#864 Le Tour Hassan and Mausoleum of Mohamed V, Rabat, Morocco

Before I ever saw it, the posters of Yacub Al Mansour's 1195 C.E. mosque in Morocco's capital Rabat intrigued me: 200 pillars of dusty sandstone cast shadows of precision (a testament to early Islamic mathematicians and architects) in the ruined mosque which is overshadowed by Le Tour Hassan (Hassan Tower). Hassan Tower (44m) was intended to be the largest minaret in the world when it was built -- 80m, but it was never finished, and the adjacent mosque, also never completely finished, was destroyed by an earthquake in 1755. Similar to the Giralda in Seville, which was designed by the same architect Jabir, the inside of the minaret is ascended by ramps instead of stairs, allowing the king to ride his horse up. Al Mansour also built (and Jabir also designed) the Koutobia mosque in Marrakech (#988), which is a similar style, but Rabat's mosque's construction stalled after the king's death. 

Overlooking the Oud Bou Regreg (river/inlet) and the twin city of Salé, the Al Mansour esplanade is a prime location very close to the center of the city. It is also the site of the Mausoleum to the current king Mohamed VI's grandfather (Mohamed V) and father (Hassan II). They are laid to rest in richly decorated green-roofed below-ground tomb, and visitors can enter the open chamber from above. A Koran reader is often present, and the complex is guarded by smartly-dressed soldiers both on horseback and standing at attention.

 

Source: Lonely Planet Morocco, 6th Edition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_Tower

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaqub,_Almohad_Caliph

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_of_Mohammed_V

#884 Cape of Good Hope, South Africa

The southernmost point of Africa, south of Cape Town, is Cape Agulhas, but many people believe it to be at the end of Cape Peninsula - the Cape of Good Hope along with Cape Point. It is a windswept, wild place, colder and windier than you could ever imagine, even at the height of summer. Despite rumors, the two seas don't meet with different colors, although the currents join further east, but there are many sea birds and a sharp rock of a peninsula. The peninsula is also home to penguins, the odd seal and several farms.

Driving through Table Mountain National Park from Cape Town, past the pesky baboons, along steep cliffs and past gorgeous beaches helps to give a sense of how far away and how wild it is, and how it might have gotten a dubious reputation. Along with Cape Horn (#889), it has long held a special significance for sailors as a way point, and remains legendary.

#912 Volubilis (Oualli), Morocco

When I first moved to Morocco, I was still quite naive and my knowledge of history rather limited. Thus, I was rather astonished to discover that there was an important Roman city in the middle of the Moroccan heartland, close to the imperial Islamic cities of Fes and Meknes. Lying in a rich green inland valley not far from the Islamic village of Moulay Idriss, close to the main train line from Casablanca lies the ruins of Volubilis. 

My history professor at Al Akhawayn University wryly said that the reconstruction was of a poor quality, such as the 'neon-signage' of the main archway -- he insisted it would be imbedded rather than awkwardly on top, but alas, this was done in the 1930s.

Dating from the 2nd and 3rd centuries, although originally settled by Carthaginians, Volubilis was a producer of wheat and olives for the province of Mauretania Tingitana, but was insecure due to the surrounding Berber tribes and it's general isolation at the south-west corner of the empire. Eventually it fell to tribesmen in 285, but continued to be inhabited for another 700 years, first as a Christian city, then as an Islamic settlement. Muslim rulers eventually moved their capital to Fes, and both before and after an earthquake in the 18th century, much of the stone was used to build the capital of Meknes.

The floor mosaics were especially impressive -- very complete with strong colors considering the open-air exposure and many centuries when it was unlikely to have been a well-maintained site! I was impressed with the underfloor heating system as well that can be clearly seen.

Apologies for the photo quality. As with most of the other Morocco posts, these are film images printed and scanned with poor quality.

Source: Lonely Planet Morocco 6th Edition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volubilis

Sahara Desert

Sahara Desert - World Tourism will discuss about the Sahara Desert . Sahara Desert is the largest desert on the African continent. Sahara is divided into western Sahara, central Ahaggar Mountains, the Tibesti Mountains, Mountain Air (an area of ​​desert mountains and plateaus), Tenere desert and the Libyan desert (the most arid region). Emi Koussi (3415 m/11, 204 ft) in the Tibesti Mountains in northern Chad is the highest peak in the Sahara Desert. The southern border of the Sahara is marked by a band semiarid savanna called the Sahel, south of the Sahel lies Southern Sudan and the Congo River Basin. Limit of the Sahara Desert is the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Red Sea to the east, and the Sudan (region) and the Niger River valley in the south. Most of the Sahara consists of rocky hamada, ergs (large area covered with sand) form only a small part.

-Emi Koussi is the highest peak in the Sahara. It is 3415 m and is located in the Tibesti Mountains in northern Chad.
-It is surprising but there are about 500 species of plants that can grow in the Sahara Desert.

-The Sahara, known in Arabic as as-Sahra 'al-kubra and means "The Great Desert", is the largest hot desert in the world.
-With a total of more than 9.4 million km ², almost as large as the continental United States or Europe.
the desert because of rainfall levels are very low.

-Rainfall in the Sahara is very rare, but when it does it is usually torrential when it occurs after long dry periods.
-Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus, where you will find pictures of animals on cave walls, declared a UNESCO World.

-Countries in the Sahara is Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia and Western Sahara.
-Richat-structure is unusual landform located in Mauritania. This prominent circular feature in the Sahara has attracted the attention of many people because of its striking his bull's eye. This unique landform has a diameter of about 50 km.

-Saharan Africa has one of the world's harshest climates. North-east wind prevailing often causes sand to form dust devils and dust storms.
-Sahara is so dry that half of that received less than 20 mm of rain per year while the reminders have up to 10 cm per year.

-Berber, together with the Tuareg, are the dominant ethnic group in the Sahara.
-Over-all, when the desert heat and cold combined, the Sahara is the largest desert on Earth 2. It is next only to the Antarctic are classified

#933 Essaouira, Morocco

Made famous by Jimi Hendrix, with his legendary castles in the sand disappearing along the beach from the main town. A 1970s hippy center where you can still experience exotic markets, quaint homestay hotels, surfing, and spicy Moroccan delicacies, it is along Morocco's southern coast, with an offshore island, miles of sand, and strong cultural heritage. Perhaps one of the historical 'barbary states' where the pirates searched the wild ocean for stranded sailors, it retains a strong Berber and Arab culture. It's old walled city has winding medina streets and stalls of leather, lamps, spices, nuts and souvenirs. The beach is superb, and the ocean breezes idyllic in a hot Moroccan summer. Watch the fishermen bring in their catch, climb over the old castle, ride a camel into the sunset!