Kasbah of the Udayas
The Kasbah of the Udayas is a kasbah in Rabat, Morocco. It is located at the mouth of the Bou Regreg River opposite Salé. The edifice was built in the 12th century during the reign of the Almohad Caliphate (AD 1121-1269). When the Almohads had captured Rabat and destroyed the kasbah of the Almoravid dynasty in the town, they began reconstructing it in AH 544 / AD 1150. They added a palace and a mosque and named it al-Mahdiyya, after their ancestor al-Mahdi Ibn Tumart. After the death of Yaqub al-Mansur the kasbah was deserted. The Almohads brought significant changes to the Rabat area, including the destruction and rebuilding of the Kasbah of the Udayas and turning Chellah into a royal necropolis. Rabat was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on July 20, 2006 in the Cultural category. It was granted World Heritage Status in 2012.
Music
Moroccan music is of Amazigh, Arab and sub-Saharan origins. Morocco is home to Andalusian classical music that is found throughout North Africa. Chaabi (“popular”) is a music consisting of numerous varieties which are descended from the multifarious forms of Moroccan folk music. Chaabi was originally performed in markets, but is now found at any celebration or meeting. Aita is a Bedouin musical style sung in the countryside. Traditional Moroccan Berber music can be categorised into collective and professional music. In collective music, men and women from entire families or villages participate in dances such as the Ahwash and Ahidus. A prayer is chanted at the beginning, followed by a response from a chorus of dancers. Accompanied by drums (bendir) and flutes (ney), dancers dance in a ring around the musicians. Led by an amdyaz or poet, groups of usually four professional musicians (imdyazan) travel across the region to perform in various villages. The amdyaz recites improvised poems about current national and world affairs. His fellow musicians accompany the poem with a drum, a single-string rebab and a double clarinet. A Shluh Berber variant of professional music is performed by rways, led by a rays or raiss. A rway orrwai performance starts with the astara, an instrumental session on the rebab or wtar, followed by the tambourine and flute. The astara sets the basic notes of the melody. The middle section consists of sung poetry (amarg), a choreographed overture (ammussu), a lively song (tamssust), and dance (aberdag). The tabbayt marks the final part, in which the rhythm first accelerates and then ceases abruptly.
Cuisine
Moroccan music is of Amazigh, Arab and sub-Saharan origins. Morocco is home to Andalusian classical music that is found throughout North Africa. Chaabi (“popular”) is a music consisting of numerous varieties which are descended from the multifarious forms of Moroccan folk music. Chaabi was originally performed in markets, but is now found at any celebration or meeting. Aita is a Bedouin musical style sung in the countryside. Traditional Moroccan Berber music can be categorised into collective and professional music. In collective music, men and women from entire families or villages participate in dances such as the Ahwash and Ahidus. A prayer is chanted at the beginning, followed by a response from a chorus of dancers. Accompanied by drums (bendir) and flutes (ney), dancers dance in a ring around the musicians. Led by an amdyaz or poet, groups of usually four professional musicians (imdyazan) travel across the region to perform in various villages. The amdyaz recites improvised poems about current national and world affairs. His fellow musicians accompany the poem with a drum, a single-string rebab and a double clarinet. A Shluh Berber variant of professional music is performed by rways, led by a rays or raiss. A rway orrwai performance starts with the astara, an instrumental session on the rebab or wtar, followed by the tambourine and flute. The astara sets the basic notes of the melody. The middle section consists of sung poetry (amarg), a choreographed overture (ammussu), a lively song (tamssust), and dance (aberdag). The tabbayt marks the final part, in which the rhythm first accelerates and then ceases abruptly.