Cidade Velha

In November 2018 we went to visit family in Sal, Cape Verde, while also checking out Santiago, the main island.

Be a superhero - don't steal power.

About a half hour's drive from Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, is Cidade Velha, the first settlement on Santiago and the former capital.

Fort Real do Sao Felipe and its cistern.

The area was chosen as it had a small river, or ribeira, that provided fresh water. This water was brought up the hill to the fort, where it was stored for use. Cidade Velha also generated income by selling freshwater to ships that stopped en route to the Americas (the archipelago was the last way point before completing the Atlantic crossing). The area was also apparently rich in fruit groves. In both cases most of the work would have been carried out by slaves brought to the island. The riverbed is now mostly dry, although it was much greener than the land above it.

Ribeira Grande, which Cidade Velha was first named after.

Forte Real do Sao Filipe was built with brick from Lisbon following a raid in 1585. It's an impressive viewpoint of the town below. Aside from the fortifications and cistern, there's not a great deal of historical artifacts.

Cidade Velha and the remains of its cathedral, the first in West Africa.

From the fort we walked down to the town itself, and visited the cathedral. The cathedral's construction began in 1556 and was finally finished in 1693 but was destroyed in a pirate raid in 1712.

Remains of the cathedral.

A little up the ribeira from town is another claim to ecumenical fame - the first documented church in the tropics - Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosario was built in 1495.

Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosario.

Finally, the 16th century Igreja e Convento de Sao Francisco remains in use today. It too was destroyed in 1712 but was restored with help from the Spanish government.

Ruins near the church and convent.

The refurbished church (and convent).

Cidade Velha made for a pleasant day trip. We had some good seafood at a restaurant down by the beach and enjoyed walking around the town. The alugueres/hiaces (minivans) public transport was also quite pleasant, especially given the relatively short distances compared to other places we've visited.

Cidade Velha.

Moulay Idriss, Volubilis, Meknes and Hassan II

Showcasing the attractions of the Moulay Idriss-Volubilis area.
We should have noted the top left!

Our friend, let's call him Hercule, was kind enough to bring our cat from Douala to Casablanca, when our schools had coinciding breaks in October 2018. There wasn't a seamless overlap, so we decided to make a short trip to Moulay Idriss, a hill town about three hours from Casa.

Moulay Idriss has long been a site of Islamic pilgrimages, and in Morocco five visits to Moulay Idriss are considered to equal one Hajj. Given its sacred status, non-Muslim tourists were barred from staying overnight in the city until 2004. In the short time that has elapsed, many locals have taken on an entrepreneurial spirit and offer to squire visitors around the old medina and towards a number of lookout points from which one may admire the town. One such industrious gentleman convinced our friend to come over for snails and later bought our son some birthday cake with his hard-earned capital.

Arch of Caracalla, constructed in 217 AD in honor of the Roman emperor.

Remains of the basilica.

A few kilometers away from Moulay Idriss is Volubilis / Walili, site of an old Berber then Roman settlement. Founded around 3,000 BC, Volubilis later served as a far-flung outpost of the Roman empire from the 2^nd and 3^rd centuries AD. In the 8^th Century AD the settlement revived, this time under the auspices of conversion to Islam led by Idris I, but the town gradually declined as people moved to his namesake settlement, Moulay Idriss.

The trials of Hercules.

While the mosaics are a bit worn and not particularly well-protected, the expanse of the old settlement was impressive and our guide led us around the grounds pointing out the various living quarters, baths, olive presses (58 have been excavated at the site), aqueduct, gates, etc. There were a few other independent travelers, but also several large tour buses that seemed to be stopping in en route to Fes. Unfortunately, it was only after we left M-I and Volubilis that we learned that there's also a vineyard in the area. Next time!

Moulay Idriss at dusk.

View of the Medersa Idris I mosque.

View from the Kasbah of the market below.

We then spent a morning in Meknes getting new rear tires and checking out the Bab Mansour gate (incorporating columns from the Volubilis ruins) and enjoying some bissara soup (made from fava beans, with copious amounts of olive oil and cumin).

Bab Mansour gate, Meknes.

Meknes's medina.

Hercule explored Fes and we returned to work. Once reunited, we went to the Hassan II mosque, an obligatory stop for those stopping over in Casablanca (not otherwise noted for touristy sights). We happened to have the same tour guide as when we visited in August, and again she efficiently led us through the vast main prayer hall and the ablution areas below. Set right on the ocean, the view is sadly obscured by all the saltwater from waves breaking near the windows of the prayer hall.

The main prayer hall of the Hassan II mosque.

Hassan II is the second largest mosque in the world, with most of the building materials sourced in Morocco (the exception being the glass chandeliers, which come from Murano, Italy. Our guide's  line: "To clean them is problem. You can imagine"). It has the highest minaret in the world, armed with a laser beam that points towards Mecca.

Hassan II mosque.

We then headed towards El Hank to check out the lighthouse. This area was in a state of disrepair, and we speculated that this might be due to anticipated development/eminent domain discouraging the current occupants from investing much in their property. El Hank afforded a nice view of the mosque in the distance, although we didn't detect any restaurants or other establishments, and didn't feel like going down to the Corniche/Morocco Mall area.

View of the Hassan II mosque from El Hank.

The lighthouse of El Hank.