A Piece of History

I don't remember if I had mentioned this in any previous blips from my travels to Morocco but this is a very special piece of Moroccan history that was given to us from the owner of the riad (a traditional Moroccan palace with an interior garden or courtyard) that we stayed in while in Meknes. Recently there has been a surge in interest in this form of house where many of these often-crumbling buildings have been restored to their former glory. Many riads are now used as hotels or B&B's.
The owner of this riad had refurbished this entire place from its previous neglected state and in the process of remodeling he had removed some extra pieces of molding that were two hundred years old with the original hand painted Arabic design. On our last night there he offered us a piece of it as a gift to bring home.
We were thrilled to have it and although it was tough carrying it around with us for the remainder of our trip, it was well worth it now that we have cleaned it up and added a protective coat of varnish and found a special place to keep it. To see where I have it hanging in our kitchen look here.
The best part is that we now have a real piece of Moroccan art and history with a story to tell too.