Between truth and fiction, there are many myths that some people believe to be true, while others deny them and consider them unbelievable. Aisha Qandisha is one of them; she is one of the most famous myths that have spread throughout Morocco. Many writers quickly took up her story to be among the most famous tales in horror literature. Amid ignorance, speculation, and historical records, there is another side that narrates the truth of Aisha Qandisha, who terrified some and confused others. Throughout history, the mention of the frightening name "Aisha Qandisha" has instilled fear in the bravest of people. But who is this woman who lives in the minds of most Moroccans, between nobility and malice, between demons and kindness? Is she a legend, a witch, a ghost, a demon, or a curse? Or is she just a woman who made herself a story to be told? There are many stories about this character. Some say she has a beautiful female body with camel or goat legs, seducing men with her beauty and living in places with water like valleys. Others say she is a Moroccan woman whose husband was killed by the Portuguese colonists between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, so she decided to seek revenge and became a fierce resistance against them. Some say she was a countess or an Andalusian princess expelled from Andalusia, and when she came to Morocco, she began to resist the colonizers. There are many stories told about this character, and most or all of them are fabricated in a way that makes it difficult to say whether she is a real person or just a legend. All related stories are purely fictional. You cannot talk about Aisha Qandisha without invoking synonyms of fear and terror; she is a perplexing mystery to this day for Moroccans who believe she still appears in dark streets, and some insist she was a real person who passed away long ago. Her name is Aisha the Countess or Aisha the Saint. The most terrifying thing about this story is that some people believe they have seen her in reality, and she is not human. This is what a player on the Atlas team said when their bus was moving slowly on the desert road between Agadir and Asilah at midnight. The atmosphere inside the bus was filled with tired companions, players exhausted from a long day of travel and competition, either dozing off or staring into the darkness outside. Suddenly, one player broke the silence with a sharp gasp that stopped the bus. He screamed, his voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and fear. Frightened, the bus driver swerved to a stop, waking everyone up. "What's happening?" demanded Mohamed, the team captain, his voice tinged with worry. Curiosity mingled with concern as the bus driver and Mohamed looked out the window into the darkness, illuminated by the dim light of the bus's headlights. A figure stood covered in a white robe, her hair glowing with a bright red in the night. A collective shudder ran through the Atlas team as they watched in stunned silence. "Who could be here in the middle of nowhere at this late hour?" With a mix of caution and curiosity, the trio decided to investigate further. They got off the bus and approached the mysterious figure, their hearts pounding in their chests. As they got closer, details began to emerge. The figure appeared almost ethereal, bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight. But the intensity in her piercing gaze, otherworldly and unsettling, sent chills down Naima's spine. "Who are you?" she barely managed to whisper. Mohamed confirmed Naima's story, adding, "My eyes met hers after she turned towards us and quickly returned. I can't believe she is a jinn, but I have a feeling she is not human." According to legend, she has a special way of attracting her victims, especially men, where she enjoys killing them and excels in the art of torture before feeding on their flesh and blood. One story tells that Aisha Qandisha once blocked the path of men living in villages and was about to trap them in her seduction, but they managed to escape by burning their turbans in front of her after noticing something that distinguished her from other women—her feet, which looked like those of a camel. The only way to escape her is to surprise her with fire, as it is considered her weakness. As terrifying as it sounds, this story might just be an old legend told by our ancestors before bedtime or when we misbehave, or it could be a harsh reality few had to witness. And now, I'll meet you on the other side.
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