I thought to select the places which are by far
the best for taking photos as they reflect the richness of Moroccan arts and
architecture back in the day. These places are all beautiful, some of the best
examples of Andalusian/Islamic architecture styles and so it’s all logical that
they serve as the perfect Morocco photospot for many ( with all the best
reasons) extremely popular, so be prepared for long queues ( except
off-season).
Also, I do my best to be as interesting as
possible when representing these places. Ill do my best not to get lost in too
many details and not to turn as dry as most travel guides undeniably and
unavoidably do.
And before I forget: dedicate a separate day to
visiting most of these attractions. So that you can see all of them with fresh
eyes.
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| Amazing reflection of the light through the glazed wondows |
So, what counted
as a double show-off in the Islamic world in the Middle East? Not only building
a castle, that can be done by any king but building a castle specifically for
the concubines, now that’s a big deal. Now, count in the fact that the palace
has around 160 rooms? All in all I think we can safely draw the conclusion that
kings in those ages were not too bored, even without TV or owning any exciting
gadgets. It’s quite surprising that this palace was in fact not built in the
Middle Ages but rather late, with the building finished in 1900. Built as a
real specialty for Ahmed ibn Moussa, they wanted this castle to be the most
beautiful castle ever, so they went to great lengths in achieving that. You
will instantly realize this once you are there because everything is so
beautifully and eloquently built and decorated, not to mention the huge Arabic
style garden that accompanies the palace. You could literally spend days over
here with just taking photos. I could write pages about the Alawi style and
other artistic attributes, but honestly, I think it’s just better for you to
find out about all those by yourselves if interested.
As with
everything in Morocco, you will get ahead much easier and learn way more if you
hire a guide.
How to get there: it’s very easy as it’s in the very
downtown. You either take a 20 minute walk straight along Rue Riad Zitoun
Lakdim then take a left turn when you get to the Hopital Riad al Mokha or you
simply catch a cab and you are there in 5 minutes.
Check out my Bahia
Palace Pinterest Album! - coming in a few days!
If you are interested in arts and architecture
then this place will be your new hub. The school wad once the largest islamic
school all across Northern Africa that says a thing or two about its importance.
The place is literally stacked with tons of breathtakingly beautiful examples
of the Medieval Moorish-Andalusian style Islamic art that has since become the
staple all across the Islamic world. This building is one of the oldest still
functioning religious schools in the world. It has been built back in the 14th
so it counts as a real remain. If someone knows a thing or two about Moroccan
history then they may already know that the biggest rival of this famous school
was in fact in Fés which gives home to the oldest school ( madrasa) in the
whole world. It’s hard to compete against such a resumé. Although the school is
not officially a school any longer it has a great deal of historical and
religious writings which makes plenty of people visit and use it as a library
per se. The Ben Youssef Madrasa ( or Medersa) is open to the public since 1982
and it’s one of the best ever religious and islamic artwork related sites in
the world.
How to get there: the Madrasa is literally the other part of
the Medina which starts from the Jamaa El F’na and while it’s still downtown
it’s best to get there with a cab.
While
you are there use the time to check out the nearby lying: Mosquée Ben Youssef,
La Qoubba Arts Gallery, the large Musée de Marrakech and the Maison de la
Photographie de Marrakech. You will be able to enter in them all ( except for
the mosque) for a small entrance fee.
Check out my Ben
Youssef Madrasa Pinterest Album! - coming in a few days!
Saadian Tombs:
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| Reflecting the old beauty of Islamic Arts - Saadian Tombs |
This place, which is now one of the biggest
historical attractions in Marrakech on its own right was once forgotten.. for a
few centuries thanks to a dynasty change in the meantime. Saadi is the name of
the dynastic that has rule Morocco in the 14th century and the place was used
as a very elite cemetery for the kings of Saadi family, including Ahmad al
Mansur who ruled the country ntil 1603. Then in the 1670s came the switching of
dynasties with Moulay Ismail being the first ruler of the Alawite Dynasty getting
on throne.
And as is with many kings, he didn’t want people to
keep the memory of any previous kings too deep in their hearts. Therefore he
closed down the tombs and simply left them neglected. The neglect has become so
long term that people in fact forgotten about the place until someone has seen
it from a helicopter by accident in 1907 which was the time European
archaeologists have started to have some breakthrough ruin discoveries all over
the Middle Eastern and Northern African regions. With that, the tombs were
suddenly „found” they went through a long and exhausting restoration process
until the place gained back its old light. And it’s a place which is well worth
visiting, featuring shining examples of 14th century Islamic arts.
How to get there: the
good news is, that Saadian Tombs are very close to the downtown area, its about
10-15 min walk from Jamaa El F’na along Bab Agnaou by the beautiful Kashbah
Mosque and in fact just a short walk from the Ben Youssef Madrasa.
Tips and advice:
bring hat, plenty of fluid and sunscreen. This is an open place featuring 2
large and 66 smaller tombs with 100 other graves also occupying its area.
Check out my
Saadian Tombs Pinterest Album! - coming in a few days!
Al Koutoubia Mosque:
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| The majestic Al Koutoubia Mosque |
When you are in Marrakech, there is no possible
way for you NOT to see Al Koutubiya Mosque because it’s the tallest, largest
mosque of the city and it’s also the mosque which rules the very downtown of
the city, being only a stone’s throw from the world famous Jamaa El F’na
square, where basically every tourist goes from morning to night.
Located in the middle of a large park, with
elegant fountains, beautiful palm trees, the mosque is largely considered being
the very middle of the city, the downtown and everyone comes here who would
love to visit the Jamaa el Fna too. This is an always crowded always noisy area
full of people, buses, cars, donkeys and more!
To tell you some of the dry facts too: the minaret
of the mosque is 77 m tall, it’s a great representation of the beautiful
islamic art and it was built between 1184 and 1199 during the reign of Caliph
Yaqub al Mansoor. The whole structure is build of red stone and the minaret is
built of sandstone. As most of today’s modern Marrakech was built during the
time French ruled Morocco, they also had a tremendous role in the designing of
the city’s structure and according to that structure Mosque al Koutoubiya
served as a hub from where many of the main roads start ( or end for that
matter). The modern city part which is
right along the Avenue Mohamed V is called the Ville Nouvelle ( new city in
French) and to add something interesting: the name of the mosque derives from
the word „bookseller” because at one time its base and the street leading to
the mosque gave place to a hundred bookselling stands. Al Koutoubiya is
designed and built in Almohad style.
Interesting fact: the mosque has 6 rooms right
above each other for the king and his harem. The unique way of building the
rooms helped people never to know in which room the harem was so it prevented
anyone to be able to watch it from the minaret.
The walking distance between the Jamaa el Fna and
the Mosque is only 200 metres and the huge square also serves as a central bus
station so expect tons to happen there all in the same time.
This is one of the most spectacular modern
attractions to see in Marrakech and it’s receiving tons of visitors on a daily
basis, alone and in guided tours likewise. Learn everything about the Majorelle Gardens by reading my previous blog by clicking on the name itself:
I hope you found this blog helpful, the next 5 attractions will be up very shortly.
Please check out my Morocco Album on Pinterest alongside the single albums for each attraction.
Do you have a Marrakech memory? Please share it with me and let's make a real conversation over here.
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