MARRAKECH, MOROCCO [مراكش]

April 17-19
This was my first trip to Africa! Some friends of ours, Lesley and Dave, had also been wanting to travel to Morocco and so they too booked flights and a room at our Riad. Sadly PJ's training mission back from Ukraine was delayed and his return timeline was pushed back. He was not able to make the flight but he did manage to meet us in Milano on Sunday afternoon.

The airport was beautiful!

We stayed at a Riad in the Medina [the Old City] of Marrakech. Riad Alena was a great choice and was close to a lot of the sights! The owners were great and definitely helped us find some delicious places to eat. A Riad is a traditional Moroccan house that has an interior courtyard. The name 'Riad' comes from the Arabian word for garden. 

The courtyard

The roof terrace

My room

We arrived mid-day Friday and left Sunday morning. It was enough time to see the main sights and do a little exploration but I think one more full day would have been better. 

The Medina Quarter is a district that is found in many North African cities and is typically walled and full of many narrow and winding maze-like streets. 'Medina' means 'city' or 'town' in modern day Arabic. The Medina in Marrakech did not stray from the definition. It was filled with countless maze-like streets and it was extremely easy to get lost. Getting lost wasn't so bad though, as the streets were always full of shops and cafes. 

The Koutoubia Mosque is one of the main landmarks in Marrakech. It was completed under the reign of Yacoub el Mansour between 1184-1199. The tower is 69 meters high and has four golden globes along the top. The legend is that:

'The original design only had 3 globes, with the fourth being donated by Yacoub el Mansour's wife. She had apparently eaten three grapes during the Ramadan fasting period, and, feeling guilty for her actions, she melted all her gold jewelry to create the forth dome which she donated to the Koutoubia.' [1]

The Koutoubia Mosque

The main square and the heart of the city is Djemaa el-Fna, declared a "Masterpiece of World Heritage' in 2001. It is where the locals and tourists all organize to eat, perform, listen to stories and brows through the shops. The square was the site of public executions around 1050 A.D which is where it gets its name from. Djemma el-Fna actually means 'assembly of the dead'.

The activity in the square starts early and runs late into the night. You can find snake charmers, cobras, henna tattoo artists, games, dancing men dressed as women, music, monkeys and much, much more. At dusk over 100 chefs set up shop in the square and the smell of food fills the air. Be careful of pickpockets, people trying to coerce you to take a photo [they will then ask for money], and the many bees flying around the sweet candy tables!

We were lucky to be there during a beautiful sunset over the main square!

Djemaa el-Fna

Djemaa el-Fna with Koutoubia Mosque in the background 

Entrance to one of the Souks

Snake charmer

Passage Prince Moulay Rachid

Souk

Mosquée Ben Youssef

Ali ben Youssef Medersa, founded in the 14th century under the Merenids, is a Quranic learning center which was once the largest in North Africa. It is filled with cedar cupolas and wooden lattice screened balconies. The ornamentation in the courtyard is beautiful, filled with zellij [mosaic] walls, stucco archways and white Italian Carrara marble. The medersa is still associated with the Ali ben Youssef Mosque.

Lesley and I in the courtyard

Jardin Majorelle was created by Jacques Majorelle, who was French and the son on the famous furniture designer, Louis Majorelle. He studied architecture for three years and then changed to painting. He became fascinated with the Islamic world and its culture and lived in Egypt for four years. He arrived in Morocco as a painter and, in 1923, bought a plot of land and started a small garden. In 1931 he hired Paul Sinoir, an architect, to design a Cubist villa, where he would paint and have his studio. As an amateur botanist he bought more land and created the current garden which is filled with colorful walkways and planters and holds plants from all five continents.

The garden has been owned by Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Bergé since 1980. Yves Saint-Laurent ashes were actually scattered here after his death.  

Around town…

Within the new city. a rooftop bar

The city wall from the rooftop of The Pearl

The wall

Camels!

Our horse and carriage.

Saadian Tombs

Saadian Tombs

The Kasbah Mosque

Place des 7 Saints - honors the seven
owners of Marrakech, all buried within the city

Some great restaurant suggestions:
Portofino - it is technically an Italian restaurant but it has a bunch of traditional Moroccan food. I had the chicken and cinnamon pastille and it was amazing! The tagine was also great there.
le jar din - we ate here for lunch, but lunch or dinner would be great. They had multiple terraces in the garden area and had delicious food options. They also had tasty mojitos, a great lentil and eggplant 'salad', briouates, and couscous.

Wine, beer and cocktails can be found in Marrakech, although some do not drink due to religious reasons and some restaurants are dry. [Some info about the wine and beer.] There are many ex-pats from France, England, America, Spain, Germany and Italy who still enjoy a nice glass of wine.