Our port of call this morning was Safi. Its walled medina and ruinous castle are tangible reminders of its erstwhile control under the Portuguese. An important sardine fishery, Safi also is the largest ceramic centre in Morocco, a tradition of craftsmanship that goes back centuries.
Having left Safi behind, we crossed a vast arid region, the success of whose farming is utterly dependent on the annual rainfall. The inhabitants have endured a drought for the last number of years. Many people have left the area, seeking a new life in the urban centres of Marrakech and Casablanca. Here and there solitary figures were bent at their toil, carrying on a tradition of farming that first arrived in this part of North Africa some time around 5,000 BC.
Marrakech, capital of the south, and second imperial city, is a cultural cocktail of many peoples and traditions. Originally an important centre of trade and commerce on the ancient caravan routes, this oasis is located just beyond the northern foothills of the High Atlas Mountains, the source of its water. The wealth generated funded a number of dynasties who were to have such an influence on the development of the city.
Highlights today were a visit to the souks of the medina, which are the most extensive in Morocco, where we saw the dyers, metalworkers, and apothecaries quarters, and the central square known as Jemaa el-Fna, or meeting place of the dead. The name originated from the practice of mounting and displaying the heads of those that had been executed on long spears in this area of the town. The square plays host to a wide range of entertainers, including snake charmers, acrobats, fortune tellers, and dentists (very entertaining of course). Each evening, after sunset, the square bursts into colourful life, as mobile kitchens move in to provide the bustling with a rich array of snacks.
