BY: Frances Lorenz

Our flight arrived in Casablanca around 4:30pm. At the entrance of the airport, there stood a man with a sign that said “FRANCES.” This was my first encounter with the person who would soon reveal his wisdom, delightful storytelling skills, and encyclopedic knowledge of Moroccan culture and history over the next eight days. Enter Abdelouahad “Abdel” Ait Hati.

The three of us were quietly driven to Marrakesh in an air-conditioned van. I was thinking about how soft spoken both Amine, the driver, and Abdel, the guide were. How surprised I was the next morning, after a pleasant stay and breakfast in the hotel, to experience his energetic introduction to vibrant Marrakesh, a city of one million people. My fellow traveler, Lucas Smiralso was impressed by Abdel’s warmth, deep understanding of everything Moroccan, and “his grasp of history, religion, music, architecture, politics, cooking, indigenous Berber culture,” as well as his ability to reimagine the daily itinerary and tailor it to the needs of our nine-member group. Residing in Marrakesh, Abdel lives in the heart of a city with a centuries-long tradition of storytelling, and after writing a collection of proverbs preserved in his book, Echoes of Tradition: Moroccan Proverbs, Abdel plans a new book based on stories that emphasize the positive historic relationship between Morocco and the United States.

Once a hub of camel caravans, Marrakesh now has the greatest souk (marketplace) in southern Morocco. Marrakesh was founded in 1062 by the Almoravid emir Abu Bakr ibn Umar. In the Islamic world, Marrakesh became the most important artistic and cultural center. Using the wealth acquired by the conquest of Spain, later ruler Ali ibn Yusuf beautified and extended the capital city. One of the greatest pleasures of Marrakesh is to get lost in its medina. Abdel took us to the 19th-century Bahia Palace, whose splendor is hidden from the outside. As Abdel pointed out, Moroccans do not like ostentation. Elegant palaces and homes are disguised behind very plain, ordinary exteriors that blend in with the rest of the neighborhood. We walked through some of the secret passageways that enabled the sultan to discreetly visit his four wives in their own living areas!

Then we went to the Jardin Majorelle, designed by French painter Jacques Majorelle, who lived there from 1922 - 1962 and donated his estate to Marrakesh. There are water features, cascades of bougainvillea, majestic palm trees, and an electric blue villa—all breathtakingly beautiful.

Then we went to a healing center in Marrakesh, where we learned all about the properties of herbs, spices, and cosmetics. On the bus, I sat right in front of Abdel so that I could hear every word he said. When we were traveling between cities on the highway, Abdel would tell stories of the positive relationship between the United States and Morocco. Our chair, Wazira Bey el said she was awed by his deep knowledge about the ties between the US and Morocco. It was clear he had done a lot of genuine research himself via ancient manuscripts.

Abdel speaks Berber, Arabic, French, and English fluently. Sometimes, I communicated with Abdel in French, the second language of Morocco. “I love to hear Americans speaking French,” Abdel said. “But Arabic is the most literary language of all.” I kept wishing I had prepared myself to speak a little more Arabic than just shukran for “thank you.”

This is just a little taste of our glorious time in Morocco, where we visited Marrakesh, Rabat, El Hadida, Essaouira, and Casablanca. Throughout the trip, Abdel’s care for all of us was extraordinary.

Here in Tacoma, we have invited our friend Abdel Ait Hati to share his Moroccan stories and proverbs with us on September 7, 2024, at an event we are calling Tastes and Tales of Morocco. The event will be from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at Asia Pacific Cultural Center at 3512 Portland Avenue East. It includes a four-course Moroccan dinner, a souk/silent auction, stories by Abdel, a dessert dash (similar to a cake walk) and the opportunity to support our future Sister Cities projects in Morocco.