A spiritual guide to Marrakech magic
The Moroccan city can be overwhelming so hired an expert to see all its hidden delights
THE MAIN square in Marrakech, Jemaa el-Fnaa, is vast. Bigger than two or three football pitches, at night it’s like approaching a black sea edged with the brilliant lights of outdoor food stalls selling heaps of steaming snails, sheep’s head snacks, lentil soup and a potato and olive oil sandwich which is the North African version of a chip butty.
There were crowds of gawpers around a man dressed as a Victorian strongman who looked a lot like the comedian Bill Bailey. His trick to wow the crowds was to drink boiling water heated up on a primus stove (don’t try this at home). Slender, giggling boys dressed as women in sequinned robes shimmied to pass the time as we waited for the kettle to boil.
“Snake!” warned my guide Abdel Boudrouz as we pushed forwards into the darkness. He pointed to the ground where a pair of coiled up serpents slept amid the din and jostling humanity.
By day Jemaa el-Fnaa is full of snake charmers but they are supposedly banned at night (health and safety).
Elsewhere young men in Adidas and Nike clothing performed various versions of the three-card trick. A band, playing the wild traditional trance music known as Gnawa on drums and bowed lutes dragged onlookers into the circle to dance. Desolate, chained monkeys performed tricks. Taxis edged around the melée scooping up passing tourists.
Just a normal night in Marrakech. Someone once said to me that Marrakech is a Marmite city. You either love it or hate it. The fourth biggest city in Morocco, it lies in a green and fertile valley watered by streams from the Atlas mountains.
The earth is red and the baked clay walls of the medina, the old centre of Marrakech which dates back to the 11th century, come in shades of pink, ochre and rose. If you’re staying (as I was) in the Mandarin Oriental hotel with its huge gardens and serene views of the snow-capped mountains, then you’ll love it.
Morning began with a stroll to breakfast through the Mandarin’s serene gardens. Then to Dar Si Said, a palace-sized riad (a traditional house built round a courtyard) in the medina which houses an exhibition of Moroccan rugs, jewellery, textiles and musical instruments. Inside is peace and beauty; the interior itself – all cedar wood, marble and mosaics – as lovely as the exhibits, with all the chambers leading on to a green tiled courtyard with a pool at the centre.
After that, in an abrupt change of pace, I took a deep breath and entered the souk. Normally I like to explore a city by myself but in Marrakech, especially if you have limited time, it really is worth having a guide. It could mean all the difference between loving and hating the place (it’s not so much you’re hassled, even as a woman), it’s that it would be very easy to find yourself wandering hopelessly in interminable alleys selling knock-off