
While much of the Middle East is now engulfed in conflict & repression, Morocco remains a curious anomaly: peaceful & open to the West, it has provided refuge for artists & writers for generations, & it remains an exotic destination for many curious travelers. The country has been influenced by an incredible variety of peoples Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Berbers, Muslims, Jews, & most of Europe s colonizers have played a role & modern Moroccan society is no less rich & varied. In ” Morocco, ” Walter M. Weiss brings extensive knowledge of the region to bear as he travels the breadth & depth of the country s social & geographical contrasts. Berber villagers of the mountains are for the most part still illiterate & consider their king to be divinely chosen, while businessmen in Casablanca s towering offices dream of closer ties to the European Union. Weiss visits the settings of modern legends, such as Tangier, as well as the two medieval ”centres Fes” & ” Meknes, ” & sees earthen ”kasbahs” & Marrakech s bazaar. On the way, he meets acrobats, Sufi musicians, pilgrims, craftsmen, beatniks, rabbis, & Berber farmers a kaleidoscope of variety & cultural influence.”