Visiting the Friends of Fez…

My journey to Fez began at the Sufi shrine of Shaykh Ahmad el-Tijani (سيدي أحمد التجاني), whose tomb I’d been longing to visit since my last trip to Mali–where this revered Sufi teacher is just as popular. Last month, while I was excavating a Nubian temple in Sudan, I ran into Tijanis every step along the way–and was humbled by their hospitality…

Below is a video of a Tijani dhikr taking place in a Sufi lodge in Algeria. To get a feel for the rhythm and sound of it, tune in around the one minute mark…