Palaces, Tombs and Souq's oh my
Trip Start
Sep 03, 2007
1
35
70
Trip End
Dec 16, 2010
Marrakech, Morocco
Friday, December 12, 2008
We wandered down Mohammed V, past the cyber park and onto The Koutoubia, which is the most famous mosque. The minaret is 70m high and towers over everything. It is said that the word minaret comes from the Arabic term Al- manar, which means lighthouse and minaret.
We arrived at the Djemaa el-Fna, the huge square, which is known for its food stalls and entertainment. At this time in the morning, it was no where near quiet, rather the day had begun and slowly filling up with locals out shopping and looking for a bit of a laugh, tourists eager to see the sights and spectacles. The orange juice and dried fruit stalls were already trading and the Henna girls were running after business.
We had a quick breakfast in a cafe lining the square of coffee and non-croissant...during the 25 minute wait, the waiter kept telling me that our croissant was coming, another 10 minutes later, we were told there weren't any? Welcome to Morocco!!!!
A guided tour through the souqs gave us an idea how large this area was and how easy it was to lose oneself (in all the shopping to be done!). For me, I was amazed at the rich colours and textiles on offer for photography, the locals shopping, the smells and sounds of the market. I really was in photography heaven!
Of course most stalls are selling to the tourist, but many locals shop here to for a few bits and pieces. The men sit around haggling and welcoming you, mostly in arabic or french and you can either continue on or stop for a gander....and if you are keen on purchasing you might end up sitting and chatting over mint tea.
Heading back to the square, a few of us were grabbed by the henna girls. Seeing that I had already been hennaed over one hand I wasn't keen to do the other, but the woman grabbed my wrist and starting painting, even though I was pulling away, she kept saying free free for you, but I knew better, but I was trapped, if I pulled away I would end up with a right mess all over my hand and clothing, so I got stuck with another hand of paint, to make matters worse the woman then asked me for MAD200. What no way!!! I replied to her that she had told me it was free and how can she expect me to pay when she mauled me.....she started arguing with me, so I told her I would give her MAD 50 and that was it, she seemed happy enough.....the rest of the day (once it had dried and flaked) I walked around with my hands in my pockets!
We left the group and a few of us headed off on our own adventure, finding our destinations closed we headed to the Earth Cafe for a spot of organic vegetarian food for lunch. It was filling and hearty, and quiet expensive but worth it.
We now found ourselves in the Kasbah and visiting the Saadian Tombs (next to Kasbah Mosque), this is the resting place of the Saadian princes and were only rediscovered in the early 20th Century. Continuing on to the Palais El Badi, built in 1578 and apparently known as one of the most beautiful palaces in the world. Part of this palace is still used for the current royal palace. Many of the high walls are nesting large storks. There is a 130m long court yard which has large sunken orange groves and gardens, providing a bit of lushness to the structure. Underneath we found a corridor of underground dungeons and storerooms....and this is where Tim was nearly lost. He said to me, peering into a pitch black hole, "There are steps". Ok lets have a look as he took one step straight down into the pit. I couldn't see the top of his head....so much for steps, more like one massive drop. The views from the towers were spectacular, all across the tops of the houses in the old town and the snow capped mountains with clouds spilling over the lip, in the distance...
Our last evening on tour, we all met in the square, after watching the snake charmers and dancers at work. By now the square was pumping with people, folklore telling, men selling a variety of goods, some doing magic tricks, miming or acrobatics. The food stalls were lit up and set up with many tables and chairs and the air was filled with smoke and smells of meats and seafood cooking on open charcoal grills. Our stall served up amazing fried calamari and mixed brochettes which were delicious. We had all participated in a secret friend swap and my secret friend had bought me a small leather camel.....
