Show I I 0 1 r tr t A if 4 yR r Z u S r f. f Y i 4 t. t 4 II w. w i rot 1 i t t r t Mp 1 r jj o. o SS i t t b N 0 c i j t 1 g. g i M tf fi ar t w wd 1 t. t A X i d f 1 11 t. t ti 1 1 if f foj s m t f i 1 J t t JI y I 1 t I j I Ii i f i zd r Ji t I 1 j y A k J. J f. f f l t 1 4 f y f I t f f t I t z a j J f U 7 r C CStreet Street in a Moorish Town Prepared by the tho National Geographic Society Washington D D. C. C There is something to be learned from flom the recent swing around time the cIrcle b by the President of ot France through Morocco It includes visits to Mohammedan holy pl places ces near which a few years ago lO Christian Infidels were not t c permitted Smiles of welcome welcome wel wel- come met this French party where I formerly all Europeans r received scow scowls Is Isor or worse It seems that the history i of Algeria is being repeated repealed and that economic penetration Is proving proving ing a success in this anomalous country country coun coun- try whose Arabic Arable name means the time extreme West but which has hns harbored har bar harbored bored more tenaciously t than nn Egypt or Mesopotamia l the flavor of the East Until a decade ago ngo Morocco scorned western civilization and had succeeded in keeping Itself at least a n millennium and und u a half haU behind the time times Moslem fanaticism ran riot Jews and Christians Christians Chris Chris- thins were treated with whit a mixture of contempt suspicion and hostility Because Be Be- Because cause ause a as a n result of pressure b by the European powers Christians were permItted permitted per per- milted to own land In Tangier Moroccans Moroccans Moroccans cans referred to It ht as a dog town trod nod one Moslem map-maker map insisted on fin IcU leaving It ht oft the map of Morocco Relatively few Europeans lived hived in the country outside of Tangier and a few I other coast cities and In some sonic ot of the towns considered holy It was as ns much as a n non Moslem non foreigners foreigner's life lite was worth wurth to appear The Morocco of or t today is something of a mixture govern Dentally Theoretically The Theoretically It is all under the time control of the sultan of ot Morocco As a matter mutter of fact however the country countr Is divided di dl vided Into three parts parts still still nominally under the sultan Along the Mediterranean Mediterranean an and extending inland for oO GO to is the time narrow zone recognized recognized recognized to be under antler Spanish Influence A caliph appointed b by the sultan is supposed supposed sup sup- posed to be in control of this zone assisted assisted as as- b by Spanish officials Time The cit city of Tangier on the northwestern point of Africa and a small surrounding district constitute a n special zone In which an International commission assists Moroccan Moa officials The martin main portion of Morocco something Morocco something like twentieths Is is under tinder a French protectorate which has existed since 19 1912 Has Many Capitals Morocco is a land lund of many capitals The sultan has hus palaces s in Fez Morocco City and and resides in each from time to time For some years ears Tangier lunier wa was the diplomatic diplo diplo- matic maUc capital where all foreign envoys envoys en en- voys were and wh where re n a representative rep rep- of the sultan also resided Life and property were too loo insecure In Inthe Inthe inthe the Interior for foreign o envoys s 's to feel safe in the city In which the sultan happened to be living 11 This situation has changed hanged since time tIle French protectorate protectorate was established and the remittent resident remi resi- dent general now resides in the time cit city of the sultan raving da residences aswell as aswell aswell well in the other capitals From the sea Tangier langler Is the Arab city elty of Qt North Africa par liar excellence for forthe forthe forthe the ugly dashes of yellow ellow green n and andred andred andred red with which scattered modern modem constructions constructions con cou have marred the otherwise glistening whiteness of the native elt city are not distinguishable until the steamer steam team er lies close cloe In Being a elt city of Infidels Infidels In lr It has been visited only on the rarest occasions by the sultan The trav traveler ler from Europe will be struck at nt once by the total lack of the well known rumble of city streets for tor though the uneven thoroughfares h are in most mOlt parts paved with cobblestones cobblestones cobble cobble- stones toDe wheeled vehicles are practically cally cully unknown not only In Tan lan Tangier ler but throughout the empire The fhe streets are re nevertheless ne crowded with other means menns of trun transport port So narrow are wille onue of them that at the oft repented oft pd I 1 Look out I one must must again ag I nd again aln spring into some doorway U I a in order to let donkeys onke's mules and horses with their spreading burdens pass b by Camels have to be unloaded on the soko solm or place market-place outside the walls Things too heavy to be carried carrIed carried car car- ried lJ by a single animal mu must t be transported transported transported trans trans- ported by men and It Is no DO unusual sight to see great stones five fi and sis SIK feet long slung on poles and borne by bya byI I a dozen or more naked half-naked Arabs In these narrow streets the little boxlike boxlike box box- like JUc shops waist high give the proper oriental setting to the whole In them we see the owner reclining and sedately sedate sedate- ly reading seemingly oblivious to the stirring scenes around him until he Is disturbed by a n purchaser for his goods all aU of f which are within arms arm's reach Fez Once a Paradise Inland Fez Is is of course different from front Tangier The Ibe golden days of ot I Fez began in the Ninth 1 century and continued till about the time Thirteenth It was then celebrated as us a 11 paradise Around the city were splendid gardens dt nt rarest fruits The Time soil soH watered by bya a thousand streams was of ot extraordinary extraordinary dinar fertility Its numerous schools and libraries and its famous university university sity attracted students even from Eu Eu- rope The Tho climate its fruits and flowers flowers flow flow- ers its is fountains and wells its verdure ver ver- verdure dure and beauty paused aused the city to enjoy a reputation unique in Islam Its glories s have departed but It still s boasts of one of the most sacred l mosques of the Mohammedan world that of Idress the time Younger the time founder of the time kingdom Time The sights of oC Fez are its teeming streets bazars and markets Weeks can cnn be spent In this Interesting city and und yet new and und strange scenes be met with at ut almost any moment Snake-charmers Snake medicine men storytellers storytellers story story- tellers with their theIL gaping crowds artisans ar- ar un and tradesmen of every description tion costumes from the four quarters of Morocco lorocco and beyond Interest the time traveler at every turn But all nil is not poetry in Fez Revolting are the thc horrible horrible horrible hor hor- diseases to be seen on every hand hanel The Time residence resiLIence portion of t the e city Is to strikingly unattractive One fin n scarcely scarce scarce- I ly believe that he Is being taken to call callon callon callon on cne one of the wealthiest Moors of the cit city when he lie stops In a narrow street barely five e feet wide by high prison like windowless walls These walls are the houses themselves A massive massive mas mas- sive she l studded iron door will be opened and In semi darkness one will be conducted conducted con con- ducted along alone a tortuous dingy passage passage pas pas- sage lIge through several se-eral doors to suddenly t emerge e Into one of ot those inner courts which are the masterpieces of ot oriental architecture with Its mosaics tiles fountains colonnades or light Sara- Sara enle arches supporting a second gallery gallery gal gal- lery above all alJ covered with a n profit prof profusion stun sion of colored and gilded arabesques and penel Almost rivaling these Inner InDer courts In popularity especially with the women women women wom wom- en the time fiat roofs of the houses must be he mentioned Here during certain hours th time the men are never expected to appear for or they are then sacred to the thc women of the families who resort to them theta unveiled to enjoy enjo the cooling breezes front from the Atlas mountains The rime city of might be called the tUe monument of Ismael the great gm contemporary of Louis XIV who even dared sue me for the hand of a n daughter of the gr great at l French rench king His ills mania for building Is everywhere re reIn In evidence e For or miles along the thO road rond lending to the quarries to the north great grEut blocks of stone can cnn still stUl be se lying ju Just t as they fell tell from the banaji hanon of ot the slaves saes when they the heard that their tyrant sov sovereign rel was dead nd n na But BUJa Buta a melancholy h la 1 attached t U thc these e great greut buildings building for far It must bt br D remembered that hundreds of of Chris Christian than tian slaves tolled and d died el on ties the thelIo gloomy Io m walls wall r |