Dear Readers,
As I'm in Marrakech right now, I'll take the opportunity to share with you a piece I wrote some time ago about this city that moves me so much...
As I'm in Marrakech right now, I'll take the opportunity to share with you a piece I wrote some time ago about this city that moves me so much...
The magic begins the moment the plane flies over Gibraltar, that particular place where Africa stretches its finger over Europe… That image has always reminded me of one of the masterpieces of the Sixtine Chapel, where Adan touches the finger of his Creator…
We fly over Tangier and we reach the desert. Less than an hour later, we land in the red soil, so red it feels like a wound in the middle of the dunes. Palm trees, camels, flocks of sheep prove that we are in a different world. Here, in Marrakech, we enter the 1001 Nights. I'll try not to become Sherazade….
To Marrakech I usually come invited by some friends who own a legendary riad, where Marlon Brando and Winston Churchill and, specially, the fascinating Talitha Getty once lived in. For 15 years now it has belong to my friends and they are amazing hosts.
It must be said that hosting is part of the Moroccan culture and all the foreigners with houses here adapt to local habits and serve exquisite food. That's why spending a couple of days in Marrakech means entering to a new world, so different in more senses than one to the Western world. And it's from the Palace of Zahia (the name of the riad, «Zahia», means «joy» in Arab), that I venture out to see this mysterious town and its many secrets. I'll begin with the Jemaa el-Fna square, the heart of Marrakech. From there you enter the souks…
Walking around the great souk, a closed market that feels like Ali Baba's cave, is a sensory experience to the eyes, marvelled by the many colours; for the smell, charmed by the spices, the perfumes, the rassoul; for the taste, which enjoy the flavour of the "loukoums"; and for the ears, surprised by the sounds of the "gnawas." Totally worth it. The souk is divided in areas. You have the spices and dried fruit sections, which are extraordinary for their colours and smells, so strong and unique. But also the perfumes' and black soaps' sector. The Arabs give much importance to caring their body (being clean is one of the five commandments of Islam), a ritual that begins with the hamman, where you must use a special glove for scrubbing and the famous black soap, which is sold by weight. After the hamman, some have a special gommage with the rassoul, which is a special clay to cleanse the skin. Finally, a massage using argan oil, which results from the fruit of the Arganier tree, only growing in Morocco. Argan oil has many virtues: high levels of vitamin E and Omega 6 and visibly improves dry skin. There's also a version of argan oil for cooking.
All this wonders can be found at the souk. Millions of people walk through it daily and you can find almost everything. Important: you must know how to bargain! They'll take it as an insult if you don't! Bargaining is a social skill in the Arab world. At the souk you can get amazing embroidered djellabas, shawls, fabrics, bags. Exquisite crafts.
When I spend some days in Marrakech, it's usually the 5-am call for praying that the muezzin makes what wakes me up. The first time I heard it, I was shocked. Then, of course, I got used to it and now I can easily fall back asleep. Then breakfast arrives with its Moroccan delights: tea, "les cornes des gazelles" (almond filled pastry) and pita bread with honey.
I am very passionate for the food of this country, specially because I can easily remove meat from the menu (as you know, I'm a vegetarian). I eat vegetable couscous, cooked and spiced eggplant salad, tomato jam with sesame seeds, tajines, cumin zucchinis. And teas, lots of teas: mint, jasmine, verbena.
There are excellent restaurants in Marrakech. I love Dar Yakout, on a small street of the Medina, with the musicians sitting on the floor and the terraces that offer a magnificent view of the city and the gardens of the Koutoubia. Another great one is the restaurant of the Royal Mansour Hotel, opened two years ago (it is said the King is the owner). Five hundred employees come and go through underground tunnels to attend only 50 guests.
However, the most famous and classic one is the legendary Mamounia which has received celebrities and important personalities. Impossible to resist entering at least to visit the gardens, the tennis courts and the mythical pool. After a long restoration, it has been reopened for the sake of all those visitors who felt "homeless". Since 1923, when it first opened its doors, a never-ending number of personalities have stayed in this palace, from Winston Churchill or Josephine Baker, who spent the entire winter, to the Rolling Stones. Books have been written in its rooms, and movies were also shot in its halls. Kings and queens, presidents and artists have all been guests at the Mamounia.
Marrakech is all this and much more. It's the crafts, the colours, the smells, the fashion… Its charm is so unique it is one of the most visited places in the world (the Jamaa el-Fna square has been chosen World Heritage by the UNESCO).
Yves Saint Laurent loved Marrakech, where he would find inspiration for his collections. His love for Morocco was such that his remains rest forever there…
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