The oldest man in the World is Moroccan !

He is 123 years old, at least from his memories (at that point of time, birth registration did not exist), and still fit. He is a Kwassem, a member of a Chorfa tribe living in the area of El Jadida and Azemmour.

Chorfa are descendant of the Prophet, and they are particularly respected in Morocco. They are supposed to have special powers, "baraka" as they are called.

This tribe has also the specificity of being hereditary falconners, and the only ones still authorized in Morocco. They hunt with a small falcon that they call "the noble bird". They often caputre them very young in their nest hanged to high cliffs (there are a lot of gorges in Morocco), and then they hunt in the desert.

We met them sometime ago...

Morocco reading frenzy

A friend of mine asked me advices about what to read to prepare her trip to Morocco, and I thought to share my ideas with you. Specially in this time of the year when we already miss our holidays (and this summer was not that hot, wasn't it ?), a pile of books that irradiate sun and warmth, and smell the strong fragrances of Morocco could help facing back the grey routine...

Let's start with the book about Morocco in the past

These are maybe the ones that give the best understanding of Morocco nowadays. To find out what where the traditions and behaviours only a few years ago, half a century back in time, to realize that the people you meet in the streets where small children brought up in another "time-world" helps a lot to understand the strength of traditions, and their impact on Morocco politics and development.

Morocco that was

By Walter B. Harris.

Might be one of my preferred. Written by an english journalist, it has some exageration and buoyancy, but it also describes accurately the state of Morocco before colonization, at the time where French, German, Spanish and English battled over the control of this tiny kingdom. The struggles between the tribes, the unability of a sultan too young to be powerful, the bandits, the traditions, the powers of Chorfas and the small stories, all together build a colorful portrait of that disappeared Morocco.

The voices of Marrakesh

By Elias Canetti.

A record of Morocco before independance, by a world-wide known author. That Canetti is jewish has its importance, as the book provides special insight also on the life in the mellah (jewish part of the old city). It is all about a traditionnal Morocco already entering modern life, and the voices of Marrakesh still resonate in the medina.

Lords of the Atlas: The Rise and Fall of the House of Glaoua

By Gavin Maxwell.

The epic story of the Glawas, rulers of a small tribe in south Morocco who succeded in being as powerful, as important as the king himself, and could have replaced him, had the French stayed longer. But they did not, and the Glawas lost all their powers, their palaces, like Telouet and Taourirt were emptied. A story that looks like a novel, and which is true.

Morocco today

Voices like Chraibi, Ben Jelloun... or foreigners like Paul Bowles, le Clezio.

The Sand Child

By Tahar Ben Jelloun.

In traditionnal Morocco, women do not inherit, hence Hajji Mohammed, father to seven girls, decides that his next child will be a boy, whatever. Whatever means hiding the truth, and transforming a little girl into a boy, upbringing her with the priviledges of the male. But that cannot last for a whole life, and Zahra will conquer her true identity. A tale in Jemaa Fna, in Marrakesh.

The blinding absence of light

By Tahar Ben Jelloun.

Not really a novel, this story is based on the account of years spend in the deadly prison of Tazmamart, in the south of Morocco. Here where sent soldiers sentenced to life imprisonment after a missed coup d'etat against Hassan II. Their life was more than harsh, degrading, all was done to kill them, and most of them did not survive it. Based on memories of one of the survivors, this books also tells how can man find in himself the resources to survive anything. After 27 years of barbary, Tazmamart grounds have been destroyed

The simple past

By Driss Chraibi.

Driss Chraibi, who died recently, does not seem so well known in the english-speaking world, when his books are praised in french, and abudantly translated in german. If you need one book to understand the difficulties of Moroccan society, this is it. The story of a young Moroccan strongly fighting with his father before he leaves for France where he will study. The two cultures and their differences, the place pf women, the wieght of religion... all these aspects are shown in a book that was scandalous before being now studied in Moroccan universities

The Sheltering sky

By Paul Bowles.

The story of an american pair who wants to save their married life in the wilderness of Sahara. Will they loose themselves, or save themselves ? Bowles is a true lover of the desert, and of Morocco. This is one of his key novels, where the alienation of the empty place mirros the emptyness of the chararcters, already prisonners of their secretive nature.

Travel and photo books

Caliph's house

By Tahir Shah.

To be read when you want to set in Morocco. An hilarious and true story of all the small problems, delays, difficulties, misunderstandings you'll meet. You waid you wanted to relax from modern stress ? Maybe Morocco will also be stressful, but in a different way. Learn to be patient, learn to understand it, and you shall not leave it anymore !

Valley of the Casbahs: A Journey Across the Moroccan Sahara

By Jeffrey Taler.

Not very far from Mezgarne, the valley of the Casbahs was not so long ago... let's say "unpacified". The watch towers spread around are a testimonial of it, when the traveler had to pay a fee to each tribe to be protected on its teritorry (and we have a beautiful one in Tazzarine). Jeffrey Taler experiences a lot of adventures, pleasant and unpleasant, and his account is fascinating. It you intend to visit us, it is also a good guide for this part of the country.

Moroccan Interiors

By Lisa Lova Smith.

A "little" jewel by Taschen, a collection of beautiful images of Moroccan houses. Like in most of the muslim countries, wealth is usually not displayed outside. The richest palaces (riads) are hidden behind blind thick walls, which lack of openings preserve at the same time coolness and privacy. But also in the simplest houses, the doyars in the south, or even the nomads' tents, one finds beauty

Their heads are green

By Paul Bowles.

Mainly about Morocco and the desert, but not only, it is a wonderful companion to "Sheltering Sky". His "baptism of solitude" describe so well how and why we love the desert. To read and read again. Bowles is one of the major english-speaking authors about Morocco and the desert, and I love him as much as I love Monod and Le Clezio in french.

If you read french, you can also have a look on our french-spaking bookstore.

Jewish Moroccan heritage.

A long story that started very early, around roman times.
A tradition says that the Kahina, the Berber Queen who resisted the lattest to Arabic conquest, was actually leading a jewish tribe (Kahina would be a form of Cohen). However, jews were very early well integrated in the Berber tribes in the souts, and used, for example, in spite of their dhimmi condition, to wear and use arms to defend their tribe during the permanent raids and feudal disputes. Priviledge which was totally forbidden in most of the other countries, ans specially in all Europe !
A second wave of jewish immigration came with the fall of the Cordoba caliphat, and populated for example Fez and Essaouira...

More recently, Moroccan Jews were protected during WWII, and the King gave them moroccan citizenship, to protect them, refusing that they wear the yellow star or get deported.

If many of them left Morocco during the sixties and seventies, mainly for France and Israel, there is still a community, whose best known member might be Andre Azoulay, one of the nearest King's advisors. And there are still a lot of jewish "marabouts", graves of holy men, where people come in pilgrimage.

I translate here a very interesting article from Larbi's blog, unfortunatly in French.

Jewish part of Moroccan identity is still not well known, and that's a pity. Islam and Moroccan Judaism bear many similarities (traditions, rite...) which supported in the past a beautiful jewish-muslim fusion in Morocco. Here are a few examples :


Synagogue Moïse Nahon in Tangiers.

A Ketouba : Moroccan jewish wedding contract. According to the tradition, it is written in aramaic. You can see how much it looks like the muslim wedding act : both are impossible to decipher, and signed by religious officers.
For wedding, the rite is nearly identical in both communities : Legrama (Gifts and offers), henna ceremony, zgharit and even the old fashioned exhibition of the white sheet maculated with blood to prove the spouse's virginity.


I never knew why God enforced this punishment on guys, child of a Jew, child of a Muslim, both must be circumsed, taht's called Brit Mila by the Jews, Thara by the Muslims. Calendar is quite short for the first ones, avec the ceremony must be performed by the father on the eighth day after the birth, while the lattests are not bound by a formal limit (but they must not delay too long). nowadays, Muslims and Jews cheat a little bit and delegate the operation to hospitals and doctors.


Moroccan people, jewish or muslim, are highly superstitious and fear evil spirits. Hence the Khmissa to fight bad luck and protect oneself from the eye [bad eye means evil wish, bad luck, or anything negative sent on you by other people's wish or magic]. Khmissa is, by the way, no muslim religious sign, as I often hear it in France, but a sign common to all Morrocans, independantly from their religion.


This is a Moroccan cover of a Sefer Torah, a hand written copy of the Torah, stored as a roll. You can also spot the similarity with the decorations of Mihrabs and mosque, made with coranic verse (suras)


Photos: Association of Moroccan Jews