Saturday, October 20, 2007
Tourism in Morocco - impressive increase
First results for 2006 indicate that tourism revenues in Morocco totaled $6.24 billion, up by an impressive 17.4 per cent over 2005.
UNWTO figures for visitor arrivals in Morocco for the first 11 months of 2006 show a 9.3 per cent increase over the same period in 2005.
Since 2001, Morocco has been implementing its tourism development plan ‘Vision 2010’, launched by Moroccan King Mohammed VI to attract 10 million international visitors to the Kingdom by 2010. Tourism growth has been helped by the implementation of an open-skies policy with Europe, and especially by the development of services from a number of low-cost carriers.
Morocco is opening up new regions to tourism, and is targeting six coastal areas for development. These include the Tan Tan region on the southwest coast where, by 2010, around new 5,000 hotel beds and 2,000 apartments will be available for visitors in a large integrated resort area. Tourism development will also be focused on areas where renovation of historic structures are taking place, such as the UNESCO-listed ancient city of Fez, where the medina has been restored, and where a project to renovate the old Arabic gardens in underway.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Morocco makes top tourist list yet again!
The "Bluelist" - the global travel guide has once again put Fez in its top emerging destinations to visit.
The Lonely Planet Bluelist 2008 has included Fez a decision which should boost tourist numbers. For example, last year the guide had hotly tipped the city of Belfast, which later saw record numbers of holidaymakers heading to the northern Irish capital.
The "GoList" includes the eastern African country of Eritrea, Montenegro in eastern Europe, the Tiwi Islands in Australia, Portugal's Azores archipelago, the Syrian capital Damascus and the historic city of Fez, Morocco.
The Bluelist 2008 also features chapters on travelling to Islamic countries, where to go to see endangered wildlife in their natural habitat, and a selection of traveller's tips and photographs.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Morocco gets seven women MPs.
Morocco got a new government on Monday after nearly a month of tough negotiations, with seven women among the 34 ministers - and none from the Islamic party that placed second in parliamentary elections last month.
Longtime Foreign Minister Mohamed Benaissa was replaced by his deputy, 49-year-old Taieb Fassi Fihri, in the new government - part of a bid to open the door to a new generation.
There were no major surprises among the most sensitive appointments, such as the foreign ministry, traditionally decided by King Mohamed VI. Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa retained his post.
The appointment of seven women ministers - up from two in the previous government - underscored an effort toward modernity in this moderate Muslim kingdom. Morocco in 2004 reformed a repressive family law to increase women's rights.
8 ministers come from Istiqlal
Among women ministers was Nawal el Moutawakil, who won gold in the 400-metre intermediate hurdles at the 1984 Olympics, as sports minister. Amina Benkhadra would head the Energy, Water and Environment Ministry.
Eight ministers were from the secular party Istiqlal of Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi, who was named to the post in mid-September, while seven came from the Socialist Union of Popular Forces.
The naming of the new government followed September 07 parliamentary elections in which Istiqlal won 52 of the 325 seats. Notably absent from the cabinet was the Justice and Development Party, an Islamic party that won 46 seats.
El Fassi, who led the delicate negotiations, had made clear after his appointment that the new cabinet would mimic the previous majority, a coalition including Istiqlal and the Socialist Union of Popular Forces - leaving no room for the Islamic party.
The Justice and Development Party had gained strength in recent years, worrying its secular rivals. However, some in the party saw a role in the opposition as more attractive than being part of a majority melting pot.
Morocco's 44-year-old monarch, who took the throne in 1999, had said the new government must work for democratisation and development.
El Fassi said the government reflected efficiency while taking into account regional concerns and a bid to open the door to new faces.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
The future of the hammams of Fez
The European Commission is involved in a research project that may impact on the future of hammams in Fez. Sadly, many are closing but now that may be about to change.
A sustainable future for Hammams
The Islamic bathhouse, the Hammam, was a central part of the social and cultural life of civilisation around the Mediterranean, where religious, artistic and ceremonial activities took place. Serving a number of functions, it was a source for healthcare and hygiene, as well as for potable water. But the Hammam was also one of the rare public meeting places for women and it provided a place for relaxation. The EU-funded project HAMMAM (the Hammam, Aspects and Multidisciplinary Methods of Analysis for the Mediterranean Region) was an international research collaboration aimed at developing new ways of adapting the old Hammam to contemporary Islamic life. Different scenarios were studied regarding the joint usage of the Hammam by both locals and tourists.
One of the principal goals of the HAMMAM project was to understand and evaluate the role of the Hammam, the technology involved in running it and the rules by which it is governed. The HAMMAM research team, led by Dr Heidi Dumreicher from Oikodrom, the Vienna Institute for Urban Sustainability, studied from a local perspective the cultural, economic and technical aspects of six specific Hammams in five different southern Mediterranean countries and one in Turkey. In Egypt, the institution is in decline, but in Morocco, for example, such public bathes continue to be built even in new, modern areas. Different innovative approaches are developed for the sustainable use of the various sites. The researchers also assessed the risks involved in renovating traditional Hammams and running them on a daily basis.
If the Hammams were to disappear, Islamic cities would lose an important part of their cultural heritage, with unfortunate consequences for society and the quality of urban life. Therefore, particular attention was paid to local technology, the revival of traditional construction methods, the recycling of water, the reduction of environmental pollution and the use of renewable energy.
All the sites chosen for this study are still operational and have been maintained and renovated over the centuries by the local inhabitants. The team was careful to involve members of the community with the evaluation of the Hammams and the development of plans for their future use. One of the areas chosen, the Medina of Fez, is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site and is a wonderful example of an Islamic city still containing most of its original traditional buildings and public facilities.
The project went some way to both maintain and reassess the Hammam as a centre of cultural heritage, filled with architectural, technological, historical and social significance. It also came up with options to help it adapt to the requirements of modern life. Future implementation plans need to take into consideration the requirements of the local stakeholders and inhabitants so that the Hammam can develop into a sustainable resource for the local neighbourhood and the city.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Travel Writing about Morocco #18
A much better than usual contribution comes from Jim Wilson writing for Sun Media
We are rounding the bend, the satellite-tipped rooftops of Fes coming into view in the valley below, when Marrakchi Benjaafar forgets his role as an official with the Moroccan tourist office and briefly turns into ... Stevie Wonder?
"Isn't She Lovely ...," he suddenly sings, a smile creasing his 60-year-old face as if he were a child.
Marrakchi was born and raised in Fes and recently bought a fixer-upper in the old section, next to his cousin's. The impromptu outburst is from the heart. He is coming home and the happiness, he would say later, "stops time."
That may be true but in fact time appears to be catching up to one of the more liberal cities in an increasingly liberal Arab nation. Fes is a convergence of cultures rather than a clash, where much of the city's million-plus people have discarded their jellabas for jeans, where bulldozers compete with donkey carts and restaurant-goers now have a choice between cous-cous and, yes, McDonald's. It is both a UNESCO world heritage site and a university town, the kingdom's first capital (dating back to 808) and its intellectual centre.
Now, settlers from Europe, and from different tribes within Morocco itself, have made Fes a mosaic as colourful as the carpets it is famous for.
It is a city that, as Marrakchi says, "belongs to all Moroccans" -- even if they are Jewish (although the old Jewish sector has pretty much disolved into the core).
The imam may still call for prayer five times a day from numerous minarets but in Fes, race, religion and gender are uniters, not dividers.
Still, this is Morocco and modernism only goes so far, particular in Fez el Bali ("the old" sector). Venture through the gates into the steeply walled city and prepare to be lost in a world gone by. Here a 25 sq. km labrynth of lanes and passages, stairs and cul de sacs, some no more than a metre wide, have been said to leave even long-time residents longing for a GPS.
Tourists? Well, you probably won't get hassled but you might get coaxed into buying something when you stop to ask directions. It is a warren of traditional souks and craftsmen, food carts, potters and tanners and dyers, spice shops and a communal wood oven. Prayer halls and ancient mosques hide behind mammoth doors almost as old as the medina itself. And just dip into one of the many riads -- or old guesthomes -- and be prepared to be left breathless by the soaring cedar ceilings and intricately tiled walls.
In one section, gleeful school girls teem out of a Koranic school and mob a foreigner holding a camera. In another, a man purchases a live chicken and has it butchered at once to his liking.
But if Fes is a year-long festival, it only takes you minutes to reach the serenity of olive groves and a few more minutes to reach nirvana. And we're not talking about the unlikely, if magnificent, Fez Golf Course.
No, this comes with a more proper name: Sothermy, the oldest -- dating back to Roman times -- and largest hot springs in the country. Legends abound about its healing properites but the approximately one million people a year -- mostly Moroccans -- who transform the tiny village of Moulay Yacoub into Spa City -- certainly buy into it. You can skip the pedicure, manicure and massage and just immerse yourself for a day in a sulphur sauna and steaming mineral baths for about $10.
Nestled in the heart of the Middle Atlas mountains, Fes is about three-hour drive inland of Casablanca, which, despite the romanticism -- thank you, Humphrey Bogart -- acts, looks and smells like any European city. It is also the main transport hub but fortunately the real Morocco lies not far away. One hour along the coast to be precise, is Rabat, the kingdom's current capital, both geographically and culturally.
This is a city dominated by 12th-century ramparts of the Oudaia Kasbah, a fortress once built to protect the city from foreign crusaders but now embracing them like a long-lost relative. Here, young people mingle along the sea wall with displays of affection practically unheard of in other Muslim countries, where ochre walls, a trademark of life in the kingdom, has given way to a stunning azure, in deference to Moorish settlers.
And it is here, sipping a mint tea in a Moorish cafe, that all the pieces come together. Along the Andulasian sea wall, as the boats bob in the surf of the North Atlantic and young children fish off the rocks, you are left to ponder: In how many other places would the past be so welcomed as part of the future?
Earlier Travel Writing stories:
Travel Writing Seventeen
Travel writing Sixteen.
Travel Writing Fifteen.
Travel Writing Fourteen.
Travel Writing Thirteen.
Travel Writing Twelve.
Travel Writing Eleven.
Travel Writing Ten.
Travel Writing Nine
Travel writing eight
Travel writing Seven
Travel Writing Six
Travel Writing Five
Travel Writing Four
Travel Writing Three
Travel Writing Two
Travel Writing One
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Monday, October 15, 2007
Cool Vibes in Fez
Riad Fes is the latest place to hang out in Fez, as Helen Ranger discovers ...The beautiful Riad Fes has a great bar in its new section around the lovely decorative pool. The marble floor and the columns are decorated in dark brown zellij, there are olives trees, subdued lighting, carved plaster modeled after the Alhambra in Granada and the atmosphere has a zen-like calm. The manager, Roumanian Cezarina Jaussoin, says that recently there's been a younger crowd coming in for a drink before dinner, and a large spattering of local expats. She decided it would be good to have music with a DJ, so in stepped Louis da Fez.
Louis is a professional DJ and brought along his twin desks and all his equipment. Tucked away in a corner behind the bar, he gets the turntables spinning between 7pm and 8.30pm on Thursdays and Saturdays, conjuring up a great atmosphere with some laid-back music. Cezarina hopes the guests will start dancing ...
photo of Louis da Fez: Tom FaklerTags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Morocco's new prime minister
Abbas el FassiSome have described Abbas el Fassi as the man who gets elected between transitional phases; he was elected as the ambassador to France during a time when the relationship between Paris and Rabat was undergoing transformation. Likewise, el Fassi was elected as secretary-general of Istiqlal party in 1998 following in the footsteps of Allal al Fassi and the influential Mohamed Boucetta. In the same vein, el Fassi’s appointment by King Mohammed VI as the sixth prime minister of Morocco after Driss Jettou (2002-2007) and before him the socialist Abderrahmane Youssoufi, heralds the advent of a new phase, one that al Fassi stresses must head in the direction towards democratization and development. - Mohammed Bukhazar writing for Asharq Alwasart
Morocco has a new prime minister, Abbas el Fassi, Secretary-General of the Istiqlal (Independence) party. For those interested in keeping and eye on Moroccan politics you will find an interesting ( and well written) piece in the daily Asharq Alwasart.
Some state that among Abbas el Fassi’s most prominent characteristics is a calmness that distinguishes him from another class of politicians in the state who are loud in declaring their opinions. They also maintain that he does not favor difficult decisions and is more inclined towards winning by scoring points instead of striking. He is known to adopt a negotiatory approach in the face of contentious issues and for achieving objectives in a gradual and progressive manner.
Abbas el Fassi led the Istiqlal party to the top after many had believed that the party had lost significant public support, proving that the voice of moderation is what is required for a state that follows a policy of moderation.
Although blessed with success and fortune throughout his previous political track, al Fassi is expected to face the press in Morocco, which was not very welcoming towards his appointment and barely gave him the opportunity to make his first statement as prime minister before launching into hostile and skeptical campaigns – especially the ‘independent’ newspapers. Some of the attacks undermined his capabilities while others wrote about his “deteriorating health” and his lack of responsibility whilst some were of the opinion that his failure is expected.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Fabulous! A House in Fez - update.
Cruising the internet we came across Topblogging's "Fabulous" page
Fabulous Fez photo!Thanks Fabulous!
2007-06-21 03:30:00
Browsing the blogoma today, we came across the always interesting blog of Purple Circle honcho - Louis da Fez. What caught out eye was the photograph of the ceiling of his main room. The photograph, taken by The View from Fez writer and photographer, Suzanna Clarke is stunning.
Later this year Penguin will publish Suzanna's much awaited book A House in Fez complete - so we are told- with more than sixty pages of photographs. We will bring you more information about the publication in a couple of months. But for now, enjoy this unique view of Louis' extraordinary ceiling.Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Suzanna ClarkeThe story reminded us that we have not updated the latest information on A House in Fez.
The book will be launched in Australia and New Zealand on November 9th.Then there is the great news that the rights have also been sold in the UK and also the USA. Sadly the UK publication will not contain all 64 pages of photographs, but only 30 or so. We understand that the USA publication will be the full deal. The Antipodean version is on fine art paper and looks absolutely delicious!
Suzanna is gearing herself up for publicity tours as well as setting up her new enterprise, an apartment in Bordeaux she has renovated and plans to rent out for people wanting to explore the wine scene in Bordeaux. (Check it out here - The Terrace in Bordeaux).
At the Frankfurt Book Fair Penguin will be selling the translation rights to A House in Fez. Hopefully it will soon be available in French and other major languages.
In between all her writing and travelling, Suzanna manages (somehow!) to be the Arts Editor of the Brisbane Courier Mail.
For those of you who have not met here - here is the official version:
Since 1996, Suzanna Clarke has worked as a photographer, reviewer, travel and feature writer for The Courier-Mail, before being appointed arts editor in 2007.
She began her professional life as a photographer when her first project, on children with disabilities, was exhibited in Sydney when she was just sixteen.
During the late 1980s and early ‘90s, Suzanna worked as a freelance photographer for editorial, commercial and government clients, such as The Australian and The Age newspapers and The Bulletin magazine.
When the Keating Labor government was in office the prospects for multiculturalism looked rosy, and she became the project administrator for the coffee-table book Beyond Black and White: The Many Faces of Australia. It was an enormous task, using the work of 150 photographers and 14 writers.
Turning her hand to writing, in 2002 Suzanna’s manuscript Being Isadora was short-listed for the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards in the emerging writer’s section.
The following year her photographic work was the subject of a major solo exhibition, A Gift of Presence: The Spirit of Reconciliation, at the Queensland State Library, which also toured state-wide.
Recently Suzanna spent several months overseas in Morocco. Her new book, A House in Fez, is being published by Penguin.
Details:
| Format: | Hardback , 304 pages |
| RRP: | $49.95 |
| ISBN-13: | 9780670070350 |
| Imprint: | Viking |
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
Morocco celebrates Id Al Fitr
Morocco celebrates Id Al Fitr, (marking the end of the Holy month of Ramadan)today.
According to the Habous (Endowment) and Islamic Affairs ministry religious and government authorities spotted the rise of the lunar crescent on Friday night, which makes today the last day of the holy month of Ramadan and Saturday the first day of Shawwal.
The Islamic months are calculated according to the cyclic rise of the moon that occurs on the 29th or the 30th night of the month. The nations inthe far East usually celebrate the Id a day earlier than the ones in the West due to the calculation system.
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
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