2010 Morocco Tour Group Journal

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Day 09  Tourudent 16 November 2010  Tuesday   Submitted by Winnie Coleman

Hotel Kenzi Azghor, ,OarzazetteToday is the big holiday for the Muslims all around the world except Morocco. Morocco will start their holiday on the 17th November. Meli has been receiving calls and messages from all around the world. She joined us at the breakfast table in her festive outfit. We all gave her a big hug and kisses being her family away from home. away we go at 09 15 to visit the Kasbahs! .

We all got out of our bus on the main road and started walking  through a Kasbah. The first striking site was the huge stork nest. It looked like it could be the apartment building of the stork nests. As we went through a narrow passage of the entrance of the Kasbah,  we saw buildings in  disrepair . Easily understood since they were built in the 12th century and has been used for 900 years. The hand of Fatima used as an evil eye charm was still trying to keep the building together. The women looked busy cleaning , washing, carrying firewood.. The children were enjoying not having to go to school before the holiday.

The basement of one of the houses was an old Synagogue. We toured the building which is now being used as an ethnographic museum of the Kasbahs. We were also told that the items in the museums were often being used as props for the movies that were filmed in Oarzazette. The curator of the museum also told us that when there is a movie being made in Oarzazette, if they require textiles for the decor, the women of this Kasbah will weave them. He sounded very proud of his job.

Kasbah Taourirt meaning small hill  or rich house was begun in the 17th century. Added to it in the 18th Century. The third building was constructed in 1920. The original Berber building (made of adobe bricks of straw and mud) carries icons of the Islamic ,  the Jewish and the Berber style. Later the Moorish style was added. The later construction used cedar wood . The modern day use of the Kasbah Taourirt is primarily a movie set. It can be seen in : Rules of Engagement  and   Prince of Persia.

 Scenes taken in and from this beautiful Kasbah. It was amazing!
 

Oarzazette has become the HOLLYWOOD of  NORTH AFRICA
Scenes of a studio's entry gate; the 'back lot '; and the statue of a  ' giant film can' that welcomes all as a city monument.

Walk through and lunch at Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou

As we entered Tourudent !!
Just kidding !!

It is a long way to ........................

.............find the correct road to the correct town
and the correct Hotel! (Inside joke)