411 M. STEAMBOATS. =1.= _Royal Mail Steam Packet Co._ (see RR. 5, 4,
3; often full all the way from London), every other Friday, viâ
Casablanca, Mazagan, and Saffi to Mogador in 5 days (agents at
Tangier, Eug. Chappory; at Casablanca and Saffi, Murdoch, Butler, &
Co.; at Mazagan, J. de Maria; and at Mogador, R. Yuly & Co.).—=2.=
_Oldenburg-Portuguese Line_ fortnightly to Mogador, calling at
intermediate ports (agents at Tangier and Larash, Renschhausen & Co.;
at Rabât, Weickert & Enke; at Casablanca and Saffi, Lamb Bros.; at
Mazagan, Ch. Balestrino; at Mogador, Borgeaud, Reutemann, & Co.).—=3.=
_N. Paquet & Co._ (p. 120), Monday evenings (returning on Frid.), to
Rabât, intermediate ports, and Mogador in 4 days.—=4.= _Vapores
Correos de Africa_ twice monthly to Mogador viâ, Larash, Rabât,
Casablanca, Mazagan, and Saffi in 5½ days. There are also the small
cargo-boats of the Genoese _Servizio Italo-Spagnuolo_, of _Rius &
Torres_ of Barcelona, and others. The small boats of the _Bland Line_
ply between Tangier and Larash once or twice weekly. The Canary Line
of the _Compañía Trasatlántica_ touches once monthly at Tangier (if
required also at Casablanca and Mazagan).—Landing and embarkation in
lighters at most of the intermediate ports is often impracticable for
weeks together, especially in winter. Harbours are in course of
construction at Larash and Casablanca, and one at Saffi is
projected.—Tangier, Rabât, Casablanca, and Mogador have wireless
telegraph stations.
Along the =Ocean Seaboard= of Morocco (about 835 M. to _Cape Juby_)
navigation is often impeded by gales, sandbanks, and fogs. The seaports
lie mostly at the mouths of rivers or in small and shallow open bays.
The STEAMERS round the sandstone rocks of _Cape Spartel_ (p. 102) and
steer to the S.W., at some distance from the land, above which in clear
weather are seen the _Rîf Mts._, with the Jebel Habib (2990 ft.) and the
Jebel Mulaï Abd es-Slam (p. 102).
In the coast-plain of _El-Gharbia_ we next observe, on a terrace abraded
by the sea, the decayed little seaport-town of _Arzila_, the Phœnician
_Zilis_, Rom. _Colonia Zilis Constantia_, with a ruinous town-wall of
the Portuguese period.
Beyond the _Haffet el-Beida_, a spur of the hill-region of _Sahel_, once
famed for its cork-tree groves and its fertility, we near the broad
mouth of the _Lukkus_ or _El-Kus_, the _Lix_ of antiquity, and obtain a
splendid view of the white sandstone walls and the castellated Kasba of
Larash.
=Larash=, also called _Larache_ or _Laraiche_, Arabic _El-Araïsh_ (Hot.
Lukkus, on the river-bank; landing or embarkation 1 p.; Brit.
vice-cons., L. Forde), a somewhat dirty town of 13,220 inhab. (incl.
3000 Jews and 200 Europeans), one of the chief seaports of Morocco, lies
on the left bank of the Lukkus, about 100 ft. above the river. The total
exports and imports are valued at 18 million francs. In the 16th cent.
the town was an important Portuguese centre of trade, and in 1580–1689
it belonged to Spain. It then became a war-harbour and the headquarters
of the pirates of Morocco, and was fruitlessly attacked by the French in
their disastrous expedition of 1765, and by an Austrian squadron in
1829. The former harbour, which was rendered inaccessible to vessels of
larger draught by the bar obstructing it and the shallowness of the
river-mouth, is being superseded by a new harbour now under
construction. The town-walls, the moats, the coast-batteries, and the
small fortifications on the S. bank of the river date from the Spanish
occupation.
From the landing-place on the N.E. margin of the town we pass through
the harbour-gate into the spacious _Inner Market_ (Sûk ed-Dakhl), with
the old _Spanish Merchants’ Hall_ (Fondak el-Essbenyoli) and arcades
lined with shops. Gateways lead thence to the N.W. to the picturesque
_Kasba_ (no admission), and to the S.E. to the _Government Palace_ (Dâr
el-Makhzen). The _Chief Mosque_ was once the Spanish cathedral, and
several of the dwelling-houses are still Spanish in character.
Outside the Bâb el-Khemis lies the extensive _Outer Market_ (Thurs.).
Excellent oranges and other fruit are grown in the beautiful gardens
around.
Some Roman ruins, relics of the old town of _Lixus_ (p. 95), now
overgrown with brushwood, lie on the _Jebel Tshemmish_, a low hill on
the right bank of the Lukkus, about 1½ hr. from Larash (best reached
by boat).
As the STEAMER proceeds there appears on the horizon a range of
sand-hills, 31 M. long, which separates the Sebu bay from the sea. This
bay (p. 93) is now dry land, with the exception of two shallow lakes
(_Merja ez-Zerga_ and _Merja Râs ed-Dôra_) and large tracts of swamp. To
the E. rises the _Jebel Sarsar_ (1805 ft.), near Ksar el-Kebîr. On the
left bank of the _Sebu_ (ancient _Subur_), near the _Mamora Forest_, the
largest plantation of cork-trees in Morocco, lies _Mehedia_ or _Mehdiya_
(pop. 500), a thriving seaport during the sway of the Almohades, but now
fallen to utter decay. A fine Moorish town-gate of the 12th cent. and
many ruins of the Portuguese period may be visited.
=Rabât= (Hot. Ignace, R. 2, pens. 10 fr., Hot. Alegría, Spanish, both
unpretending; Brit. vice-cons., A. H. Cross; Engl. Church service), or
_Rbât_, situated in the Tell (p. 93) on the left bank of the _Bu
Regreg_, 138 M. from Tangier, is one of the sultan’s residences and vies
with Tetuán (p. 102) as a most interesting coast-town. Its population
together with that of Salee (p. 106) is 47,140 inhab., incl. 3000 Jews
and 100 Europeans. As it is the ‘key of Morocco’, where the caravan
routes from Tangier, Fez, and Casablanca (Marakesh) converge, and is
also exposed to the attacks of the turbulent inland tribes of the
_Zemmûr_ and _Zaïr_, it has been fortified with an inner and two outer
walls. A _Fort_, built in 1888–92, defends the entrance to the harbour,
now much choked with sand. The difficulty of landing (charge for each
passenger 2½ p.) has caused the trade of the place (imports and exports
about 8 million francs) to decline and to fall behind that of Tangier,
Larash, and Mogador. Several of the industries have long been famous
(carpet-making, wool-weaving, woodwork, saffian leather, etc.).
Founded in 1197, opposite to Salee (see below), by the Almohade Yakûb
ibn Yûsuf (p. 61), the still prosperous town is noted for its
well-educated population, mostly Moorish, and its genuine Moroccan
character. The dwelling-houses, in the Andalusian-Moorish style, vie in
their internal architecture with those of Tetuán. Noteworthy are also
the old town-gates, the portal of the _Kasba_, with the barracks of the
Udaia, and the decayed _Medersa_ (school of the learned), with its
picturesque colonnaded *Court. At the S.E. angle of the town, not far
from the harbour-gate and the Mohammedan cemetery, is the _Mellah_ or
Jews’ quarter.
Outside the _Bâb el-Hâd_, on the W. side of the inner town-wall, is the
Jewish burial-ground, adjoining the _Sûk el-Hâd_, or Sunday market, the
most important cattle-market in the whole country, supplied chiefly by
the Zemmûr, Zaïr, and Zaiân tribes.—On the terrace of the coast, by the
W. outer wall (reached also from the Bâb el-Alû by the road past the
Christian cemetery), stands the handsome, but now disused sultan’s
palace of _El-Kebibât_.
Beyond the Jews’ quarter, and not far from the *Bâb Shellah (1178–84)
with its two octagonal towers, we see rising amidst orchards, above the
Bu Regreg, the conspicuous *_Hassan Tower_, the great landmark of Rabât.
This was once the minaret of a mosque, erected, according to tradition,
by Jâbir (p. 62) for Yakûb ibn Yûsuf in 1197, but now entirely destroyed
saving a few columns and fragments of masonry. The unfinished tower,
with its notched arches and ornamentation in relief style, is 145 ft.
high.
About 1 M. to the S. of the town, near the outer walls, is the _Dâr
el-Makhzen_, a second palace of the sultan, with the burial-mosque of
Mohammed XVII. and Mulaï Hassan (1873–94), and a beautiful garden.
Near this is the S.E. outer gateway. Among the neighbouring hills,
beyond a small Mohammedan burial-ground, is a walled and turreted square
enclosing the ancient town of *_Shellah_, the mouldering ruins of which
are overgrown with rank vegetation; we find here an excellent well. In
the dilapidated burial-mosque repose the Almohade Abû Yakûb (p. 61), the
Merinide Ali V. (d. 1351), and other sovereigns.—A little way off, on
the S. margin of the swampy and malarious river-flats, are famous
orange-gardens.
A ferry connects Rabât with the antiquated town of _Salee_, _Saleh_, or
_Slâ_, the _Sala_ of the Carthaginians and Romans, which, down to recent
times, was like Larash one of the most dreaded haunts of pirates (‘Salee
rovers’) and one of the worst slave-markets in all Morocco. The town
shows every sign of decay; but its gates, especially the Bâb el-Ansera
(now walled up), with its two towers, the ruinous gate of the cemetery,
and the domed tombs of saints, all present a most fascinating
architectural picture.
Proceeding on her course the STEAMER skirts a monotonous, treeless
coast, broken only by the mouths of a few small rivers, with here and
there a poor village. One of these villages is _Fedalah_ (in the middle
ages _Afdalah_), once a thriving little seaport, which was temporarily
occupied by the Spaniards in 1773. On a headland much exposed to N.
winds, 190 M. from Tangier, lies—
=Casablanca.=—Passengers are conveyed from the steamers, which anchor
in the open roads to the N.E. of the town, to the new quay by boat (2½
p. each person).
HOTELS. _Hôt. Central_, R. 4–5, B. 1, D. 2, pens. 10–12 fr., _Hôt. de
France_, pens. 8–10 fr., both good; _Hôt. Moderne_, pens. 8–10 fr.;
_Hôt. de l’Univers_; _Hôt. de l’Europe_; _Hôt. Continental_; _Hôt. de
Cuba_, outside the town, Spanish.
CONSULS. British, _A. M. Madden_; vice-consuls, _E. G. Lomas_, _R. H.
Broome_.—United States Consular Agent, _H. Toel_.
ENGLISH CHURCH. _St. John the Evangelist’s_, outside the town; service
every Sun. at 11 a.m.
_Casablanca_, Arabic _Dâr el-Beida_ (‘the white house’), a town of
31,700 inhab. (incl. 2500 French and as many Spaniards), was founded in
the 16th cent. by the Portuguese as _Casa Branca_ on the ruins of the
ancient (Phœnician?) town of _Anfa_. The place appears in mediæval
Venetian charts as _Níffe_ or _Anafe_, but it was abandoned by the Moors
in 1468. The town was destroyed in 1755 by an earthquake simultaneous
with that of Lisbon; it was not rebuilt till the 19th cent., and is now
the most important outlet in the country for Moroccan commodities
(exports and imports in 1909 ca. 25½ million fr.). To this centre are
brought cattle from the neighbouring provinces, from the remoter
districts of Tadla (or Tedla), and from the steppes of the Central
Atlas, while the fertile region of Shâuya supplies it with grain and
wool. Thanks to the peace and security which the French troops of
occupation have restored trade has steadily increased.
The town, which is still enclosed by a wall of defence built in the
Portuguese period, lies on a terrace of Devonian sandstone (E. side) and
slate (W. side), in which the surf has worn a small shallow bay. The
harbour thus formed is to be protected by a breakwater (in course of
construction) which will make landing and embarking in all weathers
possible (comp. above).—From the harbour we pass through the Waterport
Gate into the main street of the _Medina_ or Mohammedan business
quarter. Most of the foreign consulates and banks and the international
Anfa Club are situated in this street. Just off it are the British
Consulate and the British Post Office, while higher up is the new French
post-office. The _Mellah_, or Jewish quarter, lies on the S. side of the
town.
Near the Bâb es-Sûk, or S.E. gate, is the *_Market_ (Sûk; comp, p. 335),
and a little beyond it are the warehouses of the foreign merchants.
In the W. quarter (_Tnaquer_), which down to 1907 consisted chiefly of
the reed-huts of the lower-class workmen, similar to those outside the
S.W. gate (_Bâb Marâkesh_), modern stone dwellings have sprung up and
public grounds also have been laid out. Farther out are the wooden
barracks of the French and Spanish troops of occupation. On the low
hills to the E. and S.E. are the new French forts ‘Provost’ and
‘Ihler’.
A considerable way beyond Casablanca the STEAMER passes the mouth of the
_Um er-Rebîa_ (see below), on the left bank of which is Asimmûr, and a
little farther on it casts anchor in the open roads of Mazagan, far
outside the little harbour, which dates from the Portuguese period.
(Landing or embarkation 3 p.)
=Mazagan= (Hôt. de l’Univers, pens. 6–8 fr.; Hôt. du Commerce, same
charges; Brit. vice-cons., T. G. Spinney; pop. 25,500, incl. 3000 Jews
and about 500 Europeans), formerly called _El-Brîja_ by the Moroccans,
now _El-Jedida_ (‘the new’), 250 M. from Tangier, lies on a terrace on
the W. shore of a large bay which is now much choked with sand. It was
founded by the Portuguese in 1506, held by them down to 1769, and was
their last possession in Morocco; but it long remained a place of no
importance. The old town, square in shape, protected from the surf by a
chain of cliffs, and altered after 1769, is still enclosed by its
Portuguese wall of defence, which is 29 ft. thick at places. Several
houses bearing Portuguese coats-of-arms and the _Palace of the
Inquisition_ in the N. angle of the town recall the Christian
domination. In recent times Mazagan has developed into the chief seaport
of Marakesh. The great Thursday market, held on the W. side of the town,
and the granaries on the S. side afford an idea of the extent of its
trade (imports and exports being estimated, when crops are good, at 20
million fr. per annum). The climate is considered very healthy.
The alcanna shrub (Lawsonia inermis) abounds in the environs. From its
leaves is prepared the brownish-red _henna_, used for colouring the
finger-nails. This ancient custom still prevails among both
Mohammedans and Jews in N. Africa.
EXCURSIONS. The picturesquely situated town of =Azimmûr=, about 12½ M.
to the E., lies on the _Um er-Rebîa_ or _Morbêya_, the _Asama_ of
antiquity, a stream which separates the Shâuya region from the Dukkâla
The town, with its 10,000 inhab., incl. 1000 Jews, contains the shrine
of Mulaï bu Shaïb, much visited by pilgrims, and is environed with
beautiful gardens of pomegranates, oranges, and figs. On the same
river lie the orange-groves of _Mhiula_.—To the S.W. one may ride
along the coast, past the _Zâuya Mulaï Abdallah_ and the ruins of the
Roman town of _Tit_, to Cabo Blanco (see below).
Leaving Mazagan we pass the _Cabo Blanco_ (230 ft.; Arabic _Jerf
el-Asfâr_) and then the _Walediya Lake_, ca. 40 M. long. Farther on,
from the abrupt coast juts out _Cape Cantin_ (450 ft.; Arabic _Râs
el-Hûdik_), well known to mariners as a landmark, whence the coast runs
S. to the Tensift (p. 109). We call next at—
=Saffi= (Hot. Llamas; Brit. vice-cons., G. B. Hunot; pop. 19,750, incl.
2500 Jews), called also _Safi_ or _Asfi_, 350 M. from Tangier. The
harbour is inadequately sheltered from the W. and S.W. gales by a narrow
neck of land and two cliffs, and its entrance is obstructed by a
sandbank. (Landing or embarkation 1 p.) Saffi is the capital of the
fertile region of _Abda_, noted for its horse-breeding, and girdled with
black soil (comp. p. 93) fertile to a breadth of 37 M. at places. It
lies picturesquely on a lofty chalk plateau, in an almost semicircular
bay, amidst woods and green pastures, but is haunted by fever in summer.
Prior to the foundation of Mazagan and Mogador it was the chief port of
Marakesh, and like Agâdir (p. 110) was one of the most important
harbours of S. Morocco, but its trade, mostly in European hands, has now
fallen off (total about 10 million francs). The chief industry of the
place, which has given its name to Saffian leather, is now the
manufacture of pottery.
Close to the harbour lies the _Jewish Quarter_, and behind it is the
_Medina_ or Mohammedan quarter, both squalid. Adjoining the latter is
the Spanish Catholic church. The picturesque _Citadel_ at the E. end of
the old town and the town-walls are of Portuguese origin. The Sûk, or
market, is in the S. suburb of _Rabbât_.
The STEAMER next sights, near the mouth of the _Tensift_, the _Jebel
el-Hadid_ (2182 ft.; ‘iron-mountain’; p. 110), already famed in Punic
times for its iron-ore, the only considerable hill on the coast between
this and Mogador. The vessel rounds _Cape Hadid_, the S. limit of the
fertile coast-plain, sighting in the distance the spurs of the _Great
Atlas_ (p. 93), and soon reaches (410 M. from Tangier; landing or
embarkation 2½ p.) the seaport of—
=Mogador= (Hôt. Royal, English; Palm Tree Hotel, 2½ M. to the S. of the
town, prettily situated, good; Brit. vice-cons., H. B. Johnstone; U. S.
cons. agent, G. Broome; Engl. Church service), called in Arabic
_Es-Sueïra_ also, with 24,350 inhab., incl. 12,000 Jews and a good many
French, English, Spanish, and other Europeans. The new town with its
straight lines of streets was erected in 1760–70 under Sultan Mulaï Sidi
Mohammed on the site of _Mogator_, which was destroyed in 1755 by the
same earthquake as that of Lisbon. In 1844 the town was stormed by
French marines.
Mogador lies in 31° 31′ N. lat. and 9° 60′ W. long., on a flat spit of
land, bounded on the W. by a small lake, beyond which rises a great
range of sand-hills, at places 427 ft. high and 3¼ M. in breadth. To the
S.W. a chain of cliffs and the rocky islet of _Mogador_, the only island
on the coast of Morocco, form the harbour, which is much exposed to the
sea-winds. The N. entrance to the harbour, between the town and the
island, is about 825 yds. broad and 45 ft. deep; the broad S. entrance,
opposite the mouth of the _Wâd Kseb_, is only 13 ft. in depth. Mogador
serves as a port for the adjacent provinces of _Shiâdma_ (or _Shedma_),
_Haha_, and _Mtûga_, as well as a mart for goods from the _Sûs_ (see
below). It is the stronghold of Judaism in Morocco, as the Jews control
the inland trade with Marakesh, and it is only of late that they have
had European rivals in the ocean traffic. The total exports and imports
amount to about 17 million francs.
We land not far from the _Harbour Battery_, mounted with antiquated
guns, and proceed first to the _Kasba_ quarter, where the governor’s
house, the chief mosque, a synagogue, and the Spanish church are
situated. From the Meshwâr, the principal square in the Kasba, a broad
street leads to the _Medina_, the Mohammedan quarter, where a number of
Europeans and wealthy Jews also reside. Here, in the centre of the town,
is the _Sûk_, famed for the native copper wares, besides various goods
from Marakesh, which are sold there. Beyond the market, in the N.E.
angle of the town, is the _Mellah_, an extremely dirty quarter, with
narrow streets, inhabited by the poorer Jews.
From the Bâb Marâkesh, the S.E. gate, we may follow the conduit, at
first along the embankment between the bay of the harbour and the
lake, and then past the _Kubba of Sidi Mogdul_, the local saint, to
the winding valley of the _Wâd Kseb_. Here rises a ruinous _Palace of
the Sultan_, and beyond the sand-hills lies the sadly neglected
_Sultan’s Garden_.
The finest point in the wooded inland region near Mogador, which
abounds in game, is the valley of _Aïn el-Hajar_ (‘rock-spring’), 15½
M. to the N.E. From the Bâb Asfi, the N.E. town-gate, the route leads
past the Christian and the large Jewish cemeteries, and follows the
Saffi caravan-track along the coast, where at low tide it is
pleasanter to ride on the beach. After about 2 hrs. we cross the hill
to the E., where in the extensive growth of underwood are seen
numerous argan-trees (Argania sideroxylon), the kernels of whose fruit
yield a table-oil resembling that of the olive.—From Aïn el-Hajar we
may in clear weather ascend the _Jebel el-Hadid_ (p. 109), which rises
to the N.; on the summit (2182 ft.) is a chapel dedicated to _Sidi
Yakûb_, whence in the far distance we may descry the Great Atlas.
To the S. of Mogador lies the hilly region of _Haha_, skirting the
base of the Great Atlas, and rich in olives and argan-trees, through
which a rough caravan-route, running inland from _Cape Tafetneh_ and
passing _Cape Gîr_, leads to =Agâdir= (pop. 2500). This was formerly
the seaport for the region of Sûs (p. 94), and was even the goal of
caravans from the Sudan district, but since the building of Mogador
has lost all European trade. In the 16th cent. Agâdir, under the name
of _Santa Cruz_, was the southmost possession of the Portuguese in
Morocco.