Morocco
Summer 2018
This year I went on a group trip to Morocco. I travelled through Morocco for 2 weeks. The trip started in the largest city in Morocco, Casablanca. We then travelled to two of the four royal cities, Rabat and Fès. From there, we travelled further inland. We travelled through the middle Atlas Mountains to the edge of the Sahara to Erfoud. Via Quarzazate and the High Atlas we headed back towards the Atlantic coast. For three days, we immersed ourselves in the souks of Marrakech. The last city on our itinerary was Essaouira, before we travelled back to Stuttgart from Casablance.
Casablanca
The trip started in the largest city in Morocco, Casablanca. Unfortunately we didn’t see much of Casablanca, but we did visit one of the largest mosques in the world, the Hassan II Mosque. It is one of the few mosques that you are allowed to visit in Morocco as a non-Muslim. I was very impressed by the many mosaics, the huge corn chandeliers and the overall architecture. The 20,000m² prayer hall can accommodate up to 25,000 people.
Rabat
On the way to Fès, we stopped off in the capital Rabat. This is the seat of government and residence of the king. We saw the royal palace, the mausoleum of Mohammed V and Hassan II and the Hassan Tower. Here, too, there were beautiful mosaics to marvel at.
The royal palace
A temple servant after work.
FÈs
In the afternoon, we travelled on to Fès, the oldest of the country’s four royal cities. The city was founded by Idris I in 789. The al-Qaraqiyin University was founded in 859 and was regarded as the intellectual centre of the Arab-Islamic West.
Today, Fès consists of three neighbourhoods, each of which can be assigned to an era of the city’s history: the old town, the medieval new town and the Ville Nouvelle. The old town consists of the district around the Qarawiyīn mosque/university, which was the centre of public life after its foundation in 859. It is enclosed by the city wall. In the centre of the medieval New Town is the Royal Palace and the Jewish quarter. Our accommodation was in the new town and therefore quite far away from the centre. This meant that a short excursion into the old town was not possible on our own.
The royal palace in Fès
We visited a large ceramics factory. There we could see how the beautiful plates, bowls and vases were painted by hand. I would have loved to take some of this beautiful, colourful crockery home with me.
The next day we finally took a tour of the souk. We went through the Bab Boujeloud, the Blue Gate, into the maze of alleyways. There were small shops with colourful woven goods, leather goods and ceramics everywhere. There were many beautiful fountains decorated with mosaics in the individual small neighbourhoods in the old town. The tanners were a highlight of our city tour. We had a great view of the many private tanneries from a roof terrace. The smell was very intense. They used a mixture for tanning that included pigeon poop. That’s why each of us was given a piece of fresh mint. Of course, a visit to Fès could not end without a visit to a leather shop. Unfortunately, the traditional baboushs didn’t fit my feet.
Bab Boujeloud
The private tanneries
The colourful traditional baboushs
Erfoud, Boumalne & Ouarzazate
As soon as we were a little away from the big cities, we drove through much poorer villages. Many of the houses were not finished, but people were already living in them. In most cases, a third floor was missing. Our guide explained that you don’t have to pay taxes for an unfinished house. In the Middle Atlas, we also saw the first Berber tents near the roads. Slowly you realise the very different ways of life in Morocco.
Our next stop was the town of Erfoud, which lies on the edge of the Sahara. From there we visited the Erg Chebbi dune landscape. The climate in this region is semi-desert. It actually only rains in the winter months, except when we visited Erg Chebbi. I went for a short walk on the dunes with a few of the group. It was drizzling and quite windy. It was also an experience to be on the edge of the Sahara in the rain.
Homes of the poor population in Morocco a long the main roads.
The side roads are mostly unpaved.
A small sandstorm approaches.
Taxi for market visitors. The black headscarf is intended to keep the evil eye at bay.
Tajine street restaurant
Market stalls along the main street with a large selection of fruit and vegetables.
The next day we travelled a little further south to Boumalne Dadès. There we went on a short hike in the Dades Gorge. We hiked along the riverbed of the Oued Dades. The heat was quite intense in the gorge. The peace and quiet and just hearing the flow of the water did us good after the cities. I would have liked to stay another day somewhere in the Dades Gorge to relax.
Marrakech
After we had crossed the high Atlas with its many hairpin bends, we could already see the sea on the horizon. But before we went there, we immersed ourselves in the third royal city, Marrakech, for three days. From our hotel, we were able to walk to the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa, the red square, within 20 minutes.
The Jemaa el-Fnaa welcomed us with many people, cookshops and storytellers. A restaurant terrace offered the best view of all the hustle and bustle.
The next day we went on a tour of the different neighbourhoods of Marrakech and the souk. The souk was divided into different craft areas. Mopeds and carts pulled by donkeys drove through the narrow alleyways. On our day off, we took another leisurely stroll through the souk. I could have bought so many things: the beautiful leatherwork, the colourful ceramics with their interesting patterns or the richly decorated metal lamps. Although there are warnings everywhere that it’s easy to get lost in the souk, we didn’t get lost. It’s not that confusing and if you can orientate yourself a little, you’ll always find your way out.
Later we visited the oldest mosque in Marrakech, the Koutoubia Mosque. I would have loved to see the inside of the mosque, but unfortunately you are only allowed in as a Muslim.
In the afternoon, we visited the Majorelle Gardens. This was created by the painter Jacques Majorelles and contains around 300 different plant species. The Art Deco style buildings within the garden are painted a beautiful shade of blue. This blue colour is also known as Majorelle blue. In 1947, Majorelle opened the garden to the public, but it fell abandon after his death in 1962. In 1980, Yves Saint Laurent bought the Majorelle garden.
A small part of the group visited the former pasha’s palace Dar El Bacha.It would have been very easy to miss the entrance, as the façade looked nothing like a palace.However, as soon as you stepped over the threshold, you found yourself in a different world. Even in the first few rooms, we could marvel at the elaborate mosaics. When we stepped out into the inner courtyard, our eyes almost fell out of our heads. It was like a little oasis in the hustle and bustle of the city. A small fountain bubbled in the centre, surrounded by shady plants. The walls of the building were again richly decorated with various mosaics and the large wooden doors to the rooms were also adorned with carvings. There were only 5 other tourists in the palace with us. We spent quite a while there to marvel at everything in peace and quiet.
Before we went to the sea, there was a cookery course. We learnt how to prepare a tajine. The tajines tasted very good. This took place in an ordinary riad. Now we could finally take a look behind the front door and see inside a house.
Essaouira
Our last stop on the Morocco round trip was Essaouira. The further we travelled towards the sea, the more argan trees grew in the fields. Otherwise, the landscape was quite unspectacular.
The atmosphere in Essaouira is very different to Marrakech. It is much quieter and more relaxed. Most of the houses in the old town are painted white and have blue doors and windows. In the evening, we took a walk along the beach. Of course we had to dip our feet in the Atlantic. The water was very fresh.
The next day we walked along the beach to the centre. The harbour was already very busy. The fishermen were selling their morning catch. There were cats roaming around and you had to be careful not to accidentally step on a dead fish. Afterwards, we strolled through the alleyways, bought a few things and had a coffee. Later in the afternoon we went for a dip in the sea.
