Day Three: MarrakechTuesday followed the same pattern as Monday, but we did the South of the Medina, as opposed to the North which we did the day before.
While walking, we passed through a different souk which was interesting. This guy was uber talented, making intricate woodwork with his toes!
We started off by going to El Bahia Palace. This palace was built in the late 1800s, and I believe it took 15 years to complete. It’s beautiful and interesting to see how they lived. Each of the king’s 4 wives had their own quarters, with the favorite one having an entire riad to herself (she became the favorite by having the first son).
Also interesting to note is the Star of David floorwork in one of the rooms. Apparently, they were eager to show the good relations with the Jews and used this pattern often.
After the palace, we walked through the Mellah – the Jewish Quarter. While once housing hundreds of Jews, it is now all but empty. There is a Jewish cemetary which we visited a few days later, so I’ll expound then.
We walked towards the Lazama Synagogue and found an Arab kid standing outside yelling – you Jewish? Shalom! Synagogue here. He learned some basic Hebrew and holds himself as the official ‘guard’ of the shul. It would be difficult to find if you don’t know your way around.
Lazama Synagogue is one of several remaining in the Mellah. To my knowledge, it is the main one and the only one that is still open daily to the public. It’s beautiful, with a nice courtyard (riad) and garden area inside.
I believe the original synagogue on this site was built in 1492, when the Jews fled Spain. The current building was built at the turn of the 20 th century.
We visited the Saadian Tombs, a burial ground constructed by the Sultan in 1578. The tombs are magnificent decorated with marble, which is the Saadian’s signature look. It’s cool, but not a must-see.
We went back to the riad where we relaxed for a few hours and had dinner.
We headed back out to Jemaa El Fnaa where we hung out with some snakes, and the souks where we stayed for a bit and shopped.
We then went to Le Comptoir Darna, a popular restaurant in the New City. We couldn't eat, but got drinks and enjoyed the entertainment, which was lively Moroccan music, dancers, and entertainers. It’s nice to walk around the New City and get a totally different side of Marrakech. It’s quiet and clean, with beautiful hotels and nightclubs. The cars parked are all luxury cars and there are contemporary, western shops.
Interesting paradox to the grungy, loud, stuck-in-time medina.
Day Four: Atlas MountainsThe Atlas Mountains is a great day trip from Marrakech. It has beautiful scenery, slightly cooler weather, and is a general reprieve from the hustle and bustle.
We arranged with a company to do a full day trip, which includes the drive from Marrakech, which is about 2 hours.
We started off in Imlil Valley by having refreshments and mint tea at a local riad. Mint tea is a staple in Morocco and is how they welcome anyone. We were served mint tea at almost every location we went to.
The riad had a terrace where we enjoyed our tea and an incredible view.
We then set out on a hike through the mountains, stopping at a scenic waterfall to cool off. The hike was really intense, but it was magnificent and thankfully the weather was a bit cooler than the previous days. It’s interesting to see a different part of Morocco in the villages, with the simple, hardworking Berbers. They are visibly friendlier than the people of Marrakech, all smiles, saying hello, and just overall have a more easygoing nature.
At the waterfall, the locals were clambering over hard rocks barefoot, seemingly not bothered at all.
Another fascinating aspect was how the women were all swimming fully clad in their burkas, which knocked down our perpetual being-the- most-covered- females-around status. The water was FREEZING so maybe the burkas came in handy
.
We hiked for about 2.5 hours and then made our way back to the riad where we enjoyed a relaxing lunch.
On our way, we stopped at local Berber shop where we bought some items. When we discovered later that one of the scarves we bought was missing, the shop owner was super nice and told us to head to his brother’s shop where he’ll give us a new one. We found, in general, that most shop owners, hotel staff etc. throughout Morocco, were all super nice, polite, and eager to help. It was a nice change from the New York mentality we are used to.
The simple Berber homes:
We then set out for a camel ride, which we did for about an hour.
On our way back to Marrakech, we stopped in an Argan Oil ‘factory’. This is made from the fruit of the Moroccan Argan tree, and is a lengthy process done mostly by Berber women. They do everything by hand and need numerous Argan nuts for a tiny bottle of oil. Argan Oil is used for culinary and cosmetic purposes.
We got back to Marrakech pretty late, so we had dinner and called it a night.
Day Five: Marrakech and Desert AgafayWe spent our morning in the medina and opted to view it from a different vantage point: a caleche. These are horse drawn carriages that are lined up in Jemaa El Fnaa and offer tours of the medina.
We drove around and were able to see the sights in a leisurely fashion. When driving through the mellah, we passed the Jewish cemetery, so we alit for a quick stop. It’s much larger than it looks from the outside and is well preserved. This is the largest Jewish cemetery in Morocco, and it’s beautiful, with white washed tombs and sandy graves. Most of the graves don’t have names of them, but they say that some of them date back to the 16th century. There’s a large section for tinokos shel bais rabban, which is basically a mass grave of children that died in a plague, as well as numerous graves of great Rabbis. It’s very sad to see such a vast cemetery which hints to the great life that once was here.
We drove around some more and made a stop at La Mamounia – an exquisite, opulent hotel. If you’re willing to spend a bit more, and don’t want the raid experience, this is the way to go! It was certainly worth a visit, just to look around at the grandeur and beauty of this hotel. Just the entranceway and garden is amazing, and it certainly gives a feel for the rich Moroccan lifestyle. The staff were really gracious even though they knew we were just taking a look around.
We were dropped back off at Jemaa El Fnaa where we had told the driver of our half-day trip to meet us. We then drove about 45 minutes from Marrakech for our Quad Biking trip.
Visiting the Desert Agafay is a good option if you would like to get the feel of the sand dunes and desert, but don’t have the time to travel all the way south to the Sahara. Quad biking, or ATVing as we know it, was a really fun way to explore the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains, and the beautiful Desert Agafay. We also drove by the stunning Lake Takerkoust, and stopped there later for mint tea.
The desert was vast and silent, with just the sand blowing in our faces and the sound of the ATVs. I was unsure about adding this to the itinerary since I generally steer away from doing things I can do at home, but I’m really glad I left it in! Great fun and great views all around!
It was also really funny how, when getting to the desert, we drove on the main road and the cars actually yielded to us and took it all in stride. Only in Morocco do mules, scooters, cars, and ATVs all get equal treatment on the road.
We drove back to Marrakech, hung out in Jemaa El Fnaa and the souks for a bit before going back to Riad Kheirradine to pack up and get ready to leave for Casablanca early the next morning.
Topic Wiki
