Lilyboys - Morocco ‘08
In January 2008, the Lily Boys decided that we were going to tour in Morocco. Our decision was based on a brief exotic encounter with the city of Marrakesh in 2006, when one of the Lilies was on location doing a photoshoot for a client. And because of the complexities of traveling in such a place, we also agreed that we would need to hire a touring company. After much deliberation we chose Iberian Motor Tours. Actually, we simply Googled "motorcycle tours Morocco" and their name came up first. That's how we met Scott Moreno, the owner and operator, based in Madrid.
Some of the highlights of our trip:
On occasion, the lilies have been known to enjoy making music with the locals.
A little Moroccan History
The early history of the area now known as Morocco remains largely shrouded in mystery. Even after the arrival of the Phoenicians in North Africa, hotly followed by the Romans, Vandals, Byzantines and Arabs, much of what we know of the original inhabitants remains obsure. Notoriously difficult to subdue were the Berbers, as the local peoples come to be known. When threatened with invasion, they recoiled into the rugged Sahara desert and Atlas Mountains, to escape the wrath of the outsiders.This split between Berber natives and urban invaders has basically remained a constant throughout Morocco’s history. The coming of Islam was not until the 7th century when Uqba bin Nafi al-Fihri began a military campaign that brought Islam all across the northern continent of Africa. His success was short lived as the bellicose Berbers defeated the Islamic forces. Not until Musa bin Nusayr’s turn to take command did Islam firmly settle into Morocco. Musa’s policy of befriending the Berbers not alientating them allowed him to spread his new religion to the Berber people.
A golden age for Morocco came during the Marinid and then Wattasid rule in the 14th century. Under these rules, a cultural and intellectual boom ensued and Morocco became tied to Spain. As Muslim influence in Christian Iberia waned, Spain turned aggressive, and took control of many Morrocan ports and inland territories. Morocco also became on the first African countries to be colonized by European armies; Portugal seized Ceuta, Spain took Melilla in 1497, and England took possession of Tangier in 1662. In the Treaty of Fez(1912) Morocco became a protectorate of France.
Morocco’s nationalist movement began in 1944 with the founding of the Independence Party. In 1961, King Hassan II, came to the throne and introduced a constitution favoring pro-monarchists, and ruled Morocco until his death last year. International politicians praised him for his contributions to the Arab-Israeli peace efforts. His son, Sidi Mohammed, a technology buff, succeeded him and is respected by both Moroccans and the international community.
