The New Railway Station in Fez

Back on November 27 The View from Fez brought you the news that HM King Mohamed VI was officially opening the new railway station in Fez (see story here).

Now, for those who have not had a chance to see it, we can report that it is up and running. A beautiful addition to the city, the railway station will still need some time to fill the shops inside. At the moment you need to buy provisions before arriving at the station. Hopefully that will change in the near future, inshallah.

Fez - فاس
click photo to enlarge

Tangier - the truth

Full of hustlers, swindlers and corrupt officials perpetrating nefarious dealings and endless scams to outwit the tourist ... that's Tangier, right?

the Grand Socco at night

Wrong! The View from Fez recently spent a couple of days in a city that has a lot more charm than the guidebooks would have you believe. True, we were offered a watch or a pair of sunglasses on one occasion, and once someone offered to show us the medina, but that was as far as the hassles went. With its colourful past and busy port, the city still has a raffish air to it, redolent of the days when it was an International Zone and attracted artists and writers. Nevertheless, it offers some interesting places to visit, good accommodation in all price brackets, excellent restaurants and a fascinating medina that isn't too daunting to explore.

One charming guesthouse is La Tangerina, perched right at the top of the Kasbah and overlooking the sea, with views across to Spain.

the terrace at La Tangerina

Next door is the exclusive Nord Pinus guesthouse with equally stunning views. It has fabulously romantic rooms and an excellent restaurant; the retro bar and terraces are perfect for an aperitif.

the dining room at Nord Pinus

The Kasbah is a good place to start a wander through the medina. Here you'll find the newly renovated Kasbah Museum set in the Sultan's Gardens. Further down into the medina, Majid's shop is a must-see. Three floors of jewellery, carpets, hendiras, fabrics, embroidery, ceramics and wooden artefacts will have you drooling.

a tempting display at Majid's

Next stop is the Petit Socco, a small square with lots of cafes where you can watch the world go by.
Just outside the medina, The American Legation is definitely worth a visit. Entry is free to this beautiful Moorish house that houses maps of Morocco, a room devoted to Tangier resident Paul Bowles and fine art by various artists including James McBey: the famous portrait of his servant has earned the title of Morocco's Mona Lisa.

portraint of Zohra, American Legation Museum

After all this walking, you'll have earned a glass of mint tea in one of the cafes surrounding the Grand Socco, or even a drink in the Caid's Bar at the old-fashioned but stylish El Minzah Hotel.


Where to eat in Tangier
A excellent option in the medina is the newly-opened Le Nabab at 4 Rue Al Kadiria (ph 0661 442 220). Set in a well-restored former souk, it has interesting decor, very friendly service and good traditional fare. There's a fireplace for cold winter nights, and musical events on some weekends.

Restaurant Le Nabab

Our favourite for dinner was Les Passagers de Tangier, overlooking the Grand Socco. The food was refreshingly different and of a very high standard. The View from Fez team sampled coquilles St Jacques in a garlicky sauce, and the magret de canard with mango and peach sauce. There's a terrace as well as comfortable seating inside.

dinner at Les Passagers de Tanger

All in all, we'd say that Tangier has left its bad reputation behind and is a city definitely worth exploring for a day or two.

Photographs: Sandy McCutcheon

Tarik ~ Ambassador to Disney Land

Tarik and Mike and the famous lemon tart mixture

There were tears on the faces of many of the staff from Café Clock last night as they said farewell to Tarik, the master chef who has worked with Mike Richardson, Max and the crew, since the café opened.

Tarik is off, not on a holiday, but on the trip that will change his life. He has been accepted as a trainee at two major restaurants in Disney Land. The View from Fez caught up with Tarik yesterday and found him excited beyond belief that the "boy from Fez" was off not to Paris or London, places he has dreamed of working, but the USA.

"I will be in Orlando, Florida working in restaurants that specialise in Mediterranean and North African food," Tarik says. He has a grin a mile wide on his face. "It came by chance. A year ago I found a website offering training abroad. I applied to go to Paris, or London. Then, after I sent some documents, to my surprise I was offered a job in the USA. It was a huge surprise."

So, armed with a visa, Tarik leaves today and by the time most people read this, he will have landed abroad for the first time in his life. Mike Richardson is sad to see Tarik go but as he says "It's an opportunity of a lifetime and our best wishes go with him."

And will he return?

"It will be a great experience and I will learn a lot of things and they will be helpful for me here in Fez. Maybe I might try and get experience in France. But I will always come back to Fez,' Tarik says. "I will be back cooking lemon tart like before, but with new ideas."

And in Disney Land Tarik says, he thinks he would like to dress up as Mickey Mouse. The View from Fez wishes Sidi Tarik Mouse all the best.

Tarik is farewelled by Mike

The minaret ban ~ Switzerland's shame.

A sight you won't see in Switzerland - a new minaret.

The action of the far right Swiss People's Party (SVP) to call for a ban on the building of minarets in Switzerland was not originally seen as anything but a rather foolish attempt to cash in on Islamaphobia. Few commentators gave it much chance of getting support. But now Switzerland has seen more than 57% of voters and 22 out of 26 cantons vote in favour of the ban. The official government position was that it would harm Switzerland's image, particularly in the Muslim world.

The result of the referendum has created a major problem for the country. For the first time the campaign by the SVP has resulted in a rise in hate crimes against Muslims and even attacks on mosques. Martin Baltisser, the SVP's general secretary, says: "This was a vote against minarets as symbols of Islamic power."

The Islamaphopobic campaign poster

Swiss Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said: "Concerns about Islamic fundamentalism have to be taken seriously. However, a ban on the construction of new minarets is not a feasible means of countering extremist tendencies." She was quick to reassure Swiss Muslims, saying the decision was "not a rejection of the Muslim community, religion or culture".

Switzerland is home to some 400,000 Muslims. This represents just 5% of the population and comprises many people of Balkan origin, most of whom are not mosque attendees. Though there are many prayer rooms in the country, Switzerland has just four minarets.

Harmony? A Swiss minaret and a steeple.

"The most painful thing for us is not the ban on minarets but the symbol sent by this vote. "Muslims do not feel accepted as a religious community." - Farhad Afshar, president of the Coordination of Islamic Organisations in Switzerland

A Syrian-style minaret in Tangier

In the aftermath of the referendum, Switzerland has been criticised from within and without. A demonstration outside parliament, had people placing candles in front of a model of a minaret and making another minaret shape out of the candles themselves. They held up signs saying, "That is not my Switzerland,". "We're sorry," said another sign. A young woman pinned to her jacket a piece of paper saying, "Swiss passport for sale."

A beautiful minaret in Chefchaouen

The SVP campaigned unsuccessfully in previous years against immigrants with campaign posters showing white sheep kicking a black sheep off the Swiss flag and another with brown hands grabbing eagerly for Swiss passports. But their success now is a dangerous sign of the fear of migrants and Islam in Europe. Sadly for Switzerland the result will damage investment, business and the image of the country abroad. It will also increase tension within the various communities. Geneva's main mosque was vandalized last Thursday when someone threw a pot of pink paint at the entrance. Earlier this month, a vehicle with a loudspeaker drove through the area imitating a muezzin's call to prayer, and vandals damaged a mosaic when they threw cobblestones at the building.

A typical Moroccan minaret

Sunday's surprise result also prompted anger and dismay from the Vatican to Iran and Egypt. In France, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner was quick to react: "I am a bit shocked by this decision," Mr Kouchner told France's RTL radio on Monday. "It is an expression of intolerance and I detest intolerance.I hope the Swiss will reverse this decision quickly."

Sadly that does not seem likely.

Moroccan News Briefs

Seventeen arrested in Morocco for evangelising

In Saïdya on Friday, Oujda police arrested seventeen people, including foreigners, for holding an unauthorized public meeting aiming at spreading evangelism among the locals.

The police intervention, which is in accordance with the Moroccan laws, came following information on dubious actions related to evangelistic proselytizing.

An interior Ministry statement named the foreigners as two South African missionaries, a Guatemalan nabbed during this operation. The statement said that another Swiss man was arrested in Oujda along with two Moroccans.

Proselytizing materials, including books and CDs, were found while searching various premises. The arrested foreigners will be expelled after closing the probe, in conformity with the law related to the entry and stay of foreigners in Morocco.

A/H1N1 kills two people in Morocco

According to the Health Ministry, two people with chronic respiratory and heart conditions died in Casablanca and Khouribga from A/H1N1 virus.

Medical tests showed that the two people had contracted the swine flu virus. Sixty-nine new H1N1 cases were documented on Friday, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 2,044, 872 out of which in schools.

Meanwhile, the Moroccan authorities are continuing a high level campaign in the media to publicise the issue and to give preventative advice.

Meanwhile, in the Medina...

The most intriguing news at the moment surrounds two local identities - Absellam the barber and Thami of Thami's Restaurant fame.

Absellam outside his closed shop

Absellam tells The View from Fez that he has closed his business and that he is going to open a restaurant. A restaurant, right beside Thami's. Now either this is a very good move and he and Thami can work in partnership or Thamis is going to make some changes. It appears he has already lost one of his two tables and in economic terms, that has to hurt. Yet there appears to be no animosity between the men and hopefully this will continue.

Absellam - in the old days.

Work is underway to transform the barber's shop into a kitchen and we will report when it opens.

Music in the Medina.

Whispers from the French Institute in Morocco tell us that a group called "Ludwig" are playing classical music at Dar Batha on Monday night starting at 1900hr. 20 dirhams to get in and 10 dirhams for students. It should be good as the whispers speak of cello and violin works by Ravel and others. Enjoy.

The View from Fez is on the road

The View from Fez is on the road in Chefchauoen
~ normal transmission will be resumed in a few days.

Spirit of Fes at the British House of Commons

Our London correspondant, Aurora Borealis, was at the House of Commons last week for the launch of Mahmood Jamal's anthology, Islamic Mystical Poetry. Here's her report:


The spiritual values that inspired the creation of the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music were articulated with profound eloquence at The House of Commons in London by HRH Prince Hassan of Jordan, who was Guest of Honour at a meeting to mark the publication of Mahmood Jamal's anthology Islamic Mystical Poetry.

HRH Prince Hassan of Jordan

Prince Hassan has close connections with Fez. He was one of the early patrons of the Sacred Music Festival alongside HRHs The Prince of Wales and Prince Albert of Monaco. He is the brother of the late King Hussein and uncle to the present King Abdullah, whose wife Queen Rania attended the 2007 Festival.

The London event was organised by Third World Solidarity, an NGO that has established links with Fez and is planning a Fez-Lahore-London connection, similar to city twinning.

Prince Hassan has dedicated his life to Sufi spiritual values, which he highlights as the basis for a global humanitarian perspective that respects the truth inherent in all religions.

"Love, harmony and beauty are the underlying principles of Sufism", he says, "the Sufi poets celebrate moral values above politics. Sufism is not a separate sect, it is the inner, esoteric dimension of Islam."

It was clear to his listeners that Prince Hassan is a learned man, with a breadth of knowledge and experience that ranges "from Plato to NATO". Although his exposition was detailed - encompassing the arts, religion, culture and politics - his message was simple:
"There is an urgent need for a vocal citizens' movement. We can humanise globalisation if we recognise our shared consciousness. It is the suffering millions who really matter".

Prince Hassan highlighted this view in another recent speech:
"The voices for peace are encouraging substantial numbers of the public to engage in personal and political actions for peaceful transformation. These voices are growing ever stronger, building physical and spiritual bridges of collaboration among people and cultures across the world. Soon these voices will be heard by the world's politicians, corporations and media, and the masses will begin to realise themselves as part of an interdependent global community, dedicated to justice, goodwill and human dignity."

Prince Hassan ended his House of Commons address with a call to action:
"We need to act now or there will be no stability. If the world order stays the same as it is at present, in 10 years' time there will be 100 million people without jobs."


Mahmood Jamal, editor of the anthology

Mahmood Jamal (above), an author, poet and translator, echoed the Prince's point of view with a powerful critique of "narrow-minded extremism". He also echoed Sacred Music Festival founder Faouzi Skalli's perspective that Sufi values will prevail:
"Muslim civilisation as a whole will not be controlled by intolerant interpretations of Islam."


Helen Ranger reports on the poetry anthology, Islamic Mystical Poetry:
"Written from the ninth to the twentieth century, these poems represent the peak of Islamic Mystical writing, from Rabia Basri to Mian Mohammad Baksh. Reflecting both private devotional love and the attempt to attain union with God and become absorbed into the Divine, many poems in this edition are imbued with the symbols and metaphors that develop many of the central ideas of Sufism: the Lover, the Beloved, the Wine, and the Tavern; while others are more personal and echo the poet's battle to leave earthly love behind. These translations capture the passion of the original poetry and are accompanied by an introduction on Sufism and the common themes apparent in the works. This edition also includes suggested further reading."

The full text of Prince Hassan's speech will be available soon at www.elhassan.org.
Third World Solidarity: www.thirdworldsolidarity.org
Islamic Mystical Poetry is published by Penguin Classics and is available from Amazon.

Photos: Matthew Buxton

Fez Hip Hop - breaking the clichés

Over the last few days a German film crew has been filming in the Medina of Fez. The View from Fez decided to track them down and find out what they were up to. The company is Schwenk Film from Stuttgart and the director is Hannes Schuler. When we caught up with him at Cafe Clock, he was filming the popular Fez Hip Hop band, Fassa. After the performance we sat down with Hannes Schuler for a chat.

Hannes Schuler

TVFF: What is the programme you are making?

HANNES: This is a German four part TV programme about Islam. It is not a political programme, but rather we want to tell stories from Muslim people. Let them tell their own stories so that people can begin to understand Muslim culture.

Fassa of Fez

TVFF: So who are you filming and interviewing?

HANNES: We are meeting everyone from Imams to hip hop musicians. We witnessed circumcision in Turkey, Ramadan in Cairo and now we are in Fez to witness the Eid festivities. We planned to film in eight countries - Egypt, Turkey, Spain, Morocco, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Pakistan. Unfortunately the situation in Pakistan will not allow us to go there.

TVFF: And the style, the tone, of the production?

HANNES: We want to surprise the viewers with the little stories that illustrate answers to questions that non-Muslim viewers ask themselves; what do they think? What is it about? What is the situation with wearing the veil? We don't want to comment but let the people give the answers. So the working title is "The Profiles of Islam", which is not a very sexy title but we do try to show different views, different angles, different interpretations of Islam.

"Breaking the clichés"

TVFF: And Hip Hop?

HANNES (Laughing): The idea is to break the clichés. We will be shooting a lot in the Medina during the Eid festival - we were in the market to buy the sheep and we will be there when they cut their throats. In other words, we will have all the traditional shots. But we want to break the cliché. So, in the middle of the film when you think you are in the middle ages you will suddenly see and hear Hip Hop music on the rooftops.

The crowd getting into the music

Hannes Schuler tells us that the film will be completed early next year and its first appearance will be on the joint French/German cultural station Arte in June.

Eid ~ A Special Report

The View from Fez team were invited into a local Moroccan home to celebrate Eid. Our host was the gracious Thami from Thami's Restaurant. Just after we arrived two visitors to Fez also were invited in. One was from Mexico and the other was Tess, from Sydney, Australia.

Needless to say the visitors were amazed at their good fortune and the opportunity to experience a genuine cultural event. The View from Fez would like to thank Thami and his family for their warm generosity.

The first of three sheep makes its entrance

Sheep wrangling? No problem.

Preparing to skin the sheep

The third sheep is sacrificed

"They will never believe this back in Sydney" Tess.

"Not what I do in my living room... but..." Tess.

Preparing the kebabs of heart and liver

Fanning the flames

Thami does the barbecue

Everyone dressed up.

A satisfied Tess succumbs to the hospitality!

Meanwhile, out on the streets, every corner and spare space seems to have a fire underneath old mattress frames. Goats and sheep heads are being cooked everywhere causing a haze of smoke over the Medina.

The local boys in R'cif

Image from Imelda O'Reilly's -Bricks, Beds and Sheep's Heads

For those who would like to see more of the Eid celebrations we recommend viewing Imelda O'Reilly's short film Bricks, Beds and Sheep's Heads


Some basic facts: Cost of a sheep can be up to 3000 dirhams. Cost of having a professional kill and skin it has risen from 50 dirhams three years ago to 150 this year.