A Moroccan Primer

 

For the next few installments, I will be covering our adventures in Morocco. To assist you, I have prepared this Moroccan primer that will aid you in understanding many of the words you will come across.

Ksar- Is a small fortified village.  It can also refer to a Berber village with all the buildings connected. It contained many families who banned together to protect their interests in the area.

Kasbar-  Is a fortified building or buildings where a single family would live and defend their territory as well as provide safe haven for the trade caravans and are found all along the original caravan routes.

 

Medina-  Is a walled city.  A medina now can refer to the older part of the city that has out grown the walls of the medina. The streets are always very narrow and maze like. Very easy to get lost if you are not careful.

Oasis- A fertile spot in a desert where water can be found.


 

Souk- Is the market area and found in all Moroccan cities. You can find anything you need here. 

 

Yalla, Yalla-  A common Arabic expression meaning "come on", "get going", "hurry up". We heard that a lot, from our guides.
















Bedouin- A desert dwelling Arabian ethnic group that can be found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Originating from the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf they were part of the Arabic conquest of North Africa.    

 

Berber- An indigenous ethnic group from North Africa. They are not Arabic as they will let you know should you mistakenly call them Arabs.  They claim to be the original inhabitants of North Africa.

 

Tuareg-  An offshoot of the Berber ethnic group. They inhabit the Saharan areas of Niger, Mali and along  the border areas Algeria and Morocco. The Tuareg are sometimes called the "Blue People" because the indigo pigment in the cloth of their traditional robes and turbans stained their skin dark blue.

Nomads- (Moroccan) Berber groups who still migrate between the best grazing grounds that are dictated by the different seasons and different elevations of the High Atlas Mountains.

 

Nomads- (Canadian) Groups who migrate between the best weather and is dictated by the different seasons and their grandchildren.