tout un hiver sans feu (Switzerland-Poland), Le Grand Voyage (France-Morocco), Mooladée (Senegal, Morocco, Cameroon), C.R.A.Z.Y (Canada), A Perfect Day (Lebanon-France), La Mort de Dante Lazarescu (Romania), and L'enfant endormi (Belgium-Morocco).
Homage will also be paid to Egyptian actor Jamil Ratib, Moroccan actor Mohammed Majd, Jacques Villeret and Mohammed Osfour, known as the father of Moroccan cinema. New Moroccan film Les jeux de l'amour by director Driss Chouika and Cherche ton coeur by Swiss director Vincent Pluss will also be presented outside of the competition.Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Friday, July 07, 2006
Supporting The View from Fez
If you would like to support The View from Fez, we have set up a Paypal donation account which allows you to specify the amount - from $1 upwards. Even the smallest donation makes a difference.
For our readers who can not afford to contribute, we value your readership and will remain free of paid advertising.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Sex tourism on the rise in Morocco
In Morocco, over the past decade there have been a few cases that hit the headlines. Several years ago police in Marrakech dismantled a child pornography network being run by French nationals and in the tourist city of Agadir (southern Morocco) last year a big sex scandal grabbed the attention of the national media. In that case a German national was sentenced to three year' prison and a fine of MAD 5,000 for paedophilia, inciting a minor to vice, fitting out premises for this purpose and fostering sex tourism.
Earlier this year the Moroccan authorities arrested a network of about 18 Moroccans, among them a French of Moroccan descent, specialised in the production of pornographic films. After two months of investigations, a Marrakech court sentenced 13 people to a total of 30 years imprisonment, ranging from 6 months to 6 years in prison for each of the defendants.
The majority of them came from a popular tourist neighborhood located in Sidi Youssef Ben Ali prefecture. Aged between 18 and 20, these impoverished Moroccans found themselves involved in a very dirty adventure, risking their reputation for a very insignificant sum of money and a promise of immigration to France.
Under the Moroccan penal code, the individuals involved in a sex crime scandal, if convicted, risk one to 5 years imprisonment, with paying a fine ranging from MAD 5,000 to 1 million.
According to a statement in parliament by the Minister of Justice, sex tourism is on the rise. If his figures are accurate, then there is reason for grave concern. "The number of the cases registered in Moroccan courts in 2005-2006, involving foreigners and Moroccans with minors, has increased by 26%," Mohamed Bouzoubaa said. However, he went on to point out that... "Sexual perversion crimes are not exclusive to foreigners and must not be treated only by prison sentences but also by psychotherapy and pedagogical ways."
It is to be hoped that the campaigns against sex tourism are effective, not only in Morocco, but in the countries of origin of the offenders.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news