Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-03
Flowing Robes the Dress of Both Sexes
Public Baths a Feature in Moroc-
CO; Price, One Ceat.


and $50 on the Mediterranean sea. Th
t population is estimated anywhere from
o 100000 to 100000, made up of Arabs
Moors and Berbers. The women of th
three races have fine figures and handsome
faces. They are good deal secluded, ano
!, partially cover the face when out bu
! there is no difficulty in getting good ide;
of their looks. The color of the face o
! the women suggests bronze, with the eye
+ I dark and luminous and the teeth whit,
l and even. The negro population of Mo
rocco is large, with many slaves. The
, Sultan's black bodyguard is composed o.
. free negroes, who enjoy as many privileges
as the Moor in the ordinary walks of life
The Jews are also well represented. They
come from the Israelites expelled from
Spain in 1892, and Portugal in 1897. The
Americans and Europeans in Morocco are
few, and they live in the seaports, es.
pecially Tangier.
The national color is white, both sexes
wearing flowing robes of snowy hue. In
its detail the dress of the men consists of a
finely worked skirt (sumya) fastened down
the breast by numerous small buttons and
D.
this is sometimes worn coat with large
sleeves (cgftdn) buttoned closely in front.
For outdoor wear the haik is indispensa-
bic. This garment is wide piece of thin
cotton, woolen, or occasionally silk mate
rial, about six yards in length. 1t is ar
ranged about the body, as also the head,
in series of artistic folds, which in our
own case rendered dressing without assist
ance an utterly hopeless process Stock
ings are not used, and the feet are thrust
into pair of loose-itting yellow slippers,
to walk in which, without fatigue, the
wearer must be to the manor born A red
fez cap is worn on the head, and around
this a turban made of a many folded
length of muslin. In cold or rainv
weather cloak of thick woolen material
(jetabeer) is worn instead of the haik. This
has pointed hood which, placed over
the head, gives the figure cone-like ap-
pearance. When not in use this hood
hangs down the back The jelabeer has
holes for the arms to pass through, and de-
scends~ low enough to cover the knees.
Many of the poorer classes always wear
the jelabeer. Sometimes, and especially
in the north of Morocco, the jelabeer is of
dark color. In this part jackets and
loose trousers of cherry, or some other col
ored CLOTH are also good deal worn; and
| striped materials in various textures are
| favored by the Moors.
The dress of the women is much the
same as that of the men; but the haik is
arranged differently, and is employed in
concealing the features when any of the
opposite sex are present. The hair is
carefully covered by handkerchief of
black silk, over which another of CAV
colors is coquettishly arranged The
women wear red slippers, and these are
often handsomely embroidered in gold.
The ladies are very partial to jewelry The
wealthy wear fingerrings and huge ear
rings Of goldset with precious stones, neck
laces of amber or coral, and massive brace
lets of gold, armlets and anklets of silver
,, inlaid with gold.
Diamonds are not much in use; but
rubies, emeralds, generally uncut, and
pearls of inferior quality are often seen.
The Moors consider that the risk of fraud
by imitation is lessened by not having
precious stones submitted to the art of
the lapidary. The Moorish and Jewish
ladies are much given to fictitious i'm
provement of their charms by the use of
rouge. Both also stain their hands and
feet with henna and blacken their eve
lids with kohl. Tattooing is alone prac-
ticed by the Moors.
Throughout the province of Morocco
are a few water mills, of most primitive
kind, for grinding corn; and in the large
towns are considerable number of corn
mills, each one turned by horse; but the
labor of grinding corn and preparing meal
falls mainly on the women. A small hand
mill is to be found in almost every DWELL
ing. Good bread in the form of fiat cakes
is made and sold in the towns; but the
national dish of Morocco is kuskkussoo.
This resembles granulated macaroni, and
Is palatable as well as highly nutritious.
1t is often cooked with pieces of meat, and
butter is usually added but the latter is,
generally speaking, so rancid as to make
the mess unendurable to foreigners, unless
under the pressure of hunger.
The city of Morocco is called "Marakech,"
by the Moors. 1t was founded in 1912 |
of the Christian era, and the situation and |
surroundings are beautiful. The city is on
great plain, fanked at the north and |
part of the way on the east and west sides
by luxurious woods Of date-palms. Gar |
dens, fields and distant mountains ELL in |
the remainder and the southern boundary. |
The northern part of the place contains
the sanctuary of Sidi Bel Abbes and many
remnants of old walls built of "taba.n At
distance the city has solid, compact
appearance. The houses of the better
classes are built with a central court, sur
rounded by long, narrow rooms. One
serves for kitchen, where the cooking is
done by charcoal fires. The other apart
ments are for general family use.
Near the entrance door a narrow stair
case leads to the first floor. This is called
the doueria, and here it is that the master
of the house receives his friends. Each
house has well which supplies water for
the laundry, and for ordinary use. but
drinking water is obtained from the public
fountains. In some instances the horses
of the owner divide with the ladies the oc-
cupstion of the ground floor; in other
words, one room is used as a stable. The
narrowness of the apartments In the best
houses of this country cannot fail to attract
the attention of strangers. They are gen
orally speaking, of good hight, but are very /
long in proportion to their breadth. This
arises from the difficulty experienced in
obtaining native wood of sufficient length
for the floors. The width of the room in
consequence seldom exceeds 10 or II feet.
The tower of the Katoubia is the only
building of stone in the city, there being
great scarcity of this material in its vicin-
ity.
A feature of Morocco is the public
baths, there being over twenty. The bath
is similar to what is known as the Turk
ish, with men admitted from sunrise up to
noon, and women in the afternoon and
evening. The prize for bath is about
/ cent. There are three prisons, with the
prisoners fed by their friends or left with
out food, none being supplied by the Gov
ernment. All prisoners have irons riveted I
about their legs and connected by chains
with au iron band about the neck
The palace ofthe Sultan is outside the I
city, surrounded by high walls. 1t covers
> space of about 1900 yards long by 600