Tourism
2023-10-05
Marrakech, The Souk
- Tourism
- 2023-10-06
Bags on our backs and sun on our heads, we enter the nebulous medina of Marrakech. It's teeming on all sides. Passers-by, tourists, shops, dust, noise, donkey carts, engines... What a souk!
The Moroccans are amused to see us following our smartphones. We insist. At a time when technology is sending robotic vehicles all over the solar system, couldn't it help us find our hotel in these few narrow streets? Alas, the medina of Marrakech is too complex. After three rounds of the same block and ten babouche sellers questioned, we call our host to the rescue.
We enter the riad and... oh how quiet it is... ooh how beautiful. A small courtyard, a pond, plants, little tables, a welcome mint tea and, above all, no noise. The architecture of the riads seems to have been invented just for this, to isolate them from the hubbub of the street.
The great souk of the medina
It's impossible to talk about the old town of Marrakech without describing its artisanal souk. The alleyways in one corner of the medina are home to the most phenomenal market for everything and anything we've ever come across. We couldn't believe the number of shops and the mountains of items waiting to be bought. We wouldn't be surprised to learn that there's enough stock to redecorate every living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom across the globe.
Even if we're not buying souvenirs, we have to salute the craftsmanship and, above all, the humour of the artisans. It's easy to have fun looking at the stalls!
The sellers don't nag at all. At worst, they invite you to have a look and then leave you alone. The trouble is the constant passing of mopeds. You can't haggle with them; you have to be ready to throw yourself against the wall as soon as one of them comes along at full throttle, i.e. every thirty seconds.
The residential areas of the medina
The medina is much more than just a souk. Behind baboucheland, another facet of Marrakech reveals itself to stray walkers, the one where Moroccans live, pray and walk with their arms full of victuals. A donkey obediently pulls a cart. Further on, children play hopscotch. Men take off their shoes to go through the door of a mosque. A chicken seller taps on his television to find the picture. A hairdresser runs to take his diploma off the wall of his dispensary to try and convince us...
Around the Marrakech medina
To the south of the medina is a small quarter, also surrounded by fortifications, called the Kasbah. The difference with the narrow streets of the medina is so subtle that it's easy to enter without noticing. The Kasbah district, however, is quieter and better maintained, all in pink, and at times reminds us of the narrow streets of Rome. Except that behind the walls we can make out hundreds of riad courtyards adorned with small fountains.
This is where we uncover one of Marrakech's most beautiful gateways, the Bab Agnaou.
Heading north, the great Koutoubia mosque awaits us. As usual in Morocco, you can't visit the inside, but the outside already satisfies our curiosity. It was built around the same time as Notre-Dame in Paris, and is similar in height. Ideas spread, but results differed.
Our steps lead us to the famous, legendary, immortal Jemaa el-Fna square. It's the esplanade of the wild and wacky. Groups of musicians nod their heads to the beat, rivalled three metres further on by other troubadours in counter-rhythm, juice sellers hurry the shoppers along, henna tattooists catch the hands that pass by and cover them in arabesques, hawkers wander around bleating, snakes try to get away from the flutes that are supposed to be holding them back...
Navigating through this court of miracles reminds us of the ghost trains of our childhood. New surprises appear on the right and left of our route, poor wild animals transformed into selfies, fortune-tellers or tireless dancers, which we bypass until we reach the next one.
Our lifeline comes in the form of a terrace, the Grand Balcon Café Glacier. Ironically, there are so many other tourists here in search of tranquillity that the square below seems almost more peaceful.
In the evening, the atmosphere changes. Foreign holidaymakers make way for Moroccans passing through, who are keen to enjoy the declamatory shows and games of skill. Jemaa el-Fna didn't wait for international tourists to arrive; it already had its festive reputation three or four centuries ago!
In the end, the tenacity of the touts dissuaded us. We settled for a small restaurant with a terrace overlooking the bewitching square. From the rooftops of Marrakech, the sunset takes on a magical hue, especially when the countless mosques wake up one by one with their melodious notes.
