The last destination in our itinerary …..Marrakesh. This
city is by far much more lively and attractive compared to Casablanca and
Ouarzazate. With the surrounding snow peaked mountains, Marrakesh was full with
tourist especially the Europeans who wished to escape their last cold winter
months into this wonderful sunny and breezy Mediterranean climate.
We reached at our hotel after a long 5 hours drive from
Ouarzazate. After a few hours rest, we walked to one of the major attractions
in Marrakesh – Djemaa El Fna (Square of the Dead). This large town square is the
centre for local performers – cultural musicians & dancers, snake charmers,
story tellers, henna tattooists etc. By night, half of the area will be taken
over by food stalls selling local cuisines including tagines, kebabs, thick
vegetable soup & rich sheep’s head soup etc….last but not least boiled
snails!! …the atmosphere was similar to our “pasar malam” back home.
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| Djemaa El Fna |
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| Djemaa El Fna |
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| Djemaa El Fna |
I have read a lot of traveler’s comments with regards to
this place in the internet. Some people may enjoy the pulsating liveliness that
it created but some may hate it for the annoyance and pushy locals trying to
sell their things etc. I personally enjoyed it a lot!!! We sampled the food at
the square but not as good as the one we tasted earlier at other places. Don’t
miss the freshly squeezed orange juice priced at MAD4.00 which was very
refreshing after a few rounds in the square.
We spent a few hours in the square looking at the cultural performances
but avoided the snakes & monkeys owners as you can be charged hefty charges
for taking photos with them.
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| Refreshing freshly squeezed orange juice! |
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| Dried fruits & nuts |
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| Sweet Moroccan desserts |
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| Boiled snails!! |
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| Boiled snails for MAD5.00 per small bowl.... |
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| Plenty of choice to choose from.... |
The old Medina in Marrakesh which is surrounded by the
walls is much larger than the one found in Casablanca. In order to have the
sense of directions and bearings in Marrakesh, I always looked-up for the
minaret of Koutoubia Mosque. As you can easily get lost in the labyrinth of
streets and alleys in the old medina, this tall landmark will always guide you
through…..
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| Koutoubia Mosque |
In total, there are 19 gates that will lead you into the
old Medina in Marrakesh but one could not missed this Bab Agnaou gate. Built in
the 12th century, this intricately decorated gate was the entrance
into the Royal Kasbah – the home for El-Mansouria mosque, the El Badi Palace
and the Saadian Tombs.
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| Bab Agnaou Gate |
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| El Mansouria Mosque |
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| Entrance into Saadian Tombs |
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| El Mansouria Mosque |
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| Spice Market |
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| Spice Market |
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| Spice Market |
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| Entrance into El Badi Palace |
In total, we have experienced 9 magical and wonderful days
in Morocco. Perhaps in future, we will visit here again and City of Fes will
definitely be in our list of destinations……..
excellent pictures...DSLR?
ReplyDeleteYes, Canon EOS500D. Still struggling to learn the techniques....
DeleteDream to visit this place.... GREAT
ReplyDeleteYes, nice place to visit!
Delete