أخبارنا — travel

Published in AramcoWorld in Dec.2015 Written by Jesús Cano and Louis WernerArt by Belén Esturla The story, according to Córdoba-born historian Ibn Hayyan, is that when the amir of Al-Andalus, ‘Abd al-Rahman ii, assigned his court poet and trusted ambassador to a mission to the Byzantine capital of Constantinople, the poet tried his best to refuse.     Independent, insubordinate, even impudent: Such moments were almost trademarks of Yahya ibn Hakam al-Ghazal, whose surname meant “the gazelle,” a name given for his extraordinary good looks and fleet wit. He was known for satirical verse and sharp epigrams that not infrequently...

Accounts of travel from the Maghreb to the rest of the world have given birth to a particular literary genre known as rihla. Over the centuries Maghribi scholars traveled to the Mashriq for religious purposes, namely to accompish pilgrimage (rihla hijaziya). Others recorded their travel experience to European countries when they were part of official embassies (rihla sifariya). In both cases the writers of these travel accounts wanted to share their experience with their countrymen and underline how much their culture was different. Today scholars from different disciplines resort to these travel accounts which are a mine of information that...

Three friends, Nouamane Lahlou- a rock star and producer of Morocco; Hassan Hakmoun a master Gnawa musician and our friend Laurent LeGall a film director and producer based in San Rafael (California), meet in Casablanca to travel the length of Morocco in search of experiencing its music first hand and personally. The friends travel across the Atlas mountains to Marrakesh, one of the most exotic cities in the world. This is where artists and poets, painters and creatives sought their inspiration. Hassan Hakmoun was born and raised here, this is the city that taught him gnawa music at age 5...

Three friends, Nouamane Lahlou- a rock star and producer of Morocco; Hassan Hakmoun a master Gnawa musician and our friend Laurent LeGall a film director and producer based in San Rafael (California), meet in Casablanca to travel the length of Morocco in search of experiencing its music first hand and personally. "We begin our voyage in the western foothills of the southern Middle Atlas (Moyen Atlas) mountains and travel to Fes. The amazing old capital of Morocco lives in two worlds, the new modern Fes and the old Medina, both resound on one’s sense in color, charm and exotic abundance....

Three friends, Nouamane Lahlou- a rock rtar and producer of Morocco; Hassan Hakmoun a master Gnawa musician and our friend Laurent LeGall a film director and producer based in San Rafael (California), meet in Casablanca to travel the length of Morocco in search of experiencing its music first hand and personally. Laurent says, "we seek to understand the historic and modern importance of these cities, while experiencing it through the ‘People’ story, one told through it’s arts, culture music." Part I - The North Starting in the metropolis of Casablanca the team travels north to Tangiers at the tip of...