A report on the lecture given in London by Dr Jean-Louis Michon for The Temenos Academy. By our "Up North Correspondent" Aurora BorealisThere’s an irresistible attraction around anything with the word Fez in it if you happen to live in zipped up Anglo lands, where talking to someone you don’t know in a checkout queue is seen as a massive invasion of privacy. So it was that I found myself at the Art Workers Guild in Bloomsbury (where else?) listening to Dr Michon – an 84 year old Frenchman talking about a deceased Swiss German who shared his interest in all things Islamic; and especially in the city of Fez.
Jean-Louis and Titus Burkhardt were friends and colleagues for many years. They both had extremely well educated intellectual credentials, they both found their spiritual niche in Islam and they were both Sufi initiates.
They both loved Fez with an enduring passion. So much so that in1972 Titus Burckhardt and Jean-Louis Michon were invited by UNESCO, on behalf of the Moroccan government, to participate in a study and evaluation of the problems around the preservation of cultural heritage.
After several years of work dedicated to the rehabilitation of the city’s fabric, a Master Plan for the Urban Planning of Fez was completed in 1978. The plan was largely inspired by Titus Burckhardt’s spirit and enthusiasm and was conceived to kick start a national and international campaign
to safeguard and restore our fabulous city, founded in the 8th century by Moulay Idriss.
Thirty years on from the Burckhardt plan, Fez is celebrating 1,200 years of its existence and the energetic, loving rehab that he initiated surpasses all expectations – but one can’t help wondering what Burkhardt would make of the boutique riads. After listening to Michon talking about his friend, I think they would both have preferred the resources to go into mosques, medrassas and comfort zones for artisans and craftspeople.
So did we gain insight into the life of Titus Burckhardt from his friend? Maybe a little. We were told about his early travels in Morocco. How he yearned to find a spiritual master who would open his heart and mind to deep contemplative experience, how he married a woman who dedicated her life to his work, how he did eventually find his sheikh –in Fez. But I was left feeling there is a lot more to learn about this fascinating individual who seems to me to be a precursor –someone well ahead of his time. The Temenos Academy has a remit to sustain the ‘Perennial Wisdom’ and has The Prince of Wales as its Patron. It has been going for many years. Let’s hope it continues.
Books by Titus Burckhardt
Fez, City of Islam
Siena, City of the Virgin
Sacred Art in East and West
Mystical Astrology According to Ibn Arabi,
Traditional Science and Sacred Art
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
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