Marrakech, une ville rouge

Morocco
A country resting on the Western Sahara at the foothills of
The Atlas Mountains, where 12th Century traditions and
Present Day live side by side, entertaining your senses.
Marrakech (French spelling) or Marrakesh (English)
in Morocco, or Moroc (French), seems to be the vacation
destination for the French (at least the ones I know).
Marrakech, known as the "Red City", is a maze of
terra cotta pink walls (17 shades).

Without a doubt, the highlight for me was the Souk in
the old Medina just off the Djemma El Fna
(the happening square).
It is the oldest and largest souk (marketplace) in Moroc.
If you go, be prepared to get lost in the narrow, winding
alleyways of artisan workshops, divided into 12 different
sections.
Souk Chouari - Baskets and Wood Sculpting
Souk des Bijoutiers - Jewelry..(some good bargains on gold)
Souk el Attarine - Perfumes and oils
Souk des Forgerons - Copper
Souk Haddadine - Ironwork
Souk Cherratine - Leathergoods
Souk Rahba Qdima - Sheepskin, carpets and tapistries
Souk Smata - Babouches (pointed slipper shoes)
Souk as-Smarrine - Fabrics
Souk Larzal - Wool
Souk des Teinturiers - The tanneries where they use
saffron for rich yellows, poppies for red, antimony for
black and indigo for blue.

It has it's own unique character and is beautiful in the

morning with the sunlight gleaming thru the bamboo cover.

Learn the phrase

Rali-Besef (beaucoup cher, too expensive),

as the locals are fairly aggressive people when it comes to

getting your Dirham (Moroc's currency).

This is a bargainer's paradise!

Wear comfortable shoes as you'll spend half your time

jumping out of the way of scooters, bicycles, wagons and

donkey carts all in a rush to go somewhere.

One of my favorite sections was the food market. Surprise!

I must have taken 30 photographs of spice displays. I just

could not resist the colours! The meat market was

interesting although quite smelly!

There are a few antique stalls, but I only bought a few

painted tiles, clothes and pottery pieces.

There are just some places you have to visit for yourself.

Marrakech is one of them. If I told you about the traffic

jams due to the scooters, donkey carts, horse carriages,

slow moving camels, and taxi's, the snake charmers in

the square, the public baths for men to wash their feet,

hands, and face before entering the Koutoubia Mosque,

and the huge storks that watch over it all,

you wouldn't believe me. Go see for yourself.

It's entertainment at its best !

My favorite food was the melaoui (crepes) made from

semolina and the orange slices dusted with fresh, oh so

fresh, cinnamon. A wonderful combination!

Now, with all that being said, mind you, Morocco is still

a Third World country.

They continue to have Human Rights issues and gender

inequalities. The illiteracy rate hovers around 50% and

even though compulsory education was introduced in

the 60's, many rural children still do not attend school.

There are sections of town whose only use is to

house garbage, skinny stray cats roam the streets, and

the police are corrupt. (I have first hand knowledge of

that one).

Just didn't want to over romanticize the place.

For me, these were realities that were sometimes

difficult to ignore and saddened me.

It was always nice to return to our resort hotel.

It is still a beautiful country, rich in tradition and

I am thankful that I had the opportunity to see it.

In a future post I'll take you to Essaouira, on the

Atlantic coast and thru the Ourika Valley.

Hope you enjoy the photo's!