Life in Morocco and Glimpses Beyond

Budgett Meakin

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• Publié par: arza
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 27
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

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Project Gutenberg's Life in Morocco and Glimpses Beyond, by Budgett Meakin
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Title: Life in Morocco and Glimpses Beyond
Author: Budgett Meakin
Release Date: July 6, 2006 [EBook #18764]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE IN MOROCCO AND GLIMPSES ***
Produced by Michael Ciesielski, Lesley Halamek and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
LIFE IN MOROCCO
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
In uniform style. Demy 8vo, 15s. each.
THE MOORS: an Account of People and Customs. With 132
Illustrations.
Contents:—"The Madding Crowd"—Within the Gates—Where the Moors
Live—How the Moors Dress—Moorish Courtesy and Etiquette—What the
Moors Eat and Drink—Everyday Life—Slavery and Servitude—Country
Life—Trade—Arts and Manufactures—Matters Medical.
Some Moorish Characteristics—The Mohammedan Year (Feasts and
Fasts)—Places of Worship—Alms, Hospitality, and Pilgrimage—Education
—Saints and Superstitions—Marriage—Funeral Rites.
The Morocco Berbers—The Jews of Morocco—The Jewish Year.THE LAND OF THE MOORS: A Comprehensive Description. With a
New Map and 83 Illustrations.
Contents:—Physical Features—Natural Resources—Vegetable Products
—Animal Life.
Descriptions and Histories of Tangier, Tetuan, Laraiche, Salli-Rabat, Dar el
Baida, Mazagan, Saffi and Mogador; Azîla, Fedála, Mehedia, Mansûrîya,
Azammûr and Waladîya; Fez, Mequinez and Marrákesh; Zarhôn, Wazzán
and Shesháwan; El Kasar, Sifrû, Tadla, Damnát, Táza, Dibdû and Oojda;
Ceuta, Velez, Alhucemas, Melilla and the Zaffarines; Sûs, the Draa, Tafilált,
Fîgîg, and Tûát.
Reminiscences of Travel—In the Guise of a Moor—To Marrákesh on a
Bicycle—In Search of Miltsin.
THE MOORISH EMPIRE: A Historical Epitome. With Maps, 118
Illustrations, and a unique Chronological, Geographical, and Genealogical
Chart.
Contents:—Mauretania—The Mohammedan Invasion—Foundation of
Empire—Consolidation of Empire—Extension of Empire—Contraction of
Empire—Stagnation of Empire—Personification of Empire—The Reigning
Shareefs—The Moorish Government—Present Administration.
Europeans in the Moorish Service—The Salli Rovers—Record of the
Christian Slaves—Christian Influences in Morocco—Foreign Relations—
Moorish Diplomatic Usages—Foreign Rights and Privileges—Commercial
Intercourse—The Fate of the Empire.
Works on Morocco reviewed (213 vols. in 11 languages)—The Place of
Morocco in Fiction—Journalism in Morocco—Works Recommended—
Classical Authorities on Morocco.
LONDON: SWAN SONNENSCHEIN, LTD.
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ARABIC OF MOROCCO:
Vocabulary, Grammar Notes, Etc., in Roman Characters. Specially
prepared for Visitors and Beginners on a new and eminently practical
system.
Crown 8vo, Cloth, Round Corners for Pocket, 6s.
Also, Uniform with this, in English or Spanish, Price 4s.
IN ARABIC CHARACTERS
MOROCCO-ARABIC DIALOGUES,
ORDIÁLOGOS EN ARABE MAROQUÍ.
By C.W. BALDWIN.
LONDON: BERNARD QUARITCH, PICCADILLY.
TANGIER: BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY'S DEPÔT.
Photograph by Edward Lee, Esq., Saffi.
A MOORISH THOROUGHFARE.
LIFE IN MOROCCOAND GLIMPSES BEYOND
BY
BUDGETT MEAKIN
AUTHOR OF
"THE MOORS," "THE LAND OF THE MOORS," "THE MOORISH EMPIRE,"
"MODEL FACTORIES AND VILLAGES," ETC.
WITH TWENTY-FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS
LONDON
CHATTO & WINDUS
1905
PRINTED BY
WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
LONDON AND BECCLES.
[page v]
FOREWORD
Which of us has yet forgotten that first day when we set foot in Barbary?Those first impressions, as the gorgeous East with all its countless sounds
and colours, forms and odours, burst upon us; mingled pleasures and
disgusts, all new, undreamed-of, or our wildest dreams enhanced! Those
yelling, struggling crowds of boatmen, porters, donkey-boys; guides,
thieves, and busy-bodies; clad in mingled finery and tatters; European,
native, nondescript; a weird, incongruous medley—such as is always
produced when East meets West—how they did astonish and amuse us!
How we laughed (some trembling inwardly) and then, what letters we wrote
home!
One-and-twenty years have passed since that experience entranced the
present writer, and although he has repeated it as far as possible in
practically every other oriental country, each fresh visit to Morocco brings
back somewhat of the glamour of that maiden plunge, and somewhat of that
youthful ardour, as the old associations are renewed. Nothing he has seen
[page vi] elsewhere excels Morocco in point of life and colour save Bokhára; and
only in certain parts of India or in China is it rivalled. Algeria, Tunisia and
Tripoli have lost much of that charm under Turkish or western rule; Egypt
still more markedly so, while Palestine is of a population altogether mixed
and heterogeneous. The bazaars of Damascus, even, and Constantinople,
have given way to plate-glass, and nothing remains in the nearer East to
rival Morocco.
Notwithstanding the disturbed condition of much of the country, nothing has
occurred to interfere with the pleasure certain to be afforded by a visit to
Morocco at any time, and all who can do so are strongly recommended to
include it in an early holiday. The best months are from September to May,
though the heat on the coast is never too great for an enjoyable trip. The
simplest way of accomplishing this is by one of Messrs. Forwood's regular
steamers from London, calling at most of the Morocco ports and returning
by the Canaries, the tour occupying about a month, though it may be
broken and resumed at any point. Tangier may be reached direct from
Liverpool by the Papayanni Line, or indirectly viâ Gibraltar, subsequent
movements being decided by weather and local sailings. British consular
officials, missionaries, and merchants will be found at the various ports,
who always welcome considerate strangers.
Comparatively few, even of the ever-increasing number of visitors who year
[page vii] after year bring this only remaining independent Barbary State within the
scope of their pilgrimage, are aware of the interest with which it teems for
the scientist, the explorer, the historian, and students of human nature in
general. One needs to dive beneath the surface, to live on the spot in touch
with the people, to fathom the real Morocco, and in this it is doubtful
whether any foreigners not connected by ties of creed or marriage ever
completely succeed. What can be done short of this the writer attempted to
do, mingling with the people as one of themselves whenever this was
possible. Inspired by the example of Lane in his description of the "Modern
Egyptians," he essayed to do as much for the Moors, and during eighteen
years he laboured to that end.
The present volume gathers together from many quarters sketches drawn
under those circumstances, supplemented by a resumé of recent events
and the political outlook, together with three chapters—viii., xi., and xiv.—
contributed by his wife, whose assistance throughout its preparation he has
once more to acknowledge with pleasure. To many correspondents in
Morocco he is also indebted for much valuable up-to-date information on
current affairs, but as most for various reasons prefer to remainunmentioned, it would be invidious to name any. For most of the
illustrations, too, he desires to express his hearty thanks to the gentlemen
who have permitted him to reproduce their photographs.
[page viii] Much of the material used has already appeared in more fugitive form in the
Times of Morocco, the London Quarterly Review, the Forum, the
Westminster Review, Harper's Magazine, the Humanitarian, the
Gentleman's Magazine, the Independent (New York), the Modern Church,
the Jewish Chronicle, Good Health, the Medical Missionary, the Pall Mall
Gazette, the Westminster Gazette, the Outlook, etc., while Chapters ix., xix.,
and xxv. to xxix. have been extracted from a still unpublished picture of
Moorish country life, "Sons of Ishmael."
B.M.
Hampstead,
November 1905.
[page ix]
CONTENTS
PART I
CHAPTER PAGE
I. RETROSPECTIVE 1
II. THE PRESENT DAY 14
III. BEHIND THE SCENES 36
IV. THE BERBER RACE 47
V. THE WANDERING ARAB 57
VI. CITY LIFE 63
VII. THE WOMEN-FOLK 71
VIII. SOCIAL VISITS 82
IX. A COUNTRY WEDDING 88
X. THE BAIRNS 94
XI. "DINING OUT" 102
XII. DOMESTIC ECONOMY 107
XIII. THE NATIVE "MERCHANT" 113
XIV. SHOPPING 118
XV. A SUNDAY MARKET 125
XVI. PLAY-TIME 133
XVII. THE STORY-TELLER 138
XVIII. SNAKE-CHARMING 151
XIX. IN A MOORISH CAFÉ 159<