Bhalil

Bhalil is a town in the north of Morocco.Set on the side of a hill 6 km northwest of Sefrou, the village of Bhalil is notable for its unique cave houses located in the old part of the village, and for its eclectically coloured homes, linked together by a network of bridges.Some of the cave houses in Bhalil are routinely open to tourists to visit, but are rapidly disappearing as the village modernizes. A tour of these houses can be arranged with friendly local guides at a nominal fee.Bhalil is also known for its production of Jelleba Buttons. Village women can often be found in alleyways, chatting while they diligently work through hundreds of strings and buttons in the creation of traditional Jelleba.The village is also known for its olive oil production, and traditional bread ovens.A Historic Account of Marriage Ceremonies in Bhalil (As Documented by Houcein Kaci)A mixture of rural and urban practices can be found in traditional marriage ceremonies of Bhalil, with evidence of Berber customs that seem to have disappeared elsewhere, but which are still evident in Bhalil's culture .Houcein Kaci provides the Berber custom where after a few months of marriage, a bride will leave her husband and return to her ancestral family home for an entire year. Typically, people from Bhalil marry within the village because the two families will be well known to each other. Contrary to traditional customs, the young man approaches the young woman’s parents to ask for his daughter in marriage. In some situations, if the daughter is of a certain age, she is consulted and ultimately allowed to make the decision .For the entire engagement, the female fiancée does not leave the house, and likewise for three days prior to the wedding day, the male fiancé remains in an isolated cave with a few select male companions. Henna decorations occur on the second night before the wedding .