Living in the Oudayas

I live in the Oudayas, a small neighborhood of Rabat, tucked between the Ocean on one side and high fortified walls on the other. From the windows in the living room and the terrace on the roof I can see the watery turmoil of river (Bou Regreg) meeting Ocean (Atlantic). Ask anyone in my neighborhood and they will forcefully assert that the Oudayas is the oldest, safest and most charming place to live in Rabat. They are not that far from the truth….

Oldest: Rabat was founded in the 12th century, and parts of the Medina (old downtown) date back to the creation of the city. The Oudayas neighborhood was built in these Rabati beginnings, but it owes its name to an Arabic tribe having emigrated to North Africa in the 13th century. Renown for their bellicose nature, they only settled in Rabat in the 17th century, when the Sultan Moulay Ismail recognized their legitimacy and put them in charge of surveying the coastline. All the fortifications and lookout posts in the Oudayas were built in the 17th century and later, as means for the tribe to fulfill its obligations. Homes and buildings in the Oudayas date back to different periods. Aisha, our neighbor, lives in a house whose age she has little idea of, as it has been in her family as far back as she can remember or has been told. Amy and I on the other hand live in a entirely new home, built on the remnants of an 'old, old house'- while the insulation, plumbing and heating rhyme with the best of modern comforts, people in the neighborhood still refer to our house as the 'old one'- in memory of the house that once stood in its emplacement.

Safest: In all cities, different neighborhoods have a distinctive feel, which its inhabitants identify with- building a silent community around a common theme. Parisians know what it means to live in the "Quartier Latin", just as New Yorkers have a good sense of the 'type' of people who live in "Soho" or "The Village". In the Oudayas, the concept of neighborhood goes one step further, bringing it to a general village feeling- everyone knows everybody else and families stay in the same home for generations. So safe it is, as the network takes you in, shielding you with a veil of common knowledge, friends and places. While my daily walk in the Medina can sometimes be a harrying experience, my heart stops racing and breath paces down the minute I pass the comforting walls of the Oudayas.
But don't be mistaken, I am no "oudayi", as my neighbors relentlessly remind me. When they hear me say I live here, they jump into the conversation to correct me: "no, you are only visiting- we live here, we were born here and we will die here. While you will be gone next year, and we will never see you again".

Most Charming: Charm is a question of personal judgment, and I certainly think we live in the most charming of all places. The white washed walls, the blue doors, the narrow streets and the dramatic sounds of waves crashing against the rock- all conspire to lending a rather picturesque dimension to my living conditions.

But to me, the one true treasure of living in the Oudayas is PEACE.
Peace through silence-no cars, no people in the streets.
Peace through sounds-the humming of waves caressing the beach.
Peace through thoughts- the luxury of walking along the seashore, every morning or afternoon and feeling the salty wind brush my thoughtful forehead.
A wonderful place to do research.