Morocco’s Mystic Marabouts
Any traveller to Morocco will inevitably come across these lonesome shrines dotted across the landscape of the Maghreb, from Tetuan to Tan-Tan. These “Marabouts” are the final resting places of Islamic holy men, “saints” if you will, although Islam officially frowns upon the concept. Morocco being Morocco, however, has traditions that stretch back before the arrival of Islam, and thus these shrines and the departed “Sidi” (“lord” “master” or “saint”) they house are regularly visited by believers, looking for the holy man to communicate with God on their behalf. Some shrines are so old, that it has long been forgotten who is buried there.
The Moroccan novelist Tahar Benjelloun wrote of the Marabouts, “This natural appearance of the Marabout in the smallest village or douar is a sign of a deep spirituality, beyond dogma. They are neutral spaces where silence helps to heal the internal wounds of visitors. We pass through Morocco and they are seen everywhere, sometimes even along roadsides.”
Sebastian is steeped in knowledge about the enchanting Marabouts. Shoot him an email to chat more about them.
