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As our friend is a football referee and he had to supervise a match in Marrakesh (Marrakech-Fès) while we were there (fantastic coincidence!), we went to see if he did a good job!!!! And it was really great! Kamal told us that the entrance was free for women (there are no woman in it in fact!) but if fact the police guy was not really OK to let us it... We explained the whole story to a more friendly policeman who let us in and led us to sitting place near the supporters of Fès !!! We were treated there like princesses ! The match was great... there were 4 goals during the match! A lot of suspense! Leave a Comment
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In 2000 we visited the village Ouriki, south of Marrakesh for the weekly local market. Many villagers from the surrounding villages visit this market.
When we crossed the river, before entering the village, we saw a large parking lot, not with cars ...., but with donkeys, many many donkeys,shoulder by shoulder.
If you enlarge the picture you will see it better. Leave a Comment
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While wandering around the Mellah and Medina one afternoon, I came across this man and his shop- on the pavement were displayed various terracotta products, including tagines.
I'd been thinking of purchasing a tagine during my trip, but the ones I'd seen were glazed and patterned in souvenir shops. The rustic nature of the ones on sale appealed to me.
This man and his colleague didn't speak any English, or much French, but they were very friendly, giggling like 2 school boys, when I asked if I could take their photo, after I'd purchased my tagine for about 65 pence!!!! plus they sold me some black olive oil soap, and a terracotta foot scraper- all together, my purchases cost less than 1GBP !!
Afraid I can't remember exactly where this shop was, but I remember it was very close to the city walls, probably heading towards the tanneries. Leave a Comment
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A trip to the Atlas mountains offers a respite from the baking heat of summer in Marrakesh.
As you travel along the roads into the mountains, the air becomes much cooler and pleasent.
The drive is amazing travelling through Berber Villages and past Kasbahs , and by the time you are half way up the mountain, you can see plenty of Marrakech familes cooling off in the river, and then the riverbank seems to come alive with people offering camel rides, horse rides and various moroccan snacks. Some bars even set up tables in the river to offer the ultimate in riverside dining.
If you are planning to walk up to the waterfalls, take sturdy footwear, as the rocks are very slippy.
The only problem with the river and the Atlas mountains is that whilst it is naturally beautiful, vistors to it are not taking care of this enviroment. The banks and the middle of the river are strewn with empty plastic bottles and plastic bags, and in the areas around the riverside cafes, coke cans and sweet wrappers are everywhere.
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Vallée d'Ourika is a narrow valley that cuts through the Atlas Mountains. Like most of the land south of Marrakech, it is inhabited by Berber villagers. The valley is only about 30-45 minutes away from Marrakech, so if time allows, I highly recommend renting a car (with a driver) and driving into the valley (cost is about 60-70 euros for the day). The road ends at an altitude of about 1600 metres in a small village called Setti Fatma. Along the way, there are numerous Berber markets and merchants, along with breathtaking scenery. There is also an old Berber synagogue to visit. At the last village, Setti Fatma, there is a hiking trail that leads to a scenic waterfall. My fellow travellers and I made it all the way to Setti Fatma, but did not have the time or appropriate gear for a hike to the waterfall. Next time!
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We walked around at the market, exploring and trying to discover the different sections of the market. The market was spread out in the whole village, so it took some time before we had visited all the sections with animals, vegetables, local craft and more.
We enjoyed the special atmosphere and ambiance in the village. Leave a Comment
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In another part of the village we found the vegetable market. At this coulourful part of the market we saw many tomatoes, onions and other vegetables and herbs. The soil in the surrounding area of the village must be fertile.
In the animal part of the market we saw only men, as we expected, but also at the vegetable part of the market we saw hardly any woman. Leave a Comment
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On a clear winter's day, climbing to a higher floor in any one of the cafes in the Jemaa el Fna square would offer a glimpse of the Atlas mountains looming over the pink city in the distance. And it is quite a sight-- long ranges of snow capped mountains whose fame sometimes precedes itself in part because of the Greek story that comes with it.
Legend has it that Atlas was the last of the Titans that was defeated by the Greek Gods in their fight for the world. As his punishment, Atlas was banished beyond the western frontier of the world, where he was to hold up the sky till the end of time. When Perseus came across Atlas on his way home from slaying Medusa, he asked for shelter and food but was refused. And so Perseus turned Atlas into stone by showing him the freshly servered head of Medusa, thus forming the mountains you see today. Leave a Comment
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When we entered the market village Ouriki, we saw also at the the other side of the bridge a lot of ''parked'' donkeys of the local people, visiting the market. Never before I had seen so many donkeys at one spot.
When we saw the huge amount of donkeys in the oued and all the people at the bridge, we were prepared, that the market must be very crowded. Leave a Comment
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You just have to get lost in the souqs. You can't even see the sky which will make you feel weird when comming out of it. You then see the strong sun shining while being used for a couple of hours inside the souq with great shadow.
In summer time the average temperatura is above 40 degrees celcius and this type of coverage is essencial to smoth the temperature a little bit.
The most common materials to cover the souqs are palm fronds. Leave a Comment
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