Prince Abdullah's ancient letters ( AKA Wilsen !?)

Diary of Prince Abdullah , Summer, 1365 

Letter from Prince Abdullah to his cousin ,Muhammad in Morocco.

Dear Muhammad,

Life is truly wonderful here in our palaces of Alhambra in Granada, a big red tower with pools and gardens everywhere. I wish you were here to play & learn with. Sometimes, the adults can be very boring because mostly they seem to lie on their backs, smoke, imagine their greatness, watch people dance and receive visitors.

Here is a day of my life. Will you write me & tell me of a typical day in your home?? l am sending my letter and homing pigeon with Uncle Yusuf. Tie your reply to Ismail's (my pigeon) back leg and toss him out your window. He will fly back to me.

6:30 I wake up to go and have a breakfast of bread (from the wheat fields on the plain on top of the mountain), orange marmalade (from the green bushy orange trees, also on the top of the mountain) and eggs (from the chickens that roam around in the courtyard) in the sumptuous meal room my father really loves. We sat on big puffy satin coated pillows.

7:30 I head to the Alcazaba (military part of the castle) for warrior training, where I practice swordsmanship, bow shooting and unarmed combat in my tunic with metal plates underneath. The teachers are very grouchy and pushy, but they treat my brother and I exceptionally well. The Alcazaba consists of towers, living quarters and courtyards. We practiced bow shooting from the top of the tower, we also did cannon handling there.Swordsmanship was done in a big padded room so we wouldn't hurt ourselves. So was unarmed combat.

10:30 We wrap up warrior training for the day, time for a rest. I head back to my chambers (the top of the highest tower in the castle) exhausted and worn out. I read my book for a while, overlooking the city below and the rest of the castle. I then go to the baths for a swim, the cool water soothes my skin. I get dressed and go stone skimming on the ponds and enjoy floating sticks down the aqueducts.

11:30 Most of my energy has returned now, time for some play. I get my friends and head to the courtyard for a game of hide and seek all around the castle. We hide in underground chambers, lost corners of the gardens and every other unusual place you could  imagine.

1:30 Time for lessons. I get taught arithmetic, Grammar, English, Art and creative writing. We also get taught some Islam religion, learning the principles that hold it together. We then have to repeat verses of the Koran, my least favourite part. 

6:30 Time for another bath before we enter the mosque for our evening prayers. We bath in big round tubs heated with a fire. When we clamber out ,we get dressed and remove our shoes. We walk into the beautiful domed roof room, where we kneel on big cushions to pray.

7:30 I head again to fathers favorite meal room for a dinner of lamb (they graze on the plains on the hill), date (from the fruit trees in the hill), plum (also from these trees) and cous-cous (from the wheat on the hill) tajin.

We then watch some traditional Moroccan dancing and singing, (it is fun to join in sometimes as well)! We played some very old board games and jacks, a game with little metal things and 2 balls which you throw into the air, catch & sort. It is a very simple game but extremely challenging. After this I make my way to my sleeping quarters in the tallest tower. I read my book for 1 hour before I lie down to sleep, on my huge, soft bed.

Well, dear Muhammad, that was a day of my life. Maybe some day the two of us can rule over the castle, two kings working side by side.

I can't wait to see you some time soon, 

Best wishes,

Abdullah