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Morocco and the imagination beyond
The land has bee inhabited since the beginning of history, yet its far-flung location conjures up tall tales and magical stories that have been passed down from generation to generation.
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The Koutoubia mosque is seen on Feb. 24, 202, in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh. (AFP/Fadel Senna)
Morocco should only exist in our imagination.
The land has been inhabited since the beginning of history, yet its far-flung location conjures up tall tales and magical stories that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Arabs called Morocco "Maghrib al Aqsa" (Farther West) and just like the Far East, the land has long been the subject of fascination and wonder.
The spot where the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea meet--off the coast of Tangier, in the northern tip of Morocco--was mentioned in the Koran and the fact that the two bodies of water can maintain their salinity, temperature and density has been seen as a proof of divine providence in the Holy Book.
It may be the wild temperature swing from the punishing heat of the Sahara Desert to the cool breeze of the Atlantic Canary Current, the rustic charm of even the country's modern cities or hospitable people that have made most world-weary outsiders want to remain in Fez, Casablanca or Marrakech.
Beat writer William S. Burroughs relocated to the city of Tangier in 1954 wrote his most famous novel Naked Lunch while staying at Hotel El Muniria in the city's downtown.
And it appears that the self-imposed exile in Tangier served him well.
