Traveling the Maghreb Trivia Quiz

Answer: Meknes

The Medina of Meknes (the Historic City of Meknes), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was founded by the Almoravids in the 11th century. It originally functioned as a military settlement, but Sultan Moulay Ismail converted it into a capital in the 17th century and the city became a shining example of Spanish-Moorish architecture, a merging of European and Islamic styles.

The Grand Mosque was built in the 12th century, and one of its distinguishing features is its green-tile roof. The Dar Jamai is a small museum, but it houses a sizable collection of historic artifacts, including jewelry, religious texts, and art. Additionally, it is still decorated as it would have appeared in the 19th century, and offers a view of the decorative style of that period of Meknes history.

Answer: Cemetery

Tarofalt, or Grotte des Pigeons, could potentially be the oldest cemetery in North Africa. Many of its skeletons are from the Epipaleolithic period, but it shows archaeological evidence of usage dating as far back as the Middle Paleolithic. In addition to human remains found in the cave, archaeologists have discovered tools, like bladelets and scrapers, and plant and animal remains.

In 2018, scientists were able to test DNA from the bones in the cave dating from about 15,000 years ago. The results showed similarities in ancestry with people groups from parts of sub-Saharan Africa and the Levant in the Near East.

Answer: Martyrs' Memorial

The Algerian War lasted from 1954 to 1962 and ended with Algeria becoming independent from France. The Martyrs' Monument opened in 1982, twenty years after the war ended. President Houari Boumediene came up with the idea to build a monument to commemorate the lives lost during the war, but the project was completed and inaugurated by President Chadli Bendjedid. Built on the location of an old military fort, the monument can be seen along the entirety of the city's coastline.

The monument contains an eternal flame, and its three large fins represent palm leaves, each with a statue of a soldier at its base.

Answer: Notre Dame d'Afrique

Construction for the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa, or Notre Dame d'Afrique, began in 1858, and was finished in 1872. Built under architect Jean-Eugène Fromageau, the style of the basilica is Byzantine Revival. The basilica has been damaged and then restored several times during its history, including damage from a WWII bombing in 1943 and an earthquake in 2003.

The inscription on the apse reads, "Notre Dame d'Afrique priez pour nous et pour les Musulmans" (Our Lady of Africa, pray for us and for the Muslims). The inscription is reflective of the church's message, which, according to its website, is one of integration and not exclusion.

Answer: Libya

Leptis Magna is known for its excellent examples of Roman architecture, but its history began long before its Roman occupation. It began as a Phoenician settlement, but there is some disagreement as to when it was founded. Some ancient sources say that it was founded in the 10th century BC, but archaeological evidence of its earliest occupation levels place it in the 7th century BC. It came under Carthaginian control in the 6th century BC. It wasn't until Carthage lost to Rome in the Second Punic War in 202 BC that it came under Roman influence.

The city reached its greatest height during the reign of Septimius Severus, a native of the city who turned it into one of the most important and beautiful Roman cities of the time. The city was taken from the Romans by the Vandals, then reclaimed by the Romans to become part of the Byzantine Empire. It began to decline and was nearly abandoned by the time it came under Arab control during the Muslim conquest in the 7th century AD, and was completely abandoned soon after the conquest.

Answer: Tripoli

In 1919, when Libya was an Italian colony, the city's fortified castle, the Red Saraya (Red Castle), was partially converted into a museum. The Italians needed a place to house all of the historic artifacts they had collected throughout the country. Architect Florestano di Fausto designed the square outside the castle in the 1930s. During the British occupation of the city during WWII, the museum was expanded to cover the entire castle complex, and in 1948, its name was changed to the Libyan Museum. During the 1980s, the Libyan government and UNESCO began a joint project to redevelop the museum, and it was reopened in 1988 with the name Assaraya Alhamra Museum, or Red Castle Museum.

Answer: Amphitheatre

The Amphitheatre of El Jem became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 because it is the largest amphitheatre in North Africa, and it is one of the most well-preserved sites of Roman ruins. Like the Colosseum in Rome, it is free-standing and does not have a foundation, but was built on flat ground.

It was built in the Roman city, Thysdrus, around 238 AD, and it is estimated to have a capacity of 35,000 people.

Answer: El Ghriba Synagogue

There are several different traditions surrounding the origins of El Ghriba. One says that it was founded by the first Jewish settlers to reach the island of Djerba after the First Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians. This tradition also says that these settlers brought parts of the original temple with them, namely a stone and a door. Another common tradition places its beginnings in the early 19th century. This tradition says that the temple was built on the site where a solitary, yet strange young girl lived. She had been rejected by the other people living on the island, but when her body was unharmed when she died in a fire, she was considered a saint and the site was chosen for the location of a synagogue.

The current building was erected in the 19th century, replacing earlier buildings. The outside of the synagogue is white and seems rather modest or plain, but the interior is very ornately decorated. There are many synagogues on Djerba, but El Ghriba is the only one with two covered praying halls. The others have open-air praying halls.

The annual pilgrimage lasts from the 14th of Iyar and the 18th of Iyar, which are the remembrance days for Rabbi Meir Ba'al HaNess and Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, respectively. During these days, pilgrims visit the synagogue, pray, give alms, and participate in processions. Lag BaOmer is the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer, and it falls on the 18th of Iyar, the last day of the pilgrimage festivities.

Answer: Libraries

As pilgrims began to travel through the town, many of them left behind religious texts. Additionally, Chinguetti attracted scholars from different areas of study who also left behind manuscripts. In order to house these texts, the city saw the construction of numerous libraries. Very few of these libraries have survived, and the Bibliotheque Habott is one of those few left in existence, but it is also one of the more recently established. Like many of the libraries in Chinguetti, it was a private library built by Sidi Ould Mohamed Habott in the 19th century.

Answer: Ksour

'Ksour' is the plural form of the word 'ksar', which translates as 'Berber castle', though in the Maghreb, it is used to refer to ancient fortified villages built by the Berbers. The 'ksour' of Mauritania were established during the 11th and 12th centuries as religious and trade centers along the Saharan caravan routes.

The streets of these towns are narrow and the houses typically have patios. Additionally, a mosque with a square minaret sits at the center of the town.