Desert Passage at Aladdin (continued)

Creative Story Brief

Soon, on this desolate scrape of earth, a great city of commerce was born. Its magnificence was rival to that only of the great pyramids. From Algiers to Dakhla, Casablanca to Tangier, Marrakech to Fez, all roads led to Desert Passage. In their souks, the merchants bartered and traded, bought and sold. Life teemed at a frenetic pace. Commerce grew unabated as the lifeblood of this city.

During the day, as the siroccos heat the air, the dealers offer to one and all:
“Come and look. Just for the pleasure of the eye.”

They displayed the most exquisite of silver from Tiznet, carpets from Rabat, and finely tanned leather from Fez. In Desert Passage, business and folklore, commerce and custom existed side by side, creating a most festive atmosphere.

It is the night however, that is the true medium of this land. The hot winds abate, and a gentle breeze caresses the medina. Arabian nights in the truest sense. The lights of the shops have only the stars to compete. A different type of heat arises. The heat of cool, of romance, of mystery and mystique. History and legend mix seamlessly with the modern world. A stage in constant motion – acrobats and jugglers call attention to the merchants and vendors. The chorines perform the Guedra, the sensual dance of the veils, and wind their way through the throngs of shoppers. Tantalizing and teasing, the artistes remove layer after layer, until only one veil remains, keeping the mystery alive. Musicians play soulful Andalusian harmonies that speak of passionate betrothals and lost loves. Storytellers whisper of the jinn, mischievous spirits who inhabit the desert darkness, or of Scheherazade and the Arabian nights. This lively atmosphere fills the senses with wonder, and sates the appetite with earthly delights.

The tale of Allah and the Great Desert has been spoken for centuries, passed down from generation to generation.

Whether one believes such a narrative depends on his or her own vision. But through the travels of time myth becomes legend, and legend becomes fact.

If indeed this magical place ever existed is not of consequence, it is the moral of the story that is…

…That it takes a person of true vision to create a Desert Passage.