Postcard from Sebta

Visiting the Spanish occupied city of Sebta is a weird experience. This piece of Morocco has been the subject of dispute for a long time and Morocco is not alone in calling on the Spanish to relinquish this remnant of colonialism. Former French President Chirac was a great supporter of Morocco's historical claim and even went to the point of applying pressure to the Spanish Foreign Minister to return the territory. Alas, so far it is still a stalemate.

Sebta - everything within walking distance.

Facts!

Length 9.41 km (6 mi), W-E

Width 5.92 km (4 mi), N-S

Area 18.5 km² (7 sq mi)

Crossing the border does not feel at all like leaving Morocco, but there is a strange atmosphere, intensified by the presence of dozens of young men trying to raise a little cash by selling immigration forms, which are available free at the passport windows. The distance from one side of the frontier to the other is not great and after a long car or bus trip the walk is welcome.

The Spanish border police are friendly and welcoming and taxis are waiting inside for the short drive into the city of Sebta (which the Spanish call Ceuta). The trip into the city cost just over 3 Euro.

The moat beside the "Royal" wall.
(click on any image to enlarge)

Any doubt about the original inhabitants is immediately dispelled by the discovery of an ancient 11th century hammam (sign posted as "Arabic Baths"). This has been beautifully restored and entry to it is free. Although there is a mosque in Sebta, the call to prayer is overpowered by the ringing of church bells. The churches are all interesting, ornate and worth a visit.

Sebta is dominated by Monte Hacho, a hill along its western frontier with Morocco which is guarded by a Spanish fort. Monte Hacho is one of the possible locations for the southern Pillars of Hercules, of Greek legend (the other possibility being Jebel Musa).

Fountains everywhere ! 

The city itself is clean, open and bustling. Tapas bars are everywhere and the general standard of food is superb. If you arrive late in the afternoon, be aware that most bars are not open until around 8.30 in the evening. However, an "Irish", Dublin Pub appears to be open most of the time! Down around the Marina, a fishermen's complex houses restaurants from Chinese to up-market haute cuisine.

Looking upwards has its rewards! 

Being such a small city, walking everywhere is possible. There is also a large pedestrian precinct with plenty of shops. At present Sebta is part of the territory of the European Union. The city was a free port before Spain joined the European Union in 1986. Now it has a low-tax system within the European Monetary System. The population is around 80,000. Despite the so-called low tax system, The View from Fez found prices for cameras and computers higher than mainland Europe.

Nice set of threads! 

What strikes one while wandering the streets is the profusion of street sculpture which features everything from sheep wearing hats to a statue of Ghandi.

Accommodation is plentiful and the small pensions are clean and reasonably priced. For those on a bigger budget the Parador Hotel is perfectly located.

Summing up, a visit to Sebta is interesting but unless you are a tapas addict, returning to Morocco is a welcome experience. Back at the border, The View from Fez team sighed with relief when the first of the Moroccan police welcomed us, smiled and waved us through.

Photographs: Sandy McCutcheon (Click images to enlarge)

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POSTCARD FROM LARACHE

The View from Fez Postcard Series Continues as our intrepid team heads to... 

LARACHE

Today we're in a town little visited by tourists outside the holiday season. Larache is situated on the southern banks of the Loukkos river estuary and has a long history of Portuguese and then Spanish occupation before the French.

The central square, Place de la Libération (also known as Plaza d'Espana) is large and planted with palm trees. Main roads fan out from it, full of early 1920 Mauresque buildings. The town retains a strong Spanish influence and many people speak Spanish as a second language.

Ruins of Portuguese fortifications (see above) can be found along the seafront, and you can sit at a pavement café on the square and see the sea.

Spanish investment in the town has meant that many of the beautiful old buildings are disappearing in favour of bright shiny apartment blocks. The Spanish influence is also found in the food - sardines and paella compete with the preponderance of pizza joints. Restaurants close around 10pm, but in season stay open much later.

LIXUS

We stopped off at Lixus on our way from Asilah to Larache.  Phoenician  settlement of this area dates back more than 2000 BCE. Much older than Volubilis.  Lixus sees fewer visitors, has been less well-researched and is quite overgrown. The resident guide, El Mokhtar El Hannache, will point out the later Carthaginian buildings, and the much later Roman constructions on top of them. Lixus was a maritime city, but these days the sea is 4km away.

There are the remains of a temple to Neptune on the site as well as an amphitheatre (the only one in Morocco), baths, houses, Carthaginian rainwater collection pits (the Romans abandoned these), other temples and a forum. The inhabitants made olive oil and a preserved fish paste much revered in Rome. Today the few olives are wild and only for the birds.

The views of the serpentine Loukkos river are superb from the top of the site. Salt beds, a view of distant Larache and fishing vessels at sea complete the scene.

On the northern side of the estuary, a beautiful beach stretches for miles. There's a large modern development, Port Lixus, with hotels; apartments and even a  marina, that's fortunately not visible from Larache. For now; the town relies on fishing and seasonal tourism and seems a world away from both squeaky-clean Asilah and the major cities of Tangier and Rabat.

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Postcard from Salé

The character Robinson Crusoe in Daniel Defoe's novel escaped from the pirates and sailed off to liberty from the mouth of the Bou Regreg river

If it were a fairy story or folk tale, then Salé would probably be the ugly sister or maybe the ugly duckling. Sitting next to Rabat, Salé has been seen as the twin sister. Nice to look at from the train on the way to Fez, maybe, but certainly not a place high on the list of those "must visit" places. But now the team from The View from Fez can report that the "ugly duckling" is a myth - a beautiful swan beside the Bou Regreg river, is a more appropriate image.

Salé is a fascinating place. Its history is full of mystery and mayhem, of piracy, slavery and a journey from riches to rags. And the history goes a long way back.

In Pirate Utopias, Peter Lamborn Wilson says: Salé dates back at least to Carthaginian times (around 7th century BC). The Romans called the place Sala Colonia, part of their province of Mauritania Tingitane. Pliny the Elder mentions it (as a desert town infested with elephants!). The Vandals captured the area in the 5th century AD and left behind a number of blonde, blue-eyed Berbers. The Arabs (7th century) kept the old name and believed it derived from "Sala" (sic., his name is actually Salah), son of Ham, son of Noah; they said that Salé was the first city ever built by the Berbers.

In the 17th century, Salé became a haven for Moriscos-turned-Barbary pirates. The Salé pirates (the well-known "Sally Rovers") roamed the seas as far as the shores of the Americas, bringing back loot and slaves. They formed the Republic of Salé.

These days the city is a large "dormitory town" with its critics claiming it has little community life and is devoid of a "centre" of its own. Most of its influential and wealthy inhabitants have departed to live in Rabat on the other side of the river.

However, things are changing rapidly and Salé has a lot of potential that will make this an important and interesting place to visit. Recent developments, including a new bridge for the Sale-Rabat tram system, marina and coastal development, all show that this is changing with the government and private development companies pouring money into the area.

When visiting Salé, take a pleasant stroll along the walls (pictured above) until you come to the view of the old cemetery (pictured below). It is fair to say that in Salé, the dead have the best real estate, right on the foreshore.


After enjoying the views, cross the road behind you and go into the old medina. While not as spectacular as that in Fez, or as tourist-oriented as Marrakech, it does have a charm of its own and some wonderful hidden treasures.

Locally made grass matting

Relaxed shopping in the souqs

...and when you need a rest, the park.

There is a peaceful central park, a Mellah, or old Jewish quarter and several interesting souqs. One of the specialities of the city is the production of grass matting designed for mosques, but now sought-after for other interior design functions.

The Great Mosque

Look out for the Great Mosque which was completed in 1333. Situated at the top of a small incline, it has the Medersa of Abu al-Hassan on the left with an exquisite gate and carved balcony. The madrasa admission is 10dh, open daily 9.00-12.00 and 14.30-18.00. Do check out the view of Rabat from the roof.

Through an alley on the left of the mosque you can make your way to the orange/yellow door surrounds of the Tijani Zaouia on a corner to the right. Keep on along the alley and you will eventually come to the Sidi Abdullah ibn Hassoun Zaouia. Just in front of the zaouia is a short lane that takes you back to the road and the sea wall. It is a lovely circuit to walk in the early evening.

The mosque interior

Finding good accommodation in Salé used to be a problem. Thankfully this too is changing and there are a growing number of places to stay. One that we checked out was The Repose. With an easily accessible address in the Medina, it is stylish without being over the top.

The Repose - a haven in the Medina

The peaceful atmosphere is enhanced by superb staff and very hospitable owners who speak a variety of languages including English. The food is vegetarian, but not of the bland variety. Stuffed peppers, delightful salads and wicked chocolate desserts are the order of the day and reasonably priced.

All in all, we regretted that it took so long for us to "discover" Salé. With all the improvements that are in train, we suggest it is a tranquil and interesting place to stay. And, of course, if you are after more high octane nightlife, well, Rabat is merely a bridge away. Of course, if the weather is good and you are in a romantic mood, forget about bridges and taxis and after making your way down to the marina, haggle over the price to be rowed across the river in one of the splendid little blue boats.

Information: You can reach Salé by train, by car or Grand Taxi from Rabat.
For more information on The Repose, email info@therepose.com

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Postcard : Intriguing Figuig - a Moroccan oasis

Few travellers to Morocco ever find their way to Figuig, an oasis town on the Algerian border in the far east of the country. And that's a pity, as The View from Fez team found out from US Peace Corps volunteers, Jack and Ina Boatright.

Figuig palmeraie

Ina and Jack are interested in promoting tourism to the area. But it would be a special kind of tourism, says Jack. Here's his report:

First impressions are that Figuig is an attractive, unique part of the Moroccan Sahara. This is especially true for Zenaga, the oldest Ksar of the seven Ksours of this oasis. The most obvious element of Figuig is the vast palm grove, or palmeraie, of about 200,000 date palms.
Zenaga is a neighborhood or Ksar located within the palmeraie. Passageways through the Zenaga palmeraie are characterized largely by mud-brick walls that define both the gardens and the structure of the houses – sometimes as much as three stories high. Quite often, parts of the mud-brick houses extend over the many passageways, creating cool, dark, and quiet alleys even in the middle of bright sunny days.
These passageways lend a mysterious and other-worldly air to Zenaga, especially with so many of the women of Zenaga covered head to toe in white, perhaps with only one eye exposed. You know that you are in a special place – like no other.

These passageways form intricate labyrinths that often only hint at the interior gardens and courtyards behind these mud walls. Here and there, one may see grape vines full of grapes, or branches of fig or pomegranate trees creeping over a wall.

The extensive network of passageways also serve the complex irrigation of the gardens. This means that many passageways have at least one or two narrow irrigation canals, (“fogarras” in Berber) running alongside it, often full of water and quietly gurgling at the abrupt twists and turn of these passageways.
There are almost no satellite TV dishes in Zenaga. Even in the desert on the way here, there are nomad tents that have solar collectors and the ubiquitous dishes.

Most of the people of Zenaga are in bed within two hours of sunset. The solitude is almost uncanny. As everywhere in Morocco, there are young men gathered together outside at night, but in Figuig they are amazingly polite and wholesome. Some of them have previously lived in Casablanca, Rabat or Oujda, but prefer the tranquility of Zenaga to the pressures of city living. It is almost like defying the law of gravity.

Although Zenaga is more than 800 years old and much of it created out of mud, or pise, it is not only still thriving but also beginning to experience a renaissance of sorts. Many of the homes are being cautiously restored, gently modernized and upgraded, while carefully preserving the nature and flavor of those ancient origins.These restorations are largely funded, not by true foreigners, but by the expatriate remittances of former Figuigians living abroad. They appreciate the unique nature of Zenaga and want their own piece of it in their future. Fortunately, there is no large-scale developer or even a development plan. The changes are taking place just one room, one courtyard, one house at a time.

Plans for tourism
Jack feels that even significant efforts at encouraging tourism in Figuig will not lead to a substantial increase as long as the border between Morocco and Algeria is closed. Also, the limitations of distance from the more populated areas of Morocco will protect the town from excessive outside influence. Their focus will be on fostering increased awareness and appreciation of Figuig to develop a modest increase in tourism that is environmentally clean, provides an economic resource, and that remains respectful to the unique cultural and religious lifestyle.

It's not going to be an easy job. There is very little information on accommodation in Figuig, though the Hotel Figuig is pleasant and there are a couple of guesthouses, Dar Amane and Auberge Oasis. There is no other tourist infrastructure, not even a bike rental outlet (and it's superb biking country), no taxis and no buses within the town. There's no Tourist Information Office, no maps, and even the postcards are faded!

Figuig municipal gardens

But Jack maintains that there's plenty to do in a quiet, gentle sort of way. He recommends a tour of the palmeraie and Zenaga, mountain biking, visiting the natural springs in the underground hammam, visiting the nearby mountain caves that contain prehistoric drawings, bird-watching in the oasis, hiking the Azrou Trail, visiting local artisans and craftsmen and getting to know local families over tea and cakes.

Jack and Ina are to be congratulated on their efforts and we wish them well. They're a special kind of Peace Corps worker - one of a growing number of 'mature' volunteers who instead of enjoying their retirement at home, are making an enormous contribution to the lives of others.

To reach Figuig from Fez, take the train to Oujda (5 hours) and a bus to Figuig (7 hours). We said it was off the beaten track!

all photographs: Ina and Jack Boatright

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