Morocco: a tale of Rapunzel revisited

Work.  That’s what we do… eight hours a day if we are lucky and probably more if you are like me.  Now listen, I am not knocking work.  If I won the lottery, yes I would take a sabbatical for six months or maybe…maybe a year (she says in a hushed whisper) so I could find time to learn a new language, do more art, and blog more…But then I would be right back at it – work that is.

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I count myself blessed to have a job that I like and great colleagues.  Now you might not know that my work world is pretty virtual.  Living in Marrakesh, I telecommute almost all of the time in between business trips and meetings here and there.  So my home office is where I spend most of my day, tapping away at my beloved laptop, and peering out the window.  So when Chris asked what was important to me when designing our new home, I answered without hesitation that I wanted nothing less than the most beautiful office in the world.  I wanted lots of light and an incredible view, and I wanted something special, verrrrrry special.  Well, you know my husband – he looked perplexed for about ten seconds but then was off to his great mass of penciled house designs where he began the incantations required of the design magic that he does.  The new ideas then were streamed into the digital version of the house’s master plan.  And so what was the end result, you ask?  Well, let’s just say that he turned me into a liberated version of Rapunzel.

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My office, you see, will be in a tower.  Now that might sound, as one says in diplomatic-speak, a bit unusual.  But actually, in its own funny way, it is quite Moroccan.  In the South of the country I had long admired the beautiful fortresses, or Kasbahs that one sees dotting the skyline.  These fortresses were punctuated with a series of tower-like structures, look-outs I suppose.  When we had originally started designing the house, I had thought that I wanted a Kasbah look but it just didn’t end up working with the open plan that I also wanted.  And so my Kasbah had been relegated to the bottom of the stack of house design scribbles.

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But have you noticed that life has a funny way of working itself out if you just stick with it?  Because it now appears that I will be rocking the Kasbah, or at least just a little. 

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The bad news is that I have no spinning wheel or whatever it was that Rapunzel’s story prescribed.  Nor could my hair be described as long golden tresses (but rather brown and shoulder length, of the most ordinary kind).  But the good news is that in Rapunzel’s tale revisited, such requirements have disappeared.  While the tower remains, the door is never locked.  And stairs really are so much more practical when one has to exit in comparison to looks to the horizon for prince charming.  Frankly, I suspect Rapunzel is going to fend for herself rather well this time around – in a post-feminist, Moroccan kind of way.  What do you think?

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Painting by Timmy Mallett

Comments

[An Indian in America]

It is very symbolic to have an office in the tower. Why were the towers built on the top of the houses ?

1) From the tower the king could see far and wide into his kingdom
2) In the olden days the women folk were deprived of walking along the lanes of their own town. So the towers were the place so that the women gathered and could see their own town and the rumblings along te different lanes. The purpose of the towers were to "See but not been seen."

[Cat]

Hah! Loved the 'rock the Kasbah' comment.

Also, the comment by Indian in America that towers were about seeing but not being seen," reminds me of a similar custom was prevalent during the Joseon Dynasty in Korea, from what I've been told. Women from well-to-do families were rarely allowed to leave the walled grounds of their house. According to different books that I've read, a popular activity for women was to swing standing up on a large rope swing tied to a tree. Swinging high allowed the women to see above the walls and see what the world around them looked like. A rare treat.

[Anna]

What an enchanted idea and of course Chris would put you in the tower...will wireless reach there as well?

We all have these dreams of looking out into the surrounding mountain from our private space where we work, read, dream. You have found your's. How cool is that!

[Maryam In Marrakesh]

Dear Anrosh, my tower will have big, big windows - I will see and be seen:-) all that sunlight - can't wait!

Cat - that swinging that you wrote about put such a smile on my face. Can you imagine! Clever girls...

Anna darling..I am trying to learn aboout patience in the waiting process but not doing very well. Hmmm...

[Gale]

Hi, Maryam. I have tried to leave two comments recently because I enjoyed these posts so much but nothing has shown up. I'm not sure why. I'm trying again to let you know I enjoy your blog.

[PersianArchitect]

I love the design and architecture in Morocco. I wish I will have the chance to pay a visit.

[sheernejad]

Hello, I've never been to Morocco, but it looks very beautiful!

[Intisar]

Sounds divine! I'm getting jealous here Maryam!! ;) only kidding... I think if I had an office like that I'd be majorly inspired. I'd take hundreds of pictures and then even more inspired, walk the grounds and take hundreds more.. lol I'm a photographer and designer so it's tantalizing just thinking about your home and it's surroundings.

[Maryam In Marrakesh]

Gale-Sorry for the computer glitch but I am touched that you came back in an effort to re-post. Shoukran!

Persian architect - Thank you so much for stopping by. I know you live in UAE, right? Moroccan architecture is undoubtedly beautiful but Iran's architecture is some of the most stunning in the world. Would love to hear about the projects you are designing.

Sheernejad jan - Haleh shomah khubeh? I am so, so happy to have Iranians on my blog. Yippee!

Intisar, Now how did you happen to keep from me that you were a photographer and designer. Tell me more!!! I am counting on you to come back from your trip to Skhirat with lots of photos for My Marrakesh. Don't forget!