November 3, 2018

November 3, 2018

We took a walking tour of the World Heritage old Medina of Marrakech. From the Koutoubia Mosque we passed through the gates of this walled old city and stopped at the Saadian Tombs. This was the necropolis of the royal dynasty that ruled in the 16th and 17th centuries. The next dynasty destroyed everything the Saadis had built except for these tombs. Since they were sacred they merely walled them off from the adjoining mosque and forgotten. The complex was accidentally rediscovered just a hundred years ago. The Sultan's tomb is the most elaborate with pillars of Carrara marble.

Our next stop is the Bahia Palace. It was built by the ruling Grand Vizier in the late 19th century. He was a black slave who rose to power advising the Sultan. We toured this very crowded sprawling compound. Most of the decorations are in good shape but resemble the other palaces we have seen. The ceiling is decorated cedar wood, while the walls are plastered wood carved in intricate shapes and the floors are mosaic tile. Since figures are not allowed in Islam, the decorations are either Arabic Koran script or geometric shapes. The one refreshing space in the Palace is the huge fountain courtyard in the middle.

After leaving the tour group, Aimee and I explored the Souks of the old Medina. You can follow passages lined with shops seemingly indefinitely. It probably hasn't changed much in a thousand years. Marrakesh being on one end of the caravan route was a market town trading in goods. My favorite are the spice vendors with their conical mounds of colored spices that resemble a box of crayons. We had pizza at another restaurant overlooking the Main Square of Jemaa el Fna. We then returned to the hotel to relax for the afternoon. We need some down time once in a while on our power-tour.