This Berber Shepherd was only too happy to pose for a great photo opportunity with his goats,from the roof of our 4x4 vehicle. Space permitting, we always try to stop to give people lifts in the wilds of the High Atlas but this cargo of livestock was a unique one. It wasn't clear where he was heading but he may just not have fancied the long trudge home. The High Atlas, along with the other great mountain ranges of Morocco are home to the 'Berbers', the orginal inhabitants of Morocco. Modern-day Morocco is divided (for the most part) between Arabs, a race that arrived in Morocco from Arabia in the 7th-century, and Berbers, the country's indigenous people. The country is split approximately 60:40 Berbers:Arabs and (although rather a generalisation) Berbers tend to inhabit rural areas, above all the mountains, and Arabs predominate in the cities. There are of course exceptions, to a greater and greater extent. Marrakech is approximately half Berber and half Arab, and Agadir is predominantly a Berber city. The official language of Morocco is Arabic although Berbers speak a different language. There are three main dialects of Berber - Tarifit, spoken in the Rif Mountains, Tamazight, spoken in the Middle Atlas, and Tachelit, spoken in the High Atlas Mountains, and within these dialects there exist many more sub-dialects. Arabic is understood by most of the population and a high proportion of the better-educated people also speak French. Berbers and Arabs are known to have quite different characteristics, both mentally and physically - largely related to their origins and their geographical circumstances - but the two groups are united by religion (Islam) and the Moroccan nationality. Morocco is ruled by a sovereign, at present Mohammed VI, and throughout history a ruling dynasty (whether Berber or Arab) has taken power. The current dynasty, the 'Alouites' have been in power for over three hundred years and the are distant descendents of the prophet Mohammed. Mohammed VI became king after the death of his father Hassan II in 1999 and quickly established himself as a forward-thinking (young) monarch keen to modernise and to improve the rights of the Moroccan people. As with any leader he has his critics and his fans, but in every office or shop around the country you'll see a picture of the king on the wall as a mark of respect for the leader. Morocco in the 21st century is a country that's changing and developing at a pace. The government has a goal to develop tourism with the intention of attracting 10 million foreign visitors a year by 2010. It's a very tough ask and one that may well not be achieveable, but the country's economic development is undeniable and is born out by an incredible construction boom, particularly in the tourism Mecca of Marrakech. . |
