Marrakech
Marrakech
or Marrakesh (Berber: Murakush, Arabic: Murrāku,
local pronunciation: Marrakə), known as the "Red City",
is the most important former imperial city in Moroccos history.
The city of Marrakesh is the capital of the mid-southwestern economic region of
Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, near the foothills of the snow-capped Atlas
Mountains.
Like many North African cities,
the city of Marrakech comprises both an old fortified city (the medina) and an
adjacent modern city (called Gueliz) for a total population of 1,070,000.
Marrakech has the largest
traditional market (souk) in Morocco and also has one of the busiest squares in
Africa and the world, Djemaa el Fna. The square bustles with acrobats,
story-tellers, water sellers, dancers and musicians. By night, food stalls open
in the square turning it into a huge busy open-air restaurant.
Ifrane
(nicknamed Little Switzerland) is a town and ski resort in the
Middle Atlas region of Morocco (population 13,000 in December 2008). Ifrane is
5,460 feet) in altitude and is part of the Meknes-Tafilalet region. In
Tamazight, the regional Berber language, "ifran" means caves.
Developed
by the French during the protectorate era for their administration due to its
alpine climate, this Morrocan town has a remarkable European style, as if it
were an Alpine village. Because of its elevation, the town experiences snow
during the winter months and a cool climate during the summer. Ifrane is also
the place where the lowest temperature was ever recorded in Africa, -24 șC
in 1935.
Jamaa
el Fna is a square and
market place in Marrakeshs medina quarter (old city). The origin of its name
is unclear: Jemaa means "congregational mosque" in Arabic,
probably referring to a destroyed Almoravid mosque. "Fanâʼ" or
"finâ'" can mean "death" or "a courtyard, space in
front of a building." One meaning could be "the mosque or assembly of
death," or "The Mosque at the End of the World". A
more likely explanation is that it refers to a mosque with a distinctive
courtyard or square in front of it.
The place remains the main
square of Marrakesh, used equally by locals and tourists. During the day it is
predominantly occupied by orange juice stalls, youths with chained Barbary apes,
water sellers in colorful costumes with traditional leather water-bags and brass
cups, and snake charmers who will pose for photographs for tourists. As the day
progresses the entertainments on offer change: the snake charmers depart, and in
the afternoon and evening the square becomes more crowded, with Chleuh
dancing-boys (it would be against custom for girls to provide such an
entertainment), story-tellers (telling their tales in Berber or Arabic, to an
audience of appreciative locals), magicians, and peddlers of traditional
medicines. As dark descends the square fills with dozens of food-stalls, and the
crowds are at their height.
The square is edged along one
side by the Marrakesh souk, the traditional North African markets which service
both the common daily needs of the people of the city, and the tourist trade. On
other sides are cafe terraces to escape from the noise and confusion down in the
square, and on yet other sides are hotels and gardens. Narrow streets lead into
the alleys of the medina quarter, the old city. The photograph illustrating this
article shows the entrance to the souk at the left, cafes in the center, and the
entrance to the medina via the Street of the Olive (derb al zitoun) on the
right.[
The Koutoubia Mosque is
the largest mosque in Marrakesh. The minaret was completed under the reign of
the Almohad Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur (1184-1199) and was used as the model for the
Giralda of Seville and for the Hassan Tower of Rabat.
The name is derived from the
Arabic al-Koutoubiyyin for librarian, since it used to be surrounded by
sellers of manuscripts. It is considered the ultimate structure of its kind. The
tower is 69 m (221 ft) in height and has a lateral length of 12.8 m
(41 ft). Six rooms (one above the other) constitute the interior; leading
around them is a ramp by way of which the muezzin could ride up to the balcony.
It is built in a traditional Almohad style and the tower is adorned with four
copper globes.
According to legend, the globes
were originally made of pure gold, and there were once supposed to have been
only three globes. The fourth globe was donated by the wife of Yaqub el-Mansur
as compensation for her failure to keep the fast for one day during the month of
Ramadan. She had her golden jewelry melted down to form the fourth globe.
The minaret of the Koutoubia was
the model for the minaret of the Giralda mosque in Seville which in its turn has
influenced thousands of church towers in Spain and Eastern Europe
The Bahia Palace is a
palace and a set of gardens located in Marrakesh. It was built in the late 19th
century, intended to be the greatest palace of its time. The name means
"brilliance". As in other buildings of the period in other countries,
it was intended to capture the essence of the Islamic and Moroccan. There is a 2
acre garden with rooms opening onto courtyards.
Set up at the end of 19th
century by Si Moussa, grand vizier of the sultan, for his personal use, this
palace would bear the name of one of his wives. Here, the harem, which includes
a vast court decorated with a central basin and surrounded by rooms intended for
the concubines. As the black slave Abu Ahmed rose to power and wealth towards
the end of the 19th century, he had the Bahia palace built by bringing in
craftsmen from Fez. The structures tell a lot about the taste of the
nouveau-riche of its time, and can appear vulgar to modern tastes. It was
intended to become the greatest palace of its time, but it is really dominated
by hasty planning as well as uninspired detail work.
The Saadian Tombs are currently one of the top tourist
attractions in Marrakech. They were established in the late
16th century under the rule of Saadian Sultan Ahmed el Mansour. Burials continued
occasionally in the area even after the Saadians had lost control over Marrakech
(in 1659), but later the tombs were long forgotten and hidden behind the Kasbah
Mosque. The Saadian Tombs were rediscovered in 1917
during a survey flight by the French and later opened for tourists.
After entering the Saadian Tombs area behind the Kasbah
Mosque you will see two decorated burial chambers with a total
of 66 tombs of important people (sultans and their families) from the Saadian
Dynasty. There is also a courtyrad as part of the complex, where more
than 100 additional people were buried (mostly other people related to the royal
families and their court).
The Saadian Tombs are currently one of the top tourist
attractions in Marrakech. They were established in the late
16th century under the rule of Saadian Sultan Ahmed el Mansour. Burials continued
occasionally in the area even after the Saadians had lost control over Marrakech
(in 1659), but later the tombs were long forgotten and hidden behind the Kasbah
Mosque. The Saadian Tombs were rediscovered in 1917
during a survey flight by the French and later opened for tourists.
After entering the Saadian Tombs area behind the Kasbah
Mosque you will see two decorated burial chambers with a total
of 66 tombs of important people (sultans and their families) from the Saadian
Dynasty. There is also a courtyrad as part of the complex, where more
than 100 additional people were buried (mostly other people related to the royal
families and their court).
The Saadian Tombs are currently one of the top tourist
attractions in Marrakech. They were established in the late
16th century under the rule of Saadian Sultan Ahmed el Mansour. Burials continued
occasionally in the area even after the Saadians had lost control over Marrakech
(in 1659), but later the tombs were long forgotten and hidden behind the Kasbah
Mosque. The Saadian Tombs were rediscovered in 1917
during a survey flight by the French and later opened for tourists.
After entering the Saadian Tombs area behind the Kasbah
Mosque you will see two decorated burial chambers with a total
of 66 tombs of important people (sultans and their families) from the Saadian
Dynasty. There is also a courtyrad as part of the complex, where more
than 100 additional people were buried (mostly other people related to the royal
families and their court).