The
former capital of Morocco has over one million
inhabitants. There are many places worth visiting, but I fell in love
with (if I can say so) the main square - Jemaa al-Fna.
Marrakech is one of
the most popular cities among tourists coming to Morocco. There are
plenty of hotels, hostels, restaurants, cafes here. There’s no
problem to eat up even in the middle of Ramadan. Nobody looks at you
ominously when you walk around with a can of coca-cola in your hand
or with a cigarette in your mouth.
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| While in Marrakech you can drink hectoliters of freshly squeezed orange juice, it's very cheap |
It’s
easy to find accommodation here, just don’t succumb to hagglers who
lead you from place to place, and then - if you choose one they try
to draw on their own commission, explaining that they have a large
family to take care of. It’s best to ignore them and enter a couple
of hotels on your own. Of course, you have to try a few places and
check the prices. And remember: haggle!
As in other Maghreb
countries, locals believe that a white tourist, no matter what
country he or she comes from, is rich, and they can ask them to pay
much higher prices. Finding accommodation in a hostel for 7€ per
person (with private bathroom and hot water) shouldn’t be a
problem.
On the main square
and in its vicinities there are plenty of venues where you can eat
cheaply and have a coffee or a mint tea. It’s excellent, made
with black tea with a few leaves of fresh mint added.
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| Jemaa al-Fna viewed from one of the roof-top cafes |
Sight-seeing:
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| Stalls in Grand Souk by night |
*Grand
Souk - a huge market where you can find everything your heart
desires. Contrary to appearances, stalls and stores are very
logically laid out. If you’re looking for shoes, look for shoes
souk and there are at least a dozen shops and stalls selling only
shoes; if you look for jewelry - a dozen or so shops and stalls, etc.
It’s said that about 11,000 shops are
located here, in alleys of a total length of 9 kms!
*Jemaa
al-Fna – it’s a large square in the heart of the medina,
founded in the eleventh century, on UNESCO World Heritage List. It’s
impossible to describe this place! It looks exactly like in the
movies: stalls with spices in hundreds of colors, magicians,
acrobats, fakirs with cobras, women doing henna makeup, poets without
legs and musicians playing various instruments.
The square is the
most interesting at night when dozens of stalls with food and drink
add to its atmosphere, everything lit up like during New Year’s Eve
in Europe. I don’t know whether it's always like that, after all
it’s Ramadan - so life goes on here at night.
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| Koutoubia Mosque |
*Koutoubia
Mosque – built in the twelfth century, very close to Jemaa
al-Fna, with its 77-meter minaret tower, it’s hard to pass it by.
*Menara
Gardens, Agdal Gardens – founded in the twelfth century, good
places for relax among green trees and bushes.
*Madrasa Ali Ibn Yousuf – Koranic school, beautiful architecture.
*Saadian
Tombs – close to the Royal Palace which is not available to
the public as it’s a residence of the royal family members during
their stay in Marrakech.
*Defensive
city walls and numerous gates.
Apart
from the souks, you can go shopping in one of the “regular”
stores. The locals rarely go there, what for?, you can find
everything in the market. Most tourists get attracted by street
vendors exhibiting their products just on the street. You must walk
through one of such a shopping alley. You don’t have to buy
anything, but it’s no harm in watching the goods. What a choice!
Belts with big shining buckles straight from “Armani”, “Dolce &
Gabbana” watches, “Versace” pants, “Vuitton” handbags. I
know, I know, this should be forbidden and punished because they’re
all fakes, probably from China. But who talks about buying? It’s
just another attraction…
Hammam
While
in Morocco going to hammam is a must! It should be noted that there
are generally two types of them – one for tourists, more luxurious,
like our spa facilities, and another for locals – this is the
real deal. Choose the latter!
A
few words about a hammam. You can take your own toiletries, or rent
them or buy on the spot, but then you can get not so clean a towel,
so it’s better to rely on your own utensils. Of course, men and
women enter separately – through separate doors or at different
times. Good advice: use your tongue as a guide, baths for locals usually are not marked. It’s good to ask at your hotel for a price.
If you don’t know it, they would ask much more from you than from the
locals. Although it’s still cheap in terms of Polish or European
currency, you’d better spend the money on something else.
A
visit to a hammam consists of several stages. The first room is a
large room with a heated floor. You lie down on the marble benches or
just on the floor. It’s better to decant it several times with
boiling water (buckets are available). This way you prepare the skin
for washing. In addition, hot air helps you to relax and loosen. Thus
prepared you can proceed to ablutions. First you wash yourself on
your own. Then it’s time for a proper washing - in the next room.
Locals use a specially crafted soap and a rough linen glove. You can
ask a bath man to do it (for an additional fee).
If
you go to a hammam alone, you can ask anyone for help. Then it’s
time to return a favor. You shouldn’t see in this any ambiguity.
It’s a normal practice in a hammam. First I brush your back and
then I ask you to do the same for me.
After
a proper washing, you can still ask for a massage. Then, in the next
room, you rinse once again the entire body; you might prefer to do with
cool, even cold, water.
After such a visit, you are like
reborn! After such treatments, especially with a rough glove, you
really feel that you’re clean. What we do in our baths compared to
what is done in hammams is like flushing in the still water...
Even if someone
doesn’t like public baths, you should try at least once. After all,
you can sit for a while in the lobby and have a cup of tea.
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| On a street in Marakech |