Marrakesh, Morocco

Travelling down the Road of a Thousand Kasbars

Next up on our Moroccan tour was the ancient imperial city of Marrakech. This morning we begrudgingly squashed our bags into the back of the bus and climbed aboard. 

The mood was relatively mixed, we were excited to get back on the road and begin exploring Marrakech but we were also tired, in need of a good sleep and a bit sad that our tour was nearing its end.

The journey to Marrakech, Friday man said, was estimated to take us three to four hours, through Morocco's beautiful southern valleys and along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs. A route famed as being one of the most scenic in the world. The road traverses the High Atlas Mountains which separates the Sahara desert from the dry, sandy Marrakech plains. We set off, looking out the dirty, water smeared window at the changing landscape around us. First we passed an impressive wasteland of rock and scrub, then a blanket of green began to grow around us, smothering the hills. The bus chugged and chugged up, the hills turned to mountains and we could only see dry brown rock. After two hours on the road we made our first stop.

View from the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass

View back towards the Sahara

Long winding roads

Kasbah on the hill

We had reached the Tizi-n-Tichka pass, a unique rural location with an elevation of 2260m. It was surprisingly warm when we climbed from the bus to look out at the views behind us.

Kasbah on the hill

Over winter the area is often covered in five meter drifts of snow, but it was dry and rocky now. Sellers came at us with Chinese made fossils and followed us around enticing us to buy scarfs or jewellery. 

We didn't stay long but started our long downhill descent navigating violent hairpin bends and sharp blind corners that the driver took far too quickly. There were no barriers along the edge of the road and we got close enough several times to see the severe drop off. 

The mountain face was scarred by rock slips and as we descended, beautiful kasbahs grew from the sides of the hills. We made another stop for coffee and the bathroom. Outside, standing in the shade, the air was substantially cooler. As we waited outside the shop, we looked at the tables of white crystal and watched a man across the road plowing a field with the help of two donkeys. With few passing cars we felt like we were in the middle of nowhere.

Friday couscous

It was just after lunch time when we arrived into Marrakech. Being a Friday, a traditional day to eat couscous, we went across the road from the hotel for lunch after checking in. We sampled the Moroccan couscous which apparently takes several hours of steaming to properly prepare. It was quite nice, a little dry but very soft and fluffy. This was eaten with a sour milkshake, which was interesting but didn't help the upset stomachs at the table.

After lunch we took the bus to the old city and said our final goodbyes to the bus driver, 'Friday man'. We picked up a local tour guide and then our city tour began. 

He explained, Marrakech located on the foothills of the High Atlas has been inhabited by Berber farmers since Neolithic times. The city was founded officially in 1062 by Abu Bakr ibn Umar, cousin of te King Yusuf ibn Tashfin. The city slowly grew and in the 12th century huge progress was made in building the city, establishing it as a cultural, religious and trading centre which was protected with large red city walls. Perfectly timed with what he was saying, he pointed at the walls we passed.

Moutoubia Mosque, Morocco

The guide, dressed in his local hooded cape was very knowledgable. He told us all kinds of interesting stories as we walked and he answered all our questions. First up we went to the red sand stone Koutoubia Mosque, located in the corner of Marrakech's southwest medina. Ornamented with curved windows and decorative arches, we stood outside and admired it. 

Built between 1184-1199 it remains the highest structure in the city with council laws restricting building height. The towering minaret is topped by a golden spire of traditional Morocco style, which legend has it they made from the melted jewellery of the king's wife. We circled around the building, not allowed the privilege to enter as non-Muslims and took our photos.

A ceiling inside the Saadian Tombs

We continued on, passing through the city's inner walls. Far in the distance we could see snow-covered mountains, bordering the city fringe. It made a stark contrast to the 35 degree temperature blanketing us. 

Walking quickly through the heat and watching people around go on with their day-to-day business, we moved across roads and past shops. Our guide took us down narrow alleys and through a single file corridor into the Ancient Saadian Tombs. Built between 1578 and 1603 the tombs were only discovered in 1917 by a French pilot. It is said that the mausoleum which contains the graves of over sixty members of the Saadi dynasty was hidden by jealous Alawite Sultan Moulay Ismail, who thought they were better out of sight and out of mind. Inside the renovated mausoleum are beautifully decorated rooms, which incorporates Italian marble, gilding honeycomb murqarnas and pure gold. Graves are covered in mosaics and shrubs dot between them. We had a quick walk around admiring the beauty and tranquility of the gardens. Our guide explained that the king died from the plague. Terrible times. 

Handcrafted ceiling inside the Bahia Palace

Palace gardens

We had one last stop, the Sultan's palace. Also built during the Saadi dynasty by Sultan Ahmed El-Mansour between 1578 and 1607, it's surprisingly still in use by today's royal family. Surprising because the ancient building is in ruins. Also called the Bahia palace which in Arabic means beautiful, brilliance or the incomparable and was named after the Sultans favourite wife. Although it doesn't have the same glamour it once did when the walls and ceilings were encrusted with gold from Timbuktu, it is still beautiful. Artisans from all across the country were called upon to work on the palace.

Islamic stain-glass mosaics

We walked through, admiring the walls and rooms until our guide explained in great detail how the sultan had many wives. Of course as tradition, only four were official wives and the other 20 or so were unofficial wives gifted to him from villages or in exchange for gold. 

The unofficial wives were cared for by a 'strong woman' who assisted in assuring they would not become pregnant to the sultan as this fateful mistake would see their timely execution after delivery. The child would be kept however, raised as nothing more than a slave. 

With a sad bitter taste in our mouths we left the palace to finish our tour in the central medina. Following our guide who moved at lightening speed. 

Olives and lemons

Rug shop in the medina

Market in an open square

Deep in the heart of the medina

Moroccan sweets

Local donuts

Salt blocks

Tourism and locals shopping

We walked with him through the busy medina. Not really getting a chance to stop and look, he weaved in and out of alleys and we tried hard not to lose sight of him.

All around us were bright colours and natural light that filtered from the wooden coverings above.

Eventually, we walked through into the main square, Jemaa el-Fnaa. The beating of the drums resonated in time with the beating of our pounding hearts. They called out to us, confused us and simultaneously excited us.

People all around us yelled for our attention in French, Spanish and Arabic. Somewhere on our right were flutes charming dangerous serpents. Men walked pushing donkeys or large wooden carts. We were alone. Yassine, the guide, had disappeared with a promise to meet us at the hotel for dinner tonight and the city guide had fallen off the wayside some time ago. He was gone as quickly as we had blinked our eyes and suddenly everything was scarier and overwhelming.

Spices for sale

Moroccan lamps

Fresh mint- ready for tea

Instantly bombarded with a man demanding money for a photo, we walked across the square to a large cafe. Here we were offered a safe view and with a drink could watch the comings and goings below us. It was an amazing sight and the drums still beat so loudly that we couldn't hear each other over the noise.

Turn up your sound for a feel of the Jemaa el-Fnaa!

Tangines and pottery

Moroccan lamps

Spices!

Popuri and dried flowers

We walked through the food area, past small monkeys dressed in clothes, past wooden carts with fresh snails being steamed and we were so overwhelmed, we just had to keep going. We walked alone through the small alleys looking at the traditional clothing that sat across from shops selling jeans. We watched men bag dried fruits, local woman haggle over the price of sandals and children run around, in and out of shops. We stayed half an hour looking and absorbing everything with all of our senses, but with the setting sun approaching, made the decision to find the line 1 bus to take us back to the hotel- another whole adventure in itself.

Old fashioned toothbrushes

Food stalls

Tania, watching the square

People going about business

Dried fruit stand

Carpet shops

Leather shops

French eclairs for dessert

That night we had a glorious dinner together and it was time to say goodbye as the tour ended. Our wonderful adventure in Morocco had finished and we felt so grateful to have had the opportunity to experience and explore such an unusual culture from our own. The next afternoon we were already back on the plane bound for Madrid.

Tot siens,

Kara (Tania/Stu and John by association).