Riad Alwachma, Marrakech, Morocco

Why a riad is absolutely the best place to stay in Marrakech, with their interior courtyards with fountains and rooftop terraces. We chose one that’s a quick walk to Jemma el-Fna, the main square.

The interior courtyard of Riad Alwachma, Marrakech, Morocco

Part of the fun in planning a trip is figuring out where you’re going to stay. When Wally and I settled on Marrakech, I set to work to find a few options. The only criteria was to find lodging within the medina, the old quarter of the city surrounded by rammed earth walls. 

I had narrowed it down to three riads and began showing them to Wally. He’d excitedly reply with, “Ooo, I like that one with the fountain in the middle!” To which I’d reply, “They all have fountains in the middle.” 

Then he’d exclaim, “Ooo! I like that one with the rooftop terrace!” To which I’d reply, “They all have rooftop terraces.” 

“OK,” Wally said, a huge smile on his face. “I get it.”

““Ooo, I like that one with the fountain in the middle!”

”They all have fountains in the middle.” 

“Ooo! I like that one with the rooftop terrace!”

“They all have rooftop terraces.” ”

We settled upon Riad Alwachma, located a mere 10 minutes from the Jemaa el-Fnaa, the main square, and the souks.

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Our driver, which we had arranged in advance, dropped Wally, Vanessa and I off at the entrance to Derb Bab Doukkala and led us with our luggage in tow down the cobbled road to the riad. Most derbs (often translated as alleys, but more like lanes) in the medina are too narrow for cars — not a bad thing as there are plenty of other types of traffic throughout, including mopeds and donkey carts.

We arrived at Riad Alwachma’s large wooden door and were cordially greeted by one of the proprietors, a charming French expat named Jérôme. The three of us passed through the threshold, and the quiet of the interior courtyard enveloped us.

Most riads have unassuming front doors, like that of Riad Alwachma — but such beauty lies within!

What’s a Riad?

Riads are the traditional former residences of wealthy merchants that have been converted into private guest lodgings. The term comes from the Arabic word ryad, meaning garden, and is applied to homes built around an inner courtyard or garden. They have unassuming façades that conceal a gorgeous interior. 

Like all riads, ours had a large central courtyard that opened to the sky. In the center, a fountain laden with rose petals dancing on the surface gurgled faintly. A chirping bird was contentedly hopping along the floor.

Wally and I smiled conspiratorially at each other. Without missing a beat, Jérôme smiled too and told us that a bird in the house is a symbol of good luck.

A bird in the home is good luck, our host tells us — and a not-too-uncommon occurrence with the open-air central courtyard.

Vanessa, Wally and I sat at a table in the courtyard while Jérôme explained the origin of the riad's name. Alwachma comes from a traditional chin tattoo Berber women use to adorn themselves. I decided to nickname our riad The Girl With the Berber Tattoo.

Our host provided us with a map of the city and indicated points of interest and areas to avoid at night.

Getting Your Bearings in Marrakech

Over some pastries and our first cup of mint tea, which locals love to jokingly call “Berber whisky,” Jérôme explained that Marrakech tends to be a very safe city and that there are many uniformed police found throughout. But he did offer some advice on concealing our new camera because of the approach of Eid al-Adha, the Islamic festival to commemorate prophet Ibrahim’s obedience to Allah above all others. Jérôme explained that locals sacrifice animals on this feast day, and people occasionally do desperate things to provide their families with money to purchase a sheep or goat.

While we were more interested in the sights of the medina, from the Saadian Tombs to the El Badi Palace, Jérôme indicated Guéliz, the Ville Nouveau, or New Town, on the map. He kept saying that this was where we should go should we want to “make party,” an expression that made us giggle. 

We finished our tea while mapping out our first of many adventures to come. First stop:  Jemaa El-Fna and shopping in the souks, of course. –Duke
 

Riad Alwachma
27 Derb Sehb Bab Doukkala, Medina
4000 Marrakech
Morocco

 

The Saadian Tombs: A Glorious Monument to the Dead

Peek inside the royal necropolis in Marrakech, which rivals parts of the Alhambra in its beauty. We can thank Sultan al-Mansur for its magnificence — and Ismail Ibn Sharif’s fear of the dead for leaving it intact. 

The Saadian Tombs in 1925

Don’t judge a tomb by its cover. The unremarkable exterior walls surrounding the Saadian Tombs in the medina of Marrakech concealed their exquisite mausoleums for centuries, attracting little more than stray cats and storks. While not much to look at from the outside, the secluded interior courtyard is a completely different matter. 

Walled in and forgotten for more than two centuries, the necropolis of the deceased Saadian royals and their descendants remained hidden until its discovery in 1917. French Resident-General Hubert Lyautey commissioned an aerial survey of Marrakech and, by chance, the photographs revealed the existence of the tombs. They were brought back from disrepair by the Service des Beaux-Arts, Antiquités et des Monuments Historiques before being opened to the general public. 

The unassuming exterior of the Saadian Tombs belies its gorgeous interior.

The historic property is located along the Rue de la Kasbah near the ruins of the El Badi Palace. Even if you have a strong sense of direction, the unmarked streets and nondescript ancient rammed earth walls surrounding many of the buildings in the medina district of Marrakech make finding a destination challenging. 

Ahmad al-Mansur

We eventually did and purchased our tickets, which cost 70 dirhams, or around $8, each. Wally, our friend Vanessa and I passed through an inconspicuous narrow corridor cut into the exterior wall and emerged into a tranquil courtyard garden. 

The royal necropolis dates back to the beginning of the 14th century and originally served as a courtyard garden of the Kasbah Mosque. It wasn’t until the reign of the sixth and most famous sultan of the Saadian dynasty, Ahmad al-Mansur (who reigned from 1578-1603 and was known as Eddahbi, the Golden), that the construction of the tombs reached a far more elegant and refined status. Before al-Mansur died from the plague in 1603, he expanded and embellished its mausoleums in the grand style of the Alhambra, the royal residence of the Nasrid Kingdom, built 200 years prior in Granada, Spain.

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Brightly tiled tombstones fill the courtyard.

A Rested Development

Seven sultans and 62 family members are interred in the Saadian Tombs, with over 100 more outside in the gardens. 

The courtyard enclosure includes two mausoleums with gabled, glazed green roof tiles of kiln-fired clay. 

The gravestones in the mihrab, or prayer niche, reminded us of prayer mats.

The main tombs are located to the left of the enclosure. The first of the three chambers was originally a mihrab, or prayer niche, and is now the final resting place of Saadian princes. Its walls and floors are covered with intricate multicolored zellij mosaic tiles. The varying shapes, colors and patterns embedded in the flat graves reminded me of prayer rugs, laid facing Mecca, for eternity. The stucco work of the archway is delicate and ornate, while the ceiling is equally impressive.

The Hall of Twelve Columns is the star of the show.

Pillars of Society: The Hall of Twelve Columns

The central mausoleum where al-Mansour lies is known as the Hall of Twelve Columns. This chamber incorporates a dozen Carrera marble pillars, carved stucco walls and gilt honeycomb ceiling vaulting known as muqarnas. Al-Mansur traded sugar with the Italians in exchange for the marble, which is fitting, as its white, crystalline surface resembles the fine granular texture of sugar. The sultan’s narrow marble headstone stands in the center of the room and is flanked by those of his son and grandson. The chamber is also home to the remains of Princess Zahra, whose epitaph reads, “Here is the tomb of the noble lady, new moon, marvel of virtues.”

A coffered cedarwood ceiling with sunken square panels of diminishing sizes representing the earth and a circle at its apex standing in for the heavens spans the columned central chamber. This sacred geometry symbolizes the passage from the material to the spiritual world. 

Recent restoration work on the Saadian Tombs began in 2013 and lasted for two years.

The Three Niche Chamber and Lalla Masuda Qubba

Beyond the great hall is the Three Niche Chamber, where those relations deemed less important, including children, are buried. The three arched recesses for which the mausoleum takes its name feature magnificent incised muqarnas embossed in gold, lending the space a luminous quality. 

The “less important” relatives were interred in the Three Niche Chamber, which is still not too shabby a place to spend eternity, if you ask us.

Between the mausoleums and throughout the gardens are descendants, wives and emirs, each resting closer or further away from al-Mansur’s sepulcher, depending on his or her status. 

The entrance to the Lalla Masuda Qubba. As with the rest of the complex, you can’t go inside —  but you can peek into the chambers.

The second and smaller structure is called the Lalla Masuda Qubba and refers to the domed roof mausoleum which contains the grave of al-Mansur’s mother. 

Lalla Masuda

The oldest and original Saadian tomb includes a cedarwood dome and two entrance porches or loggias. It was built by Sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib to bury his father, Mohammed al-Sheikh, the founder of the dynasty. 

In 1591, al-Mansur had his mother, Lalla Masuda, added to the tomb. She was a Moroccan political figure in the Saadi dynasty remembered for her humanitarian work and considered an awliya, or saint. 

Fearing the Dead 

Less than two decades later, Sultan Ahmad al-Abbas was assassinated, the Saadian dynasty had come to an end, and the Alaouites had taken control of the country.  

When Sultan Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif assumed power, he wasted no time eradicating the legacy of the Saadi dynasty. He systematically set about looting and stripping most of their architectural achievements, including the El Badi Palace. However, he spared the Saadian Tombs — probably because he feared bad luck if he desecrated them and was superstitious that the spirits of the dead would pursue him. He satisfied himself with sealing up all but one obscure entrance from the Kasbah Mosque. 

Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif completely stripped the nearby El Badi Palace but left the Saadian Tombs intact. Was he nervous about disturbing the spirits of the dead?

The Saadian Tombs gave us a sense of the former grandeur of the El Badi Palace. Heads up that the various chambers are off limits to the public, but a path winds past them, letting tourists see them from outside, much like peeking into a diorama. 

While the tombs are cordoned off to human visitors, felines are another matter. We witnessed more than a few cats and kittens napping on their cool tiled floors. 

If you enjoy Islamic architecture as much as we do, then a visit to this funerary monument and tribute to the Saadian legacy is a must. –Duke

 

The Crumbling Ruins of El Badi Palace in Marrakech

Once praised for its massive scale and beauty, El Badi Palace soon became a mere shell of its former grandeur. Only storks now call it home.

A ruined palace sits within the medina of Marrakech.

It must have once been quite a spectacle. El Badi Palace was commissioned by Ahmad al-Mansour, a Saadi sultan who ascended to power after his brother’s untimely death in 1578. Its financing came from ransoms paid by the Portuguese to release their prisoners who had been captured and enslaved following their defeat after the Battle of al-Qasr al-Quibir.

A ransom paid by Portugal financed the construction of El Badi Palace.

Al-Mansour and the Battle of Three Kings

The young and impetuous King Sebastian of Portugal wanted to reclaim coastal Morocco for his country and intended to convert the Muslim populace to Christianity. He combined forces with the deposed sultan al-Mutawakkil, who had his own aspirations to reclaim sovereignty. 

When King Sebastian, al-Mutawakkil and their troops landed at Tangier, they were met by Sultan Abd al-Malik and his men. Within a mere six hours, the Muslim army easily forced the invading Christians to retreat to the port city of Larache — but while fleeing across the Wadi al-Makhazin at high tide, Sebastian and al-Mutawakkil drowned. 

Exhausted from combat, Abd al-Malik fell ill and expired the following morning. In the end, all three died. For this reason, the event is also known as the Battle of Three Kings.

“Al-Mansour asked his court jester what he thought of his palace complex.

The jester replied, “It will make a magnificent ruin.” ”

Was this stork once a human being? Or is it off to deliver a baby?

Say Hi to the Storks: Visiting El Badi Palace

While staying in the Marrakech medina, we spent a day trying not to get lost and seeing the sights, including El Badi Palace. 

Outside the site are shops. An open-air restaurant with charcoal braziers filled the air with oily black smoke. Enormous storks nests that could easily accommodate the three of us have taken up residence atop the remains of the rammed earth walls. The storks of Marrakech are considered to be holy animals. Even before the arrival of Islam, an old Berber belief held that storks were actually transformed humans. As a Westerner, I’m only familiar with storks delivering babies.

The silhouettes of storks seen at sunset. The birds find niches in the ruins of El Bahi Palace to build their nests.

Wally, our travel buddy Vanessa and I paid 10 Moraccan dirham (about $1) at the kiosk located outside the palace. We entered through a towering doorway and found ourselves enclosed in a massive bare-walled chamber open to a cloudless blue sky. These are the ruins of the Qubbat al-Khadra or Green Pavilion. The two-story pavilion most likely had a pyramidal roof of green terracotta tiles, a common material of the period. 

El Badi means the Incomparable One.

Nothing Compares 2 U: The Incomparable Palace

The name of the palace derives from one of the 99 names of Allah given in the Qur’an, and translates to “the Incomparable One.” It served as the reception palace of al-Mansour, who spared no expense in building his lavish monument to the Saadian dynasty and its growing power. 

While the palace was widely acknowledged in its time as a spectacular architectural achievement, it was plundered for its rich decorative materials only a century after its construction. However, you still get a clear sense of its monumental scale. The courtyard features four symmetrical sunken groves planted with lemon and orange trees surrounded by footpaths and separated by a large central basin, which was dry upon our visit but once provided irrigation for the orchards. 

The sunken courtyards house small orchards of citrus trees.

It took nearly 16 years over the course of Sultan al-Mansour’s reign to complete, using materials imported from numerous countries, including onyx, Carrera marble from Italy, gold from Sudan, cedarwood and ivory. Walls and pathways were covered with multi-colored glazed zellij tiles arranged in geometric patterns. 

The zellij tile floor is the one section of the palace with some color.

We met a fussy tomcat who at first craved our attention and then just as quickly grew fickle, batted a paw and hissed at us. (I think it was an angry jinn who became unhinged as we didn’t have any scraps of food to offer it.)

Sixteen-century Moroccan architecture during the Saadian period was heavily influenced by Andalusian decorative traditions, an Islamic architectural style that spanned across North Africa and Spain. El Badi’s layout follows a rectilinear grid similar to the Court of Myrtles at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, but on a much larger scale.

Foreign ambassadors of the time gushed about El Badi’s unparalleled beauty and grandiose domed pavilions: In addition to the Green Pavilion, there’s the Qubbat ad-Dahab (Golden Pavilion), the Qubbat az-Zujaj (Crystal Pavilion) and the Qubbat al-Khayzuran (Khayzuran Pavilion). According to a plaque outside the latter, Khayzuran comes from the Arabic name for wild myrtle and is believed to have been the harem’s quarters. 

I’d suggest bringing bottled water and sunblock, as the site is mostly exposed. Although there isn’t a dress code, it’s respectful to stay modest wherever you go in Morocco. Wally and I both wore linen pants, and Vanessa covered up appropriately. 

It’s too bad the grandeur of the palace didn’t last long. Moulay Ismail stripped El Badi and repurposed the materials to build a new residence in nearby Meknès.

El Badi’s Short-Lived Beauty

Less than a century after the construction of El Badi, the 17th-century Alaouite Sultan Moulay Ismail decided to move the capital from Marrakech to Meknès, and spent over 10 years systematically stripping El Badi of its riches to reuse for his palace in the new capital city. 

This could explain why, as far as ruins go, El Badi might have once been astounding, but now it just doesn’t inspire much awe. That being said, according to local lore, al-Mansour asked his court jester, who was in attendance at the official opening, what he thought of his palace complex. The jester replied, “It will make a magnificent ruin.” And indeed it does. –Duke

If you have a few days in Marrakech, you should visit El Badi Palace. If time is limited, skip it and do the souk and Jardin Majorelle instead.

El Badi Palace
Ksibat Nhass
Marrakech 40000
Morocco

 

Overnight in the Sahara Desert

No trip to Morocco is complete without a camel ride to a Berber camp at Erg Chigaga. 

The tents are spacious and have carpets lining the walls to keep the warmth in.

There are some adventures that offer a one-of-a-kind experience that simply can’t be passed over. For Wally and me, an overnight at a Berber camp in the middle of the Sahara Desert fell into this category.

Besides, the road trip from Marrakech takes you to some amazing stopovers, including Atlas Studios and Aït Benhaddou. 

“The camel was wide-eyed with fear or fury, rearing its head and making terrible Chewbacca-like warbles. 

“Nous avons peur!” Wally exclaimed, which translates to “We are scared!””

Look how happy being in the beautiful and vast Sahara made Duke, Wally and Vanessa!

On the Road Again

After spending the night in Ouarzazate, Wally, Vanessa and I set out with our driver, Barak, to Erg Chigaga. Prior to our trip, we had debated at length whether to set off for the desert from Erg Chebbi or Erg Chigaga, and settled upon the latter — perhaps just because it sounded a bit like Chicago.

The landscape beyond Ouarzazate is covered with scrub and jagged rocks. Hillsides are mostly barren, covered with loose-looking boulders and thorny bushes. The rock color shifts from mountain to mountain — red ochre at first, then a sulfurous basalt green and finally a deep coal black. The large angular red rocks of the Anti-Atlas range jut out in a staccato formation like massive fallen Jenga blocks littering the mountainsides.

Unfortunately, even remote places like the Sahara aren’t immune to pollution. Disposable plastic bags of blue, faded rose, green, pale lavender and yellow littered the landscape like deflated balloons.

The Sahara isn’t an immediate vast expanse of sand — the first hour or so of our camel ride was over semi-rocky terrain with green outcroppings here and there.

Draa Valley: It’s a Date

We passed through Zagora, the last major town, 60 miles outside of the small rural outpost of M’hamid El Ghizlane, our departure point for our desert adventure. 

Zagora is located in the fertile Draa River Valley and was originally known as Tazagourt, the singular of the plural Tizigirt, Berber for Twin Peaks, referring to the mountains that flank the village. A sea of lush green date palms lined the road, seeming to stretch endlessly. Since they happened to be in season, they were heavy with ripening fruit. Dates are a big agricultural business in Zagora and are sold roadside, in local shops and in the markets of Marrakech. I regret that we didn’t stop and try some.

We purchased bottles of water at a small shop while a little boy with a Spider-Man backpack watched us curiously from an alley across the street.

Upon arrival in M’hamid, we were a bit shocked when we pulled into a dusty parking lot that was literally across the street from the desert. The three of us decided to use the restroom before heading out. It was the foulest bathroom I’ve ever been in, and the stench haunts me to this day. 

Camels aren’t the most pleasant creature to ride upon.

Zou Zou le Fou Fou: The Camel From Hell

Something wasn’t right. As we were queuing up to be paired with the camels we would be riding out to the encampment in the middle of the Sahara, one was noticeably smaller than the others. Crouching on all fours, the camel’s front right leg was folded up and bound with what looked like an Ace bandage. The animal was wide-eyed with fear or fury, rearing its head and making terrible Chewbacca-like warbles. 

Barak presented the camels with a flourish. We all took a step backward simultaneously, staring at him, wide-eyed. Wally, who can speak French, asked if there was another camel we could ride instead of the bucking bronco. Barak asked the handlers, then shook his head no.

“Nous avons peur!” Wally exclaimed, which translates to “We are scared!”

Barak could see the terror in our eyes but tried to assure us that Zou Zou, for that was the camel’s name, would be perfectly safe. He explained that she was young and her leg was tied up like that because that’s how they train camels to kneel for passengers to climb on top of them.

Wally muttered that the camel’s name should instead be Fou Fou, a play upon the French word for “crazy.” 

After we all stood there, staring in horror at the thrashing, spitting Zou Zou, Vanessa bravely volunteered to ride her. We thanked her profusely, and she shrugged and said she figured she was the lightest.

Camels spit and eat shit, and riding them is a bit like being on a slow-mo mechanical bull.

Wally rode Mujeres, an ironically named male camel (it’s the word for “women” in Spanish). Mujeres enjoyed stopping to eat Zou Zou’s dung nuggets en route to the camp, which was funny, disgusting and annoying all at once. My camel’s name was Mimoun. He was mostly well behaved, aside from periodically making a series of unpleasant gurgles.

All aboard the camel train! We caravan out to the middle of the Sahara.

Camel Ride 

The camels were tethered together and led by a guide on foot. We had an hour-and-a-half camel ride out to our encampment. There’s a saddle of sorts, covered with a doormat-sized rug and a pair of handles not unlike those found on a bicycle. 

Guidebooks tend to gloss over the fact that a camel’s awkward gait makes for a bumpy ride. It’s basically like riding a mechanical bull.

Our guide whipped out his cell phone and chatted away, which took us out of the moment. “Who knew they’d get better reception in the middle of the desert than in some parts of Chicago?” Wally quipped.

Vanessa takes a selfie while camelback.

Guidebooks also neglect to mention that the desert isn’t all drifting dunes. We expected the desert to start with a dramatic line of sand like you’d see in a cartoon. But the first leg of our journey into the Sahara was rocky and punctuated by gnarled outcrops of mastic and cypress trees. 

It wasn’t until we got closer to camp that the foliage disappeared, the sand turned an intense orange, and the ergs, or sand dunes, emerged. 

Duke explores our Berber encampment.

Berber Camp

The camp consisted of several tents whose interiors were covered with blankets. Upon arrival, we were served what locals love to call “Berber whiskey” but is disappointedly mint tea, a sign of hospitality. It was all a bit surreal being surrounded by nothing but dunes and knowing that we were halfway to the border of Algeria, which was undergoing some political unrest at the time. 

Wally got up early to climb a dune for a moment of zen.

There was a tent for eating and separate tents for sleeping. Our desert companions included a large group of Dutch travelers. They tittered as they asked our guides if they had a magic carpet, could charm snakes or summon genies. (Wally and I, by contrast, know that jinn are no laughing matter. In fact, we blamed them for our camera having malfunctioned, causing us to lose most of our photos of the trip. Once again, shoutout to Vanessa for sharing some of her photos with us.)

Vanessa and Wally hanging out at camp. There’s not a lot to do except admire the view — and experience traditional Berber music around a bonfire at night.

We arrived at camp just as the sun was setting. The sky changed from pink to amber to a deep blue before darkening to an intense black as soon as the sun dipped beneath the horizon. I let my mind wander and hummed a few bars of “Tea in the Sahara,” a song by the British band the Police, inspired by Paul Bowles’ bleak novel The Sheltering Sky. 

Vanessa in our tent

Duke and Wally lounge in the tent, glad they didn’t have to share it with any of the boisterous Dutch travelers.

The stars were absolutely incredible and the three of us laid down on the sand outside of our tent to look up at the night sky, feeling utterly small and at peace. After a while, we joined the group and sat around a bonfire, listening to our hosts intensely play drums and sing ritual Berber music. 

The sand in the Sahara blazes a bright orange.

You’ve probably heard that while deserts can be scorching hot during the day, they get to be surprisingly cold at night. We awoke the next morning and put on our sweaters and scarves. Much to Wally’s relief, no scorpions had crawled into his boots.

Wally and Duke were glad they took a couple of days to travel to the Sahara.

The beauty of the sunrise was amazing — it’s not every day that you begin by leaving a tent to climb a sand dune in the Sahara Desert. The sunlight made the ochre grains of sand glow, and we sat there for a bit in a meditative state. It almost seemed disrespectful to break the silence with our voices.

As we rode our camels back to Erg Chigaga, we began to feel the effects of the previous day’s trek. As mentioned, camels are not comfortable rides. With their arched backs and their lurching around, shifting me almost comically sideways, I found myself tightly gripping with my legs. After our ride, all three of us had a piercing pain right in the taint, which Wally coined “camel crotch.”

Obligatory cameltoe pic

We would have liked to spend more time in the desert, but we had to get on the road for the long journey back to Marrakech. The trip was about eight hours, returning through the treacherous turns of the Atlas Mountains. As we neared Marrakech, I noticed storm clouds on the horizon. –Duke

 

Road Trip! Marrakech to the Sahara

The death-defying hairpin turns in the Atlas Mountains are worth it. With stopovers at Aït Benhaddou and Ouarzazate, a big part of the fun is the journey to Erg Chigaga for an overnight in the Sahara Desert. 

A stray dog looks off at the Atlas range, surely thinking deep thoughts…like how no trip to Morocco is complete without a sojourn in the Sahara.

There was one thing we knew we couldn’t miss out on while Wally and I planned our itinerary for Morocco with our friend Vanessa: a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a desert adventure. We decided upon a three-day and two-night Sahara excursion through Imzi Tours.

The familiar sound of the muezzin’s voice broadcast over the speakers of the nearby Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech woke me from my slumber at 5 a.m. When the alarm rang an hour later, I thought I’d half-imagined the call to prayer, asking Wally and Vanessa if they had heard it, too. 

“Nothing can quite prepare you for being a passenger in a car maneuvering the tight cliffside turns with low guardrails found throughout the Atlas range. ”

By the time we got dressed, it was only 6:30 in the morning, so the kitchen at our riad, Alwachma, hadn’t opened — which meant we were served an abundance of carb-laden fare that left the three of us longing for the cumin-dusted fried eggs we had enjoyed the day before. Our breakfast spread consisted of msemen, a traditional flatbread cooked in a frying pan. It reminded me of a chewy square-shaped pancake, but was described best by Wally as “crêpe jerky.” This was accompanied by another unleavened bread, matloua, the Moroccan version of an arepa, which was served with preserves, freshly squeezed orange juice and French press coffee. 

We had to get an early start for our desert excursion because Marrakech is roughly 225 miles from Zagora and the dunes of Erg Chigaga, though we had an overnight at Ouarzazate. At 8 a.m., the three of us met our guide and driver at the end of Derb Bab Doukkala, the cobblestone alley outside our riad.

His name was Mubarak, but he went by Barak. After asking our names, he promptly gave us Berber names: Vanessa was Fatima, Wally was Mustafa, and I was Ali. Vanessa whispered a theory that I was inclined to believe. She said Barak gave us Berber names so he didn’t have to remember our real ones. But what the heck, it’s all in fun, right? 

Moustafa, Ali and Fatima…err, Wally, Duke and Vanessa stretch their legs and admire the view on a road trip through the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

It’s a long ride to M’hamid, the launching point for the camel ride to the desert camp, but Barak assured us that there’d be plenty of stops along the way. Our first day would take us to an argan oil cooperative, Aït Benhaddou and Ouarzazate, where we would be spending the night. 

Our driver Barak, posing with our friend, Vanessa. He was a fiercely proud Berber and expounded about his people at length.

The Free People: A Lesson About Berbers

As we sped along National Route 9, Barak explained that there are several different types of Berber tribes, the semi-nomadic people who inhabit the Sahara. Two of the largest populations are found in Algeria and Morocco. Their livelihood revolves around traveling with their livestock as the seasons change.

The name Berber was ascribed to the oldest known inhabitants of the Barbary Coast of North Africa. The term stemmed from the Greek bárbaros, used to refer to any foreigner, and which is the root of the derogatory term barbarian. It’s understandable that Berbers prefer to call themselves Imazighen, which means “Free People” in the indigenous Tamazight language.

Berber on a motorbike: A man whizzes by in traditional Berber garb.

The southern Atlas and Anti-Atlas Mountains are home to the Shilha, the largest Berber tribe in the country and often viewed as having the “purest” dialect: Tashlheit, the most commonly spoken in Morocco.

Riffan or Rif Berbers speak a dialect called Tarafit. The smallest Berber population in the country, this group stays within the bounds of the Rif Mountains.

In the Middle Atlas are the Zayanes, who spread from Fès in the north to Marrakech in the south. Their dialect, Tamazight, varies wildly from region to region but is usually intelligible by native speakers. Some Zayanes, particularly those near Ouarzazate in the south, are still nomads. 

It’s astonishing how much work goes into extracting oil from the argan nut.

Argan Oil Women’s Collective: A Tough Nut to Crack 

As we entered the High Atlas Mountains, the undulating surface of the surrounding landscape resembled gray-green fleshy folds of walrus skin peppered with errant bursts of green scrub. In other parts, it was like driving through the Grand Canyon. A frequent roadside sight are the paddle-shaped limbs of the nopal cactus bearing prickly pear fruit in varying states of ripeness.

Argan trees are indigenous to the Atlas Mountains. They are thorny, drought-resistant trees that bear a hard yellow fruit. 

Argan trees are quite tenacious and can grow on rocky outcroppings. The oil from their fruit is used in cosmetics and cooking.

Our first stop was a roadside argan oil cooperative shop whose parking lot was littered with desiccated argan fruit husks. Inside, Berber women demonstrated the manual labor required to make this “Moroccan gold.”

Collectives like the one we visited help provide women with lucrative employment.

One pair was seated and cleaved the inner nut with a sharp stone to extract the kernels. Another pair ground the roasted kernels between two slabs of rock into a paste that resembled natural peanut butter. A woman who served as a guide told us that two types of oil are produced — one is used in cosmetics while the other is used like olive oil in cooking. 

Because the extraction process is labor intensive (it takes between 25 to 30 kilograms of argan kernels to produce 1 liter of oil), the government has established a fund to help ensure the success of cooperatives like this. UNESCO has designated the 10,000-square-mile argan growing region as a biosphere reserve. This empowers the women who produce the oil, providing them with fair wages, an opportunity to improve the welfare of their families and safe working conditions.

The trio of adventurers reach the highest point in the Atlas range — and, indeed, in all of North Africa.

Tizi n’Tichka: High Point of the Atlas Mountains

Whenever we stopped to take a photograph anywhere along Route 9, a local man or boy emerged from the rocks brandishing geodes split open for us to see the glittering crystalline structures inside, some artificially dyed a vibrant pink or blue. 

We passed dozens of beaten earth houses, many of which appeared to be uninhabited, although we learned from Barak that this wasn’t always the case.

The houses in the mountains are made of local materials and, as a result, are practically camouflaged.

Laundry is put out to dry in the sun on the rocks of the Atlas Mountains.

Before making our descent into Ouarzazate, known as the Gateway to the Sahara, we reached the highest point of the Atlas Mountains. At an elevation of 7,410 feet (2.260 meters) above sea level, Tizi n’Tichka is the highest mountain pass in North Africa. We stopped for a moment to take in the incredible views and an obligatory photo, of course. 

We were sure we’d never make it through the mountains alive, as Barak sped past large trucks winding through the switchbacks of the Atlas.

Nothing can quite prepare you for being a passenger in a car with a driver maneuvering the tight cliffside turns with low guardrails found throughout the Atlas range. Since this route is shared by trucks and other large passenger vehicles, the three of us would lean to the opposite side every time Barak passed a vehicle on the narrow lanes, in hopes that this would help prevent our car from toppling over the edge. 

You definitely have to stop off at Aït Benhaddou en route to the Sahara.

Hollywood in the Desert: Aït Benhaddou and Atlas Studios

One of the coolest stops en route to the Sahara was the fortified village of Aït Benhaddou. Barak told us that the oldest dwelling in what he called a kasbah was built in the 11th century, though UNESCO dates the oldest construction “to be no earlier than the 17th century.”

Wally thinks the ancient structures of Aït Benhaddou look like sandcastles.

Regardless, the atmospheric desert dwellings have been so well preserved that it has captured the imagination of Hollywood. Several productions have been shot here including, The Sheltering Sky and The Mummy. In fact, a large artificial entrance had been constructed for the Daenerys storyline in Game of Thrones — but unfortunately, they weren’t going to start filming for another month or so, much to Wally’s dismay.

Many movies set in Ancient Egypt have been filmed at Atlas Studios in Ouarzazate.

Speaking of Hollywood, the next stop was Atlas Studios in the town of Ouarzazate, where numerous desert-themed movies have been filmed. For some reason, our guide was enthralled with Steven Segal. The group we toured with was predominantly French, with a small group of English-speaking Brazilians. 

Most of the sets were made of fiberglass with back supports of bamboo scaffolding. I was intrigued by the false perspective and scale used in the spaces to trick the eye. 

Hopefully Les Jardins de Ouarzazate has been upgraded a bit since our visit.

Les Jardins de Ouarzazate Hotel: I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

Atlas Studios also boasts an exclusive 10-suite hotel aptly named the Oscar. Perhaps we should have stayed there instead of Les Jardins de Ouarzazate, which was included in our tour package.

At the time we visited, back in 2012, the hotel had clearly seen better days. A layer of dust and grime covered everything inside the expansive lobby and I half-expected to see Miss Havisham from Dickens’ Great Expectations descend the tiled stairs.

Our room, at the top of the stairs, had a foul smell, so we were upgraded to a private suite off to the side of an unkempt but beautifully wild rose garden and swimming pool. Both rooms were dark, and when we went to take showers the following morning, the water was cold.

An old man kept pacing around the pool. Vanessa thought he was lost; I thought he was a Peeping Tom; but Wally fabricated the most amusing story: The geezer was wandering around looking for Arab boys. “Is this where the Arab boys are?” Wally said, mimicking an old man’s voice, while I laughed. “I thought I saw one come back here.”

The highlight of our stay was our waiter. He was quite jovial, so we nicknamed him Giggles. He asked us if we were doctors because we were all wearing glasses. 

There was a little kitten that stayed next to me throughout dinner. It took all of my willpower not to toss it a scrap of food.

Breakfast was a buffet of fly-smothered, day-old croissants loosely covered with cloth napkins.

Mediocre hotel aside, the interesting stopovers make the journey to the Sahara as much fun as the overnight in the desert itself. –Duke

Atlas Studios: The Hollywood of Morocco

Ouarzazate, a stopover en route from Marrakech to the Sahara, is where blockbusters and TV series, including Gladiator, Kundun, The Mummy and Game of Thrones, were shot.

If you’ve seen a Hollywood movie set in the desert, there’s a good chance it was shot at Atlas Studios. The Mummy, Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven have all filmed sequences here.

On the well-traveled route from Marrakech, almost all roads lead tourists heading to the Sahara Desert through the city of Ouarzazate (pronounced Wahr-za-zaht). It looks like a sleepy town, and, indeed, its name is derived from the local Amazigh dialect for “without” (ouar) and “noise” (zazt). 

But under the surface, the Gateway to the Sahara has a few surprises up its sleeve. Just minutes from the town center is a major motion picture facility. Though there’s no Hollywood sign visible on a hillside, there are faux pharaonic statues and a pair of iron gates emblazoned in gold letters with the name Atlas Corporation Studios. 

“You can really see through the illusion when you go around back and realize that it’s all supported by bamboo scaffolding. ”

The working movie studio, which takes its name from the vast mountain range that surrounds it, was established in 1983 by Moroccan entrepreneur Mohamed Belghmi, who recognized the need for a permanent film facility in the region. He promoted Morocco as the perfect setting for virtually any Middle Eastern location — think Biblical epics and Ancient Egyptian myths. Perhaps he took a cue from British producer David Lea, who, in 1962, saw the potential of Ouarzazate when they needed a desert location for Lawrence of Arabia. 

It’s all a façade (literally!) at Atlas Studios. What at first appears to be a temple is actually just a front supported by scaffolding.

Lights, Camera, Action!

When the cameras aren’t rolling, public tours of the studio are offered, and that’s just what Wally, our friend Vanessa and I did after visiting the UNESCO World Heritage site of Aït Benhaddou en route to a camel ride and overnight in the middle of the Sahara. The entrance fee is 80 dirhams (about $9 at the time of this writing), though ours was included as part of our tour package.

Our driver dropped us off outside of the complex, where we joined a small group and guide leading a walking tour of the studio. 

Just a sampling of the many movies and TV shows filmed at Atlas

The first thing we saw after passing through its gates was the elaborate interior set of a Tibetan temple, one of the soundstages constructed for the 1997 film Kundun, Martin Scorcese’s biopic based on the life of the 14th Dali Lama. The track used by the cameraman during production is still in place on the floor of the set. 

Fun fact: Extras from Tibet were flown in to lend the movie authenticity. 

You can see the track used for the camera in Kundun. It’s this kind of behind-the-scenes looks at movie production that make a visit to Atlas Studios so fun.

Beyond the temple lies a replica F-16 prop jet plane used in the production of The Jewel of the Nile (1985), starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. 

While the sets at Atlas are impressive, they pale in comparison to the real deal, obviously.

Taking a Peek Behind the Curtain

From afar everything looks real — but once we got closer, it became clear that it’s all smoke and mirrors. Walls are actually false fronts, their sides sculpted from polystyrene and concrete. But you can really see through the illusion when you go around back and realize that it’s all supported by bamboo scaffolding. More than a few were weathered and worn by the passage of time and desert air. 

Hang in there, Vanessa!

Not sure if you knew this, but Wally’s a witch.

On one lot, the three of us found ourselves in a medieval square that was surprisingly small. But the buildings’ exteriors use forced perspective, which, when seen through a camera lens gives the illusion of being farther than they really are. Incidentally, this was where the scene of Russell Crowe’s character, Maximus, getting sold into slavery in Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000) was shot. 

We were quite charmed by the Egyptian temple sets, the largest of which were used for Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, a French film based on the comic, starring Christian Clavier as Astérix, Gérard Depardieu as Obélix and Monica Bellucci as Cleopatra. 

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The global hit series Game of Thrones converted one of the Atlas backlots into Pentos, one of the Free Cities of Essos, where Daenerys Targaryen lived in exile early on.

Vivid technicolor Egyptian temple interiors. I wonder what the hieroglyphics translate to?

Atlas’ Massive Productions

In terms of scale, Atlas is one of the largest movie studios in the world. At 49 acres, it’s equal to the length of 37 football fields. It’s so vast that there’s confusion as to where sets end and the sprawling desert begins.

When a film finishes production, the sets are typically left behind, with new ones built nearby for the next shoot. The end result is a studio that grows larger each year. That means many big-budget productions are left in situ, though some are recycled and reworked for other features. 

Atlas acts as a stand-in for many countries of the Middle East, but Egypt in particular, as attested by the numerous set pieces, like this ram-headed sphinx.

Visiting the studios was one of the highlights of a trip filled with astounding adventures. It was a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes. We weren’t sure what to expect and were pleasantly surprised. Our guide was friendly and gave us plenty of time to take pictures. If you’re looking for an interesting day trip from Marrakech or happen to be en route to the Sahara, you should definitely add Atlas Studios to your itinerary. –Duke

Special shoutout to Vanessa for sharing her photos with us. Our camera’s memory card got fried on this trip and we lost most of our photos.

Is that the Ancient Egyptian temple of Karnak?! Oh, it’s just a replica at Atlas Studios in Morocco.

Atlas Movie Studios
Km 5
BP 28 Route de Marrakech
Ouarzazate, Morocco

 

8 Frightening Facts About Sultan Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif

He’s the most gruesome character in the history of Morocco. The country’s own Vlad the Impaler has some dubious claims to fame — including fathering more kids than anyone else in history.

Sultan Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif believed he was a descendent of the Prophet Mohammed — and used that as an excuse for some very bad behavior.

Sultan Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif was propelled to the throne of Morocco in 1672. His brother had been riding horseback after a victory banquet and was killed when his horse galloped beneath the low-hanging branches of the palace orchard.

Ismail’s reign as sultan, from 1672-1727, was longer than any other ruler in Moroccan history. Whether he should be remembered more for his beautiful creations or his cruel tyranny is a matter of dispute — but everyone agrees that Ismail was one of the most important rulers in Moroccan history.

“Men who merely glanced at one of his wives or concubines were punished by death. ”

Here are some of the things that made the sultan so infamous.

1. He killed his servants at whim.

Ismail was not, by any accounts, a very nice man. In fact, he’s been quoted as having said, “My subjects are like rats in a basket, and if I do not keep shaking the basket, they will gnaw their way through.”

It’s estimated that 30,000 poor souls met their deaths at the hands of the sultan — often for no reason. He was well known to kill people during fits of rage. According to one story, the sultan lopped off the head of a slave who had been adjusting his stirrup as he was mounting his horse. They didn’t call him “the Bloodthirsty” for nothing.

Legend has it that Ismail had sex every single day — which wouldn’t be too tough to do if you had over 500 women to choose from.

2. Ismail was a sex addict — and fathered more children than anyone else in history.

Ismail was well-known for siring hundreds of children. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, he fathered 888 children — the highest number of offspring for anyone throughout history that can be verified.

Each of the 500 concubines in Ismail’s harem had their own eunuch and handmaiden.

3. He had 500 concubines, which no one else could even look at.

He was fiercely protective of his four wives and 500 concubines. Whenever a tribe surrendered to Moulay Ismail, the leader was forced to offer his most beautiful daughter to the sultan as a gift.

The women were treated like Ismail’s favorite toys. Each concubine was granted a personal eunuch, a castrated male slave, and an odalisque, or female attendant.

The lake-like Bassin de l’Agdal in Meknès served as an emergency source of water in times of war and a pool for his concubines in times of peace.

Men who merely glanced at one of his wives or concubines were punished by death. It’s said that men who encountered the sultan’s women laid facing the ground, so as to avoid any accusation of having looked upon them.

If any of Ismail’s harem were suspected of adultery, they were severely punished or put to death. The women were either strangled by the sultan himself or had their breasts cut off or teeth extracted.

Ismail fathered at least 888 kids — more than anyone else in recorded history!

4. The Sharif family claims to be descendants of the Prophet Mohammed.

Ismail succeeded the throne at the age of 26 and established Meknès as the capital of the kingdom. He was a member of the Sharif dynasty, which claimed to be descendants of the Prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam.

Ismail used this pretense to justify his actions, both cruel and kind. His subjects bowed in his presence, and were not allowed to look him in the eye.

During his 55-year reign, he managed to create magnificent and enormous construction projects. His palace was built exclusively by European slaves, aided by bands of local criminals. The palace was four miles in circumference, and its walls were 25 feet thick.

As soon as he finished one project, he’d start on another. If he didn’t like something, he would order it demolished and a new one rebuilt.

Ismail killed people for the slightest offense, including even just looking at one of his concubines.

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Learn More About the History of Meknès Here

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5. The sultan’s favorite wife was once a concubine who convinced him to punish his son in a horrific manner.

Ismail’s favorite wife and queen of the palace was a black woman who started out as a concubine. Her name was Lalla Aisha Mubarka, or Zaydana, the name she acquired after giving birth to the sultan’s first son, Zaydan.

She held sway over Ismail and hatched a scheme to depose his favorite son, Mohammed al-Alim, suggesting that he intended to proclaim himself the sultan of Morocco. For his punishment, Ismail had his son’s left arm and right leg amputated for supposedly having rebelled against him. This was intended to send a message that any disobedience would mean severe punishment or death. Not surprisingly, Al-Alim died from blood loss.

Ismail’s Black Guard, made up of captured sub-Saharan slaves, acted as the sultan’s personal bodyguards.

6. Ismail created a massive self-generating army.

The formidable Black Guard was comprised of slave warriors acquired from sub-Saharan Africa. Considered loyal, as they no longer had any tribal affiliation, the Black Guard were Ismail’s personal guards and servants.

By the end of his reign, he had raised a powerful army of more than 150,000 men. These men had families and lived in communities of their own, but essentially belonged to Ismail. The boys were raised to serve in his army, which helped Ismail maintain his position and conquer the whole of Morocco from European kingdoms. The girls would marry, have children and continue the cycle.

The Black Guard exists to this day, though its name was changed to the Moroccan Royal Guard after the country gained its independence in 1956.

7. He also had an astoundingly large prison that mostly held Christians.

The Habs Qara (Prison of Christian Slaves) was a large subterranean prison beneath the city of Meknès. At its height, it held an estimated 60,000 prisoners, 40,000 of them believed to have been Christian sailors captured at sea by Barbary pirates. The Christians were used as slave labor to build the city during the day and were shackled to the prison walls in the evening and forced to sleep standing up.

Rumors of the existence of secret tunnels leading from the royal palace to the prison persist, despite lack of evidence.

Louis XIV, the Sun King of Versailles

8. The sultan and the Sun King were allies.

Ismail, the second ruler of the Alaouite dynasty, presided over Morocco at the same time that Louis XIV, the Sun King, ruled France. He and Louis XIV were close allies, and in 1682, Ismail sent Mohammed Tenim, the governor of Tétouan, to be his ambassador in France to sign a treaty of friendship and negotiate the release of Moroccan captives. French Baroque painter Charles Antoine Coypel depicted the Moroccan ambassador’s visit in his painting titled Mohammed Tenim, Ambassadeur du Maroc à la Comédie Italienne.

Mohammed Tenim, Ambassadeur du Maroc à la Comédie Italienne by Charles Antoine Coypel, 1682

Ismail proposed to Princess Marie Anne de Bourbon but was rejected.

Ismail sent his ambassador with a marriage proposal to Marie Anne de Bourbon, the eldest legitimized daughter of the king and his mistress Louise de La Vallière, but she declined. Thankfully, it didn’t lead to an international incident. –Duke

A History of Meknes, Morocco, the Bab Mansour and Heri es Souanifoot

Explore the historic gate, stables and medina on this day trip from Fès that can be paired with Volubilis.

Meknès, with its ruined stables, granary, gate and markets, makes for a fun afternoon after touring the ancient Roman mosaics of Volubilis.

One of Morocco’s four old imperial cities, Meknès lies west of Fès, in the foothills of the Middle Atlas Mountains. Our driver, Hafid, suggested we make a stop after our amusing guided tour of Volubilis.

“Isamil was given the epithet “the Bloodthirsty” for his legendary cruelty. To intimidate rivals, he once ordered that the walls of Meknès be adorned with 10,000 heads of slain enemies. ”

A woman sells dates off of the main square.

There weren’t as many cats in Meknès as there are in Fès and Marrakech, much to Duke and Wally’s dismay.

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Photos of the Cats of Fès

Photos of the Cats of Marrakech

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A vendor sells greens near one of the arches of the old city.

Meknès was founded and settled in the 11th century by the Almoravids, a Muslim Berber dynasty, as a military settlement and received UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 1996. The city has retained many of its historic elements, which can be attributed to the ambitious 17th century transformation and monuments constructed under the rule of Sultan Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif.

A stamp depicting Moulay “the Bloodthirsty” Ismail Ibn Sharif

The second sultan of the Alaouite dynasty (the current Moroccan royal family), Ismail ascended the throne at the age of 26, after the death of his half-brother Moulay al-Rashid, who died after a fall from his horse. A descendent of the Prophet Mohammed, Ismail moved from Tafilalt and made Meknès the capital, intent on a creating a grand city on a scale rivalling Versailles in France. It’s believed that Ismail enlisted over 25,000 Christian prisoners and over 30,000 criminals as laborers in the construction of Meknès. Some of the stones were taken from the ancient Roman ruins of Volubilis, a highlight of this area.

Meknès is much less touristy — and much easier to navigate — than Fès.

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9 Tips for Navigating the Fès Medina — and Making It Out Alive

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The market displays, like those of this fruit and veggie vendor, are works of art and riots of color.

Off to one side of the main square, a doorway leads into a teeming local market.

Ismail is remembered as one of the greatest and most notorious monarchs of Morocco. His reign lasted 55 years, from 1672 to 1727 — longer than any other ruler in Moroccan history — and left an indelible mark on Meknès. He was given the epithet “the Bloodthirsty” for his legendary cruelty. To intimidate rivals, Ismail once ordered that his city walls be adorned with 10,000 heads of slain enemies. Legends of the ease in which Ismail could behead or torture laborers or servants he thought to be lazy are numerous. During the half century of Ismail's rule, it’s estimated he killed 30,000 people.

The Bab el-Mansour gate was constructed to impress visitors — and doesn’t really lead anywhere.

Bab el-Mansour, the Gate to Nowhere

As a tourist in Meknès, you’ll feel like you’re stepping back in time. One of the most well-preserved and beautiful historic landmarks of the city is the Bab el-Mansour. The elaborate horseshoe-arched gate and its 52-foot-high wooden doors is located off the sprawling el-Hedim square and provides a glimpse of Ismail’s grand vision. The monumental gate bears an Arabic inscription that translates as “I am the most beautiful gate in Morocco. I’m like the moon in the sky. Property and wealth are written on my front.” What’s truly interesting though, is that unlike other gates we’ve encountered in Morocco, this one is a folly that leads nowhere and was commissioned by Ismail simply to impress visitors. It’s now the entrance to a building that features art exhibits.

Could the gate be more beautiful? Probably.

To further illustrate his cruelty, one popular legend tells the tale of Ismail asking Mansour Laleuj, the architect responsible for the impressive city gate if he could have made the gate more beautiful. When Laleuj responded yes, the sultan immediately had him beheaded. This is unlikely, though, as the gate was completed by Ismail’s son, Moulay Abdallah, in 1732 — five years after his father’s death. However, the notion that the sultan would act so impetuously at the slightest offense makes for a great story.

Nature has taken over the massive stable complex.

Stable Conditions. The massive Royal Stables in Meknés were constructed during the reign of Moulay Ismail. It is believed that 12,000 horses and their attendants were kept here. Thick walls were constructed and a cedar forest was planted on the roof to keep the graineries cool, now roofless after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. #meknes #morocco #africa #symmetry #history #travel #instatravel #travelblog #traveltheworld #wanderlust #travelphoto #instavacation #packyoursuitcase #travelstroke #travelling #trip #getaway #travelpics #tourist #traveldeeper #savoteur

A post shared by Wally & Duke (@notsoinnocents) on May 12, 2016 at 5:59pm PDT

Stable Conditions

Equally impressive is the Heri es-Souani, the former imperial granary and royal stables. A remarkable engineering feat, the massive stable yard was constructed to comfortably house no less than 12,000 royal horses. I can only imagine the amount of shit there was to shovel! It has been said that Ismail was a fanatic about his horses, and two slaves were employed to look after each horse to ensure that all their needs were met.

The granary complex was an architectural marvel of its day.

The granary was empty when we visited, lending it a creepy vibe.

Underground cisterns kept the granary nice and cool.

One Great Granary

We entered the complex and found ourselves in a cool, barrel-vaulted structure. The chambers are constructed of 13-foot-thick adobe walls with small rectangular windows overhead for circulation. Many chambers have their original cedar doors.

Be sure to look for the noria, a water wheel half submerged in the sandy floor, where horses were once used to raise buckets of water from an underground reservoir connected to the nearby Bassin de l’Agdal.

A series of cisterns beneath the granary kept the floors cool, perfect conditions for storing provisions to feed the city and the sultan’s precious horses.

The stables are impressive — because the sultan who built them pampered his horses.

Sturdy stone arches once supported the roof of the stables.

Duke ponders the M.C. Escher-esque labyrinth.

Golden Arches

Stretching beyond the granary are the ruins of the royal stables. The wooden beams are long gone due to the seismic waves that radiated from the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755. Nary a horse in sight, its walls remain intact with a great forest of columns and open-air arches forming the arcades of the massive stable. Nature, as well as a few cats, have taken over, lending an otherworldly quality to the ruins.

Wally likes to pretend that he’s playing real-life Dungeons & Dragons in settings like this.

Duke thinks the seemingly neverending archways are a photographer’s delight.

Regarded as one of Ismail’s finest architectural achievements, the stables are a testament to his immense wealth and the great lengths he went to ensure that his horses lived comfortably.

The ruins of the stables are a favorite with film scouts.

Additionally, filmmakers are drawn to this amazing structure. The site has been featured in Ishtar, The Jewel of the Nile and The Last Temptation of Christ.

The medina in Meknès pales in comparison to Fès’.

If you’re looking for a day trip from Fès, Meknès makes for an interesting place to spend an afternoon exploring. –Duke

 

Jardin Majorelle: A Moroccan Garden Oasis in Marrakech

What exactly is Majorelle Blue? What does Yves Saint Laurent have to do with the Majorelle Garden? And what’s this about a new Musée Yves Saint Laurent?

Escape the chaos of the medina for a calming visit to le Jardin Majorelle 

Marrakech, Morocco is famous for many things: thick, fortified ramparts of beaten red clay, the towering minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque and the vast open square Djemaa el-Fna with its network of narrow, winding market-filled alleys known as souks. Oh, and “Berber whiskey”: hot, sweet mint tea served in small glasses.

Duke and Vanessa in the Majorelle Gardens

On our last full day in Marrakech, Wally, Vanessa and I walked from the medina to the Nouvelle Ville — French for New City. Our plan was to visit the Jardin Majorelle and to purchase a new memory card for our digital camera. We hoped to retrieve the images from our corrupted memory card, which had stopped working when we arrived in the Sahara, further proof that jinns exist.

We found a camera store, and Wally conversed with the shopkeeper in French, who took the card and inserted it into a reader. He looked up at us, shook his head and said, "C’est grillé.”

“I think that means it’s toast,” Wally said, sadly.

Towering palms seen through an archway

We went on with our day, happy to at least have a new memory card to start taking more pictures. As the three of us made our way around the walled enclosure surrounding the Jardin Majorelle, we became a bit concerned it wouldn’t be open. Our guide from our desert trek, Barack, had told us that the most important prayers of the week are those at noon on Friday, and because of this, Muslim cities essentially close from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. We were in luck, though — the garden was open.

We entered the garden through a weathered wooden door, and although there were many people visiting that morning, I was struck by its serenity. The pebbled garden path led through a dense cluster of bamboo. Sadly, countless visitors have left their mark by carving their initials into the shafts of bamboo.

Visitors past have left their mark in the bamboo section of the garden

Wally loves the exquisite Moroccan detailing at the nearby villa 

The villa houses a gift shop and Berber museum

True Blue: The History of the Majorelle Garden

The garden’s creator was Jacques Majorelle, a French Orientalist painter, the son of furniture designer and manufacturer Louis Majorelle. On the advice of his physician, Majorelle the junior travelled to Morocco for the sake of his health, and was immediately captivated by the vibrant colors and quality of light.

He settled in Marrakech in 1917, and in 1923 purchased four acres of land bordering a palm grove outside the city’s ancient walled medina. Eventually, Majorelle purchased an adjacent plot, expanding the property to 10 acres.

In 1931, he commissioned architect Paul Sinoir to design a Cubist villa to serve as his studio. Majorelle painted the fountains, planters and atelier a specific shade of cobalt blue, now appropriately named bleu Majorelle.

This striking cobalt is known as Majorelle blue

Around his new dwelling, Majorelle, a passionate amateur botanist, cultivated the gardens, which he opened to the public in 1947 to help offset their costly maintenance. After Majorelle’s death in 1962, the gardens remained open but gradually fell into a state of disrepair, lacking the care necessary to maintain them.

The designer Yves Saint Laurent saved the garden from disrepair

Yves Saint Laurent to the Rescue

Couturier Yves Saint Laurent acquired a second guesthouse, Dar Es Saada, in Marrakech in 1973 with his then-boyfriend Pierre Bergé. Arabic for the House of Happiness in Serenity, it was located near one of their favorite places, the Jardin Majorelle. When they learned seven years later that the gardens were slated for demolition to make way for a pool and bungalows. Saint Laurent and Bergé decided to purchase the 12-acre garden and villa. The couple enlisted American landscape architect Madison Cox to meticulously restore the gardens. According to Cox, Saint Laurent had the vision to have the flowerpots scattered throughout the garden painted in lemon yellow, sky blue and the famous bleu Majorelle. Saint Laurent and Bergé kept the garden open for visitors to enjoy, just as Majorelle did. 

(Bergé and Cox married in a private civil ceremony shortly before Bergé’s death in 2017. Cox is  also the director of the Fondation Jardin Majorelle, an organization that operates under the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent.)

YSL’s genderbending aesthetic included le smoking, a feminized take on the tux

Musée Yves Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent often designed his collections while in Marrakech, inspired by the city’s colors and shapes. So it’s fitting, pun intended, that a museum dedicated to the influential designer’s life and legacy was built next to the Jardin Majorelle.

Although it wasn’t open when we visited, the Musée Yves Saint Laurent, abbreviated as mYSLm, was spearheaded by Bergé and conceived by Studio KO architects Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty. The museum contains an extensive collection of couture garments, sketches, fashion photos and assorted objects showcasing YSL’s signature genderbending style from 1962 until his retirement in 2002.

The bamboo copse at Majorelle

Secret Garden

We passed through a pergola covered with bougainvillea and paused to look into a reflecting pool containing water lilies and a pair of turtles resting at its edge.

The garden is mostly green with periodic bursts of pink and red

Drought-tolerant cacti make up the majority of plants at the Majorelle Garden

Following the garden path, we came upon a modest memorial dedicated to Saint Laurent. When he passed away in 2008, his ashes were scattered amongst the garden he and Bergé so lovingly restored.

This decaying column serves as Saint Laurent’s memorial 

Wally and Vanessa enjoy the serenity of this oasis

Artists paint the plantlife

A peek over an artist’s shoulder

The magnificence of this garden reminded me of the exotic Generalife gardens located beside the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. The arid landscape, originally almost devoid of vegetation, like the gardens of the Alhambra, were utterly transformed by Majorelle over a span of 40 years. From what I could identify, the garden includes agave, bamboo, cacti, cypress, datura, succulents and bougainvillea.

In the Cubist villa, there’s a gift shop and a museum dedicated to artifacts from the pre-Arab inhabitants of North Africa, the Berbers. Just don’t try to sneak in, or you might get kicked out, like Wally did.

Birds chirping, bamboo rustling in the breeze, and the sound of trickling fountains truly turn the garden into a welcome oasis from the hustle and bustle of the medina. –Duke

We recommend adding le Jardin Majorelle to your Marrakech itinerary

Jardin Majorelle
Rue Yves Saint Laurent

Admission: 30 dirham, or around $3.25

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Spinach-filled phylo puffs at the neighboring Kaowa Café

Nearby

Thirsty and hungry after visiting the gardens, we dined on the terrace of Kaowa Café, a snack and juice bar situated across the way. We ate delicious puffs filled with cheese and tried some of their signature juices.

9 Tips for Navigating the Fes Medina — and Making It Out Alive

OK, that’s a bit dramatic. But Fez, Morocco is an intense city to explore. Read these tips before you go.

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A donkey overpacked with boxes is about as much of a traffic jam you’ll encounter in the Fès medina.

Fès is a city of discoveries. You never know what lies around the next corner. You cannot imagine the beauty that hides behind a plain wall once that wooden door opens.

As such, though, it can be intimidating as well. I’m not gonna lie: That first day we had booked to explore the medina on our own, we were hesitant to leave the riad. We really had to work up our courage. Because once you step foot outside the door, you have to be prepared to not only get lost, but also to deal with local men making snide comments, hoping to get you to pay them to act as guides.

“For the most part, it worked, and we were able to follow the trail back, like Hansel and Gretel.”

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Landmarks like mosque towers don’t really help you find your way around the medina — there are lots of them, and once you turn a corner, they’re gone.

1. Get a guide on your first day.

It’s nice to put yourself in someone else’s hands on your first day in Fès. Our guide, Abdul, was fantastic, and we just followed him around as he led us to the major sites. It’s nice to get them out of the way, know you’ve ticked the “important” stuff off your list, and that you have nothing left but to shop and eat (and hit a hammam for a spa day).

Abdul took us to the narrowest street in the medina:

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2. Pay close attention to how to get to the Blue Gate.

It all comes back to the Blue Gate, it seems. We took a daytrip to the Roman ruins and mosaics of Volubilis, and had a guide from the riad lead us to the Blue Gate just outside of the medina to meet our driver (there aren’t any cars allowed in the medina — and anyway they wouldn’t fit on the narrow twists and turns).

I literally just kept track of the major turns we made: left, left, right, right, right. And that was all we needed to retrace our steps the following day. Sure, we took a turn too soon a couple of times, but just backtracked once we hit a dead end. We got back to the Blue Gate eventually. And from there you can hit one of the major thoroughfares of the medina.

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You never know what lies around the next corner in Fès. It might be a bunch of roosters tied to a cage in front of a gorgeous doorway.

3. Ignore the hustlers.

As mentioned, you’ll pass young men every so often who want to con you into paying them to act as guides. “There’s nothing that way,” they’ll tell you. “The Blue Gate isn’t down there,” they’ll say. Don’t pay them any mind. Unless, of course, you truly are hopelessly lost. And then agree to a reasonable fee before you have them lead you back to your hotel or guesthouse.

We didn’t end up having to do this in Fès but did so twice in Marrakech (though we hired young boys to guide us there).

4. Chat with your fellow travelers over breakfast.

Because we talked with a lovely British couple, Susan and Colin, our first morning at our amazing riad, Dar Bensouda, we learned about the gardens (which happened to be closed for the Sacred Music Festival, but still) and the tapas bar across the street, Mezzanine (a welcome change from couscous and tagines).

They also told us about the Ruined Garden, which was close to our riad, and ended up being our favorite restaurant in Fès.

5. Follow the signs.

One of the best ideas Fassi business owners ever had was to put up small rectangular signs throughout the medina. Coming back from the souks or the Blue Gate, we started noticing signs for nearby dars and riads (guesthouses). After a day or so, we knew which ones would lead us close enough to our own lodgings that we could find our way.

We also knew that there were signs that led from Riad Dar Bensouda to the Ruined Garden. So once we passed that, we followed the signs back to our temporary home. This gets a bit tricky — you have to turn a corner and then glance back to make sure there’s a sign pointing back to the restaurant. But for the most part, it worked, and we were able to follow the trail back, like Hansel and Gretel.

6. Walk with confidence.

This was advice given to us by Susan and Colin. It really did help put some of the would-be guides in their place. They’d look at us, walking with a purpose, and then go back to their conversations.

To help get you into the mindset, imagine yourself a local. Or at least someone who’s been in the city for some time.

This was harder to do when we made a wrong turn, hit a dead end and had to walk back past a group of men. But fake it till you make it. If they say something, just tell them, “We’re good.”

7. Try your smartphone.

We didn’t have a data plan abroad, so we didn’t use use our phones. But fellow travelers said that there were Google Maps or another app that was surprisingly helpful for navigating the medina. I’m a bit skeptical, given the labyrinthian nature of this ancient city — but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to try it out.

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A butcher in one of the more-populated areas of the medina

8. Let yourself get lost.

Everyone doles out this advice. And it’s all well and good, as long as you’re not trying to find something specific. For our third day in Fès, we had nothing planned but wandering the medina and shopping. And that was the day we didn’t worry if we didn’t know where we were going — just so long as we were back in the safety of our riad by dark.

9. Friday is a great day to wander a less-crowded Fès.

This is the day of worship for Muslims. So wandering on Friday is actually a lot more chill. You’ll get hassled less, as mosques keep many of the people away. As an added bonus, shops that are open are often willing to give a good deal since business will be slow.

As I mentioned, the Fès medina can be intimidating. But by following this advice, you should be able to navigate the seemingly endless twists and turns on your own…somewhat successfully. –Wally