Souks and Other Delights, A Day in Marrakech
by Walter Glaser
 As the first
golden sliver of sunlight appears over the central Atlas Mountains and
slices into the crisp, still-cool air, Marrakech has already stirred into
action. From one distant minaret, and then another, the Muezzins call
the faithful to morning prayers.
 In Djemaa El Fna
square, central to all activity in Marrakech, there is a sense of quickening
activity. Men leading laden donkeys head for the souks, where every
type of North African merchandise is bought, sold or bartered.
Tradesmen cross the square on their way to work. Beggars and would-be
tourist guides take up what they hope will be strategic positions.
Berber tribesmen, freshly-arrived from their trek across the desert, add
more color. Veiled women, only their eyes visible, make their busy way
to shops and bazaars. The citizens of Marrakech are easing themselves
into the day.
By late morning the heat has risen, and so has the dust. A curious
crowd gathers around jugglers and timbrel-accompanied dancers. There
are bird-enthusiasts and bird-sellers, hawkers and pick-pockets,
food-sellers and musicians. Blind story-tellers recount tales of
adventure, romance and heroism which, more often than not, are beyond
belief. And then there are the less lurid but perhaps more educational
tellers of tales -- men who act out their stories with vivid and bewitching
gestures -- be they tales of romance and love, battles, stories from the
Koran, stories of nomads or even, as in one very atypical but amusing case,
a story of personal hygiene !!
 In other spots,
public notaries armed with pens sit at makeshift tables awaiting illiterate
customers needing their services. A little further, 'Dentists' with
rudimentary equipment sit in wait for patients whose toothache is now so
fierce that it transcends their fear of these 'specialists'. Everywhere on
the streets of Marrakech colorful water sellers offer rose-petal scented
water. They don't seem to sell much, but willingly to pose for your
camera for a small gratuity.
Strains of music start up, slowly becoming louder, shriller and faster.
Pushing their way through the crowd, come the Gnuouas, black dancers whose
ancestors came from Guinea, all dressed in loose white clothing and colorful
embroidered caps. Their traditional dancing is a great attraction as they
swirl frantically to the sound of drums and long metallic castanets until
totally exhausted.
 Surrounded by
fascinated onlookers who never-the-less give him a wide berth, is a
sinister-looking character known as the 'Snake Man'. Two live
scorpions are crawling over his face, a spider seems almost glued to his
skin, and he is clutching a live snake in his mouth. A figure that
inspires curiosity, fear and disbelief, he never fails to draw a huge crowd.
Tame by comparison, and therefore somewhat less successful, are the other
snake charmers. One sits, foaming at the mouth and with hair unkempt,
staring at his basketful of shiny black cobras, their hooded heads poised
menacingly in the air.
 Synonymous with
mystery, intrigue and adventure, Marrakech has always been a magnet for
intrepid travelers. For this town is the very essence of North Africa.
The traveler who has not been to this city cannot claim to have seen the
real Morocco. It is also a wonderful destination in many other ways in
spite of the exotic atmosphere, this is one of the safest and if you want
the very best luxurious destinations in North Africa. It is also the
absolutely perfect place for the person who wants the most exquisite and
luxurious place to stay. For that very special anniversary or occasion
like a honeymoon you will not find better than Amanjena. Even if you have
to count your pennies for the rest of the year, give yourself a day or two
at this hideaway if you want something to remember fondly for the rest of
your life. For Amanjena is something straight out of 1001 nights !!! Your
neighbor might be a movie star, a Head of State, or a Captain of Industry,
and the service, accommodation and ambiance are geared to that level of
visitor. Like much of this exotic city, Amanjena has to be experienced to be
believed.
 Each of the 39
pavilions and suites that make up this resort are exquisitely furnished
apartments of the type you see featured in architectural magazines, and some
have their own private swimming pools to supplement those of the hotel.
(insert Pavilion Bedroom, Amanjena.jpg here)
 Set in what was
a large palm plantation, the resort also features an adjacent
championship-standard golf course, and a health and beauty centre. Its PR
handout perfectly describes what you get. With indigenous hammams or steam
rooms, alongside a glass-encased whirlpool, it is both quintessentially
Moroccan and deeply nourishing. Essential oil massages are skillfully
carried out in inviting candlelit rooms with burning incense, floating rose
petals and warm mint tea.
 Another great
feature of this hotel is its custom-planned sightseeing tours. Our guide who
spoke perfect English and several other languages took us shopping to the
very best boutiques in town, guided us through the incredible souk market
for which Marrakech is internationally famous, and on another day took us on
a memorable day trip into the high Atlas mountains to explore the Ourika
Valley an outing not be missed.
Marrakech, the pink city of a hundred thousand palm trees, is located in
the Moroccan south at the foot of the Central Atlas Mountains and is the
link between sea and desert. Surrounded by its six miles of ramparts that
seem to constantly change in color and mood as the day passes, Marrakech is
the old Imperial City. This was the site of the Palace of El Badii,
built in the 15th Century, a masterpiece similar to the Moorish palaces of
Andalusian Granada.
Although El Badii was destroyed during the 17th Century it is not
forgotten. Each June, orchestras congregate from every corner of the
Moroccan kingdom to attend the National Festival of Marrakech which lasts
for 17 days. The ruins of the old palace are filled with the strains
of traditional Moroccan music and folkloric dancers, their brilliant colors
flashing in the sunlight, dance and swirl for enthusiastic audiences.
 There is much
to see in this marvelous city. The best way is to hire one of the 300
horse-drawn carriages which ply the city streets in lieu of modern taxis.
Lulled by the clip-clop of the horses and the swaying of the barouche as you
follow the vast city ramparts, you will admire the seemingly-endless
orchards and olive groves of the Menara. Here, against a background of
distant, snow-capped mountains, a vast lake reflects the shore-side
pavilion. Don't miss the Necropolis where the splendid tombs, built by
Saadian princes, were walled in for many centuries.
To get a really great view of Djemaa El-Fna square, go to the first floor
terrace of one of the many cafes that surround it -- the Cafe de France, the
Bar Arcana or the Bar de la Place. Take your binoculars and don't
hurry away. The show is fascinating. Or wander around, drifting
with the ebb and flow of the crowd, but watch out for the pickpockets too.
Soon you reach the entrance to the labyrinth of light and shade loosely
known as 'the souk!' This part of the old city is home to the maze of
streets, doorways and inner courtyards so essential to Marrakech tradesmen.
You may be lucky to get a guide like Mohamed Almarou who has spent five
years studying in the US and speaks perfect English. US$10 buys his
services for four hours. He may take you to Avenue Mohammed V, a wide,
impressive avenue that dissects the city and then into the old part of the
souk. Here the small, narrow streets are the nearest thing to Ali
Baba's cave and will assail all five senses.
 These
fascinating small and airless alleyways, hardly wide enough to let a donkey
cart pass, are crowded and noisy, aromas changing dramatically in line with
the nearby trades that are represented. The delightful scent
surrounding the spice sellers suddenly changes to the strong pungency of
leather near the saddle-makers.
Caftan-garbed delivery-men yell warnings to stand aside.
Horse-drawn barouches seem to leave less than the thickness of a sheet of
paper on each side of the narrow street. Donkeys loaded with produce
move slowly through alleyways, their sacks acting like lateral steamrollers
threatening to flatten anyone who dares to try and pass them. In shops
filled with every imaginable kind of merchandise, affable shopkeepers smile
and invite you to have a cup of mint tea. Moroccans are very friendly,
and they will always help with directions if you are lost. Though
Arabic and French are the dominant languages, there is enough English spoken
in most places to obtain assistance.
 There are a few
rules one must understand when in the souks. The first is never to try
and 'go it alone'. On entering the souk or the square, you will be
assailed by endless would-be guides who have incredible persuasion and the
stamina to wear you down till you've hired one. After fixing a price
for his guiding, leave it to him to protect you from unpleasantness (but
nevertheless always stay alert) and lead you to the most interesting places.
He may get a small commission for taking you to a shop, but you won't buy
any cheaper without his presence anyway.
Secondly, never believe anyone who tells you anything is solid silver,
solid gold, or a semi-precious stone. The fact is that Marrakech
jewelry is made of plated base-metal every time, and that 'jewels' will
mostly be made of plastic that readily dissolves in solvent. But the
jewelry is inexpensive, the workmanship handsome and the artisans have to
make a living.
In some cities like Istanbul, you have one huge souk containing thousands
of shops and stalls. Marrakech is quite different. One of the
fascinating -- and charming -- things about this city is the myriads of
small, specialized markets. In little squares, reached by torturous
alleyways, groups of craftsmen, often members of the same families in the
same areas of expertise, set up small mini-souks. Locals know exactly
where to go for what they want.
 You may visit
the square where the sweetmeat sellers are found -- nougats, candied lemons,
mint-flavored sweets and other delights. Nearby is a small potters'
souk. Here one can find pottery from all over Morocco -- fabulous
vases from Safi, glazed pottery from Demnate and 'antique' amphoras made
last week and carefully aged to look as if they had belonged to Ali Baba.
The Souk of Sammarine is where the finest selection of textiles can be
found. Stalls carry exotic names like 'La Porte d'Or', 'Le Chateau de
la Koutoubia' and 'Voile d'Orient'. This is one of the city's oldest
bazaars, a timeless place that seems unchanged by the centuries. Huge
bolts of silk, muslin, brocade and cotton are stacked to the ceiling, their
brilliant rainbow of colors adding brightness to otherwise dingy
surroundings. Shrouded in black or white, veiled women examine rolls
of cloth for garments they will wear in the privacy of their homes.
As you pass the El Kbir Souk a group of leatherworkers are making
choukaras, the typically Moroccan man's purse. Many of the flowing
desert garments that men wear have no pockets and so a purse is worn over
the shoulder. At the end of the street is another little door leading
to another facet of the city's commercial life. This small square is
filled with craftsmen busy making the colorful ceremonial saddles and
harnesses so beloved by locals for special events and celebrations.
There are many more specialist souks which could be revealed by your
guide. There is a copper souk, a silver souk, a brass souk, and even
one that specializes in Russian-style Samovars (tea urns). Another
sells imported Spanish pots and teapots from all over the world, even from
far-away India.
Another amazing place is the woodworkers' area where ancient lathes still
operate and the craftsmen hold the chisels with their toes instead of their
fingers. A few steps past the 'Street of the Chemist' is the Larzal
Souk where a wool market is held each morning. Just past that, and in
total contrast, is the Rahaba L'Kdima where slaves were put on sale right up
to the beginning of the 17th Century.
Today half of this area is a traditional grain market, the other half a
sunny area where brightly colored rugs are on display. These rugs are
new, but look again! Some of the dealers are busy rubbing a sulphurous
mixture into these new carpets. With its help, and additional exposure
to the sun, the carpets are turned into 'instant antiques', reminding one
once again of the Latin phrase "Caveat Emptor" (let the buyer beware).
The faux-patina of age will not only raise the asking price of the
carpet, but the blood pressure of the buyer when she or he gets home.
Yet such things do happen and the charm of the carpet sellers should
overcome any irritation if you have a sense of adventure and romance.
 A tiny doorway,
easily missed, leads into the Souk Zrabia. Here, your eyes will blink,
so luminous are the colors of the rugs on display. The dominant color
indicates its origin. If it's red, the rug is likely to be from
Tazenarkt. If black, from Ouarzazate. If pale yellow, from
Telouet. If yellow and violet, from Zagora, and the fiery looking rugs
with blazing patterns resembling the teeth of a saw are likely to be from
Chichaoua.
 The day is
nearly over and the sun is setting over this magical city. The
Muezzins call for the evening prayers and the faithful listen. Slowly
the streets empty and the noise level drops. Tired and surrounded by
purchases, you relax as the barouche heads for your hotel.
After a fine dinner in one of the exceptional restaurants in Amanjena,
it's time for bed. Tomorrow is another day, and more adventures are
sure to await you. That's Morocco.
Amanjena Hotel
Route De Ouarzazate, Km 12
Marrakech, Morocco
T: (212) 5 24 399 000
F: (212) 5 24 403 477
E:
amanjena@amanresorts.com
W:
www.amanresorts.com/amanjena/home.aspx
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