Go Really Wild for Flavours

Ingredients & Couscous Steamer, Ait Benhaddou

Learn to cook with Mr Action. Fresh seasonal vegetables are his secret. Layer them “just so” in the base of a *cooking tagine then cover with chunks of meat. Flavour variety is added with preserved lemons, olives, mint or eggs. Add your blend of 7** secret herbs and spices (better yet the prepared mix of 35 available in the souk) then put over a slow fire until done. Serve with lashings of fresh bread to soak up the flavoursome gravy. Mr Action also serves homemade couscous (semolina), a time consuming process that had us all making “notes to self” that the “instant” supermarket variety would be ok – unless you were preparing dinner for a Moroccan!

*Don’t confuse a cooking tagine with a decorative one. The decorative ones, whilst most attractive, can contain lead (in the glaze).   

** Garlic, saffron, turmeric, coriander, cumin, pepper and salt

Care for a date or two?

Pigeon b’stilla in Fes as guests of Dar Hatim's gourmet chefs.  Pigeon meat, eggs, almonds and raisons mixed then flavoured with lemon, saffron, sugar and cinnamon. All wrapped in a light pastry (warkba) and baked. Rich, crispy and very delicious!

Really fresh sardines, Essaouira

Seafood feast in Essaouira. Grilled lobster, sweet sole, prawns and fresh sea bass.

Mint Tea in an Azib (seasonal shelter)

Mint tea is the beverage of choice, a sweet concoction of green tea, mint and sugar. Alcohol is rarely served but can be found in tourist areas. Bars line streets and in the evening customers, mostly men, face out to“people watch” and gossip. I’d prefer a pomegranate champers to a beer but sometimes that’s all there was on offer. Wine is produced locally and we made the effort to sample a few bottles.

Local camel butcher, Fes

Salads were plentiful, many with a citrus or tomato base were garnished with olives, fresh chillies, green or red capsicum, red onion and coriander just for added oomph! Served with lashings of olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice. Sadly we often looked at, rather than ate, salads due to poor water quality. We always, always drank bottled water....

Bread - always fresh and so, so tempting. Available every day in many varieties.

Baker's shop in Essaouira

Go Wild for Flavours

Grains and other household necessities for sale in Fes

One thing about travelling in Morocco is that you are readily served fresh local foods - not watered down "westernised" versions but real, healthy, hearty foods. Some of our favourite flavoursome experiences were:

No Harira? Then try snail broth at a local street stall perhaps...

Harira is a flavoursome and fragrant soup. We were never served the same twice as it is considered a household speciality. Traditionally, harira is made from a concoction of lamb or goat, fragrant spices (home secrets) and lentils. Chickpeas, tomato, onion, coriander and parsley add further flavour to the base. Served with chunks of bread and eaten with relish.

Camel burgers on the grill in the Meknes souk

Camel Burger. Try this souk snack made with camel meat grilled over open coals, garnished with smoked, roasted tomatoes and onions served on a locally made (and very fresh) bread roll. Add a little harissa (red chillies, capsicum & pepper sauce) if you dare!

Delicious Tagines and Couscous
served in our desert camp, Merzouga

Tagines under Saharan stars. Slow cooked stews of meat and veg looked superb and tasted even better.

Seafood selection for the outdoor grill, Essaouira

Go Wild for Souks

Chefchaouen - of course! Selling dyes and things you didn't know you needed!

Who could forget Beautiful Blue Chefchaouen - the buzz, freshness, aromas, haggling, laughter, music, pursuit and finally "balak!".

And then there were the olives & lemons in Meknes

Yes, in the medina's we met snake oil salesmen and wondered about the prices we really paid.  But we also met some wonderful people who are involved in their crafts, sell the most amazing things, willing to give us advice or help us along the way.

Keep an eye out for donkeys, carts, busy workers and elaborate stalls. Get lost in narrow streets and listen to passing musicians.  Try not to find pick-pockets.  Look out for traditional crafts too and watch dyers working vats of rainbow colours next to metal workers and potters making extraordinary magic with simple implements.  A souk is guaranteed to assault your senses and is such a wonderful experience.  

Henna Hands & Black Soap in Essaouira

Give yourself a real workout.  Shop in an old medina souk... 

Nose to Nose with a donkey - balak!! (lookout) in Fes

Souk al Kheiymiya

Renovations have made me focus on doing a few of those long-promised chores – like sorting and digitalizing photos from previous travels.  So here I am with a few notes from our trip to Egypt in 2004.  The main bulk of posts, the historical context that is, can be found elsewhere so that I can focus on post-2010 textile thoughts, updates & connections here.  Since we travelled, there has been something of a “revival’ of interest in the Tentmakers of Cairo, so there are plenty of sites to research if you plan to visit.

Street of Tentmakers

Deep in the old streets of Cairo not far from the Medieval gate Bab Zuweila (1092), you can find Souk al Kheiymiya, the street of Tentmakers.  I had first read about them when doing some research for our trip to Egypt and I hoped it would be possible to see their beautiful applique work.  Egypt has a long history as a textile producing country.  Clothing was important to them as was the use of linens in their mummification process.  Embellishments on tombs attest to this.  The earliest known existing applique is a canopy of leather dating from 980 BC.  Textiles made from fibre unfortunately do not often stand the rigours of time. 

Bab Zuweila & Bananas

Tents are the customary housing for Berber people who live nomadic lives.  They too had a demand for decorative tents and sought the fine applique work of the Kheiymiya souks.  Although tent making was the artisans main business, there was often occasion to produce smaller items for a ready sale to locals, travelling merchants and tourists who have visited Khan al-Khalili over its 700 year history. 

Fabrics are easily transported and light, perfect for visitors to Egypt.  They can be made to meet demand for small or large pieces.  This was the perfect solution to a tourist rush generated by Howard Carter’s discoveries in 1922.  King Tutankhamun became an immediate poster boy and skilled applique stitchers could cash in by making and selling designs from Pharaonic tombs in busy markets across Egypt. 

Men stitch in small shops in the Cairo souk as they have done since Fatimid times, making Arabic tents. Master craftsmen instruct apprentices in the art of fine applique.  Businesses are all family run.  Designs are mostly geometric in keeping with Islamic principles and are often drawn from the walls and floors of nearby mosques.  Others are completed in flowing Arabic script or show narrative Pharaonic scenes.  The chosen design is sketched on a template, which is then perforated.  Carbon powder is rubbed over the template and the design transferred to a fabric base.  Skilled needleworkers then stitch pieces of coloured fabric to the base to create a design. 

 

Sacks of Garlic

Sadly, I did not find any quality work when I visited the souk in 2004 and was unwilling to buy something just to have a piece of the tentmaker’s applique.  In hindsight, it would have been better to have sought prior recommendation.  Things have changed since then, thankfully, and a few of my friends have returned home with stunning pieces.  I am left with a piece my MIL was planning to throw out...  The stitching on that is even worse but it’s a happy reminder of our 2004 adventures. 

Jenny Bowker has provided instructions on how to find the Tentmakers.  Having lived there, she has taken a special interest in these applique craftsmen; her own award winning work being of the same technique. 

I love this Berber piece in the British Museum too. It goes to show that wonderful pieces can be found as long as you are prepared to search and take your time.  Difficult for a fleeting afternoon visit but at least it was worth it to soak up the ambiance of a traditional craft being practiced in a centuries old bazaar. 

Meeting Saladin....Again

We spent the next morning combing the forbidding fortress Citadel of Saladin, built to defend himself 1176 -1183 against the Crusaders and domestic enemies.  We had seen evidence of the spread of his empire in Delhi.  The Citadel area includes three mosques, the most famous of which is the Ottoman Muhammad ‘Ali (1828-1848), various palaces and the Well of Joseph.  The Ottoman mosque is a confection of decorated domes, alabaster and sleek minarets whilst the Harim Palace has been put to use as a well-appointed Military Museum.  Saladin had built such a successful fort that it was even used by British troops during 1882-1954.

Citadel of Saladin - fortifications from inside

Next stop was Coptic Cairo.  The churches were dark; we either couldn’t or didn’t take photos so I’m not sure which ones we visited.  The Hanging Church is built over a Roman fortress and has a roof in the shape of Noah’s Ark.  Icons and other Coptic art were quite beautiful and extraordinary.  The Church of St Segius is said to have been built over the spot where the holy family lived during their flight into Egypt. 

Old city gates leading into area near Coptic Cairo

Our next undertaking was an adventurous drive into the outer suburbs where we were shown how great blocks of marble, granite and alabaster were cut into thin slivers.  Why?  Well, Mr DIY is no ordinary tourist and by day 2, he wanted to see something a little left of mainstream.

Prayers at al-Hakim Mosque

We finished off our day with a stop on the way home to the Fatimid mosque of al-Hakim (990).  This mosque has an interesting history; one that includes being used as a prison, damaged by an earthquake, a repository for Islamic arts, a school and even a fortress for Napoleonic troops.  It was beautifully restored in 1981.  The mosque is within massive city walls and lies between Bab al-Futuh (Gate of Conquests) and Bab al-Nasr (Gate of Victory).  They certainly took security seriously back then….

Buzzing Bazzars

4-5th December 2004: Pre-Tour Tourists

We arrived to a frenzied Cairo and settled down into our hotel with a convenient mosque next door.  The muezzin’s call to prayer was our early morning summons – just what we needed to get out and about early.  We stayed at the neighbourly Salma Hotel and shopped locally for our provisions.  Getting across the main streets however required a certain lemming attitude.  Luckily for us we seemed to have rather nice policemen hold up the traffic to ensure we escaped unscathed. 

Cairo on a clear-ish day.  Don't hesitate, dive right in... 

We had a few days before our tour started, so after a quick glance at our upcoming itinerary, we jumped headlong into our own discovery of Cairo.  First stop, after a hair-raising taxi ride, was the frenzied Khan al-Khalili Bazaar, now over 700 years old.  In an instant, you can be nowhere else except Egypt.  This traditional area with its narrow maze of streets and enthusiastic shopkeepers is a bargain hunter’s paradise.  Somehow, these expert hagglers can convince you to part with your money.  We did buy a beautiful alabaster bowl. 

The bustling medieval area is divided by goods sold.  Mosques and ancient structures seem to tumble over you as you make your way through crowded streets.  I half expected to see a camel or two.  We stopped for mint tea, watching social gatherings of men smoking their shishas.  A nearby cart of exotically coloured women’s underwear seemed entirely at odds with drearily dressed shoppers – but it was selling well! 

Are we there yet?

I had to go to the street of Tentmakers, Sharia Kheiymiya.  It is sited not far from the medieval gate, Bab Zuweila (1092), the last remaining gate of Fatimid Cairo’s walls.  This gate is named after fierce Berber warriors who were charged with guarding this entrance into the city.  The Tentmakers’ applique work was interesting but I was disappointed with the quality of stitching I saw – clearly I didn’t find the best craftsmen.  On the promise of seeing quality work though, we ended up in a carpet shop….  Ah, now that’s salesmanship.  We escaped into a shawerma (kebab or meat & salad roll) café for a local bite washed down with super-strong, sweet coffee.  On the way out, a sweet seller encouraged me to take home a tray of his sugary saturated goodies.  Who could resist!

(I didn't take photos of the Tentmakers because I didn't buy from them.  That would have been bad manners in any language.  I am pleased to report that friends who have visited the Tentmakers more recently, have come back with some beautiful work. So, follow Jenny Bowker’s directions and bone up on her advice before leaving home.)

Reading the Walls

Itinerary

Reading the walls: Layers of Meaning 3 – 22 Dec 2004

We decided to take a tour of Egypt in late 2004.  Luckily for me, digital photography was fast becoming popular meaning better quality and cheaper.  So I made a rash decision and decided to buy my first handbag sized camera, a Sony, on a stopover in Dubai.  Unfortunately, blogging didn’t charm me until 2008, but I had learnt the skills of research and a love of history whilst in India.  Now I can combine the lot.

This section of our whirlwind tour of Egypt has been left deliberately simple given the amount of information in the two previous sections.  I don’t intend to give a detailed account of each and every monument or building we visited; there’s too much learned study out there.  Besides you really have to see it to appreciate it.  Books, photographs or videos can never replace the thrill of really being there. 

I plan to update when I’ve finished my big under stairs cleanout, so any missing information, corrections etc will be attended to then.

3-4th December 2004: Dubai (Hotel Dar Al Sandos, Rolla Street)

Glorious Gold.  We only had a day.  Our stopover was really just for me to see the gold souk.  I had a shopping list prepared!  The day started at the nearby electronics souk in Al Fahidi Street in Bur (meaning old) Dubai which was within walking distance of our hotel.  We snapped up a few bargains for work and I set myself up nicely with a new camera and lots of memory cards.  Unfortunately it didn’t make it out of the box for our walk through the textile souk.  After Delhi’s superb textile shopping I was less than excited so we took an abra taxi (an abra is the simple & traditional timber craft) across The Creek to the Spice Market.  The sights and smells were so tantalizing and familiar.  We also felt we had slipped a few centuries back in just a 5 minute boat ride. 

It didn’t take long however to spot the maze of glittering shops in the Diera gold souk on Al Dhagya.  I was stunned at the seeming endless variety on offer.  No two shops sold the same kind of creations.  The craftsmanship was fantastic regardless of whether you wanted plain or heavily decorated jewellery.  I drooled, I dithered, I looked at all the shops - twice, but still couldn’t make up my mind.
 
Finally, Mr DIY got the fidgets so we headed back to the electronics souk to pick up a few more gadgets.  Luckily, we made it just before closing time.  However all was not lost for my “gold” shopping list.  Have you seen the shops sparkling with gold and jewels at the Dubai International Airport?  Waiting for your flight can be fun…