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@Agadir أغادير

Beaches to Berbers; Sahara to Souks
As their plane decreased height and enter­ed the hold­ing pattern, the pets looked excited­ly out of the windows for their first glimpse of Morocco! Agadir looked very small below them at first, but gradually appear­ed larg­er and larger and very soon they had landed!

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@Morocco on the map

Their tour guide, Karim, explained that their tour would begin in Agadir on the Atlantic coast, there would be a trip from there into the Sahara Desert, and thence the trip would take them to Essaouira, inland to Marra­kech, then Casa­blanca, Fez, Rabat (the capital city) and finally Tangier.

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@Arabic "Stop" sign قف

The pets were awed to see an example of Arabic, on the road sign lead­ing to their hotel. They all asked Karim what it meant.
"It means 'Stop'!" he explained. "You'll be seeing quite a lot of Arabic writing. This sign is one of the easier ones."

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@Mosque architecture

They passed a mosque on the way to the hotel and admired its Moorish-influenced architecture.

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@Agadir on the Atlantic Coast

After arriving at their hotel and having had a refresh­ing wash and brush up, they were invited down to the beach. It was warm weather, but not too hot. Some pets went for a swim and others donned life jackets and ventured out in small boats.

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@Boats for hire

The harbour was quite busy and the marina full of small blue boats for hire.

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@Agadir

Other pets went for a stroll along the beach, enjoying the spray from the waves, and looking for seashells.

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@Agadir

There were plenty of opportunities for taking selfies and group shots!

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@Rowing boat by the shore

All too soon, it seemed, they were being invited to prepare for the rest of the day—a trip to a Berber community! Karim explained that Berbers have villages with their communities, but a lot of them spend extended time in the desert.

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@شاي بالنعناع Mint Tea

On arriving at the Berber encampment, they were ceremonious­ly served mint tea by smiling Berbers. The pets shy­ly practised the phrases they had learnt: salam alaikum, aafek [please] and shukran bezzaf [thank you very much] and hadshi bneen [it's delicious!].

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@Moroccan Almond Cake

They were also offered pastila, special almond cakes. Karim explained a wedding had just taken place in the village. Berber weddings are elaborate cele­brations that last for three days, filled with music, dancing and feasts. These cere­monies high­light the import­ance of community and family within Berber culture.

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@Moroccan spice market

The Berbers, also known as the Imazighen or Amazighs, are Northern Africa's original inhabit­ants and still main­tain a strong presence in Morocco, amongst other regions.

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@Rose petals for perfumery

Today, Berber life is deeply rooted in farming and they produce perfumes from natural ingred­ients. Karim said that jasmine, rose, spices like frankincense, myrrh and sandalwood, were used, plus resins such as amber, which add unique woody notes.

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@Shuttles of thread

Karim translated again as a Berber textile producer described his craft. Cloth was made by hand-spinning wool from sheared sheep. The process involved cleaning, carding (combing), and then spinning the wool into yarn using traditional methods. The yarn was then dyed with natural pigments.

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@Moroccan rugs and bags

Berber communities in the Sahara are known for their textile arts, particularly their woven blankets and rugs, which reflect their close connection to the desert environment.

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@Moroccan cloth

Karim explained that the desert landscape had shaped Berber clothing and customs, with traditional cloth­ing designed to protect against the harsh sun and blowing sand.

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@Berber art

Examples of Berber art were set out, and Karim explain­ed the tech­niques. Artists used several small bowls contain­ing pig­ments, some earth tones such as (saffron) and brown, but also blue and purple. There was a small tank of propane gas, with a burner on top. One artist ignited the burner and set the flame to low. He took his illustration and gently played the bottom of the paint­ing over the flame. As if by magic, brown detail, previous­ly painted, appeared.

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@Berber art

"It's a bit like writing in invisible ink," whispered MIO.
"I really like this art," mused Smarty. "I don't know how to explain it, but it's simple and satisfy­ing with a sort of earthy quality. Does that make sense?"
MIO assured Smarty that it most certainly did, and that he himself felt the same.

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@Tagine dish - طاجين

They had an early evening meal, as they would be up at dawn the next morning. A giant tradition­al tagine had been prepar­ed for sharing, along with fresh­ly baked Moroccan bread for dipping into the flavour­ful gravy. The casserole was really delicious, and the pets drank cool water thirstily.

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@Friendly camel

Next the pets were introduced to the camels. They had a great time hearing about their working life! They learnt that camels are vital to Berber culture and economy in the Sahara. Berbers are renowned camel riders.

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@Desert life

Whilst some Berbers are still semi-nomadic, many have transition­ed to more settled life­styles, particularly in the mount­ains and valleys. However, the distinct Berber cultural identity, language and traditions continue to be strong, especially in the Sahara and surrounding areas.

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@Fennec fox

To their delight, the pets met a fennec fox lying in the shade of some rocks. Being nocturnal, his waking hours were just beginning so that his activities of hunt­ing took place in the relative cool of the night. "Salam alaikum!" said Biffy. "Ismiyti Biffy. We've never met one of your kind before!"

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@Saharan grasses

Near to their camping site the sand was thinner and dotted here and there with clumps of grasses and reeds. They were escorted to their accommod­ation—tents with a mattress, pillow, blanket, and a little battery light. They all settled down in their sleeping bags in their allocated tents.

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@Sunrise over the Sahara

The pets were very soon fast asleep after such a long first day in Morocco.
The next morning, the pets were woken very early and crept out of their tents to watch the glorious sight of the sun rising over the Sahara. They had had a truly unforgett­able desert experience.

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@Moroccan breakfast

Their guides had prepared a delicious break­fast of pome­gran­ate drink­ing yogurt and salad and set it out on tables. After eating, the pets got ready for the journey back to Agadir. What a great start to the trip!

Smarty has enjoyed touring Morocco, but it is time to go home. Please select another pet as visitor, so they can also enjoy this event!