Morocco: A Country Of Captivating Colors And Cultures | Somewhere On Earth

[Music] thank you [Music] Morocco [Music] this Kingdom forged from Arab European and African cultures offers us the Exotic magic of the Orient right next door to Europe to resist as the country's enchanting light works its magic on you and the people we're going to meet are all reflections of that warm glow [Music] who lives in the region of taliawin will initiate us into the secrets of saffron the origins of this age-old spice are still steeped in mystery it's said to have many virtues and it's worth its weight in gold Red Gold Julie is a nurse she lives in a valley of the high Atlas five hours of hard driving from the nearest Village this young French woman grapples with a harsh environment in order to care for the most remote communities Ali and lahof guides in the Sahara are old hands at crossing the desert following the traces of the mythical desert Caravans they are carrying on the tradition of the merchants that once traveled the south of Morocco [Music] what I like most about the desert are the long Crossings when you walk for weeks on end you get a feeling of accomplishment at the end a feeling that you haven't wasted your time [Music] the rugged range of Jebel serwa is a stunning link between the high Atlas and the Sahara a land where you don't expect to find any trace of life a voyage that only begins there where the Trail Ends long ago people settled on these lunar plateaus to protect their goods from the pillaging tribes of the Sahara [Music] their Villages blend in with the ocher landscape as if they were trying to camouflage themselves and their soil has become the Cradle of a heaven-sent spice [Music] they say that saffron was brought here in the 9th century by a tribe traveling from Arabia to Andalucia now 600 years after being driven out of the Iberian Peninsula their descendants have settled in this similar landscape [Music] foreign [Music] our great grandparents were already growing suffering it's part of us we've been growing it for ages we've all grown up with it we've always grown it here in Italian in other places they're just starting to grow it [Music] is an honored guest in our village here and a guest who arrives only in October life in tisky a village of small Growers follows the rhythm of saffron for Abdullah and his family this delicate plant is their whole life it flowers for only 15 days a year but from the picking all the way to the selling it demands painstaking work everything about this crop has to be done by hand [Music] remember [Music] [Music] thank you candy kiss ES we get up at five in the morning we do our prayers then we have breakfast and we set out around 5 30. we get to our saffron feel the Daybreak and we have to finish our work before the Sun is up completely I think that's an interesting thing this one piece will make 52 layers watch on mobile devices or the big screen all for free no subscription required it's 400 meters from the village to the plateau where the saffron fields are located the Steep Trail often runs right alongside a sheer drop one has to belong to this land so as not to go astray it's a rough road but people are used to it they have no choice the road isn't paved there are only Trails here it's a 45 minute walk uphill all the way it's a very narrow Trail a really tough climb it's a cup [Music] the trail is washed out in spots because of the rain we repair it every time but it keeps getting damaged just this year we've repaired it three times caught by the first rays of the Sun as they climb these Intrepid saffron Growers run a Race Against Time every day during the Harvest [Music] [Music] even if we have to get up early it's okay we're happy because we're eager to see all the saffron That Grew during the night we can't wait to get out and pick our treasure if our field is flourishing we're happy when the flower opens and is exposed to the Sun the filaments scatter and they're lost here you see in the morning the flower is closed and that's why we come so early every morning the plateau abounds with new flowers that contain the precious strands an ephemeral miracle and the villagers are quite grateful for this Boon this is a very good year and we hope it'll be just as good for the money we have rich soil here saffron grows well thanks to the cool climate there's a lot of humidity and that makes for a very good saffron so far from the bustling cities this is how life goes on for these berbers who are perfectly in harmony with the seasons of nature [Music] thank you [Music] the Harvest follows the rhythm of the Sun and they have to stop picking as soon as the plateau starts to get warm during the saffron season every minute of work counts and the whole family pitches in and helps even said abdullah's daughter she attends school but after class she has to help her parents [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] what happened [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] is vital to us because it's our only resource that in a few animals but saffron is our number one source of income I get it's gold it's gold thanks be to God here okay even when you get good saffron the price doesn't amount to much compared to the work we Growers put into it your eyes get tired your hands have your legs when you stay seated like this four or five hours at a stretch afterwards you can't walk you can't move you can't go out it's really strenuous you work night and day during the saffron Harvest Right up till the end and the work has to be done right away you can't put things off it has a very short lifespan if you let it go for two days it's just one month's work a year but it's the equivalent of four after a month of intense activity Abdullah is ready to set out on a long road trip okay here I go may God protect us pray for me what should I bring back for you so calm down now I have to go what do you want clothes and what else um I'll bring you back a pair of shoes may God protect you [Music] this small saffron grower from Jesus will sell his Red Gold not just in the local cooperatives and soups he'll go well beyond the region of sirwa from Village to Village wherever his encounters may lead him Abdullah takes us along on the second phase of his work when he is a door-to-door Salesman [Music] you know it's hard I have to make these long trips but I love this life you're free in this kind of work you work for yourself from your own home and you're not afraid of anyone [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] how long will you be gone this time no I'll be away a month month and a half it depends [Music] that's all my saffron and all those towns people by myself and mainly in August when you have all the weddings and celebrations you know we already knew that saffron has certain powers and now it's been proven so people are using it more and more now we know that it's really good for you yeah the saffron harvested in the Autumn is sold at different times throughout the year it keeps for a long time and even improves with age so when Abdullah needs money he simply takes to the road it comes from my Village my saffron comes straight from my field I don't buy it the soup okay I'll take five grams look at it just take a whiff Ah that's great homegrown good the scales have to be precise well you see they're accurate good that'll do it yes that's perfect that smells good you're right plus it has medicinal properties it's good for colds and teas it's good for what ails you yes it's good for everything it's even good for death oh that I didn't know Bismillah the rising demand for this spice has driven up the prices and at the same time raised abdullah's hopes of improving his family's standard of living by selling my saffron I can buy clothes for the children some sugar tea and flour that's how it is with saffron saffron is money [Music] take a look it's a beautiful color s how much is it five euros a gram I'll take four grams I used to sell it for two three four Euros a ground but the price has gone way up that's expensive no it's not expensive if you know what goes into it it's not a lot this is good saffron I use it a lot I put it in my tea to give it an aroma in the Tajin the couscous I use it for my children I make an herbal tea with it when they're sick that's coming up live in a city it's never even crossed my mind this is where my children are growing up this is our life we have to grow saffron and apples that's how it is it's the Earth that feeds us [Music] at the end of this Voyage the simple freedom of these men of the earth is a natural gift that feeds its own dreams in the silence and immensity of the high plateaus of sirwa [Music] [Applause] the test out this Valley in the high Atlas Mountains was for a long time unexplored even at the beginning of the 20th century it was not known that this remote Valley was inhabited seems as if the modern world had stopped on the threshold of these deep gorges 24 is a nurse her life in the city of Lyon in France to spend a year in Morocco along with hadija her interpreter she takes care of the people of the region a minibus has set out during the night on the Valley's single track to come get the two women and take them to the site of their next consultation she teaches me about everyday life here this headscarf is part of that so she's my guide she's my interpreter and my guide they cover a vast area Julie and hadija work in 14 Villages deep within the valley getting there is already an adventure in itself this track is very long it stops in magdas from there on there's no more roads so we feel like we're in a completely isolated corner of the planet it seems really far away from everything and then we wonder how is it possible that there are people actually living way out here we think my God it's almost unnatural [Music] Muhammad has also come a long way to be taken care of he's a farmer and lives in ishpaken about 20 kilometers away it's a difficult trip so we put it off as long as he possibly could now he has to do it [Music] thank you tonight from Cinema it took him four hours on mule bike to get here as long as he had these stomach pains it's been a month here you have the everyday gestures that would take five minutes in France but here they take a lot longer because there are the constraints we don't have all the equipment there's no electricity no doubt about it it's a different way of life a different rhythm yeah not much comes into this Valley only a few of the local drivers are willing to tackle these rough roads they are the only link between the first town and the inhabitants of the tessau valley [Music] this dispensary was opened in 2002 by a French Association tassador nurses come here to work for a year they provide basic Medical Care and take part in public health programs we take care of the children all the vaccinations and the Pediatric problems that might come up digestive infections ear nose and throat general medicine and there's the Family Planning programs and a lot of pregnancy care and emergency care that happens a lot and we're also a presence for them we've realized that the commitment and values are much more important here than the acts themselves so just being here with them reassures them it means a lot to them [Music] time is quite elastic here so you let yourself go with it because you don't have a choice It's the Rhythm here and you learn to live with it there's no way to be stressed because that's just how it is you learn to make do with what you have the most important thing in tessau is the Wadi this stream of the same name it not only irrigates the crops but it also serves as a means of transportation it's a beautiful Valley but it's hard living here in the winter especially when it snows but in the spring the water from the melting snow is very useful sometimes the river overflows and that damages the crops but we accept that because here like everywhere else in the world water is essential and we respect water and all living things out is a magnificent region it has a lot of water we need very simple lives but the people here are happy I don't like towns too much too much noise hustle and bustle cars everywhere it's not for me if they would improve the roads here that would really make our lives better [Music] we go along with Julie and hadija on the path to tuslund 10 kilometers down from the dispensary where they have to do some vaccinations most of the time the two women make the trip on foot conditions permitting you can't really make long-term projects because we never know what's going to happen if we'll be able to make it back if the road will be blocked if it's going to rain if the river is going to flood so we have to live in the present moment and that gives you a serenity [Music] their culture is very strong their family ties as well the family is very important they like living here they don't want to leave and from my experience I can say yes these people like it here in their Valley and they want to stay [Music] [Music] life is hard here the people the women have to work in the fields it's hard and yet there's a certain aura about them and they're always ready to laugh you want to feel sorry for them because we couldn't imagine living our whole life here but in fact the people are very happy here thank you [Music] I adapted to life here pretty quickly I think that later when I go back it will be difficult to adjust and yet I know full well that I'm a foreigner here that I'm just here for a certain time to give what I can live as fully as I can here but that this is not my home so it's good that it all has a beginning and an end [Music] Julie has truly found here the essence of what Drew her to this profession an authentic bond with these men and women whose everyday life is so different from ours [Music] foreign South towards even wider Horizons towards the land where the Voyager loses himself in both space and time a harsh line where the buffeting winds sculpt the landscape and the pitiless Sun beats down on man and beasts [Music] here we're on the outskirts of the Sahara halfway between the plains of tafilalet and the draw Valley this region is the home of a myth the myth of the great Caravans Laden with gold salt and other riches they would ply The Roots between Morocco Niger Sudan and Mauritania the Caravans made the fortunes of men and cities and thus created vital links between these countries and now what remains of them is a romantic image that lingers in our memories and that of these two sons of the desert Ali and laho are guides in the Sahara they are old hands at long Crossings with their camels one and a half months sometimes two completely on their own cut off from the outside world the two men have been traveling for several days now they're taking their Caravan over an old trail that leads to Timbuktu H we're going to explore a trail that we've never taken before with the help of God and I have been desert guides for about 20 years we have experience and we set out looking for new Roots we're trying to find Wells if we can find water we'll be able to open this new route to tourists thank you [Music] the Caravans used to transport dates barley there were no cars it was done by camel in the old days they would carry a little gold and money that they would hide it was all carried by Caravan [Music] they also carried salt right and salt too they'd carried they used to carry a lot of him now there are no more Caravans that's all finished no Compass no GPS they make their way to the draw Valley by reading the signs of the Earth for several centuries The Columns of camels furrowed these fields of stone but the traces of their passage are beginning to fade [Music] hello we'll be right back we're going to try to find the trail keep an eye on the camels they made this pile of stones back in the old days they're all over the need our region all the way to Sakia and even down to the south of Morocco yeah we're on the right track it's the trail that leads to the draw Valley this is a very old trail these piles of stones these Cairns are about 2 000 years old they marked the trail to tantan and even into Mauritania foreign [Music] let's do it for me dinner I like the city from time to time but it's in the desert where I really feel alive I feel part of a hole I really feel my soul I'm at one with nature and I feel close to God I feel a presence in this vast Wilderness in the Starry Sky the moon out here my thoughts become focused on life's Essentials and especially my children I feel at peace it calms the soul and the mind [Music] thank you after more than 10 days of traveling our supply of water is almost finished it's vital for both the men and the animals to find a well 's used to dot the length of the Caravan route every 20 to 30 kilometers but some have dried up and others have been forgotten they can go 15 days without water and now it's only been a week when water is available and they drink as much as they want they can hold out for 15 days and they'll drink about 40 liters of water now [Music] my man what I like most about the desert are the long Crossings when you walk for weeks on end you get a feeling of accomplishment at the end a feeling that you haven't wasted your time these important commercial routes once gave rise to flourishing cities in the middle of the desert that golden age is now past but some cities like Tom Groot are still a stopover for these modern day Caravans Ali and laho take us to a traditional caravan's ride to meet Baba raglil guardian of the past yes we've come a long way with our Caravan from um and we'd like to spend the night here in temco he is a descendant of a caravanier he's also the living memory of this city time Groot is home to a treasure a library of thousands of books collected thanks to one man a theologian named Mohammed Ben Nasir he used the Caravans to import a store of knowledge here and make this city a center of learning for Scholars of the time it was around 1 000 something Vegeta that is the 17th century for Europe taught theology the Quran and the Sciences in tamgut to more than 1 400 students he brought books on philosophy grammar medicine astrology bear bear Turkish and Arabic our library's oldest book dates back to the year 483 of the Ajira 1063 of your calendar it comes from Cordoba and Andalusia these Works were written by Scholars from all different countries wanted all these books to be available to everyone not only they used to say may God make our country a land of religion of culture and a Haven of Peace for the poor and for the needy foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign know that to open the trail once they get past Tang group The Caravan is going to have to face a formidable obstacle these high cliffs the trail exists animals used to take it frequently but Ali and laho don't know exactly where it is husband hi there are you from around here yes I am do you know the trails around here we'd like to go to TZ and toflet I think that we're on the right path but we're not sure maybe you could show us which way it is please sure I can help you out the Nomad agrees to join the Expedition he goes off to leave his motorcycle at his encampment and will hook up with the Caravan a bit further along the way yellow and Queenswood [Applause] [Applause] that's dudes when you set out your goal is to arrive at your destination whatever the cost it gets pretty tricky sometimes but we've decided to revive the trails of our ancestors in spite of the Heat and the difficulties I won't give up otherwise that would be the end of everything a whole world would disappear we have to resist in order to preserve Our Heritage this is our history and we have to keep it alive for our children and future Generations yeah thank you [Music] did you know the people that used to live here it was the Balu family that used to live here they didn't have any blankets they just cover up with a bit of ragged cloth and they'd eat a bit of brown bread she'd take shelter up there that's where they'd keep the dromedaries and a little further up is where he would sit off by himself foreign look a jackal did this did you see it to catch the Jackal they bury a trap here when the Jackal digs it is ah I'm mudgy which Trail do we take the one on the right [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] please go check with him I'm telling you it's okay no Ali's going to check it out with you we're not going any further until we see what the trail looks like go all the way to the end to check you can make it through other Caravans have come true before us with their donkeys and dromedars here we're coming into a really tricky passage knows the trail well he says if we don't take it we'll have to make a long detour all the way around we'll have to tighten up the loads each one leads his Dromedary and will trust in God but still it's extremely Rocky um [Applause] [Music] I love you [Music] what's up [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign when you're reopening a poorly marked Trail when there's a storm bad weather sandstorms and when you're at the head of the Caravan leading people and animals it's not easy you really have to back each other up in all situations we may know the region very well but even so we always have to be very alert sometimes it's hard but I wouldn't change my life for anything in the world yes it is inshallah [Music] thank you take to the road make the journey striked out to discover new lands new hopes and everything else will be granted to you the long story of the Caravans continues in this boundless landscape heading towards New Horizons foreign [Music]

Channel: TRACKS - Travel Documentaries

Views: 290,179

Keywords: travel documentaries, tracks travel, tracks, beautiful travel, full travel documentary, full documentary 2021, tv shows - topic, culture, travel, tourism, Documentary movies - topic

Id: 4M2oOaBhBlQ

Length: 51min 36sec (3096 seconds)

Published: Tue May 09 2023