Between truth and fiction, there are many myths that some believe and claim as reality, while others deny them and consider them unbelievable. Aisha Qandisha is one of them; she is one of the most famous myths that spread throughout Morocco. Soon, many writers took up her story, making it one of the most renowned tales in horror literature.
Amid ignorance, speculation, and historical records, another side emerges that tells the truth about Aisha Qandisha, who terrified some and confused others. Throughout history, uttering the fearsome name “Aisha Qandisha” would strike terror into the hearts of even the bravest. But who is this woman who lives in the minds of most Moroccans, caught between nobility and cunning, between demons and kindness? Is she a legend, a witch, a ghost, a demon, or a curse? Or is she simply a woman who turned herself into a story to be told? There are many tales…
About this figure, some say she has a beautiful female body with the feet of a camel or a goat, luring men with her beauty and dwelling in places near water, such as valleys. Others claim she was a Moroccan woman whose husband was killed by the Portuguese colonizers between the 15th and 18th centuries, prompting her to seek revenge and become…
She fiercely resisted him. Some say she was a countess or an Andalusian princess expelled from Andalusia, and when she arrived in Morocco, she began to fight the colonizers. There are many stories told about this figure, most or all of which are distorted in ways that make it difficult to say whether she was a real person or merely a legend. All tales associated with her are purely fictional. You cannot speak of Aisha Qandisha without invoking synonyms of fear and terror; she remains a perplexing enigma to Moroccans to this day.
Some believe that she still appears in dark streets, while others insist that she was a real person who passed away long ago. Her name is Aisha the Countess or Aisha the Saint. The most terrifying aspect of this story is that there are people who claim to have actually seen her—and that she is not human. This is what a player from the Atlas team said when their bus was slowly moving along the desert road connecting Agadir and Asilah at midnight. The atmosphere inside the bus was filled with tired companions…
The players, exhausted from a long day of travel and competition… They were either hiding or staring into the darkness outside. Suddenly, one of the players broke the silence with a sharp gasp that brought the bus to a halt. He screamed, his voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and fear. Panicked, the bus driver swerved to stop, waking everyone. “What’s happening?” demanded Mohamed, the team captain, his voice tinged with worry. Curiosity mixed with concern as both the driver and Mohamed looked out the window into the darkness…
illuminated by the dim glow of the bus’s headlights. A figure draped in a white cloak stood there, her hair shimmering like a flickering flame in the night. The Atlas team was seized by a collective shiver 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 stepped off the bus and approached the mysterious figure, their hearts pounding in their chests. As they drew closer, the details began to emerge. The form appeared almost ethereal, bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight. Yet it was the piercing, otherworldly gaze that sent chills down Naïm’s spine.
“Who are you?” she barely managed to whisper. Mohamed also confirmed Naïm’s account, adding, “My eyes met hers after she turned toward us and then quickly looked away. I can’t believe she’s a jinni, but I have a feeling she’s not human.” According to legend, she has a special way of luring her victims, especially men, enjoying their demise, mastering methods of torture, and then feeding on their flesh and blood. One story tells that Aisha Qandisha once blocked the path of some men…
اfor those who lived in the villages…She was on the verge of ensnaring them with her charm, but they managed to escape by burning their turbans in front of her after noticing something that set her apart from other women—her feet, which resembled those of a camel. The only way to flee from her is to surprise her with fire, as it is considered her weakness. As terrifying as it may seem, this story might be just an old legend passed down by our ancestors before bedtime or as a caution when we misbehave—or it could be a harsh reality that only a few have been forced to witness. And now, I will cast you to the other side.
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