Four Days of Chaos in Marrakesh

Morocco is a drivable destination; one we have not done yet but are planning to. However, we have been to three cities in Morocco. We called into Tangiers and Casablanca whilst on a cruise, stories from those two cities are on another blog. We flew from Manchester into Marrakesh, so let us start there. Colourful and vibrant beneath the distant peaks of the Atlas Mountains, Marrakesh is worth visiting. Morocco, a French protectorate until 1956, has many European influences in its cities. None more so than in Marrakesh. Split into two main areas, the ancient Medina (walled city) and the Ville Nouvelle (new town). The Medina full of ancient palaces and riads (upmarket guest houses), a maze of Souks, (marketplaces), aromas of bread, and spice invade the nostrils at every turn. The Ville Nouvelle with its pavement cafes, modern shops, wide boulevards, and gardens, hosts amongst others, The Majorelle Botanical Gardens. 

The Riads

We arrived on a late flight and with all the excitement of trying to find our driver (it is worth booking a driver in advance), I forgot the name of the riad we had booked. I knew our accommodation was right in the centre of the city near The Jemaa el Fna and that is where the driver dropped us at about 11.00 at night; And it was manic. All Moroccan cities have a main square, The Jemaa el Fna is huge. It comprises storytellers, snake charmer’s food stalls and musicians and is fascinating. The square is surrounded by a labyrinth of Souks with little lanes leading away from the central activities.

We eventually dug out the name of the riad we had booked and started to ask around. We can speak a little French between us and that helped. Eventually a little lad appeared with contraption vaguely looking like a wheelbarrow, he threw our bags into it and headed off into the chaos, we jogged along behind him hoping he knew where he was going. He did and we got to our riad safely. Then he wanted money. I didn’t have any Dinah, so I had to persuade the riad manager to pay him and put it on our bill.

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I feel that should explain what exactly a riad is. The word Riad means Patio Garden. These days the word in synonymous with guesthouses. Normally converted mansion houses surrounding a garden, riads have become extremely popular. Some have been over modernised, but the older ones still reflect the atmosphere of Morocco. Some are owned by French Ex pats and others by local families. Our riad was cheap and cheerful, owned by a Parisian lady and run by very able local family. The accommodation was clean and traditional. The breakfast considerably basic, however the coffee was good, and we were always in a hurry to head off into the Souks, so we only used the riad to sleep. I hasten to add there was a roof garden with views right across the square. I took some amazing pictures from there.

The Souks

When we first started wandering through the souks, it was a major culture shock, traders coming at as from sides, trying to sell us stuff we didn’t need or things that we wanted, but at inflated prices. The goods on offer range from sheep’s heads to cheap jewellery. You can find anything you need in the Marrakesh Souks, apart from alcohol. ( you can get a good selection of alcoholic drinks at The Café Arabe). We bought all kinds of things but never at the first price as it seems bartering is mandatory. After a hard morning exploring the souks and tasting some of the street food, a siesta comes next in preparation for an evening in the square.

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The Main Square

The Jemaa el Fna comes to life in the early evening. It is surrounded by cafes and restaurants and is heaving by 10 o’clock with mainly local people. It would be difficult for the majority of tourists to understand the storytellers. In the centre of the square hundreds of pop-up, tented restaurants appear. They all offer similar foods at similar prices and are normally good value. Be aware that some of these places serve you extra food that you did not order. Even if you do not eat it, they will still try and charge you. We tried the pop ups twice but preferred to book an upstairs restaurant with a view across the square. The restaurant cuisine is sophisticated and varied, and of course more expensive than on the square. Worth the experience if just for the Tagines which are sweet, sour, and just wonderful.

You can find my favourite Chicken Tagine recipe on our Regional Recipe page.

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 There is plenty going on apart from food. Some may find the Snake Charmers and trained monkey handlers distasteful and the constant pestering from somebody trying to sell you a piece of junk can be annoying. Tourist do stand out and are targeted; But if you can handle the hustle and bustle, the Jemaa el Fna is a must visit.

The Koutoubia Mosque.

A 10-minute walk west of the squire is The Koutoubia Mosque. Easy to find as the minaret can be seen for miles. Only Muslims can enter, but the architecture outside is interesting. Although the oldest of the three great towers built by the Almohad rulers, the architectural features in the Minaret are now widespread around Morocco. Specifically, the inlay at the top, the Darj w ktarf (“cheek and shoulder”- like the French fleur de lys). If your not into mosques, the gardens surrounding three sides of the building are stunning. Designed with pools, fountains, orange trees and palms I found these gardens incredibly peaceful, after the melee of the souks.

The History

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To the south and a good walk from the mosque is the ancient Jewish quarter called The Mellah; To get here you can walk past or through the Kasbah. The El Badi Palace overlaps these two historical areas of Marrakesh. Also, in this area is the remains of the Royal Palace. You could spend a day in this part of the city alone. Debi and I found ourselves here on more than one occasion.

Kasbah means citadel and is sometimes called the Southern Medina. It has fresh fruit markets and restaurants within the high walls, and Storks nest All Along the Watch Towers, (Muso readers will see what I did there). The Mellah is Predominantly Muslim nowaday. Built in 1558  and run by Rabbi’s, it has its own souks, gardens, and synagogues. A lot of the ruins are distinguishable and if you look hard enough you will find the original synagogues, specifically The Lazama.

The El Badi Palace, mainly ruins but enough remains to realise that this 15^th century palace was sumptuous in its day. The reception rooms in the palace were not for everyday use and were reserved for formal gatherings. The El Badi adjoins the Royal Palace. They had individual fruit gardens and self-sufficient irrigation systems, is surrounded by living quarters, large chambers, balconies, and dungeons.

The Ville Nouvelle

We booked a horse and carriage for a tour of The Ville Nouvelle, after partaking in the bartering game, off course. It was quite nerve raking at first trotting along in fast moving traffic where horns seem compuls.or.We soon got used to this, with the driver chatting away in a language we didn’t understand, all the while taking in the sights of a more modern part of the city.

Apart from the street cafes and designer shops the Ville Nouvelle has little to offer, so our driver headed straight for The Majorelle Garden. He dropped us of nearby and we arranged a dubious collection point. I thought that would be the last we saw of him, but no, he was there waiting for us when we returned. This immaculate Botanical Garden named after the artist of the same name and more recently owned by Yves Saint Laurent is beautiful. The Lily ponds are surrounded by Bamboo, Dwarf Palms, and Cactus gardens, (I love Cacti, as you will see from our photo gallery). There is also Jacques Majorelle’s studio and a smaller garden in tribute to Yves Saint Laurent.

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Once back on the carriage we returned to The Kasbah. We were taken to The Enterprise Bouchaib Complexe d’Artisanat, and told to shop here. Clearly the driver gets a commission if we were to buy anything. There is a huge range of gifts and glass work in this place, but nothing we really wanted. No bartering here, all prices are fixed. We came away without a purchase and weretaken back to the main square.

In Summary, our stay in Marrakesh was fantastic, even with many more places to visit on our travels, this place will go onto our “Revisit List”.