I am an Anglo-Moroccan Muslimah who loves languages, books, tea and Islam.
This here is a collection of all (read some of) my random musings and interesting finds.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Reminds me of the eight-hour train journey from Marrakech to Fes (the one time I’ve been to that city) and the slightly shorter journey (4 hours - 5??) from Marrakech to Rabat.
Lovely when you have good company, some komeer with La Vache or fromage 7mer and a seat (don’t forget the essential Sidi Ali).
Not so great if it’s midnight and packed to bursting.
(Source: sahkn)
Just had a video conversation with the family in Morocco: the audio kept cutting so I had to get creative with my facial expressions and gestures.
For the most part, they understood what I was saying but I cracked up so much when I tried to sign that “I’ll be there [in Morocco, ze3ma] in 10 mins, just let me get my kharqa on and I’ll grab the next flight.” They thought I was saying, “I’ll be back in 10 mins, I’ll get my kharqa on cos I’m gonna pray.” Not quite.
I miss them so much.
Colors. by BeboFlickr on Flickr.
Marrakesh, Morocco
I’ve never seen Morocco like this. Strange to me, yet beautiful.
(Source: moroccanproud)
How to Make Moroccan Tea for dummies
Mint tea isn’t just a drink in Morocco. It is a sign of hospitality, friendship, and tradition. Since this drink is so popular, it is served all day long, after every meal, and with every conversation.
This recipe serves 6 people:
- 1. large handful fresh mint leaves (spearmint or peppermint). Try to find an Arab grocery store. Moroccan mint has a different taste than most other mints.
- 6 teaspoons loose gunpowder green tea
- 1 liter of hot water between 70°c (158°F) to 80°c (176°F)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar (dextrose will also work if you don’t wish to use cane sugar, but you’ll need to double the quantities of sugar to ensure sweetness)
Boil the water.Pour a quarter of a cup of boiled water into a clean teapot. Rinse and discard.Add 1 teaspoon of loose tea into the teapot for every 6 oz (177ml) of hot water. Add 6 oz (177ml) of hot water for every cup of tea. Let the tea steep for 1-2 minutes.Swirl the pot to wash and rinse the tea pellets and pour out the water. Discard the water.Add the mint leaves and sugar to the teapot. Fill the pot with 1/2 a liter (about 2-3 cups) of boiling water. Leave the tea to steep for five minutes or longer. If you have a Moroccan teapot or a heatproof teapot, rather than steeping, set the tea pot over low heat and bring the tea to a low simmer. Then, immediately remove from the heat, and allow to steep several minutes more. Enjoy!
Morocco
(Source: moroccanstateofmind)
King Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca - Morocco
Mosque Hassan II , Casablanca - Marruecos
مسجد الحسن الثاني، الدار البيضاء - المغرب
Can you believe I’ve never been…
(to the mosque, that is.)
These pictures were taken in Larache, 1966, by my great-grandmother (from my father’s side). Just a couple of the snaps taken by an English, very well-to-do family on their holiday abroad, developed and then stuck into an album, which has since yellowed.
Do you want to know what really struck me when I first saw these pictures?
Sure, it has an atmospheric feel and I’ve got a strange hunch that the Grand Hotel is probably still standing in its same spot, not much different. Of course, they’ve been preserved so well for nigh on 50 years. And the printed captions may very well belong to my great-grandfather’s hand.
But it isn’t all those things.
It’s knowing that, at that point in time, some 300 miles south of that city, was a baby girl - probably just on the threshold of going from crawling to toddling about. That baby girl already had 3 older siblings, curly dark hair and golden brown eyes, like slightly burnt caramel. Her parents could have no idea that her fate would be inextricably linked to the then-3-year-old grandson of this English couple.
It lingers with me still; whenever I peruse these photos, I don’t just see pictures but thin golden threads of my family’s past, intertwining - close but not quite touching, a whisper’s breadth away.
The Moroccan side and the English side for so long in my mind had been separate, almost completely unconnected even; but here is proof that their existences were not so far apart, after all.
How can mere moments captured from so long ago create such waves now?
Not even gonna lie - Shamal looks beautiful and I’m jealous of anyone who’s ever been.
Framed. by BeboFlickr on Flickr.
Al-Qarawiyin Mosqu - Fes city -
