Visiting Marrakesh, Morocco
Hello friends,
Today I will start a new thread of posts about Morocco, this beautiful African country I visited back in January 2009.
I stayed in Marrakesh, one of Morocco's four imperial cities (cities that were built by Moroccan Berber empires) (1). Although in the middle of winter, the weather was quite pleasant, and there was a lot of sun out.
My hotel was close to the center of the city, and I was awakened every morning around 6 am by the muezzin from the Koutoubia Mosque, calling people to pray.
The Koutoubia Mosque is the largest mosque in Marrakesh, Morocco. Its minaret, 77 metres high, is topped by four orbs. Legend has it that initially there was three orbs made of pure gold. A fourth orb was added by the wife of Yaqub al-Mansur, as penance for breaking her fast, and that she had all golden jewels melted to construct it (2).
Of course the heart of the city beats at the Jemaa el-Fnaa, one of the best-known squares in Africa, and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985. The square was initially used for public decapitations, but now teems with tourists, acrobats, belly dancers, snake charmers, etc. When I visited there was three or four charmers in front of their baskets with their cobras. Of course I kept my distance.
From the square, you can hitch a horse carriage ride around Marrakesh on these old fashioned carriages.
They were using a lot of horse-driven carriages to sell stuff too, from bananas to wood, etc.
The people here are living a different lifestyle, far more relaxed. They were taking time to stand and speak to each other.
It hasn't always been relaxing in Marrakesh though. The city walls and huge gates were made to prevent and protect.
The city walls are made of a distinct orange-red clay and chalk, which you find in many places across the city, giving Marrakesh its nickname: the"red city".
And that's the end of today's post. I hope you liked it, and that you will follow me to the next one. Have a good day, and speak to you soon! Cheerio!
References
1.Text from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrakesh.
2.Text from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koutoubia_Mosque.
Hey, I was there just 2 months ago, nothing changed much.. beautiful place!
Really? After 7 years! Thanks for that. I was wondering if it changed at all.