LOCATION: Marrakech
What's happening?
We keep getting told to "mind the heat." And we keep reminding @Mohammed that we are Auatralians - and 30 degrees isn't exactly sizzling for us. Don't mind standing in the shade - but would say, other than the day we had to fill in in the Sahara, waiting for our camel call up, it has all been sunshine and summer feels.
Love the days when we are "here." It is the respite we need in our schedule. Everything slows down a little. Still have tours organised but we get some free time thrown in.
The Adventure
A guide makes such a difference and @Hussein, @Mohammed's brother by another mother, was a gem. He wrapped up the present and the past, the politics, the people and the place and the beauty of the architecture and the contrasting dramas of the time into a compelling narrative. Rather fitting really, as Jemaa el-Fnaa, the big square of Marrakech, is about storytelling.
Started the tour with the history of Marrakech, which was interwoven with stories of trade and the importance of the Jewish residents (only 170 residents here today) and moved onto the beauty and intrigue of the Bahia Palace. Marrakech's story was around the camel trade route and power while the Palace opened stories of architecture, harems and political intrigue.
The square originally was a crossroads for caravans arriving from the Sahara, the Atlas, and the Atlantic. It was where news was traded, justice was delivered, merchants set up temporary stalls and camel carriers were swapped for donkeys and horses.
The Palace (nothing to do with royalty - all about "size matters" and showing off your power and status) was a maze of courtyards and carved ceilings. Massive doorways and intricate patterned mosaic zellij tilework in blue green and honey tones. There was an absorbing political story behind this residence.
Built in the late 19th century by Grand Vizier Si Moussa (rose through the ranks from a black slave) and expanded by his son Ba Ahmed, (@Hussein brought this guy to life!) the palace was designed to be a show piece of power and a home for the wives and concubines. Lots of wheeling and dealing completed within these walls. According to @Hussein, they were not just wealthy officials. They were the most powerful non‑royal figures in Morocco during their lifetimes. Their influence shaped the palace, the city of Marrakech, and national politics. Ba Ahmed, especially, effectively ruled Morocco from 1894–1900 - he was the puppet master!
Fascinated by the detail of the tiles - all hand crafted
The wander through the harem was an eye opener. Political intrigue was also part of ths women's quarters. Can't imagine a life being locked away - no amount of luxury or privilege could really disguise that the women were prisoners in the walls of the Palace. No harems and concubines today in Morocco by law and @Hussein was adamant that "one wife was enough."
Rounded out our time with a visit to a herbalist. Loved the whip around of the traditional medicinal uses of the herbs and oils we have encountered over the last 10 days. Will probably be unrecognisable when we wake up tomorrow - should be wrinkle free, have different coloured skin, smell great AND have had make-up enhanced by the magic green lipstick. Stay tuned.
Tried for some shopping in the medina and on both @Mohammed and @Hussein's advice, used the old "make a counter offer and then walk away" strategy. Bargaining and haggling is the norm here - my thoughts - i just offer what we are prepared to pay!
In the literally thousands of choices we had for lunch - decided to stick with the only two vendors we knew. Didn't quite get the front row seats of yesterday, but the service and food was just as good. Welcomed warmly by our juice man as the sweet late lunch chaser and dodged the snake charmers and storytellers to meet up on time, without being list in the maze of the medina, right on time.
@TheRoyals went to a cooking class for the afternoon and evening while we chilled out locally. Despite my best intentions of setting up on the balcony to capture the sunset, I managed to miss it AGAIN - had my head in a John Grisham novel so totally understandable. Wandered down to dinner by the pool at 8.30 and thought we were fashionably on time with the locals. The reality, as we were leaving at 10.30, the tables were starting to fill! There is a tendency to use all the hours in a day here.
Definitely appreciating the cooler evenings here and having a little laugh that we had Mexican for lunch and Japanese and Italian for dinner. Really embracing the Moroccan culture.
The highlight of our dinner evening was @Mac discovering he can talk directly into his watch and get Siri's response. He was so excited, declaring himself as Dick Tracy. We are now on information overload as he randomly makes up totally irrelevant questions just to hear the responses. Can't wait to see him walking through the next medina or kasbah gathering trivia responses.
PS An observation- if you visited Marrakech 10 to 15 years ago - would be a different experience. The influx of tourists and the changes made by the locals to accommodate tourism, has meant so many changes. A definite swing to westernisation - and then a series of cliches maintained and multiplied and presented as the new "face" of Marrakech.
Survival Barometer
Steps: 10 969
Weather: 33 - i noted on temp forecast it was predicted to be 38 early next week - got lucky
Can you believe that?
A little background from Co-Pilot.
🦂 Weird & Interesting Facts About Ba Ahmed
1. He hid the Sultan’s death for days to seize power
When Sultan Hassan I died suddenly during a military campaign in 1894, Ba Ahmed kept the death secret for several days to prevent rivals from acting first.
2. He ruled Morocco from behind a curtain
As hajib (chief chamberlain), Ba Ahmed controlled access to the Sultan.He often conducted business from behind a silk curtain, unseen, while ministers knelt outside.
3. He employed 300–2,000 craftsmen at once
Depending on the phase of construction, Ba Ahmed kept hundreds to thousands of artisans from Fez working simultaneously.They carved cedar ceilings, hand‑cut zellige, and painted every inch of wood by hand.No two zellige panels are identical — imperfection was intentional.
4. He was the son of a former slave — and became the most powerful man in Morocco
Ba Ahmed’s father, Si Moussa, was born enslaved in the royal household and rose to Grand Vizier.Ba Ahmed inherited this position and surpassed his father, ruling Morocco outright.
5. He had four wives and 24 concubines — each with her own apartment
Ba Ahmed built dozens of private suites, each decorated differently.This wasn’t just luxury — it was political.Marriages and concubines were alliances, and separate quarters kept the household stable.
Today's Spot the J clue - I think there are at least two
"Getting ready to write my daily story."
No comments:
Post a Comment