Morocco- Marrakech

We have just spent 4 days in Marrakech and had a blast!  We used a central city car park near the Koutoubia Mosque which had been recommended by other motorhomers on the internet.  We were expecting to pay 60 dirhams per 24 hours, but once there we were told it would be 100 dirhams.  We tried to argue the toss to no avail, so paid for 2 nights to start us off.  When we went to pay for our 3rd night 2 days later, a different guardian wondered if he needed to give us change for the 100, and a local who translated for us, said we could stay for as long as we like!  I responded to him that we must be paying too much!  I didn't mind however as for 9 euros for each 24 hours we had a guardian sit about 5 metres in front of our van day and night.  It was an extremely conveniently located parking place and saved us from paying for a taxi back and forth from a campsite.

Now to the city itself!  It is a bustling place, where crossing the road was a challenge in itself.  There was a good Police presence, and although you should always have a close eye on your belongings, in no way did we feel unsafe.

The Koutoubia Mosque

The Bab Agnaou gate

This was our second Moroccan city and the first time we had really seen what would be classed as pay tourist attractions.  We started off at the Saadian Tombs.  They are a 16th century resting place of many princes, chancellors and wifes of the Saadian dynasty.  It is vital to do your own research and bring your guidebook as here there was no information available (you can hire a guide).  The tombs were walled up a few decades after they were built and only unearthed in 1917 due to discovery from some aerial photos.  There is fantastic architecture in the place and mostly well kept apart from one area which they are tidying up.  We made an effort to visit early as there is limited space to view the tombs and there would be queues when it is busy.

Next stop was the El Badi Palace.  It was built in the 16th century by king Ahmed el Mansour, the most famous of the Saadians and took 25 years to complete.  Now it is mainly ruins.  As well as walking amongst the ruins we were able to climb up onto the roof terrace which gives good views of the city.  There were also about a dozen storks nesting on rooftops nearby.  We even saw half a dozen fly back to the nests after feeding.  There is also a minbar from the Koutoubia Mosque on display there.  It was made in the 12th century.  It was used every Friday (the most important religious day here) up until 1960.  The preacher would stand upon it to give sermons.  It was restored and on display with several panels of information nearby explaining the history and restoration of it.

We then visited Bahia Palace.  It is a group of houses linked together and has very impressive ceilings, archways and courtyards.  Like the Saadian tombs and El Badi palace it is 10 dirhams (1 euro each) to enter, which is great value for what you get to see.

That afternoon we had a walk around the new town area.  We met our friend Gabrielle that evening in the main square Place Jemaa el Fna.  Gabrielle is also spending a year in Europe and we last saw her at Dale's brother Mark's wedding in May last year.  Place Jemaa el Fna is the central square in Marrakech.  Restaurants and souvenir shops line the outside and in the centre are food and juice stalls, ladies offering henna, snake charmers, monkeys and falcons.  It is a bustling place, and one to keep your wits about you especially at night.  We made our way to a restaurant for dinner which had a balcony overlooking the square.

The next day we spent with Gabrielle seeing the sights north of the main square.  Getting to the Maison de la Photographie proved interesting as we went via the maze of souks (markets).  We were approached several times to visit the tanneries.  We knew to avoid this, but it was confirmed by reading tripadvisor later and reading several stories from people who had been hustled there by unwanted guides.  We were also told by a man that the Photography museum was closed due to refurbishment (after he had pointed us in the wrong direction too).  We had also heard of people doing this so didn't really believe him.  We still couldn't find it so we headed to the Ali Ben Youssef Medersa, which we had planned to see that day too.  We actually asked the gentleman selling the tickets there and he confirmed the photography museum  was open and gave us directions.

The Medersa was founded in the 14th century and was the largest Quranic learning centre at the time.  It housed 900 students in 132 dorm rooms.  We were able to go into all the dorm rooms, some of which were displayed as they were at that time and there was a large courtyard which was very impressive also.

Next we finally made it to the Maison de la Photographie.  It is in a traditional riad (a house inwhich the rooms and balconies face onto a central courtyard) and showcases photos from 1890 to 1940.  Photographers came to Morocco to photograph what was considered mysterious lands and people.  The photos feature parts of Marrakech, also the Atlas mountains and Tanger.  We had lunch up on the roof top terrace, which was peaceful up above the hustle and bustle of the streets.

Lunch: aubergine salad (left) and chicken tagine

Our last museum of the day was the Museum of Marrakech.  It was established in 1997 and features contemporary art, clothing, pottery, knives and daggers and an original hamman (bath house).

We had a couple of hours left before dinner so we headed to the souks!  Gabrielle did well buying several items and Dale bought a berber wool jersey.  He'd had his eye on one for a while so it was good that he found one he liked and managed to buy it for 240 dirhams (21.40 euro) after the shop keeper started at 400 dirhams.  I finally bought some scarfs for 60 dirhams each, starting price was 120 dirhams.  Dale bought two small boxes (We hope made of camel bone, not plastic!) for 80 dirhams.  He spent about 10 minutes haggling and left the shop twice.  We were happy enough with the price of 40 dirhams per box, but we had a good laugh the next day when we saw them in a fixed price shop for 40 dirhams each!

Gabrielle and Dale

We said our goodbyes to Gabrielle, and hope to see her again in Morocco further north.  On our final day in Marrakech we went to a garden called Jardin Majorelle.  It was 50 dirhams each to go, but we had heard good feedback about it.  It was originally started by Jacques Majorelle in 1924 and opened to the public in 1946.  After he died Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge acquired the property and restored it.  In is now run by their foundation.  The contrasting colours of the plants and the buildings was very pretty, it was well shaded from the heat and quiet (apart from the tourists of which there was many).