 | Marrakesh Off the Beaten Path | Tips 41 - 50 of 90 |  |
Just outside the souk, close to the city walls and the Bab Debbagh (Tanneries Gate), you'll find the tanners district, where leathers are still tanned with vegetal proceeding. The floor is covered by big holes used ad dying and tanning thubs and all around the smell is unbearable. It's like going back to pre-industrial era!
The kids around who offers themselves as guides (and later will desperately try to bring you to one of the leather shops nearby) offer you some mint leaves. Use them to cover your face and absorb part of the terrific smell.
Try to ask about the myths about tanners, who are said to be in contact with unseen world of the dead and considered to be masters of fertility! Leave a Comment
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Tin Mal Mosque was built in1153 by Abd el-Moumen, the successor of the founder of the Almohad dynasty Ibn Toumert. Tin Mal village became the spiritual capital and artistic centre of the Almohads. After the decline of the dynasty, it became again a simple village in the High Atlas and the mosque deteriorated and became more or less a ruin. Nowadays it is largely restored by the UNESCO - there is still no roof - and a rare opportunity for non-Muslims to visit the interior of a mosque in Morocco.
Coming from Marrakech along the Tizi-n-Test road we followed after the village of Ijoukak the N’ffis Valley. After a couple of hours driving suddenly the mosque appeared, standing on a hill in the valley. It looked from a distance more like a fortress than a religious building.
I seemed like the caretaker was waiting for us, because he welcomed us immediately after leaving our car. He showed us around in the mosque with its impressive interior: beautiful arched pillars of pink stone and plaster stalactites, the original Mihrab with nice decorations, the cedar wooden doors now replaced by new ones, some original water pipes and the nests of two owls. The interior was severely damaged and just the Mihrab and the colonnade in front of it are well maintained. The rest of the pillars were rebuilt.
It was so interesting walking around, getting an impression of a Moroccan mosque and shooting pictures as well. The mosque still doesn’t have a roof and the sun was shining into the building causing mysterious shadow patterns from the horseshoe arches.
From the car park we had stunning views of the snow covered mountains of the High Atlas and the green N’ffis Valley.
Information
Tin Mal Mosque is situated about 10 km’s south of the village of Ijoukak, about 100 km’s from Marrakech along the Tizi-n-Test road. It takes about two hours of driving. The mosque is open daily except Fridays and we had to pay a small entrance fee of 20 Dirhams (December 2007). We visited Tin Mal with a ‘grand taxi’ on our day trip to the pass. Leave a Comment
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An often overlooked sight in the medina, near the Dar si Said museum, is Maison Tiskiwin, a beautiful Marrakech townhouse with displays on the culture and history of people who inhabit the Sahara.
The exhibits are in French and Arabic and the guidebook we were given was also in French but we were able to understand enough of it to make the visit worthwhile. The museum’s exhibits are a diverse collection of artefacts, ornaments and clothes and jewellery. Each room features displays and exhibits from different parts of the Sahara.
There was a friendly guy running the place who, when he found out I was Irish, told me he liked Chris de Burgh and Riverdance! The museum is at 8 rue de la Bahia, off rue Riad Zitoun el Djedid on the way to Dar si Said, and it cost us 15 Dh each to visit. Leave a Comment
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Marrakech is often the starting point for excursions into the Atlas mountains. Most visitors head for Toubkal National park, which is about 60 km south of Marrakech, and contains Jebel Toubkal, the highest mountain in Morocco, at 4,167 metres. Imlil is the usual trailhead for anyone planning to climb Toubkal and to get there from Marrakech go to the station on route 501, about 800 metres from Bab er-Robb. (The taxis no longer leave from Bab er-Robb as all the guidebooks and even a few locals suggest). From here there are grand-taxis to Imlil or buses to Asni (17km north of Imili) Leave a Comment
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We were the only ones supporting the referees !! And probably the only women watching the football game too but it was fun ;-) Leave a Comment
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The Menara Gardens are composed by a big monument part with a pavillion, a huge pool full of fishes, and big areas with olive trees where usually local people the majority youngsters go to have some fun and play music with their frends. Leave a Comment
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This is one of the entries to the Souq of Essraane inside the huge labirinth of the old medina of Marrakesh. Inside you hava a couple of worshops that produce some good that are to be sold in shops within the medina and also a painters workshop. Leave a Comment
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The most crowded part of the market, where it was not easy to move forward, was the animal section. Here we saw many goats and sheeps. It was very interesting to have a look at the lifely bargaining and trade between the villagers. Leave a Comment
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You really get the feeling of being part of a camal caravan when you enter this place Leave a Comment
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sitting at a cafe located at the heart of Al Fna area..... amazing view from top....most roof tops of the surrounding buildings had people with cameras filiming the area,,it`s very entertaing to watch people from above. Leave a Comment
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