Marrakech Books & Internet

Marrakech
Known as the "Red City" Marrakech is the capital of the south. The atmosphere is distinctly more African than that of the other Imperial cities, Fez, Rabat and Meknes. The setting of the city is stunning with ochre stucco buildings surrounded by the snow−peaked Atlas mountains. If you have the time, Marrakech is definitely worth a stay of several days.

The Jma−l−Fna is an unbelievable experience. It is a market scene straight out of the movies with snake charmers, musicians, dancing bears, acrobats and storytellers. Around the square there are numbered stalls that sell very cheap freshly−squeezed orange juice in the morning and afternoon. At night there are tables set up that you can eat at for a very reasonable price. Other sights include the impressive Koutoubia minaret and the Ben Youssef Medersa and the Saadian Dynasty tombs, the ruined 16th−century El Badi Palace the Dar Si.


Said Museum.

The artistic colors of the museum and beautiful gardens donated by Yves St. Laurent are a refreshing break
from the heat of the city. Spring is a good time to visit.
Marrakech − Bookshops
Marrakech has a few good bookshops, most in Gueliz, who have a good collection of French books. English
books are harder to find. Some of the budget hotels do book exchanges. Try hotel Essaouira.

all Librairie Gilot
Accross the street form Chatr, at no. 44 on the Avenue Mohammed V.
Librairie Chatr
Address: 19, Avenue Mohammed V (Gueliz).
Marrakesh − Internet Cafes

all Hotel Ali
Hotel Ali offers Internet access at good rates. The hotel is located about 200 meters from the Jma el Fna,
behind the post office. el Maroudi: happy ramadan to all my friend hendriks: I am the productmanager of
Sindbad reizen and Cycletours. Many times groups of ours have stayed in Hotel Ali, and we enjoyed
ourselves. Ewa Westling: Does Hotel Ali have an e−mailadress where you can book rooms?
Cybernet
tel: (212) 4 43 91 17 − (212) 4 43 84 04

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Ten must see marrakech jardins

Jacques Majorelle

French artist Jacques Majorelle (1886–1962) came to Marrakech in 1919 to recuperate from his heart problems and immediately saw the painterly potential of southern Morocco.

Louis Majorelle

Louis Majorelle was the painter’s equally famous father. A French decorator and furniture designer, he was one of the leading exponents of the Art Nouveau style. His work is displayed in celebrated museums, such as the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

The plants

A beautiful bamboo “forest” and an arid cactus garden with species from around the world share garden space (below). Most stunning of all are the flowering masses of red and purple bougainvillea. 

Bassins and fountains

The garden has a fountain and two large bassins or pools (left), the smaller fed by a sloping channel. Next to the museum, a third pool is filled with golden carp.

Boutique

In the northeast corner, a small boutique sells an interesting array of quality local handicrafts including clothing, jewellery and miscellaneous leather products such as bags, sandals and beautifully bound notebooks. However, there is a notable paucity of information concerning Majorelle and his garden.

Islamic Art Museum

The painter’s former studio now houses a small but well-presented collection that includes Berber jewellery, fine embroidery and carved wooden items.

Majorelle’s paintings

The museum’s first room has a series of lithographs depicting various Atlas kasbahs. Some of Majorelle’s most acclaimed works were the tourism posters that he created for Morocco.

Majorelle blue

The name Majorelle lives on in an electrifying shade of cobalt blue inspired by the Berber homes of southern Morocco. His former studio is strikingly painted in this colour.

Bassins and fountains

The garden has a fountain and two large bassins or pools (left), the smaller fed by a sloping channel. Next to the museum, a third pool is filled with golden carp. Petrol station

At the corner of Boulevard de Safi, this petrol station was designed by Jean-François Zevaco and is possibly the city’s most striking modernist building.

Doors and ceilings

Arguably the highlight of the museum is its collection of wooden doors and ceilings (below), all beautifully carved. Some of the ceiling panels are painted but most impressive are the huge double doors dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries.

Yves Saint- Laurent French designer Yves Saint-Laurent first visited the city in 1962. By the end of the ’60s, he’d bought his first house here, a palatial place in the medina known as the “House of the Serpent”. Later, he moved into a villa next to Majorelle Gardens, which he purchased and saved from being destroyed to make way for an apartment complex. Saint- Laurent still spends part of each year in the city.

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10 Marrakech Souvenis you can´t miss

Babouches 

Babouches are Moroccanslippers, handmade from local leather, although increasingly the babouches found in the souks are made of a synthetic plastic that only looks like leather. In their most basic form they are pointy-toed and come in a variety of colours – canary yellow being the most common – but are otherwise plain. However, lots of boutiques and shops customize their babouches with silk trim, or even carving the leather with exquisite designs.

Argan oil

Argan oil is an almost mystical substance to which all kinds of properties are attributed . Part of its mystique can be credited to the rarity of argan trees, which only grow in southwestern Morocco. The oil is sold all over the souks but much of it is low grade. For quality oil, it’s best to buy from a reputable dealer.

Carpets

Marrakech is famed for its carpets, made by the tribes of the south. Each tribe has its own patterns. Beware the salesmen’s patter. Some carpets are very old and made of genuine cactus silk but these are rare. Most sold today, though beautiful, are quite modern and made from non-natural fibres. Buy a carpet if you like it, and not because you have been told that it’s a good investment.

Pottery

 Each region of Morocco produces its own distinctive pottery. The local style is plain terracotta finished with colourful glazes. Ceramics from the Akkal factory would not look out of place in a cutting edge design shop. Or visit the big pottery souk outside Bab Ghemat which is to the southeast of the medina.

  

Lanterns

There are two types of lanterns: those that hang from the ceiling and those that sit on the floor. The former (known as fanous) are typically fashioned from metal and come in elaborate shapes with intricate decoration. The latter are made of skin and goats’ hair and are usually colourful. Look for them in the northern part of the souk or down at the Place des Ferblantiers.

Leather bags 

Marrakech is known for its leather. It is made by treating animal hides by hand in the tanneries  in the east of the medina which are then dyed. Unsurprisingly, the shops of the souk are filled with leather goods from purses to handbags to book bindings. Do plenty of window shopping before settling on an item. 

Candles  

Candles are used to great effect in local restaurants. They are sold in all shapes, colours and sizes in the souk, and some of the designs can be highly inventive. Some of the best are made by a small company called Amira (www. amirabougies.com) and you can buy them in various boutiques.

Jewellery 

The local Berber jewellery is silver, chunky and heavy. However, a number of artisans in Marrakech, both local and foreign, produce more modern designs. Look out for Joanna Bristow’s brilliant designs in select hotel boutiques such as La Maison Arabe .

Fashion 

Marrakech may have inspired countless foreign couturiers from Yves Saint-Laurent to Tom Ford. However, it’s only recently that the city has begun to develop a fashion of its own. There are some young Moroccan designers producing beautiful clothing, like the high profile brothers behind the boutique Beldi , whose collections made from local fabric are tailored to Western sensibilities.

Marra-Kitsch  

A recent trend amongst local designers involves taking the iconography of Marrakech and giving it a Pop-ish twist. Florence Tarrane of Kulchi does shoulder bags that feature the khamsa (five-fingered hand), the good-luck symbol of the Arab world. Hassan Hajjaj makes fanous from sheets of tin printed with advertising logos, sold at his riad (see www.riadyima.com).

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JEMAA EL FNA for food Connaisseurs

As day gives way to night, this famous square is decked out in inviting, make-shift tables, where you can sample grilled meats and traditional dishes.

"I couldn't believe the flawless organisation of the night restaurants in this fantastic square! Long tables are laid out in a flash, while the coals glow red and kebabs flash before your eyes accompanied by bread and tomato sauce. The sellers appeal to passers-by, inviting them to sit at their tables. Under the lights and the fumes, young and old find themselves sitting at the same benches partaking of timeless, unchanging dishes that include couscous with seven vegetables,

tagines, hot steaming snails, all types of kebabs and Moroccan salads to name but a few. It's a celebration of eastern flavours in a good-natured atmosphere all at tiny price. You could come back every night to Aicha's no. 27 stand or to Hassan's sandwiches at no. 78, before sinking back into the energetic colours of Jemaa el Fna."

Jack Rogers, chef at a London restaurant.

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The Fantasia of Morocco

We arrived in Tissa in the early morning. Festivities and competition was not due to start until around 9.30 am, so we spent time chatting with locals and checking out the magnificent horses as they were prepared for the big event - The Fantasia.

In the hours before the competition began, the contestants and their mounts were extremely busy. Every last detail of equipment was checked, saddles made ready and the rifles, that play such a dramatic part in the event, were loaded and discharged.

There was also a fair bit of horse-trading, with good horses selling for between 4000 and 9000 Euro.

The Tissa Horse Festival re-lives Morocco's rich and often war-like history. It's still extremely daunting to see a line of warriors dressed in white charging straight towards you on their spirited Arab stallions. Stopping within centimetres of the wooden fence at the finish, they fire muzzle loaded rifles in a deafening volley. On occasion a horse can't be restrained and breaks through.

While the Tissa Horse Festival is held in honour of a local patron saint, a fifteenth century Holy man, called Sidi Muhammad ben Lahcen, the displays of skilled horsemanship are primarily about speed, team work, discipline and manoeuvrability.

Teams are judged by officials who watch from in front and on both sides. The criteria involved includes the neatness of the formation as it charges, the ability to charge right up to the fence at the end of the field and the discharging of the rifles in unison.  It was an extraordinary event that thrilled the more than four thousand spectators.

There is no doubting the skills involved in this "sport" - and no way of avoiding the fact that is also dangerous. There were several minor spills, cuts and bruises during the morning events, but, thankfully, only one serious incident in which a horse fell and crushed the rider beneath him. What was so impressive was the speed in which first aid was available. It was no more than five seconds after the accident before the ambulance officer sprinted assist. The injured man was transported to hospital and his condition was not serious.

By the middle of the day, the competition was over and the teams paraded in front of the official tents. It was good news for the local team, who took out the first prize, closely followed by the horsemen of Fez.

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