New airport for Fez

A new terminal with an annual capacity of 2.5 million additional passengers will be built at Fes-Sais airport, reports the director general of the National Airports Office (ONDA), Mr. Abdelhanine Benallou.


The new terminal (26,000 m2), which required an investment of Dh 620 million, and will bring the total annual capacity of Fez Sais airport to three million passengers, said the CEO of the ONDA, at a meeting this week in Fez. Construction will start in September and aims to support economic development in the region Fez-Boulemane , said M Benallou.

Attention to infrastructure development in the city is part of a proactive approach to structural development, based on an innovative marketing approach. The ONDA is in the midst of an aggressive growth period to attract international airlines, through the establishment of an attractive pricing policy.

"As a direct result of this stimulation at the Fes-Sais Airport, passenger traffic has seen an average annual growth average of 23 percent during the period 2004-2009," said M Benallou.

The Governor of Fez-Boulemane region, Mr. Mohamed Rherrabi, said that this project will allow regions of Fez , Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate and Meknes Tafilalet to strengthen their competitiveness and economic development, especially when taking into consideration other projects already launched like the Fes-Oujda highway.

Attarine Medersa opens after renovation

Perhaps the most beautiful of the ancient medersas of Fez, the Attarine is now open to the public after almost four years of renovation.

main doors, of cedarwood mashrabbiyya, into the courtyard

More intimate than the Bouanania Medersa, the Attarine is next to the Qawariyine Mosque at the bottom of Tala'a Kebira in the heart of the medina. It was built by the Merenid Sultan Abou Said around 1325, and was a favourite amongst scholars. It contains some of most superb mosaic work and some unusual, slim marble columns whose capitals have finely carved calligraphy. The central fountain is fed by a stream.

The carved plaster is mesmerising, and the cedarwood exquisitely worked.

square columns, marble columns

The columns supporting the first floor galleries around the courtyard are square; another unusual feature.

The mihrab in the prayer hall is delicately carved and flanked by black onyx columns. The hall also holds a massive brass chandelier that hangs from the domed ceiling of carved cedarwood. Just beneath the ceiling are a number of windows with green and gold Iraqi glass.

carved stucco above mosaics on a column

The restoration has been sensitively carried out by the Habous (Ministry of Religious Affairs). Replaced mashrabbiyya (carved wooden trellis work) has been stained almost to the colour of the original wood that's nearly 700 years old; renewed sculpted plaster is a little whiter than the original as can be seen in the photograph above, but will soon blend in well, with a little weathering.

On our visit, which cost a paltry Dh10 (less than 1 Euro), we were alone. It seems the guides have yet to discover that the Medersa is now open. Don't miss it.

photographs: Helen Ranger

The circus comes to Fez

The circus schools Zepetra and Le Poing de Singe from Montpellier will be in Fez from the end of March to run courses for children and give shows for the public.



The companies will be based at Bab Riafa school in the medina for a week at the end of March, and then at La Fontaine French school for another two weeks.

The Circus Festival is being run by the MRG Organisation, which is a French/Moroccan venture for cultural activities, mostly aimed at children. Founder Marie Roland-Gosselin explains that circus is an international language enjoyed by people of all ages. Fez is twinned with the French city of Montpellier, and the Festival is supported by the Mayoralties of Montpellier and Fez, as well as the Chambers of Commerce in both cities. Ten children from the Zepetra Circus School will be coming along to work with local children.

The culmination of the circus lessons will be free shows on 16 and 17 April in Place Boujloud.

For more information, contact Marie at rg.marie@laposte.fr.

Fez Festival Theme: Journey of Initiation

This year's Fes Festival of World Sacred Music has the theme Journey of Initiation: from mystery to revelation.


Mohamed Kabbaj, Director General of the Festival, explains the theme as follows:

'The journey of initiation is concerned with learning about the world, discovery of the other, knowledge of the self, the quest for spirituality.

We all know of the great mystical figures, those emblems of each religion, such as Ghazali, the poet of the Revelation; Maimonides, exiled to Fez; Charles de Faoucalut in the solitude of the desert; the Buddha and his enlightenment. Knowing about such world figures has nourished civilisations.

'Man knows here what he doesn't know there', wrote Ibn Arabi, whose entire work encompassed a journey of initiation. This great mystical poet cconsidered every journey as being towards God: 'from Him, in Him, towards Him'.

The 16th annual Fes Festival lies within this realm of the journey towards initiation.'


Please note that there are some slight changes to the programme of events at the Festival.
For the programme in English, see here, and in French, see here.

Smile! You're in Fez

The city has a new logo: Smile! You're in Fez.


The chirpy happy face, sporting a fez with tassel flying, graces the cover of the latest edition of L'agenda, the cultural programme brochure distributed by the CRT (Conseil Regional du Tourisme) (see the photo above). You'll also find him greeting you at the airport, and all over the medina.

Bab Boujloud

We hope you're smiling!

Comix? Comics? Comiks? Whatever!

If cartoons are your thing, or maybe you would just like to hang out in Rabat with some folks who really know their stuff. Then check this out....



As always, the "Telephoneandsoup" crew will bring the supplies to draw and caption Shitty Kitty comics – you bring yourself and your friends to this "Meet Up in MOROCCO on January 26th."

More info at
Telephoneandsoup!

Another earthquake in Morocco

There have been a number of earthquakes recorded in Morocco in recent months, with the last being in December 2009. A magnitude of 5.5, its epicenter was located off the coast of Tangier. The quake was felt in several cities of Morocco, but caused no damage or casualties.

Before that The View from Fez reported on a magnitude 3.5 earthquake that struck on September 20 at the eastern province of Berkane. The epicenter of the quake was located in the commune of Boughriba Aklim

Now a 4.1 magnitude on the Richter scale has been felt in the province of Larache, in Morocco's north, on Thursday afternoon. No casualties or structural damage has been reported.

The quake occurred around 17 hours (GMT and the epicenter was near the town of Souk El Qolla near the city of Larache. The earth trembled up to 40 kilometers of the epicenter said an official at the National Institute of Geophysics (ING).
An earlier quake, minor, had been registered in the region in September 2008. Its epicenter was located off the coast of Larache.

Women Writing Africa: The Northern Region

A new book of women's writing from North Africa has recently been reviewed by the Association of Women's Rights in Development.


The book is edited by Fatima Sadiqi from Fez, Amira Nowaira, Azza El Kholay and Moha Ennaji. The review calls it a valuable resource, long overdue, that challenges the usual western-orientated view of women in North Africa. The texts reach back as far as the 15th century BCE when the Egyptian female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, wrote in celebration of her power, 'My command stands firm like the mountains and the sun's disk shines and spreads rays over the names of my august person; and my falcon rises high about the kingly banner unto all eternity'.

The time-span of the writings is remarkable, and yet at the same time the themes that dominate women’s lives thousands of years ago and today are neatly tied in.

The religious, social and cultural diversity of North Africa is well reflected in the book. Although today the region’s inhabitants are predominantly Arab and Muslim, the northern part of Africa has been part of many empires, each of which has left traces of itself in language, culture and belief systems.

The review states that Women Writing Africa: The Northern Region is an impressive and comprehensive tome which undertakes – very successfully – to document North African women’s self-recorded experiences and perspectives over several centuries. At a scholarly and visceral level, this book will be of immense appeal to amateur and professional historians and sociologists and anyone who is interested in human nature and social justice.

Read the full review here. The book is available from Amazon.

Fes Festival of Sufi Culture 2010

Once again, Faouzi Skali has pulled out all the stops to make this year's Festival of Sufi Culture a magnificent event, with interesting topics of discussion and concerts in sublime surroundings such as the Bouanania Medersa and the Batha Museum gardens.


The Festival runs from 17-24 April and has the theme Mystery and Poetry. It will feature presentations, discussions and round tables on subjects such as spirituality and social change, soul therapy, the poetry of Ibn Arabi and the ancient Sufi manuscripts held at the Qaraouiyine Library and in Timbuctu, Mali. Thursday 22 April is Earth Day, when ecology will be highlighted.

Evening concerts will not only feature various Moroccan Sufi brotherhoods, but also Shaykh Habboush from Syria with Jalal Eddeine of France.

Festival Director Faouzi Skali

Here's the full programme:

Saturday 17 April

10h00-noon Introductory Address at the Qaraouiyine Library: What is Sufism? by Faouzi Skali

Address: The Kingdom of Saints by Zakia Zouanat, anthopologist, writer, Sufi specialist (Morocco)

Address: The Sufi manuscripts of the Qaraouiyine by Abdellah el Ouazzani, university lecturer, author and presenter of TV programme for 2M on Islamic news (Morocco)

16h00-18h00: Round table discussion at the Batha Museum: Poetry for Civilisation

Presentation: Bensalem Himmich, Minister of Culture (Morocco)

Edgar Morin, sociologist, philosopher, emeritus director of research at CNRS (France)

Bariza Khiari, socialist senator (France)

Nahal Tajddod, Iranian team member at CNRS and author of several history books (Iran/France)

Jean Claude Carrière, writer, scriptwriter (France)

Mohammed Barrada, former minister of finance and Moroccan ambassador to France, professor of economics (Morocco)

21h00 Concert at Batha Museum: Shaykh Habboush and Jalal Eddeine Weiss Ecstatic Song (Syria, France)

Sunday 18 April

10h00-12h00 Round table at the Batha Museum: Reconsidering development

Assia Bensalah Alaoui, itinerant ambassador for Morocco, professor of public law (Morocco)

Patrick Viveret, advisor in national accountability, philosopher, essayist (France)

Majid Rahnema, writer, lecturer at American University in Paris (France/Iran)

Katherine Marshall, professor at Georgetown University, advisor to the World Bank (US)

Alia Al Dalli, resident representative of the PNUD in Morocco (Iraq)

Mats Karlsson, director of the Maghreb, North African and Middle Eastern desk at the World Bank (Sweden)

16h00-18h00 at the Batha Museum

1st part: Nahal Tajddod and Jean Claude Carrière: La conférence des oiseaux by Farid Eddin Attar (France/Iran)

2nd part: Karima Skalli and Said Chraibi: Homage to Abu al Hassan Ash Shusturi

21h00 Concert at Batha Musseum: The Chishty Sufi Sama Ensemble Shahi Qawwals from Ajmer Dargah Sharif (India)

Monday 19 April

10h00 to noon: Conference at the Batha Museum: Portrait of a Living Saint: Sidi Hamza Al Qadiri Al Boutchichi by Mountasser Hamada, writer and journalist (Morocco) and Faouzi Skali

16h00-18h00 Round table at the Batha Museum: Spirituality and Social Change

Alain Chevillat, director and founder of the Université Terre du Ciel (France)

Yacine Demaison, speaker, educator (France)

Bernard Ginisty, philosopher, former director of Témoignage Chrétien, co-founder of ATTAC (France)

Aoua Ly-tall, sociologist, founding president of African Women's Network (Canada/West Africa)

21h00 Evening of Samaa at the Bouanania Medersa: Hassani songs by the Boutchichiyya Brotherhood of Laâyoune (Morocco)

Tuesday 20 April

10h00-noon Conference at the Batha Museum: Spiritual Chivalry (Futuwwa): A Path for our Times? by Jaafar Kansoussia, intellectual, Sufi specialist (Morocco)

16h00-18h00 Conference at the Batha Museum: The Mystery and Poetry of Ibn Arabi by A. Filali, university professor (Morocco), Cecilia Twinch, speaker in Ibn Arabi Society, Oxford (UK), Ahmed El Kheligh, TV journalist on 2M and Radio Médi 1, Sufi specialist (Morocco) and David Hornsby, member of Ibn Arabi Society, Oxford (UK)

21h00 Evening of Samaa at the Bouanania Medersa:

1st part: Charqawiyya Brotherhood (Morocco)

2nd part: Darqawiyya Brotherhood (Morocco)

Wednesday 21 April

10h00-noon Conference at the Batha Museum: Soul Therapy by Eric Geoffroy, writer on Islam, Sufi specialist (France)

16h00-18h00 Workshop at Batha Museum

1st part: Poetry in a Garden

2nd part: The Savoury Path: nourish the soul, nourish the body by Jeanne Bouguet, gastronome, dietician (France)

21h00 Evening of Samaa at the Bouanania Medersa:

1st part: Alawiyya Brotherhood (Morocco)

2nd part: Wazzania Brotherhood (Morocco)

Thursday 22 April

10h00-noon Conference at the Batha Museum: Earth Day

Ecology: material necessity or a way of living?

Kamal Oudghiri, communication engineer at NASA (Morocco/USA)

Pierre Rabhi, writer, founder of Terre et humanisme (France)

Caroline Chabot, journalist at Actes et Sens (France)

Nicholas Moller, president of the Global Institute for New Energy Technologies GIFNET (Denmark)

Fattouma Benabdenbi, sociologist and founder member of the Association Marocaine pour la Promotion de l'Entrprise Féminine ESPOD (Morocco)

Jean Marie Pelt, renowned ecologist and botanist, president of the European Institute of Ecology since 1972 (France)

16h00-18h00 Conference at the Batha Museum: The Timbuctu Manuscripts

Abdelkader Haïdara, scholar, collector and holder of a private library of manuscripts (Mali)

Abdul Laraw, collector and holder of a private library of manuscripts, specialist in manuscript conservation techniques (Mali)

Souada Maoulainine, speaker, Sufi specialist (Morocco)

Fatima Harrak, director of the Institut des Etudes Africaines (Morocco)

Marie-Odile Delacour, journalist and writer (France)

Jean-René Huleu, journalist (France)

21h00 Concert at the Batha Museum: Haj Mohammed Bennis: Al Munfarija, Samaa of Fez (Morocco)

Friday 23 April

10h00-noon Conference at the Batha Museum: Film and Spirituality: Cinema in the quest for meaning by Nabil Ayouche, film-maker (Morocco)

16h00-18h00: Cultural Café: Art and Spirituality with the participation of Amadou and Mariam (singers from Mali), Setsuko Klossowska de Rola (Japanese painter) and Salamatou Sow (University of Niger)

21h00 Concert at the Batha Museum: Hussain Al Aadhamy: Maqamat du désir divin (Iran/Jordan)

Saturday 24 April

10h00-noon Conference at the Batha Museum: The Quest of Ibn Battouta by Said Taghmaoui, Franco-American actor of Moroccan origin

Love is stronger than Death by Professor H. Joyeux, professor in the medical faculty at Montpellier, founder of the Health, Love and Sexuality conferences, writer (France)

and Fanny Abadi, psychotherapist, founder of the International Centre for Ethical Training and the Association for Humanitarian Ethical Action (France)

16h00-18h00 Round table at the Batha Museum: Islam and the West: traces of light

Mahmoud Hussein, the pseudonym for two authors: Baghgat Elnadi and Adel Rifaat (France/Egypt)

Fatema Mernissi, sociologist and writer (Morocco)

Hassan Abou Ayoub, former government minister, itinerant ambassador (Morocco)

Mustapha Chérif, philosopher, theologian, researcher in human and social sciences (Algeria)

Maati Kabbal, writer and journalist (Morocco)

Abdou Hafidi, politician, professor and presenter of Islam on France 2 (France)

Saad Khiari, writer, involved in many programmes on dialogue between faiths and cultures (France)

21h00 Concert at the Jnan Palace Hotel: Noubas Spirituelles: the great voices of Samaa in Morocco, with Mohammed Briouel

For more information, contact the Association du Festival de Fes de la Culture Soufie at www.festivalculturesoufie.com.

Accommodation in Fez at festival time will be at a premium. If you're planning to attend the festival, check Fez Riads. For homestays with Moroccan families in the medina, see Ziyarates Fes.