Morocco - Northern Cities
Have you ever heard the Adhan (the Muslim call to prayer)? The first time I heard its powerful reverberation was in Fes . I was at a magnificent riad in the medina , that ancient labyrinthine place from another millennium, marble floors under my feet as I stood on the edge of the pre-dawn inner courtyard with the latch of the massive, carved cedar salon door still in my hand. At first, you are not certain of what you are hearing. But, as the multitude of voices rises in volume from every mosque in the city at once, and the drawn out assurance of "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great") rises above the rooftops and then descends into your belly to summon you from sleep, it slowly dawns on the first-timer what it is. The voices are like the collective hum of bees, and once you have experienced it, there is no mistaking it. I decided to sit down on the cool step there outside my bedroom and just listen alone. I let the words enter my heart and move my soul as the first...