Red City! Friday, 11/5/21

What does Marrakech evoke for you?  For me, it's spices and palaces, mazelike alleys and a large square with dancers and snake charmers, a marketplace with pottery and rugs and all manner of goods for sale, hawkers who'll pester you to death, a city that sizzles with activity.  And Marrakech is all of this, and more.  The Medina of Marrakech was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.  Our group would visit several of the renowned sites while here.  We would have a very busy day!

Our field trip began at this point -- Marrakech's most famous landmark:  Koutoubia Mosque's 12th-century 250ft high minaret can be seen from every point in the city.  Notice the color of the minaret.  A reddish-ochre.  Because many buildings in the city are from the same ochre-colored clay, Marrakech was nicknamed:  The Red City.  I think it's mandated now that all new buildings be this color.

I am continually surprised on this trip.  Who imagined seeing Magpies in Morocco?  Here you go:  the Maghreb Magpie.

 

On the northwestern side of the Koutoubia Mosque minaret are the ruins of the original prayer hall. The story goes that it collapsed during the massive 1755 Lisbon earthquake, killing hundreds of people as it crumbled. The stumps on the floor are the hall's columns, and they remain in situ as a memorial.

 

Five times a day, the call to prayer echoes from the loudspeakers atop the minaret.  There are no stairs inside the minaret, only a ramp that the muezzin would have once ridden up on horseback to give the call to prayer.  Now a microphone is used!  We found the minaret's Moorish design to be eye-catching from every angle.  A lovely garden is next to the mosque.  In the foreground is Paper Flower, a type of Bougainvillea.  

I'm sorry, I laughed.  I couldn't help it.  These two are called "water men."  In days of yore, they provided a service as water sellers.  Carrying well water in their large leather pouches (animal bladder, is my guess, camel or goat), they'd ring their bells as a way of advertising.  With bottled water easily obtained now, these guys are basically a tourist attraction.  You take their picture, they expect to be paid.  Our guide gave them a coin or two ... hence the pic.  BTW, the hats are typical Berber head coverings.

Walking to the medina,

trying not to get run over. 

This is the argan oil lady.  She's pressing Argan seeds (inside round domed thing in front of her) to obtain the oil (light brown, at her feet).  I'm told the oil has health benefits (it's expensive).  Didn't buy any.

You wouldn't believe the exquisite beauty of the Bahia Palace.  Above is the courtyard and garden of the small riad.  I can't describe the palace ... almost five acres, with a labyrinth layout, room entering room entering room, apparently built piecemeal.  It's a historical landmark, built in the 19th Century, and more of a tourist attraction nowadays, a gorgeous one.

One of the ceilings!  Sculpted and painted.  Stunning.

Decorated ceilings, sculpted and painted stuccos. Tile floors and walls.

Leaded glass windows. Unbelievable artistry.

After the palace, we made our way to the medina, which is a walled, densely packed medieval city dating to the Berber Empire, with thriving souks. It's easy to get turned around, only to find you're back where you started from, or stuck in a dead end.  Luckily, we had guides to keep us from losing our way.

Priceless photo!

And then we were in Morocco's famous square:  Djemaa El Fna.  Maybe you've heard of it or read about it (I had).  I knew it could be wild and crazy, full of acrobats, snake charmers, food stalls, hawkers, henna tattoo artists, oh, what else?  Chained monkeys!  But, we were there early before lunch, and not too much was happening.  These fellas with the snakes had attracted a small crowd.  Take a picture?  Give a coin.  None of our group wanted to touch or get near any snakes!

So we made a round of the square (haha, get it?), looked at this 'n that, and decided we'd return around sunset, see if things got livelier.  Djemaa El Fna square is huge, and it's been a protected urban landmark since 1922 and UNESCO-inscribed since 2001 as a place of unique cultural exchange.

After lunch we visited Yves St Laurent's Majorelles Gardens -- a fantastic 12-acre oasis in the middle of Marrakech.  Its creator was an artist named Jacques Majorelles who started in 1923 and continued on for 40 years.  He gave the garden (and the world) its own vibrant and original color:  Majorelle Blue.  Oh, that blue!  The gardens were restored by French designer Yves St Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé.  Much of Morocco is desert or bordering on desert, and what you see here thrives on little or no water, a desert refuge.

Yup, sometimes others man the camera and you see me!

Look how green it is, even with cacti and palm trees and bougainvillea, and so on.  The bougainvillea was out-of-control pretty. 

These towering cactus have to be close to 100 years old.

One of the staffers took hold of my camera and directed us to stand here, move there, over further, go sit.  It was kinda cool.

Check out these cacti specimens.  I could've spent a lot more time on the paths, just looking, then sitting and looking, but we had to go.  It was a lovely interlude.  Of course there's a gift shop (I bought a post card) and a little outdoor café.  Jimmy sat and had a small coffee, and I know he must have felt suave and debonair surrounded by such beauty. 

What was next?  Back at the hotel, Bernice and Ibby and Jimmy and I decided to walk to a restaurant nearby for dinner -- Paul's.  The night was chilly and indoor seating was full, so we sat outdoors inside a plastic tent and stayed warm.  No one spoke English except us.  In Marrakech, French seems to be  preferred language, "bon soir, madam."  We managed ....

We hailed a cab to return us to Djemaa el Fna.  It wasn't dark yet, but more people jammed the square.  More noise filled the square.  I think if we'd been there at 11pm (no, older folks are in bed by 11pm, even if they are in Morocco!), we would've seen even more stuff.  The food stall dudes (eat here, madam, as they wave a paper menu in your face) were sorta obnoxious.  These are outdoor places with a few tables and chairs, and a smoky cauldron emitting smells.  Oops, no thanks!  Monkeys and snakes and acrobats and henna ladies and guys selling paintings.  Ooh, look at that painting (we bought).  We wandered into the souk and looked at pottery and tee shirts and cups and oh gosh.  It was fun.  Really. 

When we'd had enough, we choose getting into a horsey wagon over taking a taxi to our hotel.  Ibby negotiated the price to an affordable level, and we rode back to the hotel in style!

What a day!  Whew, we were tuckered out.  Tomorrow will be different.  Stay tuned!