Students chilled with their mobile devices in the lobby of their hotel while waiting for the clock to strike 9:00 am and the start of the tour of Marrakech where tourism, unsurprisingly, is the main economic engine.
Our guide, an animated and very knowledgeable Abdul Latif, took us first to the 12th century Koutoubia Mosque and Minaret with its Moorish ornament, scalloped keystone arches, jagged crenalations and mathematically pleasing proportions. If was fun to see boys playing football (soccer) in a stone sufaced ravine that separated us from the mosque.
Abdul then hurried us to the old section of the city consisting of the three sections. The Kasbah, which was built in the 13th century and includes a mosque, fortress and the Saadian tombs; the medina and its marketplace, built in the 12th century; and the Jewish Quarter, the Mellah, added in the 19th century. All three sections are encased, separately, by very high, thick walls made of clay.
The tombs date back to the time of the Saadian dynasty of Sultan Ahmad al-Mansour and were discovered in 1917. Students squeezed into a narrow passage and cameras were clicking away to capture the beauty of the kings’ tomb for which al-Mansour spared no expense. Italian Carrara marble, gilding honeycomb plasterwork. Intricate tilework and a chamber of pillars completes this glorious mausoleum. Nearby, we took in the tomb where wives and concubines were laid to rest as well as the outdoor gravesites of the kings’ scholars, teachers and servants.
Tourists galore made it tricky for all 19 of us to stick together in the Bahia Palace, built in the 19th century and located in the Jewish Quarter. Bahia, which means brilliant, was the name of the Prime Minister’s favorite wife among the four to which he was married so it was her for whom the palace was named. He also had 24 concubines. The palace features Moorish designs and architecture throughout the rooms and sumptuous gardens that were complete with fruit trees and fountains.
One of the highlights of the Marrakech visit was meeting Hakim, a pharmacist at Koutoubia Herbal. We entered a showroom in which shelfs of bottles, bags, tins and canisters were filled with all sorts of herbs, oils and creams that he swears will fix whatever ails you. Acne, aging creases and lines, baggy eyes – Hakim’s got a cure. Oh, and there are lots of herbs and spices for cooking and brewing teas, too.
We sat on the room’s parameter while Hakim and his colleague brought canister after canister of such things as sinus opening peppermint crystals and spice mixtures that made our eyes water, plus creams to erase dark rings under our eyes. We were hooked and out came that dirham and credit cards.
After being whisked through the market in the medina (watch the video below) we boarded the bus for lunch at the Amal Women’s Training Center. This remarkable non-profit under the solid direction of Oumaima is devoted to taking in women from difficult situations and training them for jobs in the restaurant industry.
The women prepare and serve food at two locations in Marrakech and also have a catering service for which they cook and deliver 100 meals to area schools four days a week. The income from these services help to support the expenses associated with training them. Founded in 2012 with the help of the Swiss foundation Drosos, Amal opened its first center in 2013 and since then has trained 177 women, 153 of whom are now working in the restaurant industry, including six entrepreneurs who have opened their own businesses.
The buffet of tasty vegetables salads, mildly spicy tagines, almond ice cream and cookies was, for me, the best meal I’ve had in Morocco. And that seems to be the case for many others who dined at Amal’s Centers since Trip Advisor awarded the organization with a 2017 Certificate of Excellence. Kudos to Oumaima and her staff of eleven for running a self-sustaining operation that is benefiting the women for whom it exists and providing such scrumptious food for those of us who enjoy a really good meal.
With our appetites satisfied off we went for a peaceful stroll through the Majorelle Garden created by the French artist Jacques Majorelle over forty years, beginning in 1923. In the 1980s, the gardens were purchased by fashion designers Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Bergé. Following this, the students were joined by Moroccan college students for a shopping expedition in the medina market and then a session with local storytellers back the hotel.
Faces lit up when the students heard that they were going to each be given 100 dirham for dinner on their own at a restaurant of their choice and off they went to find a MacDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Starbucks or, for some, a local mateam (Arabic for restaurant) with authentic Moroccan cuisine.
Whew!
