Day 6 - Marrakech  5/16/22

Morocco

Frank's Trip

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Marrakech...

I understand that in India they have sacred cattle roaming about - a lot of them. Here in Morocco it seems to be cats... there are cats roaming around EVERYWHERE or just picking a place to live and moving in there. Of course, in most places they aren't inside cats, they live just outside the door - or in the smoking area in front of the lobby at the hotel I'm in. Only 1, though.

They still use donkeys in Marrakech to haul things around through the alleyways.

The Medina

Various scenes walking through parts of the Medina

In The Medina

There are innumerable little shops scattered along the larger byways and in smaller alleyways throughout the Medina.

One can often bargain by simply looking and showing interest in something and asking the price. Just putting it back and walking away seems the most effective negotiation (to me, at least). Prices drop radically if you pause to listen then walk on again (only a couple of steps). Typically a drop of 50% is offered rather quickly and, if one is really interested, a little negotiation will bring the price down a little bit more.

While looking around and obviously looking lost, I was approached more than once with an English speaker who seemed to just want to be friendly and chat me up. This ended up in his shop with his brother showing me the family photos and their area and nomadic lifestyle (Bedouin). And, of course, along with this interest and budding "friendship: and being like a "family member" there was an offer of items of merchandise. They can talk unceasingly without allowing a word from the subject. The point, though, is strictly sales.

Le Jardin Secret - The Secret Garden

The origins of the complex date back to the Saadian Dynasty, more than four hundred years ago. Rebuilt in the mid-Nineteenth century at the behest of an influential Kaid of the Atlas Mountains, Le Jardin Secret has been the home of some of Morocco and Marrakech’s most important political figures.

Today it can be appreciated by the public thanks to the recent renovation. Le Jardin Secret is part of the great tradition of stately Arab-Andalusian and Moroccan palaces. As a result visitors can discover its gardens and buildings, which are outstanding examples of Islamic art and architecture.

Almoravid Koubba - Koubba Ba'adiyn

Almoravid Koubba is Marrakech's oldest monument still standing, built in the 12th century during Ali Ben Youssuf's reign. Although its original use is unknown, some experts have suggested that it may have been the ablution house of a mosque that once sat next door. Its simple exterior design (a squat, square building topped with a dome) belies an interesting interior, with a dome ceiling covered in Almoravid motifs. The koubba was one of the few buildings to survive the damage inflicted by the Almohad conquerors, who destroyed much of the earlier Almoravid architectural legacy.

The very existence of the Koubba remained largely unknown until 1947 when it was first documented by French historians. In the following years excavations found that over half of the building was buried under 7 - 8 meters (about 25 feet) of debris. As the excavations proceeded no reconstruction or renovations were done - leaving the structure largely as it originally was.

ABOVE: Cistern for water storage

BELOW: In the Koubba looking up at the dome

Medersa Ben Youssef / Ibn Youssef School

The sumptuously decorated Medersa of Ben Youssef is one of the finest examples of Saadian era artistry in Morocco. This theological college (completed in 1565), directly opposite the Ali Ben Youssef Mosque, once homed 900 students and was the largest center for Quranic study in the country.

Shroub ou Shouf Fountain / Chrob ou Chouf

This is a historic wall fountain in the medina of Marrakech, Morocco. It dates from the late 16th or early 17th century. The artistry from its former life is evident, thanks to its wooden crown carved from cedar wood. Built during the reign of Sauudian sultan Ahmed el Mansour, the enchanted fountain was recognized as a a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

When I finally found it (not at all easy to do in the Medina) there was a continuing stream of people coming there for prayer. When I began to shoot pictures, they respectfully requested I not do so while people were at the fountain because they were saying brief prayers. A couple finished up and others stood aside while I shot my picture. This is about the only place I visited that was small, simple, and difficult to find. It was also the only place I encountered where Google Maps on my phone took me to the wrong place - not too far away... but in the alleyways of the Medina that miss is as good as a mile. One of the locals guided me there - for a fee, of course.