The photos above give you an idea of what awaited us in Marrakech on day 18 of our trip. I was eager to see this imperial city, but I had to be patient. Our super-sized touring bus wasn’t exactly the Marrakech Express. In fact, it took us five hours to cover the 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Ouarzazate to the center of Marrakech. It’s actually not surprising when you see the narrow twisting road that winds through the Atlas Mountains.
We got an early start, so we could reach Marrakech by lunchtime. Driving west from Ouarzazate, the blue was blue. At the same time, dark clouds were huddled over ridge of the High Atlas. It may be snowing in the mountains, Abdou warned.
The driving wasn’t easy and construction work along the road added to the travel time. Workers were cutting through layers of rock to widen and straighten the road. Bands of different colors indicated sedimentary as well as volcanic rock layers.
After about two hours on the road, we saw patches of snow on the ground. Water from snow melt on the mountains rushed through rocky stream beds. Trees were bare. When we stopped for a break in Ait Tamnat for coffee and restrooms, we bundled up in our warm jackets before stepping off the bus.
In addition to coffee and restrooms, we found the showroom of a women’s cooperative that made products containing Moroccan argan oil. The oil is used in many beauty products, soaps, etc. but it’s also edible. The items were very expensive. Since I wanted to support the women, I ended up buying a tiny jar of almond spread (ground almonds mixed with honey and argan oil), which cost 120 Dirhams, the equivalent of $12. I’m going to horde it once I get back home.
Back on the bus, we continued our ascent on the winding road. Soon we had reached the highest point in the Atlas Mountains – 2260 meters (7414 feet) above sea level.
As we began to descend, Abdou told us about an interesting naming convention in Morocco. In every other generation, the first son will be named Mohamed. He will be Mohamed ben (father’s name) and he will give his first son the name of his father. For example, a man named Hassan will name his first son Mohamed. The child will be known as Mohamed ben Hassan. The first son of Mohamed ben Hassan will be named Hassan and he will be known as Hassan ben Mohamed. He, in turn, will name his son Mohamed…and so on.
I must have dozed off while Abdou was talking because when I opened my eyes again, there was no snow in sight. Now the predominant color of the landscape was green. I gazed out at groves of trees and farmland on the rolling hillsides. A road sign said we were only 60 kilometers from Marrakech. Abdou cautioned, however, that the remaining distance would take a couple of hours at the rate our big bus had to travel on these roads.
Not far from Marrakech, Abdou pointed out a forested area, calling it the King’s Forest. Only the king and his French friends are allowed to hunt here. They hunt wild pigs – how medieval!
Then at last, we were on the outskirts of the city. Music came from the back of the bus: someone was playing the Marrakech Express, the classic Crosby, Stills, and Nash song released in 1969.
The imperial city of Marrakech was founded in the 11th century as the capital of the Almoravid empire, which also included southern Spain. It later served as the imperial capital of the Almohads, starting in the mid-12th century. When the Marinids captured Marrakech in 1269, they moved the capital to Fez. There has been a long rivalry between the two cities, with Fez serving as the capital of the north and Marrakech serving as the capital of the south.
The Saadians, who took over Morocco in 1522, made Marrakech their capital in 1551 and the city underwent a major renewal. Throughout its long history, Marrakech has experienced periods of magnificence interspersed with plagues, famines, droughts, military rebellion, political struggles, and invasions. Much of the city was rebuilt in the 19th century. With the establishment of the French protectorate in 1912, the “New City” was built.
Old section of the city (aka the medina) is surrounded by 20 kilometers of walls. It goes back to the founding of Marrakech in the 11th century. The heart of the old city is the sprawling main square, Djemaa el-Fna, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This square, the largest in the city, is what defines Marrakech for so many and gives the city its special character.
The name of the square, Djemaa el-Fna, means assembly of the dead. Around the time of the city’s founding, it was the site of public executions. Nowadays, nothing so gruesome takes place here. In fact, in the daytime, it seems quite peaceful.
If you walk into the square around 8am, you’ll see cleaners sweeping up and vendors setting up their stands of fruit, vegetables, juices, sweets, and baked goods. Throughout the day, locals and tourists alike flock to the square for its markets, restaurants, and entertainment. The square is so vast that it may not look crowded, but you always have to be on the alert for the motorcycles and cars that come whizzing through, as well as the donkey carts moving at a slower pace.
When I got my first look at the square, it was mid-day. It already seemed quite chaotic but Abdou warned us that it would be much busier later on.
Even Abdou’s words didn’t prepare me for the carnival-like atmosphere and the crush of people you’ll find in the square once darkness falls, especially if it’s a Friday or Saturday night. Imagine wall-to-wall people of all ages (and speaking all languages), plus snake charmers, trained monkeys on chains, Gnaoua musicians, Berber bands, jugglers, hawkers selling cups of water, baseball caps, cut-up fruit, ice cream, and more. For the kids, there are balloons, wind-up toys, and toys that shoot into the air flashing colored lights. The aromas of street food waft through the air. If you care to sit down, there are countless restaurants with outdoor tables where you’ll have a ringside view of the nightly spectacle. And don’t forget to watch out for the ever-present motorcycles plowing through the crowds. If it’s sensory overload you desire, you’ve come to the right place.
This is early evening, when it's just starting to fill up.
It’s impossible to imagine Marrakech without the Djemaa el-Fna. However, I learned that the king of Morocco, probably back in the 1930s or '40s, wanted to turn the square into a parking lot. Fortunately, others (including Eleanor Roosevelt) convinced him to abandon his plan.
Another Marrakech landmark, easily visible from the square, is the minaret tower of the Koutoubia Mosque. The 12thcentury mosque is the largest in the city and its minaret stands 253 feet high.
Our riad was well-located, a five-minute walk to the Djemaa el-Fna but on a quiet street where we could escape from the frenzied atmosphere of the square. Rose petals were scattered everywhere, not only in the public areas but in the rooms as well. (The resident cat always joined us at the table for breakfast.)
Our first activity in Marrakech was a walk through the medina to the 19th century Bahia Palace, built for vizier Abu Ahmed. The 150-room palace is filled with the work of master artisans who produced the floor-to-ceiling lavish decoration – marquetry (inlaid wood), painted wood ceilings, marble floors, woven-silk panels, stained glass windows, and more. The harem area was home to the vizier’s four wives and 24 concubines.
The next morning, we visited the Secret Garden, located just north of Djemaa el-Fna. This 16th century palace, restored in the late 19th century, is composed of two riads (houses with courtyard gardens). It offered a welcome respite from the noise and commotion of the souk.
The exotic garden is an unstructured space filled with plants from all over the world. The traditional Islamic garden is based on a geometric layout set out in the Quran. The greenery and central fountain suggest the Islamic conception of paradise.
Not far from the Secret Garden, a visit to a carpet workshop provided us with an in-depth look at this traditional handicraft. We learned about the two main categories of carpets, Arab (aka Royal) and Berber. Salesmen (yes, all men) unrolled dozens of the tightly knotted Royal carpets to show us the various patterns used. It takes a weaver (almost always a woman) 4-6 months to make a tightly knotted 10x14 foot Royal carpet.
There’s a great variety of Berber carpets made by the Amazigh people who live throughout Morocco. Images on the carpet often reflect the tribe the weaver belongs to. Some of the Berber carpets are embellished with embroidery.
We made an early morning visit to the Majorelle Gardens, which date back to the 1920s. In the late 1960s, French designer Yves Saint-Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé, purchased and restored the property. The gardens were gorgeous.
After walking through the gardens, we visited the Berber Museum, housed in a distinctive blue building on the property. The museum had excellent information about the Amazigh daily life, festivals, and ceremonies along with wonderful displays of jewelry, handicrafts, clothing, arms, musical instruments, and carpets. It’s a shame that no photography was allowed in the museum.
I dined out one evening with a fellow traveler at Tajin Darna, a casual restaurant right on the main square. I sampled briouates, a delicious Moroccan appetizer of puff pastry with a savory filling (cheese, vegetables, or meat). The chicken pastille was an excellent choice for my main course. In addition to enjoying the food, we were able to observe the nightlife in the square from the second floor windows of the restaurant.
And I finally got the ice cream I’d been searching for ever since the first day in Casablanca. I made two visits to Café Argana, located in the Djemaa el-Fna, once for pistachio (loaded with nuts) and a second time for my other favorite, noisette (hazelnut). A single scoop was a bargain at 120 Dirhams ($1.20). By the way, Café Argana was rebuilt after it was destroyed in a bomb attack in the square that took place in April 2011.
Of course, I couldn’t leave Marrakech without doing a little shopping. I discovered that shopping in the souks near the square could be a full-contact sport. Heading down one of the narrow alleyways off the Djemaa el-Fna with a few fellow travelers, I was constantly dodging motorcycles weaving their way through the crowd of shoppers at breakneck speed.
And then we saw two fully loaded donkey carts approaching from opposite directions. Would there would be enough room for one to pass the other? Would there be a collision? Would their loads go tumbling into the displays of earrings, cushions, and brass tea pots that lined either side of the passageway? Could we get out of the way? So, as you can tell, even shopping was filled with excitement.
Thanks to fellow traveler Casey, I improved my bargaining skills. Although I had to limit myself to small items that I could easily tuck into my luggage, I came away with several inexpensive treasures for myself and my family, including a mirror with a metal frame; a brass tray; 2 pairs of “fun” earrings; a set of coffee spoons; a hamsa to hang on the wall; and two beautiful covers for throw pillows.
Perhaps the most interesting thing I got was actually a bonus “freebie” from the man who sold me an amber resin cube (its scent makes the room smell wonderful) and a small container of eucalyptus flakes (to relieve congestion, drop a flake in hot water and breathe the vapor). I didn’t know what the strange looking object was at first. It was made of red clay and looked like the top of a miniature tagine. But it’s actually used as a cosmetic. You moisten your fingertip, rub it along the rim of the clay dish, and red color comes off that you then dab on your lips.
We concluded our stay in Marrakech with a carriage ride through the New City. (Everyday, there's a line of horse drawn carriages waiting outside the entrance to the Djemaa el-Fna.)
The one and only Marrakech, with its larger than life persona, would have been the perfect finale to our trip. But we had a bonus last look at Morocco in Casablanca, where we’d stay overnight before our flights back to the US.
There was only time for one activity when we reached Casablanca the following afternoon – a visit to the Hassan II Mosque, the third largest mosque in the world. The minaret tower is 200 meters high. The mosque, which is in daily use, can accommodate 105,000 people. It is situated on the edge of the city, overlooking the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. (The water-side setting was inspired by the references in the Torah and Quran to the waters of creation.) When we arrived, many people were sitting or standing outside, perhaps waiting for the next prayer service or simply appreciating the stunning architecture.
I was delighted to be reunited with Hicham (my guide on the first day of my visit to Morocco) for our private tour of the mosque. He called our attention to the titanium main doors, the patterned zellig tiles, carved cedar ceiling, chiseled gypsum panels, marble floors, etc.
He also pointed out references to all three Abrahamic religions on the façade and throughout the building. This is to emphasize the continuity of the monotheistic faiths and their ongoing coexistence. The lower level of the mosque contains a hamman (bathing area) and an ablution area with 41 fountains. The mosaic patterns on the fountains include the 6-pointed star of David. On the columns, circles with 12 figures represent the 12 tribes of Israel. On the ceiling, you’ll find the 8-pointed star (formed by overlapping squares), a symbol often used in Islamic decoration.
And then, it was time to pack up one last time. After three weeks away from home, I was looking forward to seeing my family again. At the same time, I was already thinking about a return trip to this fascinating country. If you’re interested in learning more about the culture of Morocco, I can highly recommend two books of non-fiction by Tahir Shah: In Arabian Nights and The Caliph’s House.
That's all for now. I'll return to blogging after my next trip!
