Marrakech - losing yourself in another world
Walking across Marrakech's Djemaa el-Fna square at sunset is surreal. As the fading light paints the sky purple-pink, mopeds dart among the crowds like fireflies and chefs fire up their grills at the smoke-enshrouded food stalls.
At sunset, Marrakech feels like a giant film set: look one way and there's snake charmers hypnotising cobras; look the other and there's men balancing monkeys on their heads and Gnawa musicians holding audiences captive with their drumming and twirling fez tassels. The square is the centrepiece of Marrakech’s Medina, the old walled quarter of the city.
The old town looks little different to when Sultan Youssef ben Tachfine, the leader of the Almoravid dynasty, founded Marrakech in 1062. Sat Navs and iPhones won't help you much in the Medina: it's undriveable and unfathomable, a bewildering maze of souks and blind alleys, full of donkeys and hawkers and massive drifting crowds of people.
But the (slightly) controlled chaos of the square is only one side of Marrakech.
A stone's throw away, you'll find peaceful roof terraces, secret gardens and fountain-dotted courtyards, where the silence is only broken by the call to prayer.
The call comes five times daily from Koutoubia which, with its 69m minaret, is Marrakech’s most iconic sight, visible from almost anywhere in the Medina. The mosque is off-limits to non-Muslims, but its orange tree-shaded gardens are free for all to explore.
The main square also provides the entrance to Marrakech's labyrinthine souks. This is like slipping into another world, one with hole-in-the-wall eateries, selling slow-roasted lamb and stalls selling fragrant mint and glossy olives; another world it's possible to lose yourself in, both mentally – and physically. The golden rule in Marrakech is that if you can keep in mind where you are in relation to Souk Semmarine, the main thoroughfare, you can find your way out. Quality in the souks can be hit and miss, so it helps to have a few tried and trusted addresses. Au Fil d’Or at number 10 Souk Semmarine is frequented by hip shoppers an, sometimes, royalty.
You might be tempted to try cinnamon-spiced coffee or ‘Berber whisky’ (mint tea) and then go on to see the carpet auction, held at 4pm daily at the carpet souk. It is an atmospheric time to visit. If a hand-knotted Berber carpet or flat-woven kilim rug catches your eye, you might even want to get involved yourself: be prepared to haggle – start at around 70 per cent of the asking price and gradually increase your offer.
For a taste of everyday life in Marrakech, head to the Rue de Bab Doukkala, which exudes a real neighbourly vibe with its market stalls, butchers’ shops and communal bread ovens. Take a ‘petit taxi’ (small cars used for local city transport) to Jardin Majorelle (jardinmajorelle.com). The garden was designed by the French artist Jaques Majorelle in 1924 and later, in the 1980s, became the much-loved retreat of fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent.
Opposite the garden is an exciting new addition to Marrakech’s design scene, 33 Rue Majorelle (Rue Yves Saint Laurent, 33ruemajorelle.com). The gallery and concept store harbours the work of around 60 Moroccan designers, from London-based Hassan Hajjaj’s retro-chic babouches to Nourredine Amir’s flowing kaftans. From here you can easily walk into Guéliz for an afternoon’s boutique shopping and people watching.
The roof terrace of Kosybar (47 Place des Ferblantiers, kosybar.com) is a prime spot to watch the setting sun make a silhouette of Koutoubia and glimpse storks swooping down to their nests on the Badi Palace walls.
An aperitif here is a wonderful prelude to dinner at Pepe Nero (17 Derb Cherkaoui, Douar Graoua, pepenero-marrakech.com; +212 (0)524 389067), close by. Housed in a former Pasha’s palace, the courtyard restaurant is like something out of a fairytale with its orange trees and rose petal-strewn fountains. As you dine on exquisitely presented Italian and Moroccan cuisine under a starry night sky, the Medina din seems distant, the magic of Marrakech timeless and tangible.
