Friday, January 5, 2007

Riad Enija

I realize that I have been somewhat sappy in my blogging lately, but sadly that is just who I am. A total romantic. Anyway, all that aside, I wanted to yet again be kind of sappy and share one of my favorite photos of Maroc, EVER!


I found it in a book that my sister bought about a year ago called Morocco Style, and was taken by Nicholas Bruant. A shot of one of the two the courtyard in the oh SO beautiful Riad Enija from an upper balcony, I suspect. When I saw it, something capured me and wrote a free verse "poem" to describe how much I saw in it. It's called- Wast Ad-dar- The Inner Courtyard and you can read it below. Little did I know, Riad Enija is in Marrakech......Mhmm...Funny how that works, isn't it?

*Update* Since the link I had was broken I decided to post the poem here.


I walked through a setwan into wast ad dar, an alluring tropical garden. I look around and expect to meet a handsome, dark haired, brown eyed, sun kissed beau. To my dismay no such meeting occurs. Four pathways carefully tiled, blue and white jelige, leading to a petal strewn sahr îdj. Two golden lanturns on either side illuminate the darkness cast by canopies of orange trees, which invigorate my senses. I am encased by the exotic Arabian night, I'd stay here forever. I look up at the green ceiling and wonder what intrigues me, a "city girl." Is it the lightness of the air, the happiness, the love, the embrace of the people, the life I get from the continuous kiss of welcome, or the way the light of the moon shines around the towering manara. I walk around the sahr îdj, looking at each and every detail in testir, wondering who had the patience to lay the tiles and how long it took- I'd never know. Was this what Eden looked like, felt like, it seemed so. Dark red hybiscus, towering palms, and fragrant banana trees are all a part of the allure. A place so perfect, so beautiful, yet it is aged and in it's age is it's beauty. I feel his presence behind me, he puts his arms around my waist and kisses me lightly on the neck- could this moment be anymore magnificent? Then I knew he had created this scene of beauty, each petal dropped by his hand, the lanturns lit by his request. He had picked the perfect place, time of season, hour for me to be there, moment for him to walk in. So much thought was poured into this time of embrace. He is by far the most thoughtful person I know. But why me? Why do this for my pleasure? I will find out soon enough, until then let this moment last as long as inshallah.
setwan-
entrance corridor leading to the courtyard of a house
wast ad dar-
the center courtyard of a house
sahr îdj- Fountian
jelige-
mosaic of tiles
manara-
minaret or prayer tower- where the call to prayer is given.
testir-
geometric design radiating out from a central star
inshallah-
God wills it

2 comments:

Maryam in Marrakesh said...

So VERY beautiful. I want to live in that paradise...

I am still doing your review of that book...Coming up, promise.

Anonymous said...

Thats a special picture to be able to capture the place so perfectly. Not that I know what Morocco looks like, but that you have such a connection with the photo, that makes it special. That kind of connection to a place is what I hope to capture when I go out to someplace I love.