We hit Marrakech on our week-long southern excursion. We had a day and a half there, and managed to
get to most of the big landmarks and check out the medina and souk.
Marrakech, in true Moroccan fashion, is a city that has been
coveted, destroyed, and rebuilt by a multitude of civilizations in its thousand
years of history, including the Berbers, Almoravids, Almohads, Saadians,
French, and Arabs. It’s one of the
busier and more in-your-face Moroccan cities, and has a lot to offer
tourists. The souks in the medina are the
most expansive and elaborate that we’ve seen, and can be overwhelming.
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| Mo V Every city has a main street named after the late King Mohammed V. Every. Single. One |
The main square of the medina, called Jemaa al-Fnaa (don’t even talk to me about spelling that one), is pretty crazy. The stereotypical vision of African snake charmers, turbaned musicians, and esoteric medicine men is realized here, largely in the name of tourism. And absolutely be careful what you point your camera at. Most vendors, artists, and charmers expect at least minor payment for photographs of their animals or wares. And some will aggressively demand even more from someone they think is an easy target. Varying members of our program apparently forked over anywhere from 20 to 200 dirhams ($3-$25) for their chance to be photographed holding a snake. The henna women will pursue you, or even yell belligerently if you stray too close but refuse their services. And don’t take the chance of walking too close to the snake charmers or monkey handlers because many will attempt to place their animals on you (without your consent) and then insist on payment. And it’s not exactly fun to have some guy with no teeth trying to throw a snake at you.
To be honest, the henna ladies everywhere (not just in Marrakech) scare me a little. They camp out in tourist areas and will sometimes be more aggressive, rude, persistent, and demanding than the male vendors. Some will attempt to grab you and start without your asking, or loudly berate you for your “rudeness” if you shake them off and refuse to stop. (No pictures of henna ladies because I am not willing to open that particular can of worms, and most of them are heavily veiled to the point of being unrecognizable).
Sidebar: Henna is not recommended in the tourist trap areas of Marrakech because some women will use toxic black henna in place of traditional red henna. Black henna dries faster, looks more like a real tattoo, and lasts longer, but deposits p-phenylenediamin in the skin. The more you know.
The main square of the medina really comes alive at night, and food stands – complete with dining tables – will emerge from thin air. Vendors will try to seat you immediately as you walk by, but it’s an easy way to grab a cheap/quick bite to eat. And they say that the Moroccans take their food seriously, so watch and pick a place locals eat at. Those stands and cafes won’t necessarily be the places that all the tourists flock to.
The main square of the medina, called Jemaa al-Fnaa (don’t
even talk to me about spelling that one), is pretty crazy. The stereotypical vision of African snake
charmers, turbaned musicians, and esoteric medicine men is realized here,
largely in the name of tourism. And
absolutely be careful what you point your camera at. Most vendors, artists, and charmers expect at
least minor payment for photographs of their animals or wares. And some will aggressively demand even more from someone they think is an easy
target. Varying members of our program
apparently forked over anywhere from 20 to 200 dirhams ($3-$25) for their
chance to be photographed holding a snake.
The henna women will pursue you, or even yell belligerently if you stray
too close but refuse their services. And
don’t take the chance of walking too close to the snake charmers or monkey
handlers because many will attempt to place their animals on you (without your
consent) and then insist on payment. And
it’s not exactly fun to have some guy with no teeth trying to throw a snake at
you.
To be honest, the henna ladies everywhere (not just in
Marrakech) scare me a little. They camp out in tourist areas and will sometimes
be more aggressive, rude, persistent, and demanding than the male vendors. Some will attempt to grab you and start
without your asking, or loudly berate you for your “rudeness” if you shake them
off and refuse to stop. (No pictures of henna ladies because I am not willing
to open that particular can of worms, and most of them are heavily veiled to
the point of being unrecognizable).
Sidebar: Henna is not recommended in the tourist trap areas
of Marrakech because some women will use toxic black henna in place of
traditional red henna. Black henna dries faster, looks more like a real tattoo,
and lasts longer, but deposits p-phenylenediamin in the skin. The more you
know.
The main square of the medina really comes alive at night,
and food stands – complete with dining tables – will emerge from thin air. Vendors will try to seat you immediately as
you walk by, but it’s an easy way to grab a cheap/quick bite to eat. And they say that the Moroccans take their
food seriously, so watch and pick a place locals eat at. Those stands and cafes won’t necessarily be
the places that all the tourists flock to.
The many souks inside the medina can be accessed from the
square, though the medina paths were designed to confuse invaders (and work
equally well to confuse tourists). Many
boys and men will capitalize on tourists’ confusion, and offer to “help” you
find something, but will more often lead you to a friend’s spice shop or demand
excessive payment. Souks are really
visually fascinating, and vendors will be selling absolutely anything and
everything, from leather goods tanned in the city to old Polaroid cameras,
Berber knives, and fake Ray Bans.
After hitting the Bahia Palace and the Ali Ben Youssef Islamic Madrasa, we were on our way to the Saadian tombs (one of the few
remaining examples of Saadian architecture left in the world, since the rest
was destroyed by a superstitious invader who feared disturbing the dead. And we got lost in the Jewish quarter
(Mellah) of Marrakech, which is home to the majority of the city’s spice
markets. And a very nice young man
offered to point us the way (“no no! not for money – only to practice my
English!”), and he proceeded to get us more lost in said Jewish quarter, and left
us in front of a spice shop where we spent 20 minutes extricating ourselves
from a shopkeeper who seemed determined to set every item on fire and have us
sniff it (I did get to see/smell/burn frankincense, sandalwood, and a lot of
other things, which was kind of cool).
Eventually, after much more wandering, several more men who offered to “help,”
and an encounter with a very nicely painted but misleading sign, a lovely woman
took pity on us and showed us the way to the tombs. For which we are eternally grateful. And eternally disillusioned with Moroccan
men.
Let’s talk more about the fire for a second. Basically anytime you stop in Marrakech, the
shopkeeper will whip out his conveniently located lighter, and attempt to light
on fire whatever you unfortunately happened to have laid eyes on. Not only did this happen with the majority of
items of in the spice shop, but with a wide variety of metal, leather, and
textile goods. If I had a dirham for
every time a shopkeeper in Marrakech offered to set something on fire for me as
a testament to its quality… well, I would be rich… in addition to nearly having
been immolated. It happens on occasion
in other places, but I’m surprised the whole souk hasn’t burned down at this
point.
Anyway, we did finally find the Saadian tombs, the Bahia palace, and the Ali Ben Youssef Madrasa/museum.
Which are all absolutely architecturally stunning, but are all strangely
similar and kind of look the same in pictures…
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| pigeons nesting in the kasbah walls |
Look at all the ceilings! (this is kind of where things start to look the same)
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| maybe they all look they same, but they are pretty |
Koutubia Mosque
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| Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca was modeled after this one |
One last must-see in Marrakech is the Jardin Majorelle. The gardens were originally created by French
artist Jacques Majorelle, restored by French designer Yves Saint Laurent and his
partner Pierre Berge in the 1980s, and are still maintained by the Yves Saint
Laurent Foundation. There is a monument to
Saint Laurent erected in a shaded corner of the gardens, and his ashes were
scattered in the gardens after his death.
(The approval extended toward these gardens and the Yves Saint Laurent
Foundation by an overtly religious and generally anti-homosexual state would make
for an interesting topic of discussion, which we will leave for another time.)
But the gardens are stunning. Actually awe-inspiring. Though they can be explored in a relatively
short time, and are teeming with American and European snowbirds eager to
discuss their own youthful experiences with you, it’s the kind of place that
makes you want to sit and soak up silence for a while. The wide variety of
flora – anything from fuzzy cacti and peeling bamboo, to palm trees and delicately
climbing flowers – are broken up by winding pathways and understated water features. And the
blue. The blue is what makes these gardens. The pots and
doors and paths are accentuated with sunshine yellow and an eye-burning cobalt
blue. It's what reminds you that the place was created by an artist and lovingly restored by a designer. The gardens are just a really calming respite from the constant chaos of Marrakech. You might even leave devoid of the desire to stab the next person who offers you directions. (But make sure to skip the overpriced cafe where you'll pay 40 dirhams for coffee instead of 6. What a joke. Who do they think we are? Tourists?)
Long story short, if you get one day in one Moroccan city,
Marrakech is where you should go. It’s
one of the largest, busiest, and most touristic cities in Morocco. This is where you’ll get your urban ‘African
experience’ (for better or worse).
And here's more pictures of Marrakech that I thought were interesting, but don't fit logically anywhere.
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| Dates on the trees (or figs? what do I know) |
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| I can confirm for a fact that these are orange trees |
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| The Maroc Telecom CyberPark - a verdant oasis where you can get enough wifi to check your facebook, while on a romantic walk with your significant other |
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| more Maroc Telecom CyberPark (props to their commitment to advertising) |
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| Herons nest outside of the Bahia Palace |
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