“Marrakesh” – the word rolls off one’s tongue, its sensuous; conjuring up images of Arabian nights, belly dancers and Moroccan mysteries.

"Marrakesh" the word rolls off one's tongue. Its sensuous, and conjures up images of Arabian nights, belly dancers and Moroccan mysteries. Its  silken sound brings to mind covered markets or souks, the Medina (the old part of any Arab town) and the ochre-coloured buildings and palm trees; all of it naturally with the accompanying daily cacophony of  people, scooters, cars and donkeys.

Around sunset, sitting in the top tier ‘panorama view’ terrace café at Djemma el Fna (an area the size of the Oval Maidan, Mumbai), I faced an incredible sight – a sea of humanity. There are huge crowds … it’s as if the whole of Marrakesh has descended here for a Grand Melee! The crowd moves in every direction.  

Snake charmers, magicians, drummers, palm readers wearing burquas, jugglers, henna tattoo artists, astrologers, acrobats and a cornucopia of other attractions hustle the visitor. If by chance they see your camera, it’s a straight fee of MAD 10 or be insulted by them, if you refuse. It’s better to take photos surreptiously or pay up.

Across the vast square, stalls lining its three sides sell fruits, dry fruits and all manner of meats and fish cooked the Moroccan way. You will find cooks bringing food from restaurants specializing in barbecues of every possible item - including steaming snails, all sorts of meats, couscous, harira & tasty salads. It’s unbelievable, it’s unforgettable.

The primary language is Arabic or French rather than English but you don’t find yourself at a loss as you would in the central or southern parts of Morocco.

 

 












This is a city which knows how to welcome foreigners as they desire to learn the ancient Arabic mysteries and the locals strive to imitate western culture and architecture! Every few feet, you will be accosted by someone selling you something!!

 

Marrakesh’s Tourism Bureau has done a wonderful marketing job selling this market place and letting the locals earn revenue in their cash strapped economy. But don’t expect too much from the Bureau; its officials are polite but handicapped by a distinct lack of funds - they seem to be in the same mindset as Indian counterparts. Luckily for me I had my Michelin guide map as well as my guide book. Anything available from them was a bonus…if I recall, only one office out of seven visited had two leaflets in English! 

 

We were staying five minutes away from the Djemma in a first class family run hotel near the Koutoubia Grand Mosque with its 77 metre tall minaret, the spiritual beacon of the city – we never use spas, shopping arcades, hotel TV’s or other such mundane services, as for us the hotel is primarily just for sleeping.

We  prefer smaller boutique hotels, riads or rental apartments in a city centre offering the important services (airconditioning, large clean rooms, large bathrooms, good housekeeping and excellent breakfast to name a few) as such properties are warm, welcoming, personalized and friendly compared to the hotel chains where you are just a passersby. You get a personal experience of North African, Berber, Arab and French culture which you would not get in an international hotel.          

From the Djemma we took the sight seeing Red Bus; lots of cabs available too as were horse buggies if you want a more leisurely mode of transport. Local buses were a strict no-no because they reminded me of Delhi’s local transport – unsafe and crowded! We took the tour as it is an excellent guide to understand the layout of a city. There are three routes – Historic, Night and Oasis – we did not need a night tour being so close to the Djemma. You can hop on or off anywhere you like on your 24 hour or 48 hour pass.

Near our hotel, we came across Ensemble Artisanal, a unique state run cooperative of artisans. Ringing the courtyard are many boutiques that give you a benchmark for what you should pay for beautiful ceramics, leather, brass or any other top quality handicraft. To the right are bigger workshops where you can watch carpets, baskets and handbags being fabricated.

Marrakesh was the principal city of the Almoravid in the XIth C. Looking at a map, on the right side is a large pear shaped area which is the walled city or Medina. To its left is Gueliz (European quarter created by the French in the 20^th C - the name coming from the local stoneware of the same name) with Banks, Govt institutions and many chic shops and cafes. In the past few years, a number of luxury palace hotels have opened in and around the city, including the revamp of the famous La Mamounia, the sumptuous Palais Namaskar and its water gardens, and the walled Selman near the Medina.

Marrakesh is also known for its gates to the city linking the Medina to the Western quarter. Bab Nkob, Bab Jdid and the more well known Bab Agnaou - three of the 20 gates in Marrakesh. This  12th-century 'gate of the Gnaoua' (named after sub-Saharan slaves of the Sultan) was one of the first stone monuments in Marrakesh. From afar the bas-relief appears much deeper than it actually is due to a sophisticated trompe l'oeil effect. It was one of the first stone monuments in Marrakesh and a triumph of local craftsmenship. The bluish-gold-green colour of its Guéliz stone seems to change like a mood ring according to the time of the day and the heat.

To the south are vast plantations of olive groves including the Gardens of Menara, a 12^th C park of over 100 hectares with a pavilion dating from Saadian times. There is a vast basin which is a reservoir for water as well as a mirror reflecting the surrounding buildings.

To the north east is Palmeraie – the newest suburb full of gated communities and golf courses for the elite.  On the way to it, you pass Café de la Poste behind the Post Office, very chic, the young and wealthy come to be seen and to see, it has excellent service and food. We enjoyed our last evening there for its wonderful ambience and excellent cuisine for the visitor tired of Moroccan fare. The Palmeraie Circuit is 22 kms long. The oasis of 180,000 palm trees stretches over 12,000 hectares and is the only oasis in the northern part of the High Atlas.

The Majorelle Gardens was bequeathed to the city by Yves St Laurent (he bought it in 1980 and his ashes are scattered there) but he is not acknowledged for his bequest anywhere in local tourist literature. These gardens designed by Majorelle, an artist and botanist, also has a small museum with interesting items on sale. The Majorelle is famed for its giant bamboo, yucca, papyrus, palm cypress and banana trees along with many floral varieties.

To me however, it was the souks which were of the greatest interest as they reflect the pulse of a city. The souks are a labyrinth of light and shade – stretching endlessly, from one to another. A maze of stalls and shops, selling everything you can possibly want. They branch off in a variety of directions under their canopy of trellis work of reeds.

Sounds and fragrances truly Moroccan, so different from other Arabian souks, draw you into the melee. The pleasure is intense when the stroll becomes an object of desire for a ring, a necklace of varied stones, or a mirror made from camel bone and bright orange stones. It could be sweet smelling spices or dry fruits. A myriad variety awaits.

Bargaining with the seller is critical. It is an art which I learnt when working in Saudi Arabia - practiced with good humour and inane pleasantries over cups of mint tea. The seller quotes, the prospect deigns interest. As we were Indian, talk about Bollywood predominates with great affection and often the shopkeeper recited film songs!  If you know the tradition, start by saying that whilst you know the shop keeper is giving Moroccan prices, you want the Berber price! …the Berber is a close fisted hard bargainer and demands low rates, hence the term…. Berber price!

 Actually in all the souks, you will find high quality merchandise region wise especially in the old imperial cities. Rabat is famed for its embroidery, carpets and Sale pottery. Meknes for its wood carving, metal with silver work animals and mosaics. Fez is for handicrafts especially copper trays, leather and Blue Fez pottery. But Marrakesh is the place for leather – using traditional methods to sew their babouches, Berber carpets and spices – ginger, cumin, verbena, and orange flower and so on.

The copper souk craftsmen use age old techniques. Visit the Laghzal Souk where you find merchants in wool or el Btana for its sheepskins; or Zarbia souk where carpets and caftans are sold by auction. I loved seeing the sacks of almonds, cashews, figs, the different dates (we had the most luscious soft dates – soft as cotton wool and sweet as sugar), casks of olives stuffed with a variety of ingredients - all there to try and buy. 

Just imagine lazing in this bath. Pure bliss!    

The souks and the Medina draw you into them.  

 The Medina had 80 fountains at the start of the 20th century and each neighbourhood relied on its own for water for cooking, public baths, orchards and gardens. The Mouassine Fountain is  a classic example, with carved wood details and continued use as a neighbour hood wool-drying area and gossip source. Past a corner and an open door reveals a palace with a fountain. The Bahia Palace with its jasmine and range flowering trees.  

These photos are of the Tank for Ablutions, the oldest antiquity in Morocco – circa 1002 – 1007 – a solid block of white marble believed to originate in Andalusia but later found in Medrasa ben Youssef. It is in The Dar Si Said which houses the Moroccan Museum of Arts - awesome in its small but good collection of antiquities and handicrafts; Fez artisans must be credited for the spectacular painted woodwork in the domed wedding chamber upstairs. 

You can also go to the ruins of the Badii Palace with its stork's-eye view atop the ramparts and where concerts are held. The famed Ben Youssef medrasa or the Saadian tombs. There are so many places worth visiting.

My wife and I were fascinated by the private gardens and architecture in Morocco. Wood is the primary material used in building. It’s painted, studded, carved or sculpted. Most ceilings are of wood with paint based floral and / or geometric motifs. The domes come in shape of ‘muquarnas hats’ – the three dimensional technique – heavy clusters and lots of shadows. The hat and the intermediate domes are composed of a base around which the  stars gather in oblong pieces called ‘louza’. 

The techniques used are ‘zellij’, plaster and wood for achieving these fantastic works of art. Zellij is terracotta tile work covered with enamel in the form of chips set into the plaster. Red, green and blue multicolored zellij is applied on a square grid on a frieze with diagonal ‘chrafa’ green. Plaster arches adorn the doors and up walls. Floral based double palmettes, flowers and spike, and pine cone shell are primary motifs. The Moroccans also use half bricks enamelled on one side of the rectangular (15x5 cms) called Bejmat. Partly tarnished colour is natural with small squares of zellij enameled green, black and white. 

 

When you see the Palace, nothing can beat the optical effects of intricate stucco work and polychrome zellij topped by painted, inlaid woodwork ceilings which took nearly fifteen years to achieve in the late 19th century. Visualize the intrigues of the enemies and wives of the Grand Vizier stripping the palace bare of its opulent furnishings before his body was cold. Frankly, we were really happy that now in Morocco the old buildings are being renovated rather than being torn down – architects and locals value restoration rather than construction. We saw many riads, palaces and buildings where renovation was underway.

There are many art galleries in Morocco – intermingling Arabic and European culture in their art and music. But like all things, art is fluid and these galleries may have moved on by the time you go there!

Morocco is a long way away but well worth the detour from the usual annual European holiday. Marrakesh was our final destination in Morocco. We had seen many cities, each so different, so vital and thriving in their own way. So European and yet so Arabic and  African in its own right.

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