From Jet Lag to Kasbahs: Our Moroccan Journey Begins in Rabat

By Charlotte Marvin

After experiencing the gruesome nature of the sky-high prices of Logan Airport and the radical decision-making of the French at Paris security on whether our toiletry products were genuinely necessary, we have arrived in Rabat, Morocco! While our few hours of downtime at the Imperial Boutique Hotel Rabat were essential before reconvening in the lobby, a proper dinner was of even more importance. And thank goodness our welcome dinner was prepared so beautifully, and we did not have to plan it, because our jet lag would have led to disastrous consequences otherwise. We were treated to a traditionally Jewish meal at a restaurant named La Manora and were served a relatively new meal to me: lamb stew. Along with the stew came an assortment of delicious cookies and the Moroccan tea that has been offered to me multiple times in the last 24 hours, which I have come to look forward to deeply because of its sweet but understated taste. 

After a complimentary breakfast and a peaceful eight-hour sleep, our group sat with Professor Rabinovitch to discuss some historical background before our tour began. We recapped the meaning of Medina, which translates to “Old City,” the area of Rabat we would visit later that day, and the many historical key points of the Moroccan country and capital. One of the discussions I liked most was about the pirate republic in Rabat, which came about in the early 17th century when the Muslim population could no longer live peacefully in Spain. The mass expulsion of the Mariscos to Morocco led to those expelled becoming part of the pirate population in Morocco, which would eventually become extremely organized before falling into a decline after the abandonment of Rabat. 

Once our briefing with Professor Rabinovitch was complete, our group gathered on our tour bus to meet Osman, our Medina tour guide. He first led us to the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the Hassan Tower, and the Mosquée Hassan. I was in complete awe as I had seen a lot of European architecture but had never seen anything as magnificent as this area.

Of particular interest to me was the symmetry of the mosque area. Osman led us to the region’s center, which reminded me of a chess board or the Buren columns of the Palais-Royal in Paris, France, which I saw on my dialogue last summer. Once standing in that spot, we could see the perfect symmetry of the layout of the pillars that would have held the ceiling if the original mosque had been completed. The symmetry was completed with the building of the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the Mosquée Hassan very recently. It also reminded me oddly of the perfect symmetry of book pages and the spine in between. Similarly, my peers and I are starting our own story right now in Morocco, and our book will be finished in a matter of a month, with hopefully a fascinating and life-changing plot to come in between. Osman also led us through the Medina of Rabat and to the Kasbah of the Udayas, which he tied back to the pirate population I had been so interested in during our pre-tour discussion. Being able to visualize the waters in which the pirates sailed and conducted their trade truly aided me in my greater understanding of that historical period. Funnily enough, a couple of my peers and I had an amazing lunch at a pirate ship outside the Kasbah at Le Dhow restaurant before heading back to the hotel for a class exchange with a civil society expert, Aimane Cherragui. 

The last activity of the day included a conversation with our tour guide, Jaouad, at the hotel regarding his personal experience coming from the Atlas Mountains and moving to Marrakech. Growing up as a Sunni Muslim, Jaouad told us that his parents would often whisper the declaration of the Islamic faith (the first pillar of Islam) in his ears as a baby so that they might be some of the first words he spoke as a young child. Jaouad’s home in the Atlas Mountains was also far from the local schools, so his parents sent him to the local mosque to be taught by the imam until he was around six. This reminded me very much of my experience at Catholic school from a very young age up to my high school graduation, where I took Theology courses every year. Similarly, Jaouad studied Islamic studies until his baccalaureate. 

Overall, the first (full) day was an incredible introduction to what is sure to be an unforgettable trip in Morocco. We now have a much better understanding of Rabat as a city and its historical and religious ties to the Moroccan country. I cannot wait to see what our next two weeks will look like, and I am beyond excited for our readers to be able to learn about all of our travels and plans!   

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