If you need a reminder as to where the story left off, feel free to go back a post to enmesh yourself in the atmosphere of Marrakesh.
Location: Marrakesh, Morocco
Just as a reminder, these stories are based in Marrakesh and was the first stop in Morocco. Although I was living in Spain at the time, I have only been in Morocco a day.
Our hostel was right off the main square and was recommended by our guide book. We didn't have a reservation, not so much from a lack of planning but because it was very difficult to make one (these places don't really have websites). My friend and I decided to grab a double room, and if I remember correctly it cost us about 5 euros each per night.
I'll admit up front that I'm a sucker for Arabic architecture. You'll see a bunch of more impressive pictures as you read on, but I was even impressed by the tile designs within our little room. Better than a Motel 6 anyway.
Slightly less impressive were the bathrooms. Lets just say I wasn't exactly sure how to handle the common squatting toilets like the one below, but we were fortunate to normally find a traditional western toilet when needed. I'll admit of being completely unaware there was even another "type" of toilet at all, but discovering those little gems first-hand is what traveling is all about.
First stop once we got moving was the nearby Koutoubia Minaret, which is the largest mosque in the city and contains one of the largest minarets (bell towers where call to prayers are made) from the era in the world. It was also the model used for the bell tower in Seville (Spain), one of the many historic examples of the back and forth between the Moors & Christians in this region.
At seventy meters tall (~250 ft), it is by far the most visible structure in the city. We found it easiest to navigate in most parts of the city by orienting ourselves to it. On the top are 4 globes (one for each side). Legend has it they were originally pure gold and were only 3 in number. The 4th came from the emperor's wife after failing to fast for an entire day in Ramadan, so she had all her jewelery melted down as compensation.
Next on our stop was the Marrakesh Museum (this likely has a more involved name but I can't seem to find it). In any case, it houses a 19th century palace and temporary art collection. What really impressed me here was the architecture; I freely admit that I find the Arabic style fascinating and unique but still this was pretty cool.
This is one of the entry rooms on the way into the art exhibits.
If memory serves me correctly I wasn't allowed to take any pictures of the art, which was just fine by me as I spent most of my time admiring the tile designs on the walls anyway.One of the main rooms. I was especially impressed with the attention to detail on the chandelier. I recommend you click and view this one full size to get the full detail.
Another good shot from one of the rooms looking out.
Next site we visited was across the street called the Ben Youssef Madersa. Although barely mentioned in our guide book, it turned out to be very impressive place to visit and contained some great indoor architecture.
The facility acted as a Koranic school where students memorized the Koran by rote. Originally built in the 1100s, the 130 dormitory facility is estimated to have housed as many as 900 students at its peak, making it one of the largest theological colleges in North Africa. After 800 years of education, it closed in 1960 and was renovated before being re-opened to the public.
Consistent with Islamic tradition, the walls only contain geometric patterns and Arabic inscriptions. Pretty cool stuff to see up close, and its impressive architecture reminded me of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.
This is a pretty cool picture showing how they integrated their holy writings seamlessly into the design of the wall. Notice right above the green tile -- that's all Arabic language taken from the Koran.
Being so blown away with the inside decorations, I was even more struck at the contrast with the un-kept streets on my way out. It's amazing how impeccable the tourist parts were kept compared to the rest (like below).
Next stop on our tour were the Saadian Tombs. I honestly don't remember much of the history behind these except the site was lost and only re-discovered in the early 1900s. Hard to imagine you could lose a royal burial place such as this for 300 years, but apparently it does happen.
There was more impressive architecture inside, but my favorite and most unique picture is the archway below.
After all this walking around, we conveniently walked by a McDonalds. At the extreme disgust of my friend, I talked him into going inside so I could order a vanilla shake. So here I am with one of the best tasting (after all, it was really hot!) shakes I've ever had. [Years later, he now admits his jealousy and wishes he bought one too.]
And it turned out that wasn't the only time we ran across a common name brand translated into Arabic that day.
My apologies for my first post back being so heavy on the history lessons. This was the bulk of the sites we visited, so most of what's left to cover in Marrakesh is the lighter side of our food stories and some other humorous antics.
As usual, if you want to check out the rest of the travel photos you can here.
