samedi 22 janvier 2011

Luxury Imperial Cities


the undoubted highlight of this chapter is Fes. The imperial capital of the Merenid, wattasid and Alaouite dynasties, the city has for the past ten centuries stood at the heart of Morocco history - and for five of these it was one of the major intellectual and cultural centres of the west, rivalling the great university cities of Europe. It is today unique in the Arab world, preserving the appearance and much of the life of a medieval Islamic city. In terms of monuments, it has as much as the other Moroccan imperial capitals together, while the city's souks, extending for over a mile, maintain the whole tradition of urban crafts. In all of this-and equally in the everyday aspects of the city's life - there is enormous fascination and, for the outsider, a real feeling of privilege. But inevitably, it is at a cost. Declared a historical monument by its French colonizers, and subsequently deprived of its political and cultural significance, Fes today retains its beauty but is in evident decline. Its university faculties have been dispersed around the country, with the most important departments in Rabat; the Fassi business elite have mostly left for Casablanca; and, for survival, the city depends increasingly on the tourist trade. Nonetheless, two or three days here is an absolute must for any visit in Morocco. Meknes, Like Fes (and Rabat and Marrakesh) an imperial city, sees comparatively few visitors, despite being an easy and convenient stopover en route by train from Tangier or Rabat, or by bus from chaouen. The megalomaniac creation of Moulay Ismail, the most tyrannical of all Moroccan sultans, it is once again a city of lost ages, its enduring impression being that of an endless series of walls. But Meknes is also an important modern market centre and its souks, though smaller and less secretive than those of Fes, are almost as varied and generally more authentic. There are, too, the local attractions of Volubilis, the best preserved of the country's Roman sites. and the hilltop town of Moulay Idriss, home to the most important Islamic shrine in Morocco. South of the two imperial cities stretch the cedar-covered slopes of the Middle Atlas, which in turn gradually give way to the High Atlas. Across and around this region, often beautiful and for the most part remote, there are two main routes. The most popular, a day's journey by bus, skirts the range beyond the market town of Azrou to emerge via Beni Mellal at Marrakesh. The second climbs southeastward from Azrou towards Midelt, an excellent carpet centre, before passing through great gorges to Er Rachidia and the vast date palm oasis of Tafilalt - the beginning of a tremendous southern circuit. A third and distinctly adventurous route runs between these two, leaving the main Azrou - Marrakesh highway at El Ksiba and following a series of pistes (dirt roads) directly across the Atlas to Tinerhir. You can take the latter route if you have 4x4 car - or by get - ting lifts over the various stages in local Berber lorries, If you're travelling in Morocco one of the main highways, and you've got the time, the Middle Atlas has considerable attractions of its own. Close to Fes, Immouzer and Ifrane are popular summer resorts, their air and waters a cool escape from the city. The Berber market town of Azrou is host to great Tuesday souk and surrounded by pine forests and mountain lakes. And off the Marrakesh road, near Beni Mellal, are the cascades d'ouzoud - waterfalls which crash down from the mountains, even in midsummer, and beside which you can swim, cam and hike.

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