Exploring History, Identity, and Everyday Life in Morocco
By Grady Cothran
Day two of our first week in Morocco saw us receive three lectures and take an exciting trip to the nearby city of Sale. As we woke up for what appeared to be a rare “late” wake-up call of 9:00 a.m., my peers and I anticipated our first lecture of the day from Professor Mustapha El Qadery. As a specialist in both Moroccan post-colonial studies and Amazigh history and culture, Professor El Qadery primarily focused on unpacking the Amazigh people’s role and identity in Morocco. He discussed historical and contemporary tensions surrounding language, culture, and national identity, including perspectives among those who have traditionally viewed Arab cultural contributions as more central to Morocco’s national identity than those of their Amazigh counterparts.
We were prepared for this particular lecture through our class readings on the history of French imperial rule in Morocco under a protectorate system and the relationship between the Amazigh and Moroccan identity. In particular, Eric Calderwood’s chapter “The Berber al-Andalus” from his book On Earth or in Poems: The Many Lives of al-Andalus was especially helpful in granting us knowledge about the competing interpretations of Moroccan history that alternately center either Amazigh or Arab groups as the founders of prior ruling dynasties and, thus, the inheritors of their accomplishments.
After finishing our first lecture of the day, we embarked on our trip to the city of Sale. Sale is a city just across the river from Rabat and is almost entirely enclosed within a 12th-century wall. While touring the city with our amazing guide, Tarik, we were given the opportunity to step inside the Marinid Madrasa, a 13th-century school used for the study of Qur’anic texts.
Stepping inside this building filled me with wonder as I took in the gorgeous tilework and marble carvings that adorned the interior of the madrasa. The vivid blues and greens of the tiles used in the madrasa filled the room with a peaceful, aquatic presence that combined beautifully with the fountain in the center of the madrasa’s courtyard. We were then guided into a second chamber at the back of the courtyard that featured a niche called a mihrab, which points toward the holy city of Mecca and represents where an imam would stand while leading prayers and teaching students about the Qur’an.
As we continued to venture into Sale, we got to explore the medina’s markets, where we learned about many aspects of Moroccan life. Two such lessons were especially interesting, as they concerned the role of water in Morocco. We learned from our guide that Moroccan potters line the rims of their mugs and glasses with tar to repel bugs from the surface of their drinks and to help maintain the freshness of the water inside the cup. Additionally, we met a water salesman carrying on the tradition of filling a goatskin bag with water to sell around the market stalls, far from the fountains that Moroccans once relied on for clean drinking water.
After returning from Sale, we received lectures from our professor, Dr. Simon Rabinovitch, as well as Abdelhak El Kaoukabi, the Director of Education at the Mimouna Association on Muslims Preserving Jewish Culture in Morocco. From Mr. El Kaoukabi, we were reminded of the large-scale emigration of much of Morocco’s Jewish community to Israel and elsewhere in the decades following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
to the current Jewish quarter of Sale. Photo by Grady Cothran
Because of the significantly smaller Jewish population in Morocco today, Abdelhak and his organization became inspired to inform their fellow Muslims about the intricacies of Jewish religious practice and culture in order to foster greater understanding between Moroccans and their Jewish peers both within Morocco and throughout greater North Africa, the Middle East, and the world.
Today was deeply enlightening and inspiring, and I look forward to all that is yet to come through this program. Bye!