The Country of Desert and Snow

The late actor, Humphrey Bogart, created forever the image of the country of Morocco as "exotic" in his famous line from the classic movie, Casablanca, "Play it once, Sam.  For old times' sake."  V. C. Scott O'Connor begins a long National Geographic Magazine article telling us that Morocco "is a country up-to-date, accessible, civilized, yet barbarous, antique, and forbidden.  She is French, Spanish, Berber, Arab, and Jew.  She has been nursed for a thousand years on the subtle policies of the Orient, though farther west than the greater part of Europe" ("Beyond the Grand Atlas: Where the French Tricolor Flies Beside the Flag of the Sultan of Morocco," March, 1932, p. 261).

In 1932, Morocco, the northern-most and eastern-most country in Africa, was a colony 'nearly' all owned by France.  There were regions in the Sahara desert section which were not conquered by the French invaders (called 'infidels' by the Moroccans).  Morocco lies directly south of European Spain with the Rock of Gibraltar (island) between them in the straits at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.  There was a smaller territory to the extreme north that "belonged" to Spain, called "Spanish Morocco."

FYI: Have you heard of the "French Foreign Legion?"  In Morocco, in 1932, there were approximately 30,000 legionnaires, almost entirely composed of mercenary Germans!

Morocco's largest city in 1932 was Marrakech, called "The Red City" because of its red soil and buildings.  At that time, the French rulers had their administrative headquarters in a city to the north, Rabat. A quick Google check reveals that in 2004, the largest population dwelled in Casablanca.

A mountain range, some snow-covered peaks reaching 10,000 feet, the Atlas Mountains runs through much of the northern half of the country.  In its middle altitudes are plentiful cedar forests.  The only conquering Army to march through these mountains were the Roman armies of 2,000 years ago.  The French could only pass through the mountains in armored tanks in daylight.

"Morocco, with a population three-fourths of that of New York City, can boast of more fortified cities and castles than the whole of the United States and Canada" (p. 300).  They are all built of stone, seemingly ageless.  While there are some in ruins, some are inhabited by the French rulers.  Most are held by fabulously rich Sultans with their retinues.

A Surprise: Storks, the large birds which prefer to build their nests atop tall chimneys also live in this land.  Even if a stork builds a nest atop a Moslem Shrine, "the native never interferes with such building operations" (photo caption, p. 301).

This article answered a question I formulated during my pilgrimage to Israel last fall: How do the Moslems and Jews co-exist?  Wherever there are Moslems, there are Jews.  They have lived in the same countries for uncounted centuries and, for better or worse, will continue to do so, as in Morocco.

Among the Moroccans outside the cities are nomadic tribes.  When they move from place to place to graze their sheep, all their possessions , including wives, children and slaves accompany them.  It appeared that all the Moslems were faithful to their religion, stopping at the appointed hours to pray.

It was extremely difficult for the Moroccans to be defeated by the French and bear their rule.  I had to check to see how long this unhappy situation persisted.  It lasted from 1912 until 1956, when a constitutional monarchy government was installed in the Kingdom of Morocco.

Mr. O'Connor, the author, greatly appreciated this, his second visit to the exotic Morocco, and planned to return. He was welcomed by French and Sultans in a most hospitable manner.