Exploring the Friouato Caves - a day trip from Fez

Fez is the perfect place to base yourself for exploring the surrounding region. One fascinating getaway is to Jebel Tazzeka National Park, near the medieval city of Taza. There you can find an impressive underground cave network, the Friouato Caves.  Suzanna Clarke reports on a day trip with a difference.

Setting out to visit the Friouato Caves in Jebel Tazzeka National Park, I had in mind a leisurely Sunday stroll. Perhaps a short walk down a few steps, then the chance to admire a long, well lit rock gallery. Naturally, the caves were nothing like this at all.

The Friouato caves (Arabic: مغارة فريواطو‎), better known by their French name Gouffre de Friouato,  are located about 30 km south of the city of Taza. The farthest explored known point is about 272 meters, but its real limits are still mysterious. However, some locals believe that it is about 3.5 kilometres in length.

I and my two companions – Dr Gigi Kay, the director of the American Fondouk and her husband Dr Dick Hooper - found ourselves descending more than 100 meters into an enormous cave. This first chamber was lit through a hole at the top, through which trees and sky could be glimpsed. As we began our descent, we could only just make out people at the base of the climb. They looked to be the size of rabbits in a field. Initially there were hand rails, and then these petered out until it was a seemingly never-ending series of concrete steps - in reality there are more than 500.

The size of the cave seemed immense, and images from the Lord of the Rings movies sprang to mind. I could imagine the orcs scrabbling over rocks towards us. If not orcs, perhaps there is danger to be discovered in the depths of the cave system. People from the nearby village say many explorers have visited the cave, some of whom never returned.

When we reached the bottom of the first chamber, we followed the guide through a tiny crevasse in the rock, down another series of steps, to the interior of the cave. The sound of running water could be heard, and the chamber opened out to a limestone pool, constantly replenished by, a small waterfall. Clinging to the side wall were a couple of small bats, who ignored our torch beams.

We were grateful for our miners helmets and their lights, for the darkness was intense. We continued into another large chamber, which had a series of stalactites and stalagmites, formed by the deposition of calcium carbonate and other minerals. “It takes 100 years for a centimeter of stalactite to form, and even more for a stalagmite,” said our guide. According to my research, an average growth rate is actually 0.13 mm (0.0051 inches) a year. The quickest growing stalactites are those formed by fast-flowing water rich in calcium carbonate and carbon dioxide, these can grow at 3 mm (0.12 inches) per year.

We came to a limestone “table” on which there was a constant stream of water. Alongside it, the guide tapped a limestone stalagmite, which sounded hollow. When he shone his torch at the top of it, the length of it took on an eerie glow.

The multitude of sculptural shapes gave a magical feel to the cave. “You can imagine how they first thought of cathedrals,” said Dr Dick Hooper. I stood on the edge of a deep hole and could just see water at its base. More adventurous types than me have abseiled into its depths.

The Friouato Caves were first explored in 1930 by French adventurer Norbet Casteret. In 1969, a cave diving expedition by Exeter University Speleological Society passed two static sumps to discover more large chambers and shafts. The system ends in a massive choke of boulders. These may well be the same boulders that can be seen at the end of the upstream passages of the nearby Grotte du Chiker; this choke was also discovered in 1969 by the same group of cavers. There are also signs of an underground river that is believed to flow near the Grottes of Chiker.

We were offered the opportunity to continue into the depths for another three hours, to see yet more marvels, but declined and began our long ascent.

I have always thought myself claustrophobic, yet I was glad I had overcome whatever qualms I had had about being in a dark, enclosed spaces, to see an extraordinary natural phenomena.

Jebel Tazzeka National Park is located about 100 kms east of Fez, and can easily be reached via the new motorway which passes by Taza. Day trips can also be arranged with Plan-It Fez. 

Size Matters

Tourism leads to wild claims about "the world's largest" "the world's deepest", "Africa's largest" and so on. Unfortunately these claims are picked up, republished on websites and get taken as fact.  So to set the records straight...

While Africa has some impressive cave systems, it is well down any list of the world's largest or deepest caves. Africa's largest cave is (probably) Rhar Bou Ma'za (Tafna River Cave) in Algeria. It is 244th largest in the world at 18.4 kilometres.

Africa's 2nd largest cave (the 306th largest in the world) is said to be Sof Umar Cave in Ethiopia. It is formed by Web River, which rises from Bale Mountain. The 42 internal entrances and its total passages distance of 16 km. There is a short 1.7 kms tourist walk, which crosses the river seven times and takes about an hour.

None of the top ten largest caves in the world are in Africa.

The entrance to Mammoth Cave

The cave system with the greatest total length of surveyed passage is Mammoth Cave (Kentucky, USA) at 628 km in length. This record is unlikely to be beaten in the near future, as the next most extensive known cave is Jewel Cave near Custer, South Dakota, at only 242 km.

The longest surveyed underwater cave is Sistema Sac Actun in Yucatán, Mexico at 215 km. The record has been exchanged several times with Sistema Ox Bel Ha, currently at 182 km.

The deepest known cave (measured from its highest entrance to its lowest point) is Voronya Cave in Georgia, with a depth of 2,191 m (7,188 ft). This was the first cave to be explored to a depth of more than 2 km (1.2 miles).   The first cave to be descended below 1 km (0.62 mi) was the famous Gouffre Berger in France.  The Illyuzia-Mezhonnogo-Snezhnaya cave in Georgia, (1,753 m or 5,751 ft) and the Lamprechtsofen Vogelschacht Weg Schacht in Austria (1,632 m or 5,354 ft) are the current second- and third-deepest caves, respectively. The deepest cave record has changed several times in recent years.

The deepest vertical shaft in a cave is 603 m (1,978 ft) in Vrtoglavica Cave in Slovenia. The second deepest is Patkov Gušt at 553 m (1,814 ft) in the Velebit mountain, Croatia.

The largest room ever discovered is the Sarawak Chamber, in the Gunung Mulu National Park (Miri, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia), a sloping, boulder strewn chamber with an area of approximately 700 by 400 m (2,297 by 1,312 ft) and a height of 80 m (260 ft). The nearby Clearwater Cave System is believed to be the world's largest cave by volume, with a calculated volume of 30,347,540 m3(1.071713×109 cu ft).

The largest passage ever discovered is in the Son Doong Cave in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh Province, Vietnam. Explored by joint Vietnamese-British cave scientists of the British Cave Research Association, it is 4.6 km (2.9 mi) in length, 80 m (260 ft) high and wide over most of its length, but over 140 m (460 ft) high and wide for part of its length.

NOTE: It is interesting that a majority of explored caves occur in countries where caving is a popular sport. Many other countries probably have cave systems still to be explored. For example, China has massive limestone areas and it is expected those area will contain massive caves. 

For more information on caves see the wonderful site run by "caverbob" - http://www.caverbob.com/


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The World Touring Car Championship - Marrakech 2013

In what is good news for tourism and for dedicated petrol-heads, the World Touring Car Championships will return to Marrakech with the next race - which will be the fourth to be held in the city - to take place on April 7.

Mohammed Ouzzine, Minister for Youth and Sports, said that the country is delighted to welcome the series back: "The WTCC event has a strong impact on the city. It has been estimated that the direct economic impact in 2012 was of 220 million Dirham (around 18 million euro). "And on top of this, the interest of the media is aroused by the improving performance of Mehdi Bennani who last year became the first Moroccan driver to claim a podium result in an FIA world championship.”

Lahcen Haddad, Minister of Tourism added: “The WTCC and its worldwide TV coverage grant an extraordinary promotion to the city of Marrakech. The stream of tourism that follows this event is very important. A lot of people come for the race and then stay a few days longer."

WTCC promoter Marcello Lotti said: "Marrakech is one of the most popular venues for all the people who work in and around WTCC. The atmosphere we find here is unique and we can feel that the local people welcome us heartily."


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Fes Photography Workshop 2013

The Fes Photography Workshop takes place in a medieval medina  - the darkly-romantic and evocative city of Fes. In its inaugural year the workshop will be run in tandem with the Sufi Cultural Festival (13th – 20th April, 2013). The six day workshop is open to up to twelve participants.

Fes Sufi Festival - a photogenic treat (photo Sandy McCutcheon)

The backdrop is Fes –the symbolic heart of Morocco, as well as it’s intellectual and spiritual centre. Set at an historical crossroads adjacent to the Rif and Atlas mountains, Fes was the city of great Imperial Moroccan dynasties – each of which has left its indelible footprint on the Old City, which still retains its traditional identity.

Fes - a seduction of all your senses
(photo Sandy McCutcheon)

From a photographer's point of view the Fes Medina has a lot to offer. The medina or Fes el-Bali, is the largest living medieval Medina (walled city) of the Arab world. And it is the world’s largest pedestrian city, as well. Its narrow, winding alleys and covered bazaars – intricate and detailed in design – are awash with brilliant colors and buzzing with a lively foot-traffic-only hubbub of daily business and life. A walk through the medina is truly a veritable seduction of all the senses. The colours, shapes, sights, sounds and smells of this jostling city will carry you on a magic carpet journey through the amazing labyrinthine that is Fes.

From the dye-makers to the tanneries, artisan workshops, old palaces and much, more more, Fes offers the adventureous photographer an endless variety of fascinating and exotic visual opportunity.

The workshop will be run by The Compelling Image founder and Corbis photojournalist David Bathgate and John Horniblow, Founder and Editor of Photojournale.

INFORMATION FROM THE ORGANISERS

PARTICIPANTS SUBMISSIONS:

If you are interested in participating in the workshops for first step is to register your interest by submitting some work or website links via email. The organisers ask that you send a minimum of 7 works and a maximum of 10. They aim to ensure the level, instruction and experience at the workshop is fitting for all participants while maintaining a high standard of skill. #Please note this is not a beginners workshop.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

We are offering two options on how to participate in the workshop.
1. Workshop with accommodation (highly recommended)
Double shared accommodation seven nights at the workshop riad (offered at discount of standard rates and very competitive for Fez ) including pickup and transfers to the riad, breakfasts, from Saturday 13th to Saturday 20th April.
USD 1985 (workshop and shared double accommodation)
USD 2370 ( workshop and single accommodation – limited availability so book early)
2. Workshop only.
The cost of the workshop only will be USD 1600 for 6 days
Once participants have been selected they will be expected to pay a non-refundable deposit of USD 500 within two weeks and pay the rest of the workshop fee 4 weeks before the workshop commencement – 2nd March 2013.
Participants should plan to arrive during the day on Saturday April 13th register that they have arrived and attend the welcome dinner. The workshop start Sunday 14th April and runs till Friday 19th, departures or further stay should be arranged from Saturday 20th April onwards.

photo: John Horniblow

Are you a local Morocco based photographer?

Morocco Photography Workshops and Expeditions is offering three places to locally based Morocco photographers to participate in the workshops for a reduced price of 1000 USD – 8380 MAD. This prices does not include the accommodation but accommodation can be added if you need it.
In the unlikely event that the workshop does not fill all 12 spots we will run the workshop with a minimum of seven participants. We reserve the right to cancel the workshop if the minimum number of participants is not met and upon which case we will refund the deposits.
To register for the Fez Photography Workshop please contact Plan-it Fez.

The price includes:
- photography tuition and multimedia development and tuition (including defining each participant’s project; shooting; editing sessions; creating a coherent body of work; creation of a slide show; projection of the images of the participants)
- seven nights accommodation at the riad if you take the workshop with accommodation package (highly recommended)
- a welcome and farewell dinner
- lunch on workshop days
- assistance and help from the Morocco Photography Expeditions team and an assistant/translator with local knowledge.
Participants will be expected to make their own travel arrangements to Fez. Once you have arrived in the city we can organize pickups.
• We also can advise on finding the accommodation that best suits you. Fez has a number of accommodation options and if you don’t take the accommodation package we highly recommend you stay in the medina where you have the choice to rent small riad houses, other riad accommodation, some hotels and the occasional low end backpacker style hotels( not recommended) Most of your time will be spent either at the workshop riad or out shooting projects so if you do not take the accommodation package at the riad we advise you stay nearby.
• You should bring all necessary equipment. Please note that for the purposes and practicalities of a workshop, digital photography equipment is advisable as lab access in Fez is difficult to find (E6 processing is virtually impossible to organize in Morocco! ).
• All participants should also bring a laptop (if you have one. ) and we will try to work around situations where this is not possible.
*To register and for more information, including single-supplement and workshop-only pricing, please contact Plan-it Fez directly.


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Morocco To Assist Street Traders

The Magharebia  website is reporting new initiatives to assist Moroccan street traders.  After years of being ignored, Moroccan street traders will soon see much needed help, Industry and Trade Minister Abdelkader Amara told MPs last month.

The minister said that the previous approach was unilateral and based on the settling of these traders by the authorities. A new organisational framework will be created to enable traders to work legally, he said told Parliament on January 8th.

Traders will be allowed to work at specific locations during set hours in towns. Amara also announced that the ministry intends to set up a fund to finance the new reform, which will include awareness-raising and training aimed at traders.

A pilot scheme will soon be run in Kenitra, 40km north-east of Rabat, in partnership with the local authorities, he said.

"The roughly 240,000 street vendors in Morocco's towns and cities are the breadwinners for over 1.3 million people." - Industry and Trade Minister Abdelkader Amara.

MPs questioned the minister about the phenomenon, for which "no effective strategy has been put in place". They highlighted the need to find working solutions to manage these traders and to help tackle their insecurity while also preventing public places from descending into anarchy.

That is what the traders themselves want as well. Some of those who were contacted by Magharebia recalled the case of their "colleague" Mohamed Bouazizi, whose actions sparked the revolution in Tunisia.

Thirty-two-year-old Karim Msemmer became a fruit trader four years ago. The law school graduate was unemployed for five years before he decided to get into the profession. He said he would like to have a shop where he could trade without having to worry about police officers patrolling, who sometimes confiscate street vendors' wares.

"Our situation is fragile. Our incomes are very limited. If the state helps us, things can change," he said. Msemmer earns between 2,500 and 3,500 dirhams a month and has to provide for a family of six.

When Souad Cherrat's husband died ten years ago, she went to work to support her three children. At first she sold vegetables, but then she decided to sell clothes. "My daily life is tough. There is always the fear of the authorities. Besides that, staying in the street all day and for part of the evening without any protection from the cold or the sun causes health problems for traders," she said.

Sociologist Samira Kassimi said that the government must improve the social situation of street vendors, who she said constitute a real ticking time-bomb. "The state must help to end their insecurity. These traders must move from the informal sector to the formal sector with the help of financial and technical support," she said.

The approaches that were adopted to date revealed their limitations, especially when vendors were moved to markets located on the outskirts of towns, she added.

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Want to Study in the US?

Recently The View from Fez highlighted a scholarship programme for Moroccan students (see story here). But there are other avenues available for those who want to study in the United States. There are a wide variety of exchange programs available. Find out more at an information night this Wednesday at 5pm.

Deputy Cultural Affairs Officer, Sam Werberg, from the U.S. Embassy in Rabat will give a presentation and discuss the various U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs available to Moroccans, including exchange programs for high school students, university students, post-graduate students, and professionals.

We will discuss who is eligible for these programs, how to apply, and how to find out more information about each program. We will talk about the benefits of these programs and what some of our exchange program alumni have done once they returned to Morocco.

Who: American Language Center students, high school and university students and professionals
When: Thursday January 30 at 5pm
Where: American Language Center, Fez, Room 1

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Morocco vs South Africa - Football fever in Morocco

Football fever is gripping Morocco ahead of the clash with South Africa on Sunday. The Atlas Lions will need all three points in order to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals while Bafana Bafana seek at least a single point in order to progress.

According to the SA Football Association, tickets for the match are sold out.President Kirsten Nematandani, speaking in Johannesburg has urged those with tickets to the match to turn out in their numbers at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

"Those with tickets, please don't stay at home, we want to see the stadium full," he said.

For those in Morocco, the cafes around the country will be packed with supporters.

Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium

South Africa enter into their final Group A clash against Morocco brimming with their confidence after their inspired performance against Angola, which has left them top of Group A with four points. The hosts will have to deal with a few injury concerns before the match, as striker Lehlohonolo Majoro will not be fit for the tie after being helped off the pitch on Wednesday.

Tokelo Rantie has a question mark placed on his head as he picked up a knock in training, while injured pair Kagisho Dikgacoi and Lerato Chabangu were seen doing light training in Durban on Thursday. This would mean South Africa go into the game with only two recognised strikers in their squad, with Katlego Mphela and Bernard Parker leading the line of attack.

Gordon Igesund is wary of Morocco before the tie and is encouraging his players to focus on the present and the match ahead.

"We know what we need to do on Sunday. We can't continue living in the past. We must start celebrating once we qualify for the quarter-finals," he told reporters.

"We won our second game, but we really can't get carried away with that. One win is not going to qualify us. We know what have to do next. We have a tough match against a strong Morocco side and we need to win that one.”

The hosts will target a victory against the side deemed to be the strongest in the group, but Morocco have failed to light up the tournament with draws against Angola and Cape Verde and may fear the renewed vigour and confidence displayed by Bafana Bafana in their win over the Palanacas Negras.

Rachid Taoussi will need to make some changes in order to help his side unleash their attacking potential with players such as Assaidi and El Hamadaoui yet to fire.

Taoussi may be regretting leaving Adel Taabart and Maraoune Chamkah out of his squad, as the side has looked rather toothless in attack, with only a single goal being scored in the tournament by El Arabi, which was the priceless equaliser against Cape Verde.

However the team will want to prove that they can do well without the likes of Taarabt, by beating a host nation which looked unstoppable against Angola.

Many South Africans feared the tie against Morocco, but it seems the tables have turned as suddenly the Atlas Lions could be deemed as the underdogs on Sunday night.

PROBABLE PLAYERS

SOUTH AFRICA
Khune,Masilela, Khumalo, Sangweni, Ngcongca, Phala, Furman, Mahlangu, Tshabalala Mphela, Parker

MOROCCO
Lamyaghri, Chakir, Bergdich, Benatia, El Adoua Abdel, El Ahmadi, Belhanda Assaidi, El Hamdaoui, Amrabat


The History 

Thabo Mngomeni scored in Bafana's 3-1 win over Morocco in the 2002 Nations Cup

South Africa and Morocco have played on three occasions with Bafana Bafana holding a slight advantage over their opponents with two wins and a draw the final results.

The last time the two sides met was in 2004 in Tunisia and the final score was a 1-1 draw.

Morocco has not qualified for the second round of the Africa Cup of Nations since 2004, when Badou Zaki was coach of the side.

South Africa’s two goals against Angola were their first goals of 2013.

South Africa has not reached the knock-out round of the Africa Cup of Nations since 2002.


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Fes Festival of World Sacred Music - Quiz

There have been so many extraordinary Fes Festival of World Sacred Music concerts over the years and recently, when a group of festival devotees huddled around a fire on a cold Fez winter's night, the conversation inevitably turned to to - "Do you remember...?"

So, here's a photographic quiz. How many of the following artists can you identify and do you remember what year it was when they performed at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music?

There is no prize - but if you email the the most correct answers.. just maybe, if you are in Fez at some stage, The View from Fez will buy you lunch at Thami's restaurant. Email answers to : theviewfromfez@gmail.com

And finally, an easy one

Photographs: Phil Murphy, Suzanna Clarke and Sandy McCutcheon 

Find out everything about the 2013 Fes Festival of World Sacred Music here.

Don't forget to book your place to stay early!

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Morocco's Tourism Sector - Is 2013 A Recovery Year?

The economic downturn in Europe and instability in Mali and Algeria are all contributing to the tourism sector's slow recovery in Morocco. While there are some promising developments such as the Ryanair decision to use Marrakech and Fez as bases for their aircraft, there is still a touch of gloom in the tourist industry. Tourism experts say that concentrating on airline services and introducing medical tourism may be the key to a brighter future.

More empty tables than usual 

"We are getting only three or four bookings a week which is just enough to keep our head above water,' one riad owner told The View from Fez. "Hopefully the lull since New year will see a pick-up in March and April."

The situation in Fez is patchy, with some riad owners reporting good numbers of guests with a surprising number of visitors from South American nations such as Argentine, Mexico and Brazil. Those operators who concentrate on the North American and British markets are seemingly those experiencing the worst of the slowdown.

The decline in visitor numbers has caused a number of accommodation businesses to shift their focus and lower their rates to encourage domestic tourism. "As far as we're concerned, we've revised our room rates and also diversified our offer to Moroccan families," one Marrakech hotel manager explained. "We've also improved our internet communications, with a new platform providing information and online booking facilities."

Last year, journalist Rajae El Oufairi was accurate in suggesting that focussing on national tourists, with attractive offers, would be a solution for the sector under current market conditions. "In Morocco today there is a real emergent middle class,and the problem is the absence of tourist offers to match the expectations of the Moroccan middle class."

A quiet time in the souqs of Casablanca  photo Sandy McCutcheon

However, at street level, traders say that business is quiet. Street restaurants and small business owners are generally confident that things will pick up. "It is always quiet in winter,' hanout (small shop) owner Yousef says. "We don't get a lot of business from tourists anyway. They tend to take pictures and move on. But when there are a lot of tourists the guest houses spend more in the souq."

Writing in the online journal Magharebia, Hassan Benmehdi reports that although Morocco is hoping 2013 will be a year of economic recovery for the tourism sector, experts are cautioning the rebound will not be as easy as once thought.

"Tourism in Morocco is crucial to the country's economy, as it represents about 7.1% of the gross domestic product," financial analyst Moussa El Mouritani explained. "The European market represents over 50% of the tourism in Morocco; however that market is still unstable and the economy is having a hard time getting back to its normal pace and normal progression."

Moroccan Tourism Minister Lahcen Haddad has pointed out that efforts have been made on many levels to find ways to minimise the impact of the weak economy, particularly in Europe. Haddad said that the Moroccan government plans to develop and finalise pragmatic methods that would allow several projects to come to life. That would require raising a total of 38 billion dirhams for developing 36,000 additional beds and eventually lead to the creation of over 10,000 jobs.

 Tourism - one of the top five job generating sectors  photo AFP/Fadel Senna

The point, Haddad said, was to invest with people involved in important projects such as the convention centre and the amusement park in Marrakech, the Tama Ouanza resort in Agadir as well as the myriad of resorts in Fez and the Biladi clubs in Martil and Benslimane.

Also on the 2013 agenda, the introduction of medical tourism and sustainable tourism classes.

Tour operators are dissatisfied and feel that the field "is not living up to expectations". For Abdelali Mouktadir, who works in sales at a Marrakech hotel resort, the bad economy makes them less competitive. Another Marrakech hotel operator said that the government should focus efforts mainly in the aviation sector and should work harder on making Morocco a tourist destination. The country's potential is not being correctly showcased, Casablanca restaurant manager Driss Belloufi said.

The National Tourism Federation (FNT) wants to reinforce logistics so that the country's vision for domestic tourism gets some kind of support. The tourism minister also looks to further reinforce training through the establishment of several partnerships with various international institutes. He also asked field professionals to help out and determine their exact needs in terms of expertise and human resources.

On a financial level, Industry and Trade Minister Abdelkader Amara noted that tourism related investments come mainly from domestic sources (64%), while only 36% come from abroad, primarily the US and Saudi Arabia. "Next year we will have investments in the area of 20 to 30 billion dirhams," he said. According to the latest data of the High Commission for Planning (HCP), tourism represents more than 7 per cent of the gross domestic product and is one of the top five job generating fields in Morocco.


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Eid Al Mawlid - Mubarak

The View from Fez wishes all our readers a happy Eid Al Mawlid

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Morocco's Cold Wet Weather to Continue

The spell of cold and wet weather in Morocco is set to continue. The longer term outlook is for a gradual improvement by the middle of next week. 

Of the major cities, Marrakech is the only exception. The Marrakech temperatures this week will reach 22 degrees celsius by Monday. However, night time temperatures will vary between 3 degrees and 8. Make sure to carry an umbrella if you are out and about in Marrakech. The windiest day will be Monday 28th January as wind will reach 13mph (or 20kmph) at around 3 pm.

Take an umbrella this week - and a scarf

The scenario in Tangiers is a touch cooler. The week ahead will bring three days of sunshine and three of rain. In Tangiers the top temperature will be over the weekend with a high of 17 celsius. Night time lows will be between 8 and 11 degrees.

Casablanca can expect some sunshine today, but then increasingly cloudy conditions will bring rain on Friday and over the weekend. Low temperatures around 9 degrees are expected with a top of 18 most days.

Rabat has sun-showers today and tomorrow followed by three days of rain. Monday should see a return of the sunshine. Top temperature will be 18 on Saturday. Night temperatures are still cool going down to 8 or 9 degrees, but rising on the weekend to around 12 celsius.

In Fez, the daytime temperatures will vary between 16 or 17 on Saturday and 14 on Monday. Evening lows go down again after the weekend with only 4 degrees expected on Monday. Friday, Saturday and Sunday will probably see a return of rain after a better day on Thursday.

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Eid Al Mawlid Date Announced

Eid Al Mawlid, commemorating the birth of Prophet Mohammad, will be celebrated in Morocco this year on January 24th

The celebration will also be held on the same date in France. This was confirmed by an announcement  made this week by the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM). "The CFCM announced that the festival which occurs on the 12th day of Rabi 'Al Awal hegira year 1434, will be celebrated this year 24 January," said its president Mohammed Moussaoui.

Note that in the Muslim calendar, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day, so observing Muslims will celebrate Mawlid al-Nabi from the sunset of Wednesday, the 23rd of January.

Although Mawlid al-Nabi is always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year, since the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar and the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar. This difference means Mawlid al-Nabi moves in the Gregorian calendar approximately 11 days every year (as does Ramadan). The date of Mawlid al-Nabi may also vary from country to country depending on whether the moon has been sighted or not.

Celebrations vary from country to country. In Australia, for example, many Muslims fast during daylight hours on Eid Milad ul-Nabi. They may also attend special prayer meetings or lectures on Muhammad's life or on Islam's spiritual aspects. Some Muslim groups also hold classes for children on Muhammad's life or a communal meal or celebration. The rooms used during the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday celebrations are often modestly decorated with banners, flowers or balloons. Other groups hold lectures to inform people about Islam, Mohammed's life and current events in the Muslim world. Stalls selling Islamic books are seen at many events.

History

Mawalid in Mogador 1912

The basic earliest accounts for the observance of Mawlid can be found in 8th century Mecca, when the house in which Prophet Muhammad was born was transformed into a place of prayer by Al-Khayzuran (mother of Harun al-Rashid, the fifth and most famous Abbasid caliph).

Though public celebrations of the birth of Muhammad did not occur until four centuries after his passing away. The oldest Mawlid-text is claimed to be from the 12th century and most likely being of Persian origin.

The early celebrations included elements of Sufi influence, with animal sacrifices and torchlight processions along with public sermons and a feast.

Fundamentalist Muslims, such as the Wahhabi sect, do not celebrate the holiday.


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