1,000 Places to See Before You Die

by Patricia Schultz

  Tangier has cleaned up considerably since its lawless days, though the city’s medina—the ancient, walled city center—still maintains its slightly seedy and intriguing authenticity. From the Grand Socco, the largest market square, follow Rue es Siaghin past colorful stalls and cavelike souks to the Petit Socco, the “small market” ringed with busy street cafés. Climb the winding Rue des Chrétiens toward the casbah, the highest point in the medina, a former Roman fortification that is now home to the Dar El Makhzen museum.

  Amid the casbah’s 14th-century ramparts, Dar Nour (House of Light) is a small, charming hotel consisting of a group of ancient houses and featuring ten unique rooms filled with objets d’art as well as a rooftop terrace with views over the old city and harbor. At the casbah’s summit, you’ll find the elegant, eclectic Hotel Nord-Pinus Tanger (a sister property to the Grand Hotel Nord-Pinus in Arles, France; see p. 125), whose colorful tilework, bold contemporary art, and striking modern furnishings, all in a former pasha’s palace, set a new standard for Tangier hotels. The restaurant’s tagines and updated Moroccan classics are among Tangier’s best (as are the unrestricted views across the strait to Spain). Be sure to stroll along the Avenue Mohammed Tazi to the shaded terrace at Café Hafa for mint tea and phenomenal cliff-top views.

  An hour south of Tangier, in a deep fold of the Rif Mountains, is Chefchaouen, a remote town with a medina that glows with blue-washed mud houses. Founded by Moors and Jews expelled from 15th-century Spain, Chefchaouen became a pilgrimage site for devout Muslims, and Christians were strictly forbidden to enter. The town now welcomes all visitors, and the lucky ones find their way to either of two small sibling hotels. Casa Hassan is a rambling, 350-year-old home converted into a lovely guesthouse filled with local art and handmade furnishings; the rooftop restaurant-with-a-view is the best in town. Nearby, two late-19th-century mansions have been transformed into Dar Baibou, where sumptuous guestrooms face onto courtyards filled with arches and colonnades; weary travelers can relax at the adjoining hammam.

  WHERE: 185 miles/298 km north of Casablanca. DAR NOUR: Tel 212/662-11-27-24; www.darnour.com. Cost: from $86. HOTEL NORD-PINUS TANGER: Tel 212/661-22-81-40; www.nord-pinus-tanger.com. Cost: from $292. CASA HASSAN and DAR BAIBOU: Tel 212/539-98-61-53; www.casahassan.com. Cost: from $95, inclusive. BEST TIMES: Mar–May and Sep–Nov for pleasant weather; Jun for the Tangier Jazz Festival.

  Morocco’s Little-Changed, Little-Known Walled City

  TAROUDANNT

  Morocco

  Relatively few travelers journey to southern Morocco’s wide and fertile Souss Valley, ringed by the Atlas and Anti-Atlas Mountains, but wonderfully picturesque Taroudannt, a 4-hour drive from Marrakech along the exquisitely scenic Tizi n’Test road, is the reward for those who do. Set amid almond and date plantations, Taroudannt is an authentic Berber market town little changed for centuries. It is enclosed within castellated mud walls and centers on two vibrant souks offering good-quality, traditional crafts and foodstuffs. Often called “little Marrakech” because of its ramparts and bustling medina, Taroudannt offers an opportunity to experience the edge-of-the-desert daily life of local Berbers, who are welcoming if mostly oblivious to the travelers in their midst.

  A horse-drawn caleche will make a 3-mile sightseeing circuit of the tawny-brown medina walls before dropping you off at the heart of the city, its markets. Souk Assarag, also called the Arab Souk, features locally made leather goods, rugs, and silver jewelry, while at the Marché Berbère, local farmers gather to sell produce and spices (saffron is one of the valley’s major crops). Once you’ve explored the markets, you can enjoy any number of activities offered by the British responsible-travel tour company Naturally Morocco, including wildlife tours, craft tours, trekking, and cooking and language classes. You can unpack inside the medina in their small, comfortable guesthouse known for its home-cooked meals.

  Just steps from the markets and souks and hidden behind thick walls is the jewel-like Palais Oumensour hotel. Its capacious, palm-shaded patio, with fountains and a swimming pool, and its rooftop terrace invite guests to linger during the afternoon’s hottest hours until it’s time for a dinner of French-influenced Moroccan cuisine. Taroudannt’s highlight is one of North Africa’s most luxurious retreats: the Gazelle d’Or, a former hunting lodge (once owned by a French baron), situated a mile outside the medina walls and surrounded by its own oasis. Amid the jasmine, roses, and towering lilies and hibiscus are 30 flower-covered stone cottages set on as many acres. There is a riding stable on the grounds for sunset forays, plus clay tennis courts and a croquet lawn, but many guests are happy to simply luxuriate by the pool or to relax in the spa. Meals are served on the terrace or in the opulent, tented dining room, with white-robed waiters carrying trays laden with exquisite Moroccan and international fare.

  WHERE: 138 miles/223 km southwest of Marrakech. NATURALLY MOROCCO: In the U.K., tel 44/12-39-710-814; www.naturallymorocco.co.uk. Cost: from $65. PALAIS OUMENSOUR: Tel 212/528-55-02-15; www.palaisoumensour.com. Cost: from $80. GAZELLE D’OR: Tel 212/528-85-20-39; www.gazelledor.com. Cost: from $440, inclusive. When: closed mid-Jul–mid-Sep. BEST TIMES: Mar–Jun and Sep–Dec for nicest weather; Jul for Festival du Dakka Roudania, a celebration of regional music.

  Cultures and Vistas Untouched by Time

  TREKKING AND ROMANCE IN THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS

  Morocco

  The Moroccans believe that the High Atlas Mountains are as close as you can get to heaven without leaving earth. You can glimpse these majestic, snow-capped mountains from as far away as Marrakech (see p. 386), and they lure an increasing number of hikers who wish to experience the fascinating culture and friendly hospitality of Berber villagers while staying in restored casbahs, or walled fortresses. One of these is Kasbah du Toubkal, a feudal chieftain’s summer palace that is now an eco-lodge. Its magnificent setting above the Imlil Valley is at the base of 13,665-foot Mount Toubkal, the highest point in North Africa. Comfortable rather than luxurious, the casbah is closely integrated with the local village, and everything from the meals to the simply decorated rooms reflects the rich Berber heritage. Just outside the front door are hiking trails leading up into the mountains; the best trek is the guided, two-day odyssey by foot and mule up towering Mount Toubkal, a climb that, while stunning, isn’t overly strenuous.

  For a high-end bohemian experience, check into Kasbah Tamadot, a former Berber chief’s fortress, in the Atlas foothills, now owned by Sir Richard Branson. At this exclusive enclave—it has 18 rooms and suites and six handsome Berber tents with private plunge pools—you would be tempted to pass the days relaxing in the spa if the Atlas backcountry didn’t beckon. The hotel can arrange horseback riding, mule treks, and mountain biking excursions.

  Farther north, in the Middle Atlas Mountains, Berber sheep herders return from the high country in September, gathering at the village of Imilchil for a 3-day marriage moussem (festival). Here the scattered clans trade livestock, buy winter provisions, socialize, and engage in the ancient rituals of the Betrothal Festival, in which singles, dressed in their finest, come to meet and marry. It’s the girls who do the browsing: If a young woman decides a young man is a kindred soul, she asks him to walk with her to the scribes’ tent, where their two families negotiate, and by that evening the couple may be wed. The festival has become increasingly popular with tourists, though accommodations nearby remain few to none.

  For young Berber women, the Betrothal Festival can be a life-changing event.

  WHERE: The Imlil Valley is 40 miles/65 km south of Marrakech. KASBAH DU TOUBKAL: Tel 212/524-48-56-11; in France, 33/05-49-05-01-35 (reservations); www.kasbahdutoubkal.com. Cost: from $215. KASBAH TAMADOT: In the U.K., tel 44/208-600-0430; www.virginlimitededition.com. Cost: from $550. IMILCHIL BETROTHAL FESTIVAL: www.imilchil.adrar.org. When: early Sep. BEST TIMES: Apr–May for warm spring weather and snow on the peaks; Jun and Sep–Oct for ideal trekking.

  Clifftop Charm and an Ancient Empire

  SIDI BOU SAID AND CARTHAG
E

  Tunisia

  Its very name makes you smile. Sidi Bou Said is a vision in Wedgwood blue and white, an utterly charming collection of whitewashed stone houses and cobbled lanes jumbled together on a hill overlooking the Gulf of Tunis. The village began as a series of watchtowers built nearly 1,000 years ago to spot invaders. But it soon became a community of Sufi Muslims, and it has enchanted tourists and artists for two-and-a-half centuries, ever since well-to-do families from Tunis started building summer homes here. The indigo Mediterranean below blends with an immaculate azure sky and is accented by a multitude of brass-studded wooden doors painted in a similar color. All that blue is almost too intense against the dazzling whitewashed, domed houses smothered in bougainvillea.

  Discovered by wealthy French and other European expats at the turn of the 20th century, Sidi could have been overbuilt had not the government issued orders in 1915 to preserve its character. The irony is that non-Muslims were not permitted to roam these streets until 1820, when followers of Abu Said lifted a centuries-old ban. Abu Said ibn Khalef (who died here in 1231 and is buried in the local mosque) was a teacher of Sufism, adopted by the anti-Christian Corsair pirates as their protector against the European infidels—the very ones who now flock here for the obligatory mint-tea-with-a-view on the open terrace of the much vaunted Café des Nattes overlooking the main square. For even better views, linger with a freshly squeezed fruit juice at the pretty Café Sidi Chabanne. Spend the night at the Maison de Charme’s Dar Saïd, built in the mid-19th century as a family home and renovated in 1998 to incorporate 24 stylishly decorated guest rooms, a small pool, and a restaurant. It’s situated in the heart of Sidi Bou Said, overlooking the village, the sea, and Carthage.

  Any trip from nearby Tunis should include a stop in Carthage, site of one of the largest and most enduring of the ancient empires. Founded in 814 B.C. by Phoenician traders, this once-thriving coastal city is where many of the ancient mosaics and statues now housed in the Bardo Museum (see below) were found. Only a handful of ruins remain, including Roman baths, but history buffs will thrill at the opportunity to walk the ground trod by the great Carthiginian general Hannibal and the legendary Queen Dido, sister of Pygmalion. Louis IX of France (St. Louis) died here in 1270 while on crusade. A late 19th-century cathedral dedicated to him (and now used for concerts) stands on the site of an ancient citadel, near the fine National Museum of Carthage.

  Sidi Bou Said is known for its blue-and-white motif.

  WHERE: Sidi Bou Said is 13 miles/21 km east of Tunis; Carthage is 9 miles/15 km east of Tunis. DAR SAÏD HOTEL: Tel 216/71-729-666; www.darsaid.com.tn. Cost: from $250. BEST TIMES: Sep–Nov or Mar–May for pleasant, warm days and evenings; Jul–Aug for International Festival of Carthage.

  Africa’s Priceless Mosaics

  BARDO MUSEUM

  Tunis, Tunisia

  Tunisia’s national museum, a complex of 13th- to 19th-century buildings that includes the former royal palace, houses the continent’s largest assemblage of ancient mosaics, arguably the finest in the world. The collection is so extensive—covering the floors and walls—that visitors run the risk of overload (and that’s to say nothing of the magnificent statuary and artifacts also scattered throughout the museum).

  Tunisia was the heart of Roman Africa, and the Bardo’s offerings come primarily from the 2nd–4th centuries A.D., during the height of Roman influence. It is worth noting that the world’s earliest true mosaics (dating to the 5th or 4th century B.C.) were discovered in nearby Carthage (see p. 391), indicating that the Carthaginians, not the Romans, may have invented the art form. But the Romans adopted and refined the Carthaginian techniques, combining small pieces of marble, limestone, and glass to create “tapestries” of richly colored landscapes and portraits, where visual depth was conveyed through gradation of colors in much the same way painters employ shades and tints of paint. All aspects of rural and urban life are represented in these elaborate works, which seem to illustrate an inscription on a piece found at an archaeological site in Algeria: “To hunt, to bathe, to gamble, to laugh, that is to live.”

  WHERE: 3 miles/5 km west of central Tunis. Tel 216/71-513-650.

  Festivals of Tunisia

  EL DJEM AND THE SAHARA DOUZ

  Tunis, Tunisia

  The Tunisian joie de vivre bursts forth in a multitude of annual festivals; even the smallest village sets aside a time for celebration, whether for the summer harvest, the fishing season, or the arrival of spring. The International Festival of Symphonic Music is one of the biggest and the best, offering magnificent performances in El Djem, the world’s best-preserved and largest Roman amphitheater after the Coliseum in Rome (see p. 183). In the 3rd century, chariots raced and gladiators battled in this grand arena, to the cheers of tens of thousands. Events are more sedate these days, but the setting is no less stunning. For three weeks or more in July and August, world-renowned artists take to the stage in these majestic, often candlelit ruins. European and North African orchestral music make up the majority of the performances, but it’s not unusual for Italian opera, American blues and gospel, and other musical genres to appear on the program. Combine the music festival with a visit to the seaside resort of Sousse, an hour’s drive away and the summer destination of choice for many Tunisian families, who know to check out the medina for local finds.

  Perhaps the liveliest of the many Tunisian festivals can be found in Douz, gateway to the Sahara Desert. Decades ago, residents began gathering outdoors to welcome the cooler weather, celebrating with dance and music. Nearby Tunisian towns started participating, foreigners eventually joined in, and now the Douz Festival attracts more than 50,000 visitors, who spend 4 days amid the sand dunes, delving into joyous desert traditions. These include an authentic, lively mix of North African folk music (incorporating strings, flutes, and drums), dancing, races in which sloughi (a breed of desert hunting dog) chase rabbits, camel fights and races, and galloping Arabian horse races. Even Bedouin marriages take place in the organized chaos. Cultural lectures, folkloric theater shows, and poetry readings also play an important part. If you’re looking for more to do, Tozeur, the closest city of note and a popular gateway to desert tourism, is a 2-hour drive away. Be sure to stroll through its atmospheric, 14th-century medina before you leave town.

  At the Douz Festival, Arabian stallions flaunt their speed and stamina.

  HOW: U.S.-based Hedfi Consulting Partners offers custom trips within Tunisia. Tel 877-220-9357 or 201-765-0208; www.authentictunisia.com. EL DJEM MUSIC FESTIVAL: Tel 216/73-630-714; www.festivaleljem.com. Where: Roman amphitheater, 125 miles/201 km south of Tunis. When: 3–5 weeks in Jul–Aug. DOUZ FESTIVAL: www.festivaldouz.org.tn. Where: 80 miles/129 km southeast of Tozeur. When: 4 days in Dec.

  WEST AFRICA

  Celebrations of Life and Death

  AKWASIDAE FESTIVAL

  Kumasi, Ghana

  Kumasi, the ancient and traditional capital of the Ashanti tribe of the Akan-speaking people, is still the heart of Ghana, home to 2.5 million people. One Sunday out of every six in the traditional 42-day Akan month, Kumasi throws a colorful celebration capping off a 3-day religious festival. This is when the Ashanti pay homage to their ancestors and present their chiefs with greetings, songs, dances, and gifts, drawing on all the vibrancy of their culture.

  On the first 2 days of the Akwasidae festival, the celebrations are private. On the third day, visitors are welcome to join in, and the revelers pull out all the stops. Akwasidae finds many Ghanaians clad in kente cloth: woven garments with hundreds of designs and colors that communicate symbolic meanings. The Ashanti bring out their sacred objects, among them the golden stool that is the royal throne. They display them and follow their king (called Asantehene) in a procession that includes ritual sword bearers, guards, and subordinates carrying huge umbrellas and ostrich-feather fans.

  Stop by Kumasi’s Manhyia Palace Museum and check out the royal regalia, including massive gold ornaments similar to those worn by the king an
d his court.

  Ashanti funerals, while not rigidly scheduled like Akwasidae, can be almost as spectacular. They are often held on Saturdays, when people are not working, and are major social events, more elaborate than weddings. Depending on the status of the deceased, they can be held anywhere from homes to soccer stadiums, often taking place years after the death and going on for 3 days.

  Members of the deceased’s family wear bright-red garments and stand in a line to receive gifts from the attendees, who are clothed in black. Far from somber, it’s a bon-voyage party for the spirit, filled with drumming, drinking, and dancing. Attending an Ashanti funeral, even for a few hours, is an unforgettable glimpse into the deeply religious, exuberantly artistic, and irrepressibly festive Ashanti culture.

  WHERE: 168 miles/270 km northwest of the capital city, Accra. WHEN: every 42 days. HOW: U.S.-based Wilderness Travel offers two 15-day trips to Ghana, Benin, and Togo, with one departure coinciding with Akwasidae. Tel 800-368-2794 or 510-558-2488; www.wildernesstravel.com. Cost: from $5,995. Originate in Accra. When: Mar and Dec. BEST TIME: Nov–Feb to avoid the rainy season.

  The Door of No Return