Smara, the Forbidden City: Being the Journal of Michel Vieuchange While Travelling Among the Independent Tribes of South Morocco and Rio De Oro (Ecco Travels) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Jean Vieuchange (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

They say all true stories end in death. Smara, The Forbidden City is a true story. In the fall of 1930, a young Frenchman named Michel Vieuchange staggered out of the Moroccan desert into the town of Tiznit where he collapsed, wracked by dysentery; a few days later, he was dead. Two months earlier, on the evening of September 10, Vieuchange had stripped off his European clothing, draped himself in the costume of a Berber woman, and set off into the unexplored regions of southern Morocco. His goal: discovering the mysterious ruins of Smara, a great walled city that had been built and then abandoned centuries before. Mentioned only as a stopping place for nomads, the city's exact location was not known, and no European had ever laid eyes on it. Vieuchange was determined to be the first.

Driven by romanticism, the poetry of Rimbaud and Whitman, and the philosophy of Nietzsche, Vieuchange sought to test himself against the dangers and discomforts of the North African desert in pursuit of a dream. At that time, warring tribes inhabited southern Morocco, and travel there was a perilous undertaking. Speaking neither Berber nor Arabic, Vieuchange wandered for weeks in the desert at the mercy of his guides. When at last he reached Smara, he could stay for only three hours. Was this brief glimpse of a ruined city worth the price of his life? Read Vieuchange's chronicle of his journey, published as Smara, The Forbidden City, and decide for yourself.

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Ecco Pr (October 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880011467
• ISBN-13: 978-0880011464
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,227,909 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars real traveler +++, March 19, 2002

By	JNUDAN "JNUDAN" (JUNEAU, ALASKA USA) - See all my reviews

An amazingly real account from the journals. Steeped in the romantic tradition of solo travel, the account begins in hope and ends in the still silence of illness where no words can be written, though the flicker of hope undoubtedly held on in this man's breast till the end. It is as honest and immediate account of a personal adventure of great risk and pain as can be found in the twentieth century. All travelers should read and admire.... though none should follow.

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Fun!!!, September 28, 2006

By	Ma'rifah "BGA" (North Africa) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

...over the past three decades I have traveled to some of the cities listed in the book. I found it great reference reading, and a lot of fun, as I passed through the region. Well worth the price and adding to your North African library. BTW - at least one of the grandchildren of an important Moroccan named in the book was to be found in a Smara house referenced. He'll spin a great yarn, to two, over some mint tea that will add to your understanding of the book.

Enjoy!

5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable, December 9, 2004

By	H. M. Sawka (New York) - See all my reviews

The experiences described by Vieuchange are somehow so tangible, that they become like one's own memories or dreams. It could be viewed as a futile, insignificant story, however, there is something in the way Vieuchange throws himself into oblivion for a dream that sleeps in a corner of all of us.