Marrakesh, Morocco

I left rainy Rabat on Tuesday morning and arrived in sunny, mild Marrakesh that afternoon. Yesterday (Wednesday) I followed a funeral procession down the main avenue (Avenue Muhammad V, the name of the main avenue in every Moroccan town) to the Koutoubia Mosque with its minaret reaching over 200 feet into the sky. I spent much of the day wandering around the Djemaa el-Fna, the carnivalesque square that makes Marrakesh "Marrakesh." In addition to the snake-charmers, monkey-spankers, palm-readers, fortune-tellers, jugglers, musicians, and acrobats that normally fill the square, I also got to see a faqir (an "ascetic"-magician-holy-man) and his troupe. He was jim-dandy! He boiled a kettle of water, picked the kettle up from underneath, stuck his foot in the fire, drank the boiling water, and then poured the rest of it over his body. I wanted to party with him, but he was obviously busy doing important things.

Today (Thursday) I visited the tombs of two saints: Sidi Bel Abbes and Sidi ben Slimane. I was able to get into the courtyard of the Sidi Bel Abbes Zawiya, which was full of beggars in various states of disrepair, including a few lepers. I also visited the very beautiful Ali ben Youssef Medersa and the Musée de Marrakesh.

I would write more, but I am leaving early tomorrow morning on a three day (two night) trip to the Sahara, and I must get ready (you know, making sure my hair is just so, and stuff like that).

(Photo by Eric: Faqir, Djemaa el-Fna, Marakesh, Morocco)