Morocco
Adventure
A
true crossroads of Africa, Arabia, and Europe, Marrakech is, for many travellers,
the experience to which all others in the country are compared. The city
thrives as Morocco’s
imaginative centre and attracts visitors throughout the year with its arts and
crafts and various festivals.
An
imperial capital on more than one occasion, this ochre-coloured city has a
surprisingly limited number of attractions, but it offers a complete sensory
experience that is immediately captivating. Its dynamic mix of traditional
folklore and exotic imagery is drawing record numbers of travellers into its
ancient, bustling median. However, amidst this surge in popularity,
Marrakech has been able to preserve its individual mystique and timeless
allure.
The
majority of Marrakech’s attractions lie within its ancient city walls and are
best located from the focal point of Jemaa el Fna. The minaret of the
Koutoubia Mosque and the Jemaa el Fna are the dominant images of the medina of
Marrakech. The essence of the city for a visitor is firmly around Jemaa el
Fna, the bustling square that stands plumb in the centre of the old walled
medina. As you walk past the snake-charmers and orange juice stalls and
tentatively enter the maze of alleys and lanes leading off in seemingly
haphazard directions, you come to realise that you are well and truly in the
medina. Some worthwhile places of interest north of Jemaa el Fna, such as
the souks, Ben Youssef Medersa, and Marrakech Museum, you’ll have to
rely on foot power. Outside the medina are the gardens Agdal, Menara, and
Majorelle, the latter known for its photogenic cobalt-blue buildings as well as
its gardens.
Gourmet
Cuisine & Dining Out
Morocco
has a distinctive, varied and very attractive national cuisine, with dishes from
simple to sophisticated that make great and imaginative use of Mediterranean
produce. Tagine, together with couscous, is the national dish, a slowly
simmered stew, cooked in its own juices in an earthenware bowl with a
distinctive conical lid. Spend any time in Morocco,
and you’ll become just like everybody else – a discerning tagine
connoisseur. Suffering from bouts of tagine fatigue can be countered by
discovering delicious variations from the norm, such as lamb tagine with dates
and figs, chicken tagine with apricot in saffron sauce, and vegetable tagine
that isn’t one big mass of overcooked mush.
The
centrepiece of most sit-down meals in Morocco
is couscous. Fine, grain-size pieces of semolina lightly steamed in an
aromatic broth until light and fluffy, couscous can be served with any meat or
vegetable, or a combination of both. When dining with Moroccans, you’ll be
encouraged to scoop up a handful - use your ‘clean’ right hand – and roll it
into a small ball before tossing it into your mouth. This is one of the
main reasons why most dinner tables in Morocco
are covered with plastic – and easily cleaned – tablecloths. It can also
be served as a pudding with sugar, cinnamon and rich warmed goat’s
milk.
The
principal drink of Morocco
is mint tea. This is green or gunpowder tea flavoured with a few sprigs of
mint and saturated with sugar. Traditionally brewed slowly over a charcoal
fire and sweetened by large chunks of sugar, the tea is poured from an arm’s
length height to aerate the brew. This is to be performed two to three
times – and tasted after each pour – before the tea is considered ready to
drink.
In
comparison to most Western countries, Morocco’s
seafood is very reasonably priced with a relatively range of daily
catches. Feast on the freshest seafood – handpicked by yourself and
chargrilled while you wait – at various fish markets and restaurants throughout
the country.
For
breakfast, try a baghrir – an aerated pancake, similar to a large English
crumpet. Moroccans and visitors alike droop over a baghrir (still
warm from the pan) covered in the argan-based amlou paste and topped with
crushed cashew nuts.
Nightlife
& Party with Locals
Today’s
Marrakech seems to be living two lives, both as a playground for international
jet-setters and a place where tradition still runs deep. In this city you
can eat lavishly in magnificent surroundings, and eat cheap fresh local food in
one of the world’s great public spaces. Those seeking a taste of old
Morocco
should spend at least one night at Jemaa el Fna. Arrive before the evening
to watch the sunset, followed by an array of musicians, story-tellers, and
dancers. After you’ve sampled the square, stroll along the adjoining rue
Bab Agnaou, or take a seat on Abd el Moumen
Square (in front of the
Koutoubia Mosque) and end the night with some prime people-watching.
Culture seekers should try to visit to the city during one of Marrakech’s
festivals, while those who prefer a night of dancing and drinks will find
everything from lounges to what claims to be the biggest club in Africa.
WHAT
TO SEE
Koutoubia
Mosque
Koutoubia
Mosque appears at its most elegant from a great distance. Approaching
Marrakech from the High Atlas, the tower rises magnificently above the barely
perceptible city. It is the largest in Marrakech and the city’s principal
landmark. Although it is closed to non-Muslims, its impressive structure
is still worth a look from the outside and the surrounding area is ideal for an
evening stroll. The minaret was completed during the reign of Yaacoub el
Mansour (1184-1199) and, as the ultimate structure of its kind - it was used as
a model for the Giralda of Seville and the Hassan Tower of Rabat. The
tower is 69 metres high and houses six rooms, one on top of the other, allowing
access up to the balcony. The top of the tower is adorned with four copper
globes, one of which was donated by the wife of Yaacoub el Mansour as
compensation for failing to fast for one day during Ramadan.
Jemaa
el Fna
In
the heart of the pink-walled Marrakech Medina is the central square Place Jemaa
el Fna. This is the city’s liveliest night-spot, which transforms from a
daytime bus station and market to an open-air theatre of folklore in the
evening. As the sun sets, coaches give way to food vendors and
performers. While locals tuck in to bowels of snails or a sheep’s head,
visitors mainly prefer a kebab. Beyond the stalls, acrobats climb and
tumble while exotic dancers entertain. The arcane also features heavily
with fortune-tellers, live bands, acrobats and story-tellers.
The
Menara
Gardens
The
tranquil Jardin Menara in Marrakech is a perfect place to escape the hustle of
the city and enjoy a picnic. Its wide olive groves are surrounded by a
loam wall and a mesmeric pool lies in the middle framed by the distant
snow-capped Atlas
Mountains.
The
Majorelle
Garden
One
of the city’s major attractions, this small botanical garden was created in the
1920s by French artist Jacques Majorelle and reflects his affection for contrast
and strong colour. It is now owned by the couturier, the late Yves
Saint-Laurent (who was born in Algeria).
The scent and colour of bamboo thickets, huge cacti, multicoloured
bougainvillea, and towering palms is offset by the brilliant cobalt-blue of
Majorelle’s former studio, now a small Museum of Islamic
Arts.
Saadian
Tombs
Marrakech’s
Saadian Tombs were created by Sultan Ahmed el Mansour of the Saadi Dynasty in
the late-16th century as a cemetery for himself and his
successors. In all, there are 66 indoor tombs, decorated with intricate
mosaics. The central Hall of Twelve Columns, containing the tombs of Ahmed
el Mansour and his family, is dark and lavishly ornate with a huge vaulted roof
and grey marble from Carrara,
Italy.
Outside, there are hundreds more tombs among the palm trees in the serene
gardens. The tombs are one of the most visited sites in
Morocco,
so in order to recapture some sense of serenity and isolation – go either early
in the morning or late afternoon.
Bahia
Palace
The
lavishly decorated Bahia
Palace in Marrakech was
built in the late-19th century as a harem’s residence by Si Ahmed ben
Musa. It is set in extensive gardens and features the key elements of
Moroccan architecture – light, symmetry and water. The rooms vary in size,
but each has its own quiet courtyard. The whole building features
carved-cedar ceilings, ceramic-tiled walls and fountains, shiny marble finishes,
stucco cornices and decoratively painted (zouak) ceilings.
WHAT
TO DO
Golf
Introduced
to Morocco
by the British back in 1917, the sport of golf gained the royal seal of approval
during the late 1960s, when King Hassan II became hooked. A spate of
course building followed, and today there are around 20 golf courses in
Morocco
ranging from 9 to 36 holes, some of which were designed by well-known masters
Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones, and Jones’s protégé, Cabell B.
Robinson. The best known of the country’s courses is at the Royal Dar es
Salaam Golf Club in Rabat. Set in a
forest of cork, eucalyptus, and oak trees, the club offers two 18-hole courses
(called red and blue), and one 9-hole (green) course. The red course –
rated in the world’s top 100 golf courses by GOLF magazine – plays host to
Morocco’s
annual Hassan II Golf Trophy. Within the environs of Marrakech are three
18-hole courses: the Marrakech Royal Golf Club, La Palmeraie Golf Club, and the
Amelkis Golf Club.
Shopping
Nobody
leaves Marrakech without buying something. Although some particular crafts
are better procured elsewhere – ceramics from Fes and silver jewellery from Tiznit – most
travellers come here to make their purchases. Almost every form of
Moroccan arts and crafts can be found amongst Marrakech’s labyrinth of
shops. Leatherwork, brassware, and copperware are traditionally of high
quality and reasonable cost in Marrakech, but there’s so much of everything here
that it’s easy to suffer from souk overload. The souks are among the
finest in the Arab world offering different spices, traditional medicine, fine
textiles, perfumes, soaps and so much more.
The
benefits of argan oil (produced from trees exclusive to south-west
Morocco)
are only beginning to be known in the Western world. Argan oil, valued for
its nutritive, cosmetic and numerous medicinal properties, remains one of the
rarest oils in the world. Argan oil is available at two new shops in the
medina. If you are anywhere near the Acima or Marjane supermarkets, have a
look at their argan oil and spice collection. Although obviously lacking
the medina shopping atmosphere, you are very likely to find the same products at
a fraction of the price.
Nightlife
& Casino
Put
on your jacket and tie and join the jet-setters at the Hotel La Mamounia’s Grand
Casino. Roulette, blackjack, craps and slot machines crowd into this
historic casino in the Hivernage. If you are looking for some cocktails to
be washed down to the tinkling of a piano, head for Le Churchill Bar in the
Mamounia Hotel. The Mamounia Hotel was Winston Churchill’s favourite
haunt, and his suite is preserved with his books, bed and photographs of him
painting in the garden.
Hiking,
Biking & Horse Riding
Marrakech
is superbly located as an initial base for a walking holiday. Hill walkers
can easily drive out in the morning to explore the lower valleys of the High
Atlas passes or the Central High Atlas. Toubkal National
Park is ideal for trekking and
mountain biking. For those interesting in horse riding, the Ourika Valley just outside
Marrakech is the ideal getaway.