Morocco # English board

Hello, H_A is back

Following a brainstorming session we had last month, here is a new topic about Aicha Qnadicha, ok i'll tell you what i know about this lady , my sources are a short story by abdelkarim Ghallab i read centries ago and things i heard here and there .

Aicha was a very beautiful young girl, whose father was the chief of a clan, she was engaged to a young man from her tribe.. she was a very brilliant horsewoman (correct?) and used to beat all young horsemen of the neighbourhoud, everything was fine untill her land was invaded or occupied by foreigners (porteguese army), her clan had to move to a sort of kasbah and started a guerilla against the invaders, she led the resistance and when her family was killed she disappeared and people would find her victims laying dead in the street.. it's in this part of the story which history mingles with the myth ... she started to use her magnificient beauty to attract soldiers and then kill them to avenge her family and fiancé ...the character became a legend afterwards that people started to evoke as a fairy tale....

What moroccans know in general about aicha Qandicha is that she is or was a "Jennia" that lingers in the graveyards at night, a beautiful lady with animal feet... parents used to evoke her in order to scare heir children or make them sleep ...

Hi Hicham,

Thanks for this reminder. I have to admit to my shame that I don't know nothing about aicha kandicha maybe it's just another story my granny forgot to tell me....

Well, the story is not known to every moroccan, as i said wht people know about her is that she is a jennia.. on the other hand her story is a historical fact which the collective meomry of our people changed ..

so was she a jennia or not???

you'd better be careful here and not say something frithning because i get scared easily!!

don't worry, they told she had no passeport and she'is afraid of travelling by plane, also she is only furious at men because they killed her sweetheart and those who "stroll" in the cemetries by night ..

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Hicham_A
What moroccans know in general about aicha Qandicha is that she is or was a "Jennia" that lingers in the graveyards at night, a beautiful lady with animal feet... parents used to evoke her in order to scare heir children or make them sleep ...

hello, thx for telling us the true story and as you say many people know the myth: a jennia, with animal feet, who lingers at night. that's what i was told when a kid: maybe to make me sleep faster.

ps: my initials are A_H, lol

Not at al A_H,

we still have to do further research to now the real story of Aicha.. i find it so fascinating, a beautiful lady capable of attracting Men in order to take her revenge ...

Never heard that story before... Good to know!

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Hicham_A
Not at al A_H,

we still have to do further research to now the real story of Aicha.. i find it so fascinating, a beautiful lady capable of attracting Men in order to take her revenge ...

Hicham, i didn't know you were so cynical..

Why Minniemouse

i was sincere when i said i find it fascinating, fascinating in a dramatic sense.. mot in real life ...

Cyinical !!??

Hi

The storie i have heard was this woman was going out at night whearing whites & attacking the french occupaying soldiers

aparently most Moroccan cities had a figure like her man or woman going out of their ways to kill the occupying bastards ,what a shame we do not have any achrives for this people who fought for Labled

It kinda reminds of the old urban legends of the woman in white...

Hi All

I had a conversation with a Taxi driver once & he mentionned a man in Al Jadida who was doing a semilar thing ( coming out at nights & attacking the french )

do you know any of theses heroes ? its a shame we still call our street names of french military personnel who were sc..... us while we do not remimber our heroes ( Tarik Ibno Ziyad , Saadiyine graves , Tinmal mosq are few of the old forgoten masses )

hi Atlas,

yesterday i saw a documentary about a village near the almohades mosque( tinmel)it is called amkdal, the landscape is amazing, i've been to ouirgane several times but never been that far in Tizintasst..

i wish i could have the courage to go and live there ....

Hicham

Did you visit Tinmal mosq ?

I was in Ouirgane last week & i met two british ladies who visited the mosq & were taking back by its splendour
A shame its leftlike that its an amzing site & Morocco should preserve its heritage but as we all know no one cares

Ps: i did enjoy a nice swin in Marigha ,a cool pool there now

wow altasmagic sounds like you are in a little paradise. I never heard of this place before, is that where you live or are you just on holiday there??

Hicham, what do you mean you wish you had the courage to go and live there? is it because it's very rural and life is hard or what exactly?

Minniemouse

i really appreciate your curiosity, i'm not joking ...

i said that not because it's rural, it's the opposite.. but simply becausei still have earn a living ... off course elsewhere ...

Atlas, i've never been there, i've been to Asni ans ouirgane but never visited tinmal mosque , i think it has been restored not long ago, but i really hope that this region will stay as "immaculate" as it is now, if tourist start to pour, it will be lost, i know that asni is very known but not Tinmal ...

PS: Tinmal is the first mosque that the Almohades built ...

Minniemouse

I love the area & do go there as often as i can & like Hicham i wish i could earm a living there i whould take the first plane but we will work towards it .......

Hicham

I do not like Asni at all i hate it very busy dirty & not much to do ,Imlil is very busy & spoiled , Ouirgane is nice & they are finishing a damn there & more & more foreigners are buying there
The restoration you talking about in Tinmal is not all there ,Moroccans are very akwards as you know they has Germans s doing it & managed to still the money to build a meseum with 2 metres high ceilings while the mosque doors are 4 metres high & they still sitting there exposed to sun & rain

Is from here that the Almohades got there strenght ,build an army & took over Marrakech demolishing & rebuilding AL Koutobia & much of the Medina :

[en.wikipedia.org]
[en.wikipedia.org]

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Hicham_A
Minniemouse

i really appreciate your curiosity, i'm not joking ...

i said that not because it's rural, it's the opposite.. but simply becausei still have earn a living ... off course elsewhere ...

oh i see, you mean you wish you had the opportunity to go and live there

i really hope you will do one day

atlas

i 'm not sure that they did demolish and rebuild alkoutoubia, i know that they built it once along with la Giralda in Sevilla and off course Hassan Tower in Rabat .. anayway i'm really fond of this region but unfortunately Europeans have already started to buy houses and lands over there and a lot of things changed ...

thanx MinnieM

i see you are no longer teasing me ...

Well each thing on it's time as they say. i thought i'd be good for a while however if this is what you want, then this is all what you will get

Hicham


I was in Marigha last week & i was the only "akh7al arasse" in the place
As for Al Koutoubia its was demolished & if you visit next time you will see the remains of the old one :

I'am not 100% sure but i did find the following :

So why, back in the 12th century, did the Almohads go to the trouble of building not one but two mosques? Why bother destroying the Almoravid mosque? The site of the mosque is itself historic, having been originally occupied by a late 11th-century kasbah, the Almoravid Dar el Hajar (lit. ’House of Stone’). The victorious Almohads destroyed much of the Almoravid city they found. In 1147 they built a large mosque, close to the Dar el Hajar fortress. This they had to do, as no Almohad would pray in a building put up by the heretic Almoravids. Unfortunately, the orientation of the new Almohad mosque was not quite right – the focal point in a mosque, indicated by the mihrab, or prayer niche, should be in the direction of Mecca. The solution was to build a second mosque – the present Koutoubia – even though the faithful at prayer can correct this directional problem themselves, under the direction of the imam.

I believe they rebuild most of Kech any one as they loved doing just that in andalucia too

Minniemouse

Thank you ,if you get a chance please do take time & visit the area you will be touch by its magic i hope

atlasmagic, i will certainly do if i get the chance. It sounds exactly like the sort of places me and my husband like to visit. We used to visit a little place called dayet aoua (very close to Ifrane) and stay at a little gite maintained by an old couple who live next door so they would cook for us during the day and at night they go home and leave us alone in the whole house (it was winter and we were the only residents) with the fire in a traditional chimney, it was so fantastic that we went there 3 times, once during winter (it was snowing) and then in summer and spring. There is hardly any sign of living there, just nature, fields and high mountains, you have to walk few miles before the next village. People were so friendly and the kids lovely to play with. We miss that place very much and can't wait to go back there

Minniemouse


Wow you are wtting my appetite for un other trip , i wish i had time & £ to do it sounds very good just the sort of things i love to sample but i must admit that i like to have villages & towns not so far away either to get the necessary thing plus to spend a day or two have a nice meal a bit of this & that

Ouirgane & region now have more places to stay ,things to do not so isolated but you could still sample the Berber way of life & stay in remore places ..........
About 2 month agao i was driving tru this unmade road (piste) into Tassaouirgane a village 6 Km away from the main road when i noticed a photo shoot session going on ! i was shocked stopped & chated to the French guy orgaising this for the Italiam Elle magasine they were taking shot of very nice western european models .......mama mia i had to compliment them & i did invite them to join me for lunch but they kindly claimed they were too busy ...........
The point is this area has a lot to offer & people are coming & enjoying it

Actually this place is not totally remote, it's only 20km away from Ifrane and 40km from Fes and Meknesin fact strategically it was perfect as we used to travel to so many places during the day and come back in the evening.

Here are some links to the gite where we stayed. by the way it's a huge swimming pool outside, ideal for summer and you'll be amazed how cheap it was. the last time we've been, 4 years ago it was 350 dhs/night only

[www.aui.ma]

[www.maniolnet.com]


Where exactly is Ouirgane? and what is the closest city to it? are there any hotels or appartments for rent?

Thank you ,

Very nice gite & not expensive at all a good address to have ,thank you

Ouirgane is in the Azzaden Valley 60 Km outside Marrakech on the Road to TROUDANT

A shame there is not a lot of site talking about this part :
[www.world66.com]
[www.dosomethingdifferent.com]

Places to stay :

[www.laroseraiehotel.com]
[www.labergerie-maroc.com]
[www.kasbahshama.com]
[www.dartassa.com]
[www.ausanglierquifume.com]
[www.aubergemomo.com]

Where to swim
[www.ilove-marrakesh.com]

Horse riding
[www.rediscover.co.uk]
Quads ,Trekking ,Cycling ect...............

Thank you so much Atlasmagic for all these sources! these places look stunning!! just the kind of thing i'm dreaming of right now. Kasbahshama is so gorgeous!! and oh my god, that swimming pool in ilove Marrakech, that's like an oasis straight out of a dream...well i've added them to my favourites but i'm feeling depressed right now especially when i think of the packed tube i have to board next week to go to work (

at least these pics will make me dream a bit...thanks