From the Rooftop

There are so many things I love about living with my host family in their riad in the old medina of Marrakech. Occasionally really exciting things happen, but what I enjoy most are the simple, daily experiences I have here. For example, one of my favorite things to do at home is to sit up on the rooftop of the riad and observe the medina.

The very top of the roof where I sit is about five stories above the street level of the medina, but when I'm up there it feels like I am on the ground level of another world. The rooftops around me continue all the way to the horizon, and the only reminder I have of the streets below is the sound of the motorbikes. The atmosphere up on the roof is very peaceful. I go up there quite often to study, read, take naps, or just get fresh air and think. Being on the roof provides a unique perspective of the medina. A sea of satellite dishes and TV antennas cover all the buildings, most of which are very old and in great need of repairs according to western standards. This is a great illustration of how modernity has merged with the past in Morocco, especially within the past several years. Families may live in very old buildings like my family's riad, yet nearly everyone has electricity, and most have satellite dishes in order to watch TV. (Still, it surprised me to hear from my host brother that his community did not have access to the Internet until as late as 2006!)

Something else I love about being on the rooftop is the Moroccan sun. No matter what time of year it is, the sun in Morocco seems to be very intense and warming. During winter here I have been wearing several layers of clothing just to go outside, but when I am up on the roof I can still wear shorts and a T-shirt as if it were summer. Even if it's chilly or cold outside, the heat from the sun is enough to make me start sweating sometimes. Also, the mountains in the distance are breathtaking when visible on clear days, usually in the winter or cold weather. Then when the atmosphere changes with warm weather, the mountains completely disappear behind dust, and it is easy to forget that there are actually mountains there.

From the rooftop in the morning I can hear the medina waking up, with motorbikes heading out on the streets below and people opening up their shops for the day. Then, if I am up on the roof at the right time, I am sometimes jolted alert by the call to prayer coming from the mosque very close to my house. Generally one or two mosques might start the call a bit before the rest, but soon I hear it coming from all over the city like a chorus. I've tried to count the mosques across the medina in view from the rooftop, but their range of sizes and appearances makes that difficult. 

Throughout the course of a typical day there are many visitors to the rooftops. I have noticed from the buildings around mine that older people especially love sitting up on the roof, whether to have conversation with each other over tea or just enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. My host grandmother often spends her entire day sitting on the roof talking to family members while they wash and hang clothes to dry or prepare food. The only young people I have seen on the roofs are young tourists sunbathing at nearby hotels. I find it funny that many young Americans love to sunbathe in order to become tan, while here in Morocco many of the young people avoid the direct sun and would not typically come up to the roof at all, unlike their elders. However, the most common visitors to the rooftops in the medina are felines. I have never seen so many cats in the same place. Whether they are jumping from one roof to another, going after birds, laying together in groups of eight or ten, cats are everywhere. I often notice them eyeing the top of a really old building next door, where a group of pigeons always gathers to be fed by a man who lives there. In the evening, I can hear the faint beating of the drums and noises from the crowds of people in Jemaa el Fna. And the sunsets are amazing. Silhouettes of palm trees and the Koutoubia against a beautifully colored sky make the view seem almost unreal. My description doesn't do it justice though, so I've included this photo.

Overall I am very grateful to live in the old medina of Marrakech while I am here in Morocco. Living in the oldest part of the city and being able to observe the simple things that happen every day here have given me a better, more personal understanding of Moroccan culture. My lookout point from the rooftop in particular has allowed me to experience the city's culture from the inside and actually feel like a part of it from day to day. And that is an experience I will not forget after I leave here.