And 10,000 sheep bleeted out.

The scenic rooftops of Rabat provide an excellent backdrop for the carcass of the Eid sacrifice. A meaty smoke filled the air on Thursday and Friday as sheep were lead to a sacrifice of biblical proportions. 

Talk about hype. There's more hype around the Muslim festival of Eid than around the Super Bowl.

Earlier this week the markets were filled with the implements of sacrifice - charcoal, sharpening stones for knives, barbecue sticks, mini grills, fans for the fire and of course, hay for fattening the sacrifice. Crowds pushed to the edges of the road as flatbed motorcycles shuttled sheep to nearly every home in Rabat followed by kids yelling "Howli! Howli!" (Sheep in Darija, the local Arabic).

The two day festival is based on the multi-faith Abrahamic narrative of God commanding Abraham to take his beloved son, Isaac or Ishmael depending on who you ask, up to a hill and sacrificing him as a testament of faith. At the last possible edge of your seat moment angels intervene and stay Abraham's hand and replace the son with a ram. To commemorate such a moment nearly every Muslim family saves money and purchases their own sheep to sacrifice. 

Above - Hamse and us. Below - Hamse BBQ

My host-family's particular sacrifice became my roommate for two nights. Got to know him quite well as he frequently woke me up to share in his final hours by bleeting loudly into the night in conversation with hundreds of other sheep humbly awaiting the same fate. We fondly referred to him as Hamse. 

On Thursday morning the family gathered as with much pomp and jubilation we brought the poor chap up to the roof and after sprinkling him with salt, a ritual practice not just for flavoring, slit his throat in a swift motion. Blood drained, skinned, lunch. There was something primal about the whole "they killed it and now they are going to eat it" thing. Day one they ate his innards, wrapping liver in fat. Day two was butchering the rest of the carcass and bagging it up for future use. Each meal of course was accompanied by more pastries, salads and alternatives to sheep than one could ask for. A true feast. 

Anyway, sacrifice is over. Back to the grind. I'm really falling in love with this country. This week we're going on an excursion to the south. Great things are in store so stay tuned to read about camels, sand bread and the largest cedar forest in the Mediterranean area. 

TTFN!