Morrocco that was

by Walter Burton Harris

Here are the vanished days of the unfettered Sultanate in all their dark, melodramatic splendor-a mingling of magnificence with squalor, culture with barbarism, refined cruelty with naïve humor. Until 1912 Morocco never suffered foreign domination, and its mountainous interior was as closed to foreigners as Tibet. Walter Harris (1866-1933), though, was the exception. He first visited in 1887 and lived in the country for more than thirty-five years, and as the Times correspondent had observed every aspect of its life. He was an intimate of at least three of the ruling Sultans (as well as King Edward VII) and a man capable even of befriending his kidnapper. It was said that only three Christians had ever visited the walled city of Chechaouen: one was poisoned, one came for an hour disguised as a rabbi, and the other was Harris. Originally published in 1921, Morocco That Was is alternately sharp, melodramatic, and extremely funny. ""The combination of perceptive and reliable observer, and romantic eccentric, makes this book a classic of its genre.""- Times Literary Supplement.

Genres: History, Morocco, Travel, Africa, Nonfiction, Politics

246 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 1970

About the author

Walter Burton Harris was an English journalist, writer, traveller and socialite who achieved fame for his writings on Morocco, where he worked for many years as special correspondent for The Times.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_...

Reviews

[عمر · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it interesting regarding Morocco situation before colonisation, especially from inside Palaces, I was shocked with such brutality and melodrama that Moroccans were suffering from it.
still some points that I have some reserve on it like:
- "Elephant escape" near Tangier while Mulay Abdelhafid moved his wild animals from Fez to Tangier, such event should have big impact on locals and I never hear about it from the History, so I doubt this happened!
- "Tribesmen of the North believe in resurrection", this is impossible they were all Muslims and religious practicing so I think the author mixed it with what he saw in south Asia!
- "Stealing Dahir from cupboard in the house of Raisuli" how is possible that the Author while his prisoned in a dark room downstairs can get out and go far to upstairs room where is the bedroom of Raisuli and open the cupboard to steal very important document without being seen by over 200 people inside the palace!!!

In addition to this I dislike the feeling of superiority and arrogance which you can see it clearly in many pages and I remember following: "Mountaineer think slowly", "Mental superiority rests with the European" etc.

Despite this, still the book very interesting for whom is interested in Moroccan history, it has been translated to French and I hope to see it translated to Arabic too.

[Malak · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 to 4 stars rating.
This book has been sitting awhile on my reading list and I am really grateful that I got to finish it. I missed the feeling of finishing a book, been awhile since I did that.

Anyway, I really found the book interesting in terms of the author's account about Morocco before colonisation at the beginning of the 20th century. Especially about the structure of Morocco then, the life at court and his accounts with both Mulay Abdel Aziz and Mulay Hafid.
It was a cruel and hard life especially on the people and the government if it existed was at its lowest, so it was interesting to see the situation from the lens of an European man.

Certainly, so much information was learned throughout the book in general, and many events were recounted (to believed or not, there is a need for research in other sources for some are doubtful)

What I certainly found annoying at some parts, was the feeling of superiority in comparing Europeans and Moors, and the justification of colonisation in some other parts, which didn't give this account a total lens of objectivity. Yet it stays understandable, since it is a personal account.

[Maurice · Rating 3 out of 5]

You will find first-hand accounts in many settings, from Europe to Asia and South America, but you'll find very few about life and events in North Africa. A truly fascinating read about life in Morocco, outside Tangier and often close to the sultans of the time. Clearly many passages of the book are an exaggeration or dramatisation of events, sometimes bordering of the ludicrous, often overstating the role of the author, but this hardly changes the intriguing setting and time period against which it is set. The story of brigands and tribes, an inhospitable environment for many a stranger (being a westerner or city dweller of Morocco's main towns), might easily go unknown. The story on approaching Chefchaouen, and the impossibility of Christians to get in, is equally riveting (despite the author's escape appearing rather far-fetched).
Don't read this book for a fact-finding account of Morocco in the late 1800s, read it for getting a grasp of life in a bygone era. So close to Europe, yet so distant. At providing such an insight, Walter Harris does a stellar job.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 1921 work kept popping up on every list of "what to read before visiting Morocco," and was available for next to nothing in ebook format, so it was an easy choice for me. I was surprised at how full of snide humor it was; you don't think of unofficial British diplomats and Moorish Sultans playing practical jokes on each other, but they evidently did!

The organization was a bit scattered. The author had spent a lot of time in Morocco between the 1890s and 1920s, over the time of 2 different Sultans and a lot of political changes, and he tends to jump around chronologically. I consulted a Wikipedia article on the country's history just to get my timeline straight, and that helped a lot with my enjoyment of the book. Harris doesn't try to write a history of the country, but rather to share the unique perspective he gained while traveling around and making friends with Moroccans from various tribes.

Modern readers will have their sensibilities bruised somewhat by Harris's regular racist statements (the superiority of the European mind, etc), and his arrogant assurance that he is always a step ahead of his Moroccan counterparts. He also is condescending toward the people's religion, casting the different sects as simplistic without taking the time to investigate complexities. As a historian, though, this gave me a useful picture of the time's European-Moroccan relations.

3.5 stars for this fairly quick enlightening read.

[Menna Emad · Rating 1 out of 5]

مخيب للآمال لأني أعتقدته سيتكلم أكثر عن المغرب وشعبه وعاداته وتقاليده، ولكن أغلب الكلام عن السلاطين وترفهم ولعبهم
وإذا ذكر شيء من عادات أهل البلد فينظر نظرة الغربي المستعلي عليهم

[Annie Guion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating! A great book to read before going to Morocco, which I will do at the end of March, can't wait.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morocco That Was provides Walter Harris' account of his experiences in Morocco just prior to and immediately after the French Protectorate. Mr. Harris was a newspaper correspondent, but more importantly a widely known "western" operative within a country closed to many.

Most historically important from this book is the author's first person account of the downfall of the reign of Mulai Abd al-Aziz IV. The story of this ruler provides a warning for all well-intentioned leaders who fall prey to outside influencers whose incentives do not align. Furthermore, the history of Mulai Abd al-Aziz IV's relinquishment of the Sultanate provides ample explanation for any lack of trust that modern Moroccans might feel of outside influencers who lack allegiance to Morocco.

In addition for the lessons that Moroccans gleam from Mulai Abd al-Aziz IV's Sultanate, I learned many interesting anecdotes and historical examples of life in Morocco from this time period. Although many examples may lack absolute truthfulness because of the author's propensity for self-aggrandizement, many of the examples provided in this book match with well-established Moroccan history. This history explains the brutality and difficulty present in the every-day life of Moroccans during this period and the extraordinary challenges that the population faced because of a lack of effective central government.

Having visited Morocco, I was astonished by how far the country has come since this time period and also inspired by the sense of adventure that Walter Harris felt throughout his life.

[i Hibo · Rating 3 out of 5]

من خلال ما قرأت يجب ان اقترح على الملوك المغاربة الا يقوموا بتوضيف اجنبي في القصر حتى لا يكتب فيما بعد سيرة ذاتية حولهم ويجعلهم اضحوكة كما فعل والتر!

هاريس كان صحفي انجليزي متدرج في مناصب اخرى مقيم في المغرب قبل وإبان الحماية وعاصر 3 ملوك ،عاصر ايضا بوحمارة والريسوني وكان قريبا من كل الاشخاص المذكورين وعرفهم حق المعرفة وكثيرا ما تدخل لحل مشاكل عالقة بين اطراف عدة.
اثار انتباهي تركيز حكيه على الملوك الثلاث لحياتهم الشخصية وتبذيرهم لأموال الشعب بشكل غريب ،لكن اكثر ما اثار حنقي واضحكني هي حياة المولى عبد الحفيظ ابان تخليه عن السلطة ورحيله لفرنسا.
اثارني تنويه الكاتب انه لولا تدخل المانيا في سياسات المغرب ومحاولة استمالة المغرب ضد فرنسا ما حدث اشياء كثيرة اهمها الثورات التي قادها بوحمارة بالخصوص .

المغرب ابان تلك الفترة كان عبارة عن كعكة اقتسمت بين ثلاث دول ،ومن تراجع اخذ مقابل ذلك او بقي يلعب داخليا
والملوك يلعبون ويستهترون ولم يتركوا تاريخا يخلدهم !

كتاب يفتح الاعين عن مغرب الان كيف اصبح وكيف كان

والسؤال ماذا تغير ؟

[Yasser Otmani · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting memoir detailing life in Morocco during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The author's narrative is somewhat scattered and anecdotal, lacking discrete chapters on specific topics. Since the book was written in first person, the biases of the author clearly reflected the racial views prevalent at the time, with Europeans depicted as purveyors of "civility" and possessing inherent superiority over the "average Moor." Nevertheless, the memoir provides an interesting glimpse into the court life of Sultans Moulay Hassan, Moulay Abdelaziz, and Moulay Abdelhafid, as well as the intrigues involving viziers, governors, chieftains, and brigands.

[Gwen Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the late 1800s, as the rule of the Moorish Sultans weakened in Morocco, Britain, France, and Spain competed for influence and territory, a competition that lasted until the establishment of the French Protectorate in 1912. Walter Harris, a "freelance gentleman" of his era, was on the scene throughout the turbulent period as an observer, writer, explorer, and fearless adventurer.

He arrived in Tangier in 1886 and was soon engaged by the British Mission to the country as liaison and intermediary in a special Mission to Sultan Hassan. Harris formed a strong relationship with the young successor, Mulai Abdul Aziz. He did the same with Mulai Abd-al-Hafid, who toppled his half-brother in 1908, and was forced to abdicate in 1912. Harris described palace life, the unbelievable extravagances, dangerous rivalries, skirmishes, the undercurrent of revolt and an economy based on slave labour.

Harris, during the wildly volatile times, was Morocco Correspondent for The Times. He travelled widely, making friends with Sultans and their ministers, getting to know tribal chieftains, and staying at royal palaces. His most striking story was about being held hostage by Raisuli, a brigand and leader of a tribal confederacy, who was a fierce opponent of the sultan and of growing European influence. He took Harris as the first European hostage and ransomed him for the release of several prisoners. For Harris, it was a deeply harrowing experience in dungeons and in flight.

In the afterward (and short biography of Walter Harris), James Chandler asked whether Morocco That Was was fact or fiction. Both. Harris had a flair for embellishment and was not averse to rearranging facts. However, he did write from firsthand knowledge of the places, merchants and governments, and some understanding of the Moroccan people.

But he was British, of a privileged background, with arrogant views regarding the superiority of the European intellect. He wrote, "The Moor is generally, by his environment and isolation, a slow thinker, and in the many difficult situations in which I at times found myself, I have always had confidence in my own mental superiority over the average native" (p 138.) - to cite one of several assessments.

The prose is fast and suspenseful, the descriptions of landscape and sky lyrical, but the timeline is erratic - often hard to follow because Harris jumps around in the years. This makes figuring out who the current sultan is very difficult. Not that it matters, I concluded. Just go with the flow to enjoy the read and gain a sense of Morocco's history and relations with Europe at that time.

[عبدالإله يعلاوي · Rating 4 out of 5]

- كتاب: المغرب الذي كان
- تأليف : والتر هاريس
- ترجمة: حسن الزكري
- عدد الصفحات: 252 صفحة من القطع الكبير
- منشورات: سليكي أخوين / طنجة
- الطبعة : 2022 م.

والتر هاريس أكثر شخصية أجنبية مؤثرة عرفتها مدينة طنجة في النصف الأول من القرن العشرين. ومنزله الفخم الذي كان يسكنه قد تحول في السنوات الأخيرة إلى حديقة عمومية يزورها سكان المدينة للاستمتاع بجمالها الطبيعي وتصميمها الرائع، وهي المعروفة عندهم بڤيلا هاريس. فمن يكون والتر هريس هذا، الذي كتب عن " المغرب الذي كان" ؟!

ولد والتر هاريس في لندن في 29 غشت سنة 1866م. وجاء بالصدفة إلى طنجة في نهاية عام 1886م واختار الاستقرار بها، ليصبح بعد ذلك مراسلا لصحيفة التايمز في المغرب. كان والتر هاريس يغامر بالسفر إلى الأماكن النائية دون كلل أو خوف، ويكتب عن ذلك الكتب والمقالات. وقد مكنته معرفته المحلية واتصالاته المغربية ومكانته الشخصية في جميع مفوضيات طنجة من كسب احترام وتقدير الجميع. وهذا ما جعل البعض يتهمه بالغطرسة والمغالاة في ادعائه القرب من الملوك والوزراء وتكوين الصداقات معهم ومع القناصل وأصحاب القرار والنفوذ. توفي والتر هاريس يوم 4 أبريل عام 1933م بعد إصابته بجلطة دماغية، ودفن بطنجة وقبره معروف بها إلى اليوم.

أما عن كتابه " المغرب الذي كان " فيقول عنه المترجم حسن الزكري في تقديمه : " كتاب ( المغرب الذي كان) يصف مرحلة محورية من تاريخ المغرب المعاصر التي سبقت الحماية الفرنسية، والتي غدا فيها المغرب بؤرة للصراع بين القوى الأوروبية. فالمؤلف والتر هاريس جاء إلى المغرب في عهد السلطان الحسن، وعاش في البلاد لأكثر من خمسة وثلاثين عاماً، وأتاح له عمله كمراسل لجريدة التايمز البريطانية، وصلاته بالدوائر الدبلوماسية الأوروبية أن يتقرب من البلاط المغربي، وأن يعايش السنوات المضطربة من حياة السلاطين بكل ما شابها من دسائس ومؤامرات، وما تخللها من صراعات وثورات، مما أتاح له أن يتعرف عن كثب على الحياة داخل البلاط، وأن يكون شاهدا على الصراعات الداخلية في المغرب، وعلى الأحداث التي عصفت به، والتي أدت في النهاية إلى فقدانه الاستقلال سنة 1912م، حيث لم يكن البلد قد عانى قبل هذا التاريخ من الهيمنة الأجنبية، وكان الداخل الجبلي مغلقا أمام الأجانب مثل التبت.
دون والتر هاريس كل ذلك في كتابه: ( المغرب الذي كان )، الذي يعد بهذا الاعتبار شهادة قيمة من شاهد عيان على تلك الفترة البالغة الأهمية، حيث يصف السلطنة المطلقة بكل روعتها المظلمة والميلودرامية، ويسجل كل جانب من جوانب الحياة في المغرب، ويقدم تفاصيل رائعة عن جميع طبقات المجتمع فيه، بدءا من البلاط وانتهاء بالأعيان والزعماء وأبناء القبائل وشيوخ الطرق والمريدين وعوام الناس. " ص: 5

وختاما لابد من الثناء على العمل الجيد الذي قام به الأستاذ حسن الزكري من خلال ترجمته للكتاب، حيث جاءت لغته سليمة وسلسة، وكان الحكي ممتعا ومشوقا، وكأننا نقرأ الكتاب في مصدره الأصلي.

✍️ عبدالإله يعلاوي
___________________
#المغرب_الذي_كان
#والتر_هاريس

[Lukerik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had no particular interest in Morocco, but this looked interesting, and so it was. The author was the Times correspondent to the country in the late 19th and early 20th century so this is an eyewitness account of the last years of its independence.

He knew several successive Sultans personally and in the first half of the book he describes the court and its workings and dysfunctions. He says that the system of government was unchanged for hundreds of years. I could well believe it. Despite the differences of culture and geography I noticed a number of interesting parallels between the Sultanate and the Medieval English kings.

In the second half of the book he moves to a number of different subjects and stories. Perhaps most interesting is his account of the time he spent as a hostage. What he has to say about Morocco often reveals a country dark and disturbing, but always interesting. And he’s a dab hand at telling an amusing story.

The Eland edition is a nice one. The usual well-made paperback with good paper. There’s a good photograph of the author looking incredibly camp in a sexy black off-the-shoulder number. Also a very good afterword that discusses how much of the book is true. Apparently Harris was known at school as the Liar.

[Master Oogway · Rating 4 out of 5]

This well-known book has great historic value. Very interesting accounts taking place during one of the most crucial and even critical periods of Morocco modern history, from a direct witness. Depicts well and through rather entertaining anecdotes this tumultuous period that saw the gradual demise and ultimately fall of the Moroccan sharifian empire in 1912, and its dislocation at the hands of the European colonial powers ever since they discovered the deep weaknesses plaguing the empire back in the mid 19th century with the two major battles lost respectively to the French and the Spanish.

While reading this text, one has to take into consideration and allow for the biases of the author, of course. The man is an actor as well as a witness in these events. He is a British agent after all.

[Wa'el The African · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a truly profound and remarkable book.
some of my favorite quotes that resonated with me the most:



''The Berber race possesses not only a keenness of intellect, but also an activity that is wanting in the other inhabitants of Morocco. Roads, railways, machinery pleases them, and they are eager for their introduction. Their mentality is European and not African.''


''The more than semi-independence of the Berbers freed them from the perpetual exactions of the Maghzen, though by no means from the extortion of their own chiefs. Yet the very climate, the hardships of life in those inhospitable peaks, the constant warfare in which the tribes were engaged with one another, made men of them, and all the traditions of their race were democratic.''

[Sue Fleming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walter Harris was the war correspondent for the Times from 1887 and spent much of his life in Morocco where he had a house in Tangier. He was more than a journalist as as he was a socialite and used his friendships with the sultan and the members of the court to influence events in the country. He gives an interesting account of the abdication of the Sultan on the French take over in 1912. He spoke fluent Arabic so was able to pass as a local and travel into the interior. His writing gives a vivid picture of the Morocco he lived in.

He was awarded the French Legion d’Honneur and made a member of the Royal Geographical Society.

[Karim Diwane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read. The author suffers from the usual superiority complex that european authors of Colonial Morocco often have, but if one goes beyond that, and puts this work in its proper context, it is a very detailed account of life in the Courts of early 20th Morocco. It gives a much more humane portrait of Moulay Abdelaziz and Moulay Hafid, both very controversial Sultans. I was hoping his narration went beyond the 20's but it did not. I was very curious to hear the author's opinion on the debacle of Anoual which saw tens of thousands of Spanish soldiers dead or captured...

Definitely a interesting read, from a historic perspective.

[Katarzyna Jezierska · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read during Moroccan vacation. Written in a lively and exciting way, a first-person account of Morocco just before the French protectorate. While, as the last chapter says, not 100% factual and partially embellished, still an amazing read from The Times correspondent and adventurer living in Tanger in those colorful and turbulent times. One caveat is a very European-centric perspective on the politics of colonialism, but if you put it aside, a fascinating read, more like a novel that a factual relation.

[Nada · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I have always had confidence in my own mental superiority over the average native.''

''One feels and knows that the mental superiority rests with the European''

??????????????????????

This is not a history book, but a scattered biased narration of lies mixed with over-exagerated stories. It's too bad because it had everything to be a great book. I mean, the author LIVED around the courts of 3 different kings, and befriended many significant historical figures.

[Teo Ekstrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely racist and old (1900), but still valuable. This is basically an true adventure tale where Walter Harris (who seems to be a diplomat from England, I think?) shares stories from the fall of the Moroccan royalty and it's replacement by French/European powers. Dry and almost certainly embellished at parts, but worth a skim if you're interested.

[Bookish Dervish · Rating 4 out of 5]

يتحمل الشعب المغربي البائس نزوات مؤسسة فاسدة ترعى مصالحها بطريقة متخلفة على حساب مصالح الوطن. هذه خلاصة الكتاب و إن سعى والتر جاهدا لتزيين صورتهم بل حتى أن محيط المخزن من أتباع و من جيوش القبائل همجي متخلف. شهادة تبكي من في قلبه ذرة حب لديار الإسلام. السؤال الآن، إلى أي مدى ماتزال حالنا متردية بسبب الإنفاق على مناصب لا دور لها سوى رعاية الفساد؟

[Najib · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 belles *
Belle lecture d’une partie de l’histoire du Maroc entre 1885 et 1920 racontée par un journaliste Anglais du Times qui était admis dans les cours des rois et apprécié des indigènes dont il fit des amis.

[Basma Hajjaj · Rating 2 out of 5]

المغرب الذي كان
كنت أظنه عن هذا الوطن الجميل الذي دائما مانسمع عن جماله ونظافته وأناقته
لكن الكتاب عن قصور السلاطين وسفه البعض لا اظنه يمثل الشعوب التي دائما ماتسكن بعيدا عن حواديت بلاط مولاي فلان او علان

[Khaled · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is really interesting book to read, documents details of the political life in Morocco. Also, life inside the palaces of those who dominate and control the country.

[Baraa · Rating 4 out of 5]

مذكرات هاريس في طنجة ورؤيته للمغرب وبلاطه إبان فترة ما قبل الاستعمار، فيه توثيق لأمثلة عن فساد سلاطين الدولة العلوية وكثير من التفاصيل عن عادات القصر وسير الحكومة..

[Ash ' · Rating 2 out of 5]

الكثير من التفاهة و القليل من الافادة

[سناء الحناوي · Rating 3 out of 5]

سمعت الكثير عن هذا الكتاب حتى قرأته
تفاصيل كثيرة في حياة بعض الملوك العلويين، قبيل الحماية الفرنسية... من وجهة نظر ديبلوماسي انكليزي عشق المغرب واتهم بالتجسس

[Yoyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

وجدت الكتاب صوتيا مجانا على تطبيق منطوق للكتب الصوتية

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picaresque account of turn-of-the-century Morocco from an English diplomat. John Milius must have consulted this while making The Wind and the Lion. It's all there: sybaritic sultans, convoluted court politics, scheming Europeans and Mulai El Raisuli, who held the author hostage for several weeks in 1903. Harris provides fascinating portraits of Morocco's weak sultans: Abdelaziz is well-meaning but ineffectual, Mulai Hafed a greedy power player; their incompetence made European conquest inevitable. He's less charitable towards Raisuli, here a charming thug who'd just as soon behead you as break bread. Harris provides commendable analysis of Moroccan tribal politics and Sufi Islam, though his imperialist hectoring won't sit well with 21st Century readers.

[Rrlgrrl · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting memoir of life in Morocco in the late 1800s/early 1900s. The author wrote this book in kind of scattered way and anecdotally rather than discrete chapters on specific topics. It had the feel of reading the Tales of the Alhambra. Since the book was written in first person, the biases of the author clearly reflected the mentality of the time - Europeans bringing "civility" to the "heathens". Still, it was an interesting glimpse of court life of the Sultan of Morocco before the French took over.

[Caron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flashes of comic brilliance and tense derring-do that make for a fascinating read in parts, not least from a sun-lounger in modern day Morocco! The narrative voice (whether it's faithful to the facts or not) is very likeable. Alas, the book eventually trails off into seemingly endless accounts of Moroccan military and political tittle-tattle, to the point where I (unusually) gave up out of sheer boredom. A shame, as it begins so promisingly.