Fascinating Fossils, A Ksar in Rissani, Bedouin Nomads in the Desert

Fossils are fascinating and we are about to learn more from a family business that turns fossils into masterpieces. There is a presentation by one of the owners about the origin, cutting, and polishing of fossils into works of art. And, there is an opportunity to buy, of course! The sink in our last motel was an example of this beautiful work.

The town of Rissani resides on the edge of the Sahara Desert. We will hear more about the town with our local guide Ishar. He meets us near the beautiful gate entry. In the background is the mosque.

NO SHOPPING, warns our tour leader, Mostafa. (This isn't the first time we've heard this.) We are about to enter a market souk which is where many vendors ply their wares. We are also warned that salesmen will immediately stick to us like glue in the hopes that we will buy something from their glittering trays of goods. We are to smile and keep moving. It sounds more unnerving than it is when you practice the art of ignoring these persistent touts.

There are mini-market shops that sell a bit of everything and some that specialize. We broke Mostafa's rule and bought dates at one of them.

To some, this area might look like a nightmare. I can promise you that to some (mostly men) this looked like a place in which to have some fun.

This fellow was repairing shoes. The black buckets on the right side are made from tires. Very useful and inventive!

At this bakery shop, we'll taste some of the bread being made. It is delicious! Bread is life and thus, revered in Morocco. It is never thrown away. Unused bread is placed in separate bags by community trash bins where it can be taken and served to birds and animals.

Uh oh, they caught me taking a photo!

Opportunities to buy clothing takes place on piled tables along the street.

Just before climbing back on the bus, I caved into a persistent tout and bought Bob an orange and black scarf that he could wear in the desert for $2. Tourism is an important factor in the economic health of the town of 20,000.

Ksar el fida is the location of our next stop. Originally built to house a royal son of Moulay Ali Cherif eons ago, it fell into disrepair and has since been reconstructed into multiple housing units. Made of clay and straw, it must be maintained every year.

The little girl in red is savvy to the visits by tourists and waits for entry payment in the form of a piece of candy by our guide, Ishar. The man with the bike is wearing a djellabah to keep his clothes clean.

The interior hallways are designed to allow light in through areas open to the sky. Doors to individual dwellings open off the hallway.

This is a close-up of the clay/straw composition of which the dwellings are made.

Last, we visited Rissani's beautiful and peaceful mausoleum that honors Moulay Al Charif (interned in the mid 1600's), founder of the Alouite Dynasty. He is the ancestor of the current ruling royal family and claimed to be related to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. 

Door detail: carved and painted by hand.

We all hopped into jeeps for the trip into the Sahara desert as the bus would be too heavy and get stuck in the sand. Each jeep sped off following their own path for a smooth ride.

Visiting a Bedouin nomad tent was a surprise in our day. It is likely one of those stops that can't be promised in advance. For us, it was one of something that you never expect to do. (A payment is made for the privilege.)

We are sitting inside the camel skin tent on carpet-covered bundles. It is very clean and there are no smells.

I wouldn't want anyone to think that it wasn't strange to sit in a camel skin tent, listening to facts about the lifestyle of the woman and child sitting before you. It felt very weird, as if the people were in a zoo. I think that they put up with it for the money. We are on a "discovery" tour with this Gate1 trip. We want to learn and understand about the culture and people. It is sad that the 5-year old boy will never go to school. I felt so privileged to be here, although I wish I had gained the experience by actually living it. And yes, we paid them for the individual photo. Apparently, it has been done many times as the little guy knew to scoot next to mom.

The mother in the previous photo gave birth in the tent to this beautiful little baby boy.

In another tent, we observed a woman making a rug on a loom. We never saw her face.

Somehow, they wash clothes and have hygiene standards.

Here is the oven and cooking facility, housed in a clay dwelling of its own.

What I don't understand and was unable to ask: if these are nomads, why would they ever leave a dwelling or facility that has walls and doors? (The reeds merely cover the mud/straw walls.) These are people living real lives, not those of the Ali Baba fairy tale. BTW, the husband is a camel tender/herder. This situation reminds me of what the homeless back home say. They want to live outdoors and they don't want to be beholden to anyone, especially the tax collector. (I digress.)

We stopped at a Berber tent for some refreshments and an OTP (Opportunity To Pee per Mostafa, our chief cat herder), after a bit of driving. We appreciate the work it took to provide this opportunity.

Stay tuned for the next episode. The day was not done.