MOROCCO – MARRAKESH

February 21 – 25, 2023

My plane landed late. I was hours past my estimated arrival to the guesthouse but the guesthouse manager was waiting for me. Nice.

The next morning I went to Jemaa el-Fnaa – the main square and market place in Marrakesh’s medina quarter – the old city. If you can think of it, it is sold in the square or the souq surrounding it. Clothing, household goods, pottery,

henna artists, Moroccan slippers,

and woolen goods. It is common to see a donkey pulling a cart of goods along the narrow souq streets.

Motorcycles zip by, dangerously close. People lugging heavy sacks of goods on their backs. Food items have everything from fresh fruits,

dried nuts and spices

to boiled goat heads

to live chickens.

The smells assault your brain in a wonderful, horrible and confusing way. At night, the square is a haze of smoke from the outdoor fires cooking the food right in front of you. The vendors are all shouting for you to stop and buy their goods. It is madness, and I love it!

I then went to Ben Youssef Madrasa, a historic Islamic School built in the 14^th century and was the largest Islamic school in North Africa. It fell into disrepair for a while but was restored in the 19^th century. It is an impressive building made of red sandstone and is decorated with intricate geometric designs and carvings. Passing under the large archway,

I entered a large courtyard with a reflecting pool.

At the far end was a prayer hall that was especially rich in decoration.

The courtyard was surrounded by two levels of arched galleries where the students were housed. There were 130 student rooms and housed up to 800 students. The rooms were ridiculously small, barely big enough for a small mattress.

The upper level had a mezzanine that opened to the floor below.

It served as a courtyard for the students housed upstairs.

One area had small windows that looked down to the level below.

I went to the Saadian Tombs, a royal necropolis that dates back to the 14^th century. The details in the complex is so elaborate, detailed and luxurious there are no words to describe it. Historians consider this the high point of Moroccan architecture. There are two major structures, one surrounded by gardens and is a simpler chamber but still decorated with beautiful Arabic carvings.

The newer, more elaborate is the Chamber of the Twelve Columns. Some of the intricate carvings and arches are made out of marble, rather than the wood or stucco that is usually used. The transition from marble to stucco is so seamless, only and expert can spot the difference. There is not one square inch of the Chamber that does not have some sort of carving, decoration or Arabic Calligraphy. The ceiling is cedar, the floor is tiled, the walls are a combination of tiles and stucco.

There are 56 tombstones marked with ornate marble epitaphs and another 100 tombs marked only with multicolored tiles.

The historical sites are tourist attractions for a reason, they are beautiful and tell a story. However, I enjoy meeting the common man of today. As I walked through the souq I came across a man doing calligraphy. I think what made him jump out at me was the fact that he did not approach anyone who passed. I was drawn to his modesty. He asked what my name was and proceeded to draw one of the most beautiful bookmarks I have ever seen, with my name in Arabic and English. It was so cleverly done that my Arabic name looked like part of the decoration – just like the Arabic calligraphy in the mosques.

There are many little factories tucked into nooks and crannies. I across a slipper making factory. There were stacks of animal hides; I think goat by the size of them. There was a fellow punching out the soles of the shoes.

Another fellow was dying the tops of the slippers different colors.

Another fellow was sewing the tops onto the soles. Everything was handmade. I don’t think there is any unemployment in Morocco.

I also went to a wool dying factory, where all the dyes come from plants.

Red is madder root or cochineal. Orange is paprika. Green is avocado skin. Blue and purple are elder berries. Dark and light brown from coffee and tea. This all sounds very eco-friendly, but from experience I can tell you that the colors run for many, many washings. You had better be prepared to wash natural dyed clothing separately for months.

One stall in the souq was selling bowls, picture frames, jewelry and belts made out of used tyres.

Another vendor was selling cow skulls with horns, made out of straw.

A fellow was using his feet to work a lathe. He made small wooden bottles to hold eye liner.

There were lamp shops, where the men chiseled out the tiny stars and moons with a punch.

Vendors in the market sold spices, fruits, veggies, nuts, olives, olives, olives.

Nearly every corner in the souq had a stall cooking food. The smell of smoke and delicious food billowing out.

Piles of wood were stacked in front of the hammam – steam baths.

I was looking fo­r a new wallet. I asked one vendor what the price of his wallet was. He said 600 EGP ($26 CDN) Way too much! I started to walk away and he kept shouting a lower and lower price, until he finally hit 200 EGP ($8.70 CDN) I thought about it a moment then turned around and went back. He was already hustling another tourist for 600 EGP, He obviously didn’t remember me from 3 minutes ago and gave me the same hustle. I told him that just a minute ago he lowered the price to 200 EGP. Then he remembered me. Oh shit, how does he get out of this? The other couple were ready to buy at 600. I threw 200 EGP at him, took my wallet and walked away.

I had not walked far when I stopped to put the wallet into my bag. The couple that were in the shop caught up with me and thanked me for my tough bartering as it saved them 400 EGP. They said I looked like I had done this before. Yes, I had, many times. When you walk away they will shout their lowest price at you, then you know what it really costs. They thanked me for the advise and we continued to chat for a moment.

While we were chatting a student came up to us and asked if we could help him find his guesthouse. I pulled out my phone while the couple carried on their way. I noticed that Maps said the hostel was right where we were standing. Well it wasn’t. I assumed it was on the other side of the shops in front of us, but how to get there. The streets in the souqs are like a spider’s web of little allies and dead end streets. A local fellow overheard us and came to the rescue. Follow me, follow me.

The hostel was indeed just behind the shops as we suspected. The young Egyptian fellow escorted us the short distance to the door of the hostel then immediately demanded money. As the student was digging for his wallet, I rang the bell of the hostel, the door opened and I pushed him inside. He was saying, “But I didn’t pay him”. As the door was closing I told him “They always ask for money. Don’t fall for it.” The Egyptian followed me for a while, yelling that he wanted money. I told him Allah would be pleased that he helped a stranger. He didn’t have a comeback for that, and left me alone.

The Marrakesh people are notorious for begging for money. I took a picture of the Kutubiyya Mosque and someone demanded money because they thought I took a picture of them. They swore at me and were totally rude. I showed them my pictures of the Mosque and pointed out they were NOT in the photo. Somehow they still felt I should give them money. I told them they should be ashamed of themselves. And THIS, my friend, is how countries get bad reputations. Be a good citizen and show visitors hospitality. This goes for Canadians, as well.

I went to the tannery. It is a stinky horrible place and I was grateful for the mint to sniff when the smell got too much.

The traditional process of tanning leather is to first let the hide soak for 3-6 days in a solution of fermented pigeon poop, called ifred. The hide is squeezed out and the hair is scraped off.

The hairless hide then goes into a solution of lime and argan-kernel ash for 15-30 days (summer to winter times). This lye solution removes any remaining flesh, fat or hair. Then the hides go back into a diluted pigeon poo solution, which makes the skin thinner and stretchier.

The skins are then scraped with pottery shards and beaten with alum, oil and water in preparation for the dye.

After dyeing, the skin is then left to dry in the sun. After this the skins are stretched to make them smooth and pliable. They can now be made into coats, handbags, slippers and footstools.

Marrakesh is an experience in extreme madness. Except for the continuous demanding for baksheesh, I love it. But it was time to move on to Fes.