0:00:03 > 0:00:07I'm embarking on a new railway adventure that will take me
0:00:07 > 0:00:08beyond the edge of Europe.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12I'll be using this,
0:00:12 > 0:00:17my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, dated 1913,
0:00:17 > 0:00:20which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel
0:00:20 > 0:00:22for the British tourist.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24It told travellers where to go,
0:00:24 > 0:00:29what to see and how to navigate the thousands of miles of tracks
0:00:29 > 0:00:30to cross the Continent.
0:00:32 > 0:00:33Now, a century later,
0:00:33 > 0:00:39I'm using my copy to reveal an era of great optimism and energy,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41but also of high tension.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47I want to rediscover that lost Europe that in 1913 couldn't know
0:00:47 > 0:00:52that its way of life would shortly be swept aside by the advent of war.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12I'm setting off from Tarifa in southern Spain
0:01:12 > 0:01:15for a country just nine miles to the south.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17SHIP'S HORN BLASTS
0:01:17 > 0:01:19A land which at the time of my guide
0:01:19 > 0:01:23was jealously coveted by rival European powers.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32I'm Morocco-bound and excited to be so.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34At the beginning of the 20th century,
0:01:34 > 0:01:39Morocco's riches set France and Germany at each other's throats,
0:01:39 > 0:01:41scrambling for control.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45The Bradshaw traveller had to be intrepid indeed
0:01:45 > 0:01:47and it was a matter of sheer chance
0:01:47 > 0:01:50that the First World War did not break out here.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55The tourists across this narrow stretch of water left elegant Europe
0:01:55 > 0:02:00for edgy Africa, departed Christendom for Islam,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04repulsed or magnetised by the exoticism.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19My journey begins on the north-western tip of Morocco,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22where I enter Africa through its gateway, Tangier.
0:02:23 > 0:02:29I step back in time in the medieval city of Fez before fast forwarding
0:02:29 > 0:02:33into the modern era in the political capital of Rabat.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36At the port of Casablanca,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39I'll visit one of Morocco's most impressive monuments.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42I'll finish in exotic Marrakech.
0:02:46 > 0:02:52Along the way, I take in the sights, the sounds...
0:02:52 > 0:02:53RAPID DRUMMING, WHISTLES BLOW
0:02:53 > 0:02:55..and the tastes of this rich culture.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59So many flavours. They explode on the tongue.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03I discover that since the time of my guidebook,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07some parts of Moroccan life have barely changed.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10The only transportation means is the donkey,
0:03:10 > 0:03:15so when you hear the word "balak", step aside and let the donkeys pass.
0:03:15 > 0:03:16MAN CALLS OUT IN ARABIC
0:03:18 > 0:03:20I learn how the Sultan of Morocco
0:03:20 > 0:03:23came to hand over his country to the French.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26France had promised him many things.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30If he signs the Treaty of Fez, he would get some autonomy,
0:03:30 > 0:03:31which never happened.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34They would rule over Morocco as they wished.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37And I marvel at this ancient country's
0:03:37 > 0:03:39remarkable modern achievements.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42This is not only a building of worship,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45but a celebration of what the Moroccan people can achieve.
0:03:47 > 0:03:48TRAIN HORN HOOTS
0:04:01 > 0:04:04It's a short hop from Spain to Morocco,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06but for the 1913 Bradshaw traveller,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09this journey was a leap into the unknown.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16Between Spain and Morocco, the clocks go back one hour,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18as I go back about a century.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26I'm arriving in Tangier,
0:04:26 > 0:04:30a port at the threshold between Europe and Africa.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Control over this highly strategic location has long been prized
0:04:38 > 0:04:41and never more so than at the time of my guidebook.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51The guidebook tells me that Tangier is "very picturesquely situated on
0:04:51 > 0:04:56"rising ground at the west side of the Bay of Tangier."
0:04:56 > 0:05:00And from its heights it looks down both on the Atlantic Ocean
0:05:00 > 0:05:03and on that narrow stretch of the Mediterranean
0:05:03 > 0:05:07that separates Africa from Europe. The British,
0:05:07 > 0:05:12who had their fortress on the other side of the strait in Gibraltar,
0:05:12 > 0:05:16were insistent that Tangier should remain international,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20rather than falling into the hands of the French, or the Spanish,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22or, heaven forbid, the Germans.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Morocco is home to a mix of indigenous Berber,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Arab and black African peoples.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43The diversity of their cultures fascinates visitors today
0:05:43 > 0:05:45as it did 100 years ago.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49As I walk around Tangier,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53I'm struck by how Europe has influenced its architecture.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Here, just outside the medina, in the so-called Grand Socco,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04you get a really good feeling for Tangier.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08Here is a minaret, predictably enough,
0:06:08 > 0:06:10but less expected, to its left,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13the tower of an English church.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Here is a French-built cinema,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18presently showing a German film festival,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21and close by is a Spanish school.
0:06:29 > 0:06:30Inside the medina,
0:06:30 > 0:06:31or the old town,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35I've arranged to meet my guide Aziz Begdouri,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37to find out more about Tangier and its people.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40- Hello, Aziz.- Hello, Michael.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42- Come upstairs.- Thank you.
0:06:46 > 0:06:47Aziz, tell me,
0:06:47 > 0:06:51why are you so enthusiastic about your city of Tangier?
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Tangier is a melting pot,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56Tangier is a city of multi-cultures and multi-religions.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00We have all the nationalities here, everyone accepts everyone else.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03The location of Tangier is spectacular.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07We have two coastlines, we have the Med and we have the Atlantic.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09This city, with all the virtues that you've just listed,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13has attracted millions of foreigners over the centuries.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17- Correct.- In 1913, what would life have been like in this city?
0:07:17 > 0:07:21In 1913, it was already becoming an international city.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25We had the Muslims and we had the Jews and we had the Christians.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29Many European powers already had a presence here
0:07:29 > 0:07:34and we see that all the buildings built in the late 19th century,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38beginning of the 20th century, all have European influences.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Big windows and balconies.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44So the medina of Tangier is the only medina in Morocco
0:07:44 > 0:07:47that has European influence.
0:07:47 > 0:07:48At the beginning of the 20th century,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Tangier becomes a flash point between the great powers.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54The First World War could have begun here.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- What happened? - On 31st March 1905,
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Kaiser Wilhelm II came to visit Tangier
0:08:01 > 0:08:04in order to support Moroccan sovereignty.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06What was the reaction of the local people?
0:08:06 > 0:08:07The local people welcomed him,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10because he's defending their right to be independent.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13What was the reaction of the French?
0:08:13 > 0:08:16They were very upset and very unhappy with the visit.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19In 1904,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21France had taken control of parts of Morocco
0:08:21 > 0:08:25from the young and inexperienced sultan, al-Aziz,
0:08:25 > 0:08:27much to the fury of Germany,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29who wanted the territory for herself.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32The clash focused the world's attention
0:08:32 > 0:08:34on this North African nation.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39France crucially won the backing of its allies Britain and Russia.
0:08:39 > 0:08:45Tensions between them and Germany deepened and in 1911 boiled over
0:08:45 > 0:08:48for a second time in Morocco.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50When French troops were sent to quell a rebellion,
0:08:50 > 0:08:55Germany responded by sending a gunboat to Agadir.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Britain, again, backed the French in Morocco
0:08:58 > 0:09:02and the Germans were placated with other territories in Africa.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06But these two crises further estranged Britain and France
0:09:06 > 0:09:10from Germany in the uneasy decade before the First World War.
0:09:17 > 0:09:22Inside the walls of the medina is a maze of alleys and backstreets.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27I'm curious to find out what's behind
0:09:27 > 0:09:29some of the city's secret doorways.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48This is such a gloriously unexpected discovery.
0:09:48 > 0:09:54A synagogue. And so beautiful, so large and wonderfully restored.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58In fact, there were Jews in Morocco in the pre-Christian era
0:09:58 > 0:10:01and then in 1492, when they were expelled from Spain,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05another wave came here and in the centuries that followed,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07when apparently they were no longer welcome
0:10:07 > 0:10:10to live side-by-side with Catholics,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14they existed in harmony with Muslims here in Morocco.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22The majority of Morocco's quarter of a million Jews emigrated
0:10:22 > 0:10:27after the Second World War, many to the newly-created state of Israel,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29leaving about 4,000 today.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35NORTH AFRICAN TRADITIONAL MUSIC
0:10:40 > 0:10:43As I walk through Tangier's tangle of streets,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46some Moroccan folky sounds draw me into a cafe.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55THEY SING IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Merci, messieurs! Formidable, merci!
0:11:28 > 0:11:32Well, with the violin and very special local designs of drum
0:11:32 > 0:11:36and lute and flute, this music, I believe, has influences of Berber,
0:11:36 > 0:11:40of Islamic, even of Andalusia, from southern Spain.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43The music is itself a melting pot
0:11:43 > 0:11:45and it produces this fantastic sound.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- Merci. ALL:- Merci.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56I'm leaving the city by way of Tanger Ville Station
0:11:56 > 0:12:00to embark on the first leg of my Moroccan railway adventure.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08At last, it's time for a train.
0:12:08 > 0:12:09And what a lovely station!
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Taking to the tracks, I'm aware that in 1913,
0:12:19 > 0:12:23Morocco was just at the dawn of its railway age.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25From his camel or donkey,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28the Bradshaw traveller would have seen the first train lines
0:12:28 > 0:12:31under construction as the French began to build the network
0:12:31 > 0:12:35which today extends to 2,000 kilometres of track.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41As I pull out of Tangier Station,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43I notice some state-of-the-art rolling stock
0:12:43 > 0:12:47that suggests that Morocco's railway operator, ONCF,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50is embarking on some railway modernisation.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06Moroccan railways have taken delivery
0:13:06 > 0:13:09of a shiny new set of double-deck trains
0:13:09 > 0:13:11and alongside this track,
0:13:11 > 0:13:16they are building a new railway between Tangier and Casablanca
0:13:16 > 0:13:18and, when it's finished, it will cut the journey time
0:13:18 > 0:13:22from approaching five hours to not much more than two.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26The first phase is substantially completed, and when it's open,
0:13:26 > 0:13:32Morocco will join that elite club of high-speed rail nations.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45I'm alighting at Asilah,
0:13:45 > 0:13:5040km south of Tangier, to meet engineer Farouk,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53who is overseeing construction of a vast viaduct
0:13:53 > 0:13:55known as the El Hachef.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Farouk, I imagine Morocco is rather proud
0:14:11 > 0:14:13about entering the high-speed rail age,
0:14:13 > 0:14:15and you must be pretty proud working on the project.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19Exactly. I'm very proud to be a part of this project.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24When we finish it, it will be the beginning of a new era.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29At Tangier, I saw that you've taken delivery of high-speed trains.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30What speed are they capable of?
0:14:30 > 0:14:35They can reach a speed of up to 360km.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39That's broadly comparable to the systems in Spain and France.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41It's totally the same system.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48The new high-speed line will cover the first 200km
0:14:48 > 0:14:52of the 350km route between Tangier and Casablanca,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54as far as Kenitra.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58It is projected to cost around £3 billion
0:14:58 > 0:15:01and is a joint venture between Morocco and France.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06The project has thrown up some tough engineering challenges,
0:15:06 > 0:15:10which have been met with ingenious solutions.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Why do you need such an enormous viaduct
0:15:13 > 0:15:15across what is quite a shallow valley?
0:15:15 > 0:15:19We have faced up to several technical problems here.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21A lot of problems about settlement.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23So the earth is sinking down?
0:15:23 > 0:15:26- Exactly.- You don't want a wobbly high-speed line, do you?
0:15:26 > 0:15:31Exactly. So we decided to build this bridge at 3.5km
0:15:31 > 0:15:34to avoid these problems in the future.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38It's the longest bridge in Africa.
0:15:41 > 0:15:42This valley floods,
0:15:42 > 0:15:46so huge amounts of earth are needed to fill in the waterlogged
0:15:46 > 0:15:48and unstable land.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50I've offered to lend a hand with some of the groundworks.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55OK, let's open it up.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03And let's raise it.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Former politician dishes the dirt!
0:16:25 > 0:16:30Having made my contribution to Morocco's great railway future,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33I'm making my way back to Asilah.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41With its charmingly relaxed feel,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45I'm confident that it will offer me a peaceful night.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03This morning, I am returning to Asilah Station
0:17:03 > 0:17:04to continue my journey.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21I'm travelling four hours south-east into the interior
0:17:21 > 0:17:22and to the city of Fez.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26I'm passing through scenery that I had not anticipated.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34It's springtime in Morocco and it's surprisingly green.
0:17:34 > 0:17:40The countryside is often gentle and rolling and it could be,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42I don't know, north Italy, or something like that.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47But then you will see a goatherd, a hooded figure with a long coat.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Looks like a scene out of the Bible.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Then you're jolted back to the reality that you're in North Africa.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06The years immediately preceding the publication of my guidebook
0:18:06 > 0:18:09were pivotal in the history of Morocco.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Sultan al-Aziz, who'd let the French gain a foothold in his country,
0:18:13 > 0:18:17was overthrown by his brother, Sultan al-Hafid.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19But he too struggled to curb
0:18:19 > 0:18:22France's growing territorial ambitions.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24I'm meeting historian Hiyam El Khalili
0:18:24 > 0:18:26to find out how most of Morocco
0:18:26 > 0:18:28eventually fell to the French.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30- Hello.- Hello!
0:18:30 > 0:18:31I'm Michael, thanks for joining me.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Have a seat.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Hiyam, we're on this long train ride to Fez,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41a city I think of as a beautifully preserved medieval city,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44but around the time that my guidebook was published,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47I believe there were important political
0:18:47 > 0:18:50and even violent developments in Fez.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55In 1912, there were riots and rebellions that erupted in Fez,
0:18:55 > 0:18:59because Moroccan nationals were very angry and did not want to fall under
0:18:59 > 0:19:01the French protectorate.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Morocco has not fallen under any foreign rule
0:19:04 > 0:19:08since the Umayyad dynasty in the eighth century.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11We've never been under the Ottoman Empire's rule.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16So we have a very long history of self-determination,
0:19:16 > 0:19:17for about 12 centuries.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20So this obviously did upset most Moroccans at the time.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25The tribes of the Middle Atlas descended on Fez,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27laying siege to the city.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30With disorder and violence swirling around his palace,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34the desperate sultan turned to the French for help,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37a request that France exploited.
0:19:37 > 0:19:38Now, why did the sultan feel
0:19:38 > 0:19:41that had to sign a treaty with the French?
0:19:41 > 0:19:42There were not many options.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45France had promised him many things.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47If he signs the treaty of Fez,
0:19:47 > 0:19:51he would get some autonomy under the French Protectorate,
0:19:51 > 0:19:52which never happened.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Basically, the Treaty of Fez stated
0:19:55 > 0:19:58that the sultan would remain a sultan
0:19:58 > 0:20:00and have religious power,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04but everything else just gave interest to France instead.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07They would be able to deploy their army all over the nation
0:20:07 > 0:20:11and they would put Frenchmen in the Makhzen, or the government,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14and they would rule over Morocco as they wished.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Having handed his country to the French,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23the sultan was forced into retirement.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Morocco was to remain a French protectorate for the next 44 years.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46I'm alighting at Fez's central station.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58Since I've been in Morocco,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01I've been immensely impressed with the railway stations,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03which are very modern,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06but which draw on traditional architectural motifs.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09This one at Fez has to be the greatest so far.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11Two wonderful, huge horseshoe arches.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16I'm passing under this fretwork chandelier and the carved ceiling.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20And everywhere, the colourful tiles.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Fez, says Bradshaw's,
0:21:30 > 0:21:34is enclosed in a double line of ruinous walls
0:21:34 > 0:21:38with a series of outlying detached forts.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41It swarms with dervishes, extraordinary mendicants
0:21:41 > 0:21:43and snake charmers.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52This ancient city was established in the eighth century
0:21:52 > 0:21:55by an Arab descendant of the Prophet Muhammad,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58who pursued the Islamisation of Morocco.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Fez is home to the world's oldest university,
0:22:03 > 0:22:04founded in the ninth century,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06and has become one of the great centres
0:22:06 > 0:22:08of Arabic and Islamic learning.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13I'm meeting Professor Moha Ennaji.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18Moha, what does this wonderful city mean to a Moroccan
0:22:18 > 0:22:20and to Moroccan history?
0:22:20 > 0:22:25Well, to Moroccans, this is a very historical city.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30This is the spiritual capital and the cultural capital of Morocco
0:22:30 > 0:22:33and it is more than 12 centuries old.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Any visitor to Fez is of course enormously impressed
0:22:36 > 0:22:38by how well preserved it is.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41How has it kept modern forces, as it were, at bay?
0:22:41 > 0:22:47Yeah, well, it has been kept preserved, of course, by the French,
0:22:47 > 0:22:48especially General Lyautey,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51who was like the governor of Morocco
0:22:51 > 0:22:56when Morocco was under the French protectorate from 1912 to 1956.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01Lyautey insisted that the French should not touch the monuments
0:23:01 > 0:23:04and respect the culture and the religion
0:23:04 > 0:23:06and the people's traditions.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09And after the independence,
0:23:09 > 0:23:13the government did everything they could to preserve this city
0:23:13 > 0:23:17from decay, because it is a functioning medina.
0:23:17 > 0:23:18I'm here for a very short while.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21What is your tip for the visitor to Fez?
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Well, I have two tips for you.
0:23:23 > 0:23:28First of all, try the Fez cuisine, and also beware of the donkeys,
0:23:28 > 0:23:32because the only transportation means is a donkey,
0:23:32 > 0:23:37so when you hear the word "balak", step aside and let the donkeys pass!
0:23:57 > 0:24:01This is the borderline between the 21st century and a medieval city,
0:24:01 > 0:24:03preserved in aspic.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21I find myself in a maze of narrow streets,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23some little more than two feet wide.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Balak, balak!
0:24:34 > 0:24:36One word I won't forget from Moroccan -
0:24:36 > 0:24:37"Balak, balak!"
0:24:37 > 0:24:39"Jump out the way!"
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Until the late 19th century,
0:24:44 > 0:24:49Fez was the only place in the world where its eponymous hat was made
0:24:49 > 0:24:53and everywhere I look, traditional craftsmen are plying their trades.
0:24:56 > 0:25:02What is so amazing about this place is the number of little businesses,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04the number of little shops.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06They are literally tiny.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10They have minute premises and yet everything they have
0:25:10 > 0:25:15is beautifully displayed. I mean, look at these dried fruits.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Isn't that just the most perfect thing?
0:25:20 > 0:25:24- Hello, monsieur.- Hello, bonjour. - C'est tres beau.- Merci bien.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Est-ce que vous...
0:25:26 > 0:25:27Have you got dried figs?
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Could I have five, please?
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Merci, monsieur. Ca fait combien?
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Five dinar.
0:25:39 > 0:25:40Merci, monsieur. C'est gentil.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Dried fruits are typically Moroccan,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51as are the aromatic spices on sale throughout the souks.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57I'm keen to learn about this country's most famous dish, tagine,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00and I've arranged to meet Moroccan chef Souad
0:26:00 > 0:26:02at her restaurant in the medina.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09- Ca va?- Hi, hello.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11- I'm Michael. - Nice to meet you, so welcome.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16Does this sort of cuisine come from the Berbers,
0:26:16 > 0:26:17does it come from Spain?
0:26:17 > 0:26:22So, the using a clay pot, it's coming from south of Morocco.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24- South of Morocco. - Yeah, very special.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27And we call it soussi tagine.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30It strikes me in Morocco how often you use sweet things.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Where does that sweet cuisine come from?
0:26:33 > 0:26:37OK, all the sweetness is coming from Jewish culture.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40And they are so crazy about combinations,
0:26:40 > 0:26:41about sweet and savoury.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43So, if that's the Jewish cuisine,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46what would the Berber cuisine be like?
0:26:46 > 0:26:52OK, Berber, it's such flavour, like, big cumin, big turmeric,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56big ginger. We are so crazy about savoury things, you know?
0:26:56 > 0:26:58OK, what are we making today?
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Lamb tagine with prune.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02- You start.- OK, you start!
0:27:02 > 0:27:06Are you here for cooking? Pepper.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Then we go for ginger, so fragrant.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Lovely smell, the ginger.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15We go for the turmeric.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17- How much?- More, keep going.
0:27:17 > 0:27:18Look at those lovely colours!
0:27:18 > 0:27:21I like it. We can use now salt.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Garlic.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26- Mmm.- You like garlic? - Oh, I love garlic.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Coriander.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Big handful of parsley.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Oh, look at those greens now.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35- So amazing. - Our painting is taking shape.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38So, go for olive oil, big circle.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41- Fantastic.- Water.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43- Stirring it up.- Yeah.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48- Oh.- So many flavours.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50They explode on the tongue.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52The lamb is looking wonderful.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56The meat is rubbed in the spice mix and added to the tagine.
0:27:58 > 0:27:59That's it.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03So now we can close our pot.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06We don't leave the steam to waste.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10We keep in steam to cook our lamb to be tender, OK?
0:28:12 > 0:28:16After two hours on the hob, the tagine is ready
0:28:16 > 0:28:19and we choose to eat it on Souad's rooftop terrace
0:28:19 > 0:28:20overlooking the city.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25The moment we have been waiting for.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29In a Morocco, you'd eat this with your hands?
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Yeah, we eat by hand.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42- Mmm. So spicy, and yet so sweet. - Sweet.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48Mmm! Delicious.
0:28:53 > 0:28:54Hello.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59Back out in the medina, it's time to find my bed for the night.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15This gorgeous sort of house in the medina is known as a riad,
0:29:15 > 0:29:18a word that derives from an Arabic word for garden,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21because they always have the internal patio.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23It's all hidden from the outside.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26There are no windows whatsoever on the ground floor
0:29:26 > 0:29:29and just a very discreet door.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31This is where I'm going to spend the night.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34But first of all, after a warm day in Fez,
0:29:34 > 0:29:37time to scrub off the dust of the day.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47I feel I should experience a traditional Moroccan hammam,
0:29:47 > 0:29:49which is an important part of Moroccan culture.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56Moroccans come to these steam rooms to deep cleanse their bodies.
0:30:00 > 0:30:05The purpose of a hammam is to remove a layer of dead skin.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08First the body is washed with soap
0:30:08 > 0:30:11before work begins in earnest with an exfoliating mitten.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16The bit of stone on which I'm lying is very hot.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19I'm effectively being griddled.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24There's some discomfort but I'm assured it will all be worthwhile.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50Today, I'm leaving Fez for a three-hour journey west
0:30:50 > 0:30:52to the Atlantic coast.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57I'll stop in Morocco's modern capital on my way to visiting
0:30:57 > 0:31:00the extraordinary treasures of Casablanca.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02My journey then takes me through desert
0:31:02 > 0:31:05to seek the Berber origins of this country
0:31:05 > 0:31:08in the former imperial capital of Marrakech.
0:31:08 > 0:31:09GUARD BLOWS WHISTLE
0:31:11 > 0:31:14I'd like to know more about the history of Morocco's railways,
0:31:14 > 0:31:16which I believe were begun by the French
0:31:16 > 0:31:20shortly before they took official power in 1912.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32Mohamed Hatmi is Professor of History at the University of Fez,
0:31:32 > 0:31:36and he's agreed to join me on this leg of my journey.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40Morocco's railway history starts quite late compared with Europe.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42When did the trains start here?
0:31:42 > 0:31:47It began during the first decade of the 20th century.
0:31:47 > 0:31:53It was a French company which began with a small section in Casablanca.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56When you have a railroad, you have a place in Morocco.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00So the first French railway was built
0:32:00 > 0:32:03to consolidate France's territorial gain.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06It was a modest narrow-gauge military network
0:32:06 > 0:32:11used for the transport of weapons, fuel, cargo and soldiers.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16It wasn't for civilians and certainly not for tourists.
0:32:17 > 0:32:23The foreign traveller to Morocco in 1913 could not use the railway.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25What were the roads like?
0:32:25 > 0:32:28There was no road in Morocco, no bridge.
0:32:28 > 0:32:33No road in the European sense of what is a road.
0:32:33 > 0:32:39Transport in Morocco before the French presence was on animals.
0:32:42 > 0:32:48Travel by camel or donkey was daring, arduous and uncomfortable.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52It wasn't until the 1920s that standard-gauge railway lines
0:32:52 > 0:32:56were constructed and the network opened to civilian passengers.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59I'm very impressed that in Morocco
0:32:59 > 0:33:01most of your lines are now electrified.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04You're building the ligne grande vitesse,
0:33:04 > 0:33:05high-speed railway.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08Morocco has taken an enormous leap into modernity.
0:33:08 > 0:33:14Yes, what is impressive is that people when travelling, when moving,
0:33:14 > 0:33:16they think first to train.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19HORN BLARES
0:33:26 > 0:33:29I'm about to arrive in Rabat.
0:33:29 > 0:33:34My guidebook tells me that it's a small port and a large Moorish town.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37It's perhaps surprising that it doesn't mention
0:33:37 > 0:33:39that in the year before publication,
0:33:39 > 0:33:44the French had decided to move the Moroccan capital to the city.
0:33:44 > 0:33:49As the great powers struggled with each other in the margins of Europe,
0:33:49 > 0:33:53in the Balkans and in North Africa, for power and influence,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56the political developments were moving too fast
0:33:56 > 0:33:58for my Bradshaw's Guide.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07When the French took control of Morocco in 1912,
0:34:07 > 0:34:10they made Rabat the new capital.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14They wanted a coastal location which was easy to reach
0:34:14 > 0:34:16and whereas they faced violent opposition
0:34:16 > 0:34:18in the university city of Fez,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22in Rabat they found the local population more quiescent.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30As I walk through the city,
0:34:30 > 0:34:33everywhere I see the unmistakable stamp of the French.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40What a contrast between Fez and Rabat.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44The narrow alleyways of Fez have been replaced now
0:34:44 > 0:34:46with these broad boulevards.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49It's so different, you could believe that you'd come to
0:34:49 > 0:34:54a different country, were it not for the profusion of Moroccan flags,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57which, I suppose, is what you'd expect in the capital city.
0:35:07 > 0:35:13The French resident general, Hubert Lyautey, trod carefully in Rabat.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18He built the new town around the medina,
0:35:18 > 0:35:22leaving the old Moroccan city intact.
0:35:22 > 0:35:27He introduced European architecture with a Moorish tinge.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29He was trying to maintain through architecture
0:35:29 > 0:35:32the fiction that there was a partnership
0:35:32 > 0:35:36between the Sultan of Morocco and the French.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40In reality, the poor monarch was nothing more than a figurehead
0:35:40 > 0:35:42and a puppet of a foreign power.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52I'm struck by how modern life and ancient culture
0:35:52 > 0:35:56seem to rub along together so easily in Morocco.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09I wish that I could stay a little longer in the capital,
0:36:09 > 0:36:13but I must return to the rails for a one-hour journey south
0:36:13 > 0:36:15to Morocco's largest city.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33"Casablanca," says my guidebook,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36"is 200 miles down the coast from Tangier.
0:36:36 > 0:36:41"The port and watergate are at the middle of the seafront of the town,
0:36:41 > 0:36:44"the mosque is set back from the sea."
0:36:44 > 0:36:46Just as 100 years ago,
0:36:46 > 0:36:50Casablanca remains an important centre of commerce
0:36:50 > 0:36:52and of religion.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56But I think I'll discover that the mosque is now on the water.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14Casablanca is the economic and commercial centre of Morocco.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17It's home to the country's stock exchange and a major port.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25Travellers at the time of my guidebook docked here,
0:37:25 > 0:37:29entering the chaos with trepidation after the trials of their voyage.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37I'm led to believe that the seafront is now home
0:37:37 > 0:37:39to one of Morocco's most splendid sights.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46Bradshaw's comments that the mosques everywhere in Morocco
0:37:46 > 0:37:48"are never allowed to be entered,
0:37:48 > 0:37:52"scarcely even approached by any but Mussulmans."
0:37:52 > 0:37:55But today, if I'm quick before evening prayer,
0:37:55 > 0:37:59I have an opportunity to go inside this enormous
0:37:59 > 0:38:02and very impressive Hassan II Mosque.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07CALL TO PRAYER
0:38:09 > 0:38:12Commissioned by the father of the current king,
0:38:12 > 0:38:16this mosque was inspired by a verse in the holy Koran which states
0:38:16 > 0:38:20that God's throne was built upon the water.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22Completed in 1993,
0:38:22 > 0:38:28its soaring 210-metre high minaret makes it the tallest in the world.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42Costing over £500 million,
0:38:42 > 0:38:47it took 10,000 specialist craftsmen 50 million man-hours
0:38:47 > 0:38:49to create this monumental building.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54The vast prayer spaces can accommodate
0:38:54 > 0:38:5625,000 worshippers inside
0:38:56 > 0:39:00and a further 80,000 on the terraces outside.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20Having been overwhelmed by the minaret, which rises as high
0:39:20 > 0:39:24as many a skyscraper, I now find myself inside,
0:39:24 > 0:39:27and again the dimensions are colossal.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31I'm not sure I've ever been in a mosque or even a cathedral
0:39:31 > 0:39:34that compares to this one in size.
0:39:34 > 0:39:39And then, all the crafts of Morocco are on display here.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44The wonderful marble of the floors, the beaten metal of the doors,
0:39:44 > 0:39:48the wonderfully carved and painted ceilings,
0:39:48 > 0:39:50all displaying Moroccan crafts.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53It's as though this is not only a building of worship,
0:39:53 > 0:39:57but a celebration of what the Moroccan people can achieve.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10MELODY OF "AS TIME GOES BY" PLAYED ON PIANO
0:40:10 > 0:40:12Many tourists to this city today
0:40:12 > 0:40:18will think that they know Casablanca from the iconic 1942 movie
0:40:18 > 0:40:21starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24But neither of them ever set foot here.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28Rick's Cafe was pure Hollywood invention,
0:40:28 > 0:40:32but such is the power of the silver screen that in 2004
0:40:32 > 0:40:37an American former diplomat built a copy of the famous bar
0:40:37 > 0:40:40here in Casablanca so that ardent fans like me
0:40:40 > 0:40:43can relive those classic moments.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48AS BOGART: Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world,
0:40:48 > 0:40:50she walks into mine.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54I've always wanted to do that.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23Dawn, and I'm on the last of my train journeys
0:41:23 > 0:41:25across this beguiling country.
0:41:57 > 0:42:01I didn't relish having to arrive at the railway station in Casablanca
0:42:01 > 0:42:03when it was still dark this morning
0:42:03 > 0:42:06to catch this early train, but I've been rewarded
0:42:06 > 0:42:10with a lovely sunrise over the plains of central Morocco.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24For the Bradshaw tourist, this would have been a five-day trek.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28My Marrakech Express will take me through
0:42:28 > 0:42:30a wonderfully changing landscape
0:42:30 > 0:42:32in just three-and-a-half hours.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39We have abandoned the green plains.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43For a couple of hours now the train has been snaking its way
0:42:43 > 0:42:44through higher ground.
0:42:44 > 0:42:49The map of Morocco is striped with ranges of mountains
0:42:49 > 0:42:51running east to west.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55Here the earth is reddish and the villages are camouflaged
0:42:55 > 0:42:58against the dry landscape.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02Beyond lies Marrakech and the peaks of the High Atlas.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20Just 25 miles from the Atlas Mountains,
0:43:20 > 0:43:22the homeland of the Berbers,
0:43:22 > 0:43:24Marrakech was the first capital
0:43:24 > 0:43:29of the Almoravid Empire in the 11th century, and is a Berber city.
0:43:39 > 0:43:43Surrounded by desert, and known as the "Red City"
0:43:43 > 0:43:46because of its vibrant sandstone buildings,
0:43:46 > 0:43:51today it's a fusion of hip luxury and traditional Moroccan style.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07I'm curious to visit a district of this city
0:44:07 > 0:44:09that is steeped in tradition
0:44:09 > 0:44:12and which provides one of the most important sources of income
0:44:12 > 0:44:15for Marrakech - leather.
0:44:15 > 0:44:16Bonjour.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29- Bonjour, monsieur.- Bonjour.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33What an amazing sight.
0:44:33 > 0:44:39As I came into the tannery, my nose was assaulted by the smell.
0:44:39 > 0:44:44Here these pits are presumably all part of the curing process
0:44:44 > 0:44:46of the skins. What a sight.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54Little has changed here since the tanneries were founded
0:44:54 > 0:44:56a thousand years ago,
0:44:56 > 0:45:00and no doubt the Bradshaw traveller would have seen a similar spectacle.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05It's a foul-smelling business,
0:45:05 > 0:45:08but that's hardly surprising when you discover
0:45:08 > 0:45:11that in order to remove the hairs and soften the hides,
0:45:11 > 0:45:15they're soaked in solutions of lime and fermented pigeon droppings
0:45:15 > 0:45:17for a week.
0:45:19 > 0:45:24The skins are hand-dyed in an array of natural vegetable dyes
0:45:24 > 0:45:28such as saffron, poppy, mint, and indigo.
0:45:32 > 0:45:33So, what do you think of this place?
0:45:33 > 0:45:35- I think it's horrible.- Why?
0:45:35 > 0:45:39I am vegetarian, and I like animals better
0:45:39 > 0:45:40with their skin on themselves.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43- It doesn't smell well here. - Yeah, it stinks.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46We need to use the mint to cover the smell.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49Dad, so why did you bring them here?
0:45:49 > 0:45:52Because I think they need to see everything that exists in Marrakech.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55It's one of the cultural heritages Marrakech has,
0:45:55 > 0:45:59how they make the leather, and how they do it in daily life,
0:45:59 > 0:46:00and of course they need to see that.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15The tanning process takes about 20 days.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19The leather is sold to craftspeople
0:46:19 > 0:46:21who work it into the distinctive bags,
0:46:21 > 0:46:24belts and babouches, or slippers,
0:46:24 > 0:46:27sold everywhere in the city's famous souks.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32And, like most tourists here, I love a good market.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35Moroccan metalwork is very lovely.
0:46:35 > 0:46:39Its lamps are beautiful with their diffused light.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41I often think of buying these things,
0:46:41 > 0:46:44but then you get them home and you think,
0:46:44 > 0:46:46"Where exactly do I put that?"
0:46:46 > 0:46:48Because at home it's so out of character.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54Hello, ladies. Where are you from?
0:46:54 > 0:46:56- Switzerland.- From Geneva.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58This is quite different from Geneva.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00- It is!- It's a little bit different.
0:47:00 > 0:47:01It's like the opposite!
0:47:02 > 0:47:06I mean, Switzerland is such an orderly country,
0:47:06 > 0:47:08such a clean country.
0:47:08 > 0:47:12Here is pretty chaotic, do you like that, or do you find it dangerous?
0:47:12 > 0:47:14I think it's a lovely chaos.
0:47:14 > 0:47:15I don't think it's dangerous at all.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17I think it's full of surprises.
0:47:17 > 0:47:19Even in the souk, you meet so many people.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21It's just amazing.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23Such a different culture from where we are from.
0:47:23 > 0:47:25Everything is a surprise.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30On this trip, I'm not tempted to purchase a tagine or a lamp,
0:47:30 > 0:47:33but I am rather taken with the traditional robe worn here,
0:47:33 > 0:47:35known as a djellaba.
0:47:35 > 0:47:36It's an important garment
0:47:36 > 0:47:40that's considered a symbol of Moroccan identity.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43Bonjour, monsieur.
0:47:43 > 0:47:44Bonjour.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47- Est-ce que vous avez des djellabas? - Oui.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27- Merci.- Pas de quoi.
0:48:27 > 0:48:29Traditionally made from wool...
0:48:30 > 0:48:33..in Fez the fashion is to wear the hood to the back,
0:48:33 > 0:48:36but in Marrakech it's worn to the side.
0:48:36 > 0:48:40Across all of Morocco, hoods are used like pockets
0:48:40 > 0:48:42to carry small bits of shopping.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46Actually, in the few moments I've had this on,
0:48:46 > 0:48:50I realise what a very smart garment it is, and how very practical.
0:48:50 > 0:48:55Because, well, it's a beautiful colour and it's nicely shaped,
0:48:55 > 0:48:59and it gets quite cold in Morocco, and this covers the ears,
0:48:59 > 0:49:00and then you just take it down.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02Really very, very nice.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08- Au revoir.- Merci, monsieur. - Merci, monsieur.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20As the day draws to a close,
0:49:20 > 0:49:24I'm lured to the city's main square, Jemaa el-Fnaa.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28Once the meeting point for the trans-Saharan caravans
0:49:28 > 0:49:30trading spices, slaves and gold,
0:49:30 > 0:49:35it has been at the heart of life in Marrakech for a thousand years
0:49:35 > 0:49:37and comes alive at sunset.
0:49:42 > 0:49:46One of the things I love about the countries of the Mediterranean,
0:49:46 > 0:49:47with their warm climate,
0:49:47 > 0:49:50is that life is lived on the street, outside.
0:49:50 > 0:49:54You might say Moroccans take this to the extreme.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57How would you describe this, this commotion, this consternation,
0:49:57 > 0:49:59this bedlam?
0:49:59 > 0:50:04What you can't deny is that these people are living life to the full.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07RAPID DRUMMING, WHISTLES BLOW
0:50:07 > 0:50:10Similar scenes of storytellers,
0:50:10 > 0:50:12snake charmers and entertainers
0:50:12 > 0:50:15would have greeted the Bradshaw traveller of 1913.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32But there are signs that the intervening century
0:50:32 > 0:50:34has changed Moroccan life.
0:50:36 > 0:50:37Hello, ladies, excuse me.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39- Hello.- May I join you a second?
0:50:40 > 0:50:42- Are you Moroccans?- Yes.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44So you're Moroccan tourists?
0:50:44 > 0:50:48- Yes.- You both look like very modern Moroccan girls.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52Is it easy for a woman to be modern in Morocco?
0:50:53 > 0:50:56Finally Morocco is open,
0:50:56 > 0:51:00a lot of people are modern and open-minded.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03Now, for instance, do you drink alcohol?
0:51:03 > 0:51:06- No.- No, you don't drink alcohol.
0:51:06 > 0:51:10- Never. I never tried. - Do you go to the mosque?
0:51:11 > 0:51:13- Yes.- Yes.
0:51:13 > 0:51:14But you don't cover your head?
0:51:14 > 0:51:16No.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19In 2004, the current monarch, Mohammed VI,
0:51:19 > 0:51:23brought in sweeping reforms granting women equal rights with men,
0:51:23 > 0:51:27thereby making Moroccan women among the most liberated
0:51:27 > 0:51:29in the Arab world.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35I'm going to dine at one of the many food stalls here,
0:51:35 > 0:51:37so that I can try a Moroccan speciality.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39Merci, monsieur.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44Seems suitably exotic.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48Let's see how good I am at getting these little fellows out.
0:51:48 > 0:51:49There we are, out it pops.
0:51:56 > 0:51:57If you like snails, it's good.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00C'est bon, monsieur, c'est bon. Oui?
0:52:00 > 0:52:02- C'est aphrodisiaque.- Ah.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06Naturally, he claims it's an aphrodisiac,
0:52:06 > 0:52:08I think nearly everything that's sold here is.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13Yeah, it's nice.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43It's the morning of my final day, and before I leave Morocco,
0:52:43 > 0:52:47I want to find out more about the country's indigenous people,
0:52:47 > 0:52:48the Berbers.
0:52:50 > 0:52:54My quest takes me out of the city to the foothills
0:52:54 > 0:52:56of the Atlas Mountains.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59From the 11th to the 13th centuries,
0:52:59 > 0:53:04Berber dynasties from the Sahara and the High Atlas ruled a vast empire
0:53:04 > 0:53:05that stretched into Europe.
0:53:08 > 0:53:12The name "Berber" originally came from the Latin "barbarian",
0:53:12 > 0:53:17but it was the Arabs rather than the Romans who gave these tribal peoples
0:53:17 > 0:53:19a single name, Barbar.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22They call themselves Amazigh.
0:53:23 > 0:53:28I've been invited for breakfast at the home of a Berber family.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33- Bonjour.- Bonjour.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37Bonjour. Bonjour.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40- Bonjour, ma petite. Bonjour, monsieur.- Bonjour. Ca va?
0:53:40 > 0:53:42- Ca va, merci.- Bienvenue chez nous.
0:53:42 > 0:53:44Merci, monsieur. Vous-etes Abdullah?
0:53:44 > 0:53:46- Oui, monsieur.- Je suis Michael.
0:53:46 > 0:53:48Enchante, Monsieur Michael.
0:53:48 > 0:53:49C'est ma famille.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56Abdullah moved down from the mountains
0:53:56 > 0:53:58to earn a better living and to send the children to school,
0:53:58 > 0:54:02but he's keen to hold on to the Berber way of life,
0:54:02 > 0:54:05so begins each day with a traditional breakfast.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09So we're straining the impurities out of the milk.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11The milk is going to be used in a harira,
0:54:11 > 0:54:14which is a kind of soup for breakfast.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17- Yes.- I'm being invited, as guests are,
0:54:17 > 0:54:20to do a little bit of adding of milk.
0:54:22 > 0:54:23- Comme ca?- Oui, monsieur.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27This rich, calorie-filled soup
0:54:27 > 0:54:31sets the family up for the day and is served with dates.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38The soup is made, as I understand,
0:54:38 > 0:54:44of milk and wheat and it's kind of like a rice pudding,
0:54:44 > 0:54:46it's very, very creamy.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54The harira is just the first course.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59Freshly-made bread comes next and is served with hot tea.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13I always wondered why they poured the tea
0:55:13 > 0:55:16from such a great height. It is to create a foam at the top.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18This is an amazing spread,
0:55:18 > 0:55:21so we've obviously got Abdullah's mother-in-law's bread,
0:55:21 > 0:55:24we've got eggs, we've got olives,
0:55:24 > 0:55:28we've got fresh olive oil and then we've got these lovely sweet things.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30Delicious breakfast.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35The Berber civilisation can be traced back 4,000 years,
0:55:35 > 0:55:40but its oral tradition has been all but overwhelmed by Arabic,
0:55:40 > 0:55:42leaving the Berber language and culture
0:55:42 > 0:55:45confined to rural and mountainous enclaves.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47But in 2011,
0:55:47 > 0:55:49the new Moroccan constitution
0:55:49 > 0:55:53recognised this ancient culture and made Berber an official language
0:55:53 > 0:55:55of equal status with Arabic.
0:55:57 > 0:55:59Abdullah is Berber.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02Raja is mixed Berber and Arab.
0:56:02 > 0:56:07Abdullah obviously speaks Berber, Arabic and French.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10The children at the moment only speak Arabic,
0:56:10 > 0:56:14but from the age of seven they will be able to take Berber at school.
0:56:56 > 0:56:57- Inshallah.- Inshallah.
0:57:11 > 0:57:16Moroccans enjoyed more than 1,000 years of independence.
0:57:16 > 0:57:20They created a university at Fez and glorious mosques.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24Based here in Marrakech, a Berber empire engulfed Spain.
0:57:25 > 0:57:29But much later, Morocco failed to build roads and railways,
0:57:29 > 0:57:34making it an adventurous destination for tourists a century ago.
0:57:34 > 0:57:39That lack of economic progress made the country, humiliatingly,
0:57:39 > 0:57:42prey to domination by European superpowers,
0:57:42 > 0:57:45which squabbled over its territory
0:57:45 > 0:57:48in the years before the First World War.
0:57:48 > 0:57:52Now Morocco balances a traditional way of life,
0:57:52 > 0:57:57represented by the medina at Fez, with modernity,
0:57:57 > 0:58:00represented by the high-speed rail network.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04I feel that Moroccans look back on their past with pride
0:58:04 > 0:58:07and to their future with aspiration.
0:58:09 > 0:58:13Next time, I set my sights on the Italian Riviera...
0:58:13 > 0:58:15What do you say in Italian for "take that"?
0:58:15 > 0:58:16Prendi la mira.
0:58:17 > 0:58:21..as I take off on a new Bradshaw's railway tour...
0:58:22 > 0:58:24My country's future depends on this.
0:58:26 > 0:58:28..for a taste of la dolce vita.
0:58:28 > 0:58:32- The secret of good pesto is... - Muscle.
0:58:32 > 0:58:34Buono, buono, buono.
0:58:34 > 0:58:36I'm so excited.