After breakfast, we leave the Guest House Yasmine to explore the nearby city of Rissani — attend its weekly market held in an authentic souk, visit a local business that excavates millions of years old fossils from a nearby quarry, and lunch on a local dish called Madfouna or "Moroccan Pizza" or "Amazigh flatbread." Afterwards, we head to Khemlia, a remote Sudanese-Berber village to hear traditional musicians perform Gnaoua Trance music that dates back 100-years. Our last stop will be another part of the Erg Chebbi Dunes where we will camp in luxury bedouin tents under the stars.
Rissani is a remote and picturesque city. Clearly not on every tourist's list of places to go. What a mistake . . . its history long and rich. It was once the capital of the Tafilalt region having been founded in 757AD as an independent kingdom. Over the centuries it became a major stopping place on the trans- Saharan caravan routes. It gained prosperity from trading in gold, slaves, salt, weapons, ivory and spices. Peaking in the 13th and 14th centuries, religious dissent among rival tribes led to its decline.
The Rissani Souk is located beneath palm-matted roofs and narrow alleyways. Stalls are set up to purchase fruits/vegetables/meat, clothing, household items, animals, carpets, baskets, pottery, leather goods and more. Perhaps the emotionally most unsettling aspect of this market was a goat whose legs were bound tight together bah-ing from pain and fright as it awaited its fate under a butcher's knife. Up to know I have not mentioned that Gypsy is keenly interested in supporting the health and welfare of animals. She would ask our driver Tehar to stop so that she might feed a stray and malnourished dog or cat some of our leftovers from lunch or dinner. Through her example, we all became more consciously aware. In the souk Jewel and Gypsy sought out teapots and I combed for interesting Touareg jewelry and leather traveling bags. Outside of the market Tehar and Gypsy negotiated with a young boy for his donkey — a good deal until his grandfather came out yelling agitatedly. He unfortunately did not see that it was in fun . . . and all we really wanted was to take a photograph!
The Rissani Souk is located beneath palm-matted roofs and narrow alleyways. Stalls are set up to purchase fruits/vegetables/meat, clothing, household items, animals, carpets, baskets, pottery, leather goods and more. Perhaps the emotionally most unsettling aspect of this market was a goat whose legs were bound tight together bah-ing from pain and fright as it awaited its fate under a butcher's knife. Up to know I have not mentioned that Gypsy is keenly interested in supporting the health and welfare of animals. She would ask our driver Tehar to stop so that she might feed a stray and malnourished dog or cat some of our leftovers from lunch or dinner. Through her example, we all became more consciously aware. In the souk Jewel and Gypsy sought out teapots and I combed for interesting Touareg jewelry and leather traveling bags. Outside of the market Tehar and Gypsy negotiated with a young boy for his donkey — a good deal until his grandfather came out yelling agitatedly. He unfortunately did not see that it was in fun . . . and all we really wanted was to take a photograph!
Once called "Sijilmassa," Rissani gained internationally reknown, in 1996, when Tetanuran Theropod dinosaur fossils were discovered in the Tafilailt Oasis region. These fossils called "Sigilmassasaurus," refers both to the ancient city's name and "saurus" meaning lizard.
The local fossil shop we visited is one of several that quarries these fossils and then cuts and polishes them into counter- and table tops and other decorative items that are for sale and are exported to stoneyards throughout the world. The slabs are amazing and I remember looking at very similar ones at a North Hollywood stoneyard with Rick when we were remodeling our kitchen in 2007.
The local fossil shop we visited is one of several that quarries these fossils and then cuts and polishes them into counter- and table tops and other decorative items that are for sale and are exported to stoneyards throughout the world. The slabs are amazing and I remember looking at very similar ones at a North Hollywood stoneyard with Rick when we were remodeling our kitchen in 2007.
For lunch, Tehar arranges for us to try a Rissani specialty — Medfouna. This dish literally means "buried," and what's buried in the pizza-like dough is a meat stuffing that Tehar bought while we were at the souk and had the butcher make for us while we were shopping. This, he later picks up and brings to a nearby restaurant where we will have lunch. One of the special things about this pizza is the bread — added into the dough are seeds and even more are sprinkled over the top which adds texture and a unique flavor. The crust is crunchy due to the combination of semolina and wheat flour. The meat filling is generally lamb, beef or goat along with onions, almonds, egg and spices. Traditionally, the meat is stuffed raw into the dough so that it is cooked inside the bread . . . it is absolutely delicious!