Monday, May 19, 2008

RED CITY MONUMENTS

MARRAKESH – NOVEMBER 2006

LA MENARA


"LA MENARA - This pavilion, built in the 16th century by the Saadi dynasty, was renovated in 1869 by sultan Abderrahmane who usually came here in summer to spend some time. On our back there are the Atlas Mountains; unfortunately the morning haze blurred the pictures"


"MENARA ARTIFICIAL LAKE - The basin, supplied with water from the Atlas Mountains located at approximately 30 km distance through an old hydraulic system, was created to irrigate the surrounding gardens and orchards. The gardens and orchards were built around 1130 by the Almohad ruler Abd al-Mu'min. The stadium-like environment is prepared for the Sound and Light show..."

***

KOUTOUBIA


"AVENUE - A large avenue links La Menara to the Koutoubia mosque"


"KOUTOUBIA - The 69 m tall minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque («Booksellers» mosque, due to the manuscript sellers that set shop around it since its creation), was built by Yacoub al-Mansour, grandson of Sultan Abdelmounen, who built the mosque in the 12th century. The mosque is the largest in Marrakech, and its minaret was used as model for the Giralda of Seville and for the Hassan Tower of Rabat"

***

BAHIA PALACE



"THE BAHIA PALACE, set within a 8,000 square metres garden, was constructed inside the Kasbah of Marrakech between 1894 and 1900 for Ahmed Ibn Moussa, the son of the grand vizier of Muhammad IV, and was intended to be the greatest palace of its time. Later, it served as the residence of the General Hubert Lyautey, the first French Resident-General of Morocco, from 1912 through 1925"


"HAREM - The palace, once home to a harem, would bear the name of one of the wives of the grand vizier. It includes a vast court decorated with a central basin and surrounded by rooms varying in size according to the importance of each wife or concubine. Nowadays, it seems that the palace is sometimes closed when the royal family is in town, as their staff stays here..."





"CEILINGS - As in other buildings of the same period in other countries, Bahia Palace was intended to capture the essence of the Islamic and Moroccan style. The rooms provide a marvellous display of carved-cedar, painted wood and zouak ceilings"


"WALLS - The palace's decorative program also consists of carved stucco, further to carved and painted woodwork, and glazed ceramic tile. Some craftsmen from Fez were brought in to work in the construction of the Palace"


"TEACHERS' ROOM"

***

SAADIAN TOMBS


"THE SAADIAN TOMBS were only discovered in 1917 and then restored. The necropolis contains some sixty tombs of members of the Saadi dinasty (1554-1659), including those of the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur (1578-1603) and his family. Outside the building there is this garden and the graves of soldiers and servants"


"PORTAL - It's much more beautiful than it looks here..."



"TWELVE COLUMNS ROOM - The necropolis is composed of three rooms, the most famous being the room with the twelve columns, where the tomb of the son of the sultan's son Ahmad al-Mansur can be found. The stele is in finely carved cedar wood and stucco work and the graves are made of Italian Carrara marble"


"ARCH - The beauty of the decoration made the Saadian Tombs one of the most important tourist attractions in Marrakech"

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

Strolling around Marrakesh, I’m posting on some of the most beautiful monuments there. Hope you enjoy and look forward to reading your comments!

Noushy Syah said...

You are right! The tombs and monuments are beautiful.Love greenery area at Bahia's place and I wonder what's the weather likes in Marakesh,since there 're banana trees!:)

Thanks for this lovely posting from Marakesh.

Unknown said...

Hi Gil, a burst of flowers as usual on marrakech. I am intrigued with the tomb, cos the ones we have here are all so eerie and scary.

I am envious of you gil, jetting around everywhere in the world!! can you bring me along one day or would love to meet up with you when you jet into KUL one day :)

happy week my friend

Indrani said...

BEAUTIFUL indeed. The ceilings are amazing. Enjoyed this post.

Lakshmi said...

the ceilings are stunning..thanks for the pictures..the intricate details are quite mesmerising

Lakshmi

PeterParis said...

I had already more or less the intention, but now you definitely convinced me! I just HAVE to visit Morocco - probably this autumn! (You are not getting or taking any promotion commission I presume, although you would be worth it?)

Anonymous said...

It`s hard to think, how much work all those decorations have needed, but they are beautiful.
Imagine those harem women walking with their beautiful clothes there, hopefully all those beauty made them happy or at least was consolatory, if someone needed it.

S-V-H said...

I really ejoy to read and to look at your photos, Gil! I love the magic of this country!

lyliane six said...

Je suis allée au Maroc en juin 2006. J'ai visité les mêmes lieux et pris a peu près les mêmes photos. Je suis allée au spectacle de nuit à la Menara et aussi à la Fantasia.Il n'y a qui l'hôtel qui diffère, il était très bien aussi le mien où j'ai fait de la thalasso. J'ai beaucoup aimé et y retournerai bien volontiers.

CaBaCuRl said...

Thank you so much for your concern at my absence.... am now venturing forth once more. Do you know, i think I am enjoying your Marrakech posts more than any others,GMG...they are gorgeous, especially the colours. Hope all is well with you.

JO said...

Looks like another breath taking place... I love the first pic and the first pic of the Bahia Palace...

Wendy said...

Gorgeous. Your photographs make me want to go back!

Oman said...

Wow. I always enjoy your post sir and this post is no exception. I would love to stroll in Marrakesh and just take pics of its amazing structure. Always have a safe trip.

virtual nexus said...

These are stunning - fascinating glimpse into the necropolis. Looks like a mixture of styles all round including the Italian marble features.

Anonymous said...

Wow, what gorgeous photos!

leo said...

the ceilings and tombs - wow!! i really enjoy YOUR morocco series. thanx for great pics.

Lilli & Nevada said...

Gil,
Again you have taken me to a wonderful place i would never be able to see, i just love the ceilings and the walls, fantastic.

lyliane six said...

J'ai dit plus haut que j'avais prises les mêmes photos, c'est inexact elles sont vraiment moins belles, quand je regarde les tiennes, je ne suis pas une photographe experte.

 gmirage said...

Great and clear blue sky!!! Those patterns are works of art and really shows lots of culture!

julia said...

Estraordinary. Perhaps this place has the advantage of viewing fabled monuments without venturing into more remote 'alien' regions. harems: have wondered about their valid role and the protocols as well as the mystery - if any! My relative found coach travel to the Atlas mtns was a little gruelling and she is resilant!

Missy,Mrs and Mum said...

That is some serious work on those walls and ceilings! So beautiful.
Thanks for your comment, haven't booked film tickets yet. Will do soon though, going to see the new Indiana film today. Should be good!

indicaspecies said...

I went to a tourism exhibition 2 days back and found there highlight was the stand of Morocco, which had the most interesting and intriguing pictures. Now these pictures of the Red City monuments and your series on Morocco in general vouch for that. And to think it's so close to Portugal!

Jules said...

Thanks for popping by Rabaul.

I can only ever download a few of your photos but they certainly can be called ESCAPE too!!!

Shionge said...

It is amazing, the architectural design and colours very very impressive :D

Looks like a hot day is it?

Marguerite-marie said...

une visite à Marrakesh qui vaut le déplacement tout est bon même si j'apprécie des photos comme Saadian tombs , le stop (en arabe) le lobby et la photo avec les 2 femmes en costume.
Que de belles couleurs ! merci du voyage quelle sera la prochaine destination?

Azer Mantessa said...

i was stunned by the geometrical patterns on the ceiling particularly the 8th picture from above.

the architecture seems to trust the even numbers which is a bit weird. the geometrical pattern is represented by number 16 on the ceiling. the ceiling then is supported by 8 dometric like shape with 6 pillars at each ends.

basically this kind of architecture is meant for ships which can withstand the fluid stress and strain.

interesting.

hpy said...

I have always admired the lace that the craftsmen have been able to work out in wood and other construction materials. They did it a long time ago, and they still do it today. The mosaics are usually incredibly beautiful too.

Ming the Merciless said...

Love the Marrakesh architecture and intense colors. The arches are amazing.

I switched the comment moderation on because I've gotten some anonymous obscene comments lately. I don't always check the blog and do not delete the comments fast enough.

First Lori (the other NYC blogger) got harrassed by some blogger, now me.

Chuckeroon said...

...tks for these Trotter. A fine feast you've served here.

JB's Big and Small Worlds said...

The detail and beauty of the palaces are amazing! Great photos and looks like it was a great trip!
--JB

Nikon said...

The detail in the architecture - the decorative details - is amazing. Looks like a very nice place to visit!

Anonymous said...

WoW...what beauty in the architecture...it has really came alive through your lens...excellent job!

Anonymous said...

Interesting places, so rich in ornaments and decoration. Have a nice weekend, Gil.
See my new address, please.

Anonymous said...

I continue to enjoy your photos. I especially love the top one with the shadow of the tree against the wall.

Paz

Raghu Ram Prasad said...

really a wonderful architecture everry where......nice

Emery Roth said...

The decorations are exquisite and caught in beautiful photographs. Thanks again for your continuing tour. Thanks also for visiting my site.

Emilieee said...

A lot of historical monuments and architectures... nice sunshine there =) Hopefully it's not as hot as here. The temperature at here can get really crazy most of the time.

Joy said...

I don't know why but this post reminds me of the movie Casablanca.

You must have had such an enjoyable time visiting the country. Thanks for sharing these lovely photos. Soon I'll make my way there!

Anonymous said...

Hi everybody; sorry for the delay in replying, but things are getting tough!

Noushy Syah,
The palaces are beautiful; the weather is usually warm, even in winter…

M.Kate,
The Saadian tombs are awesome!
Come on; don’t talk envy after having been in Angkor… ;))

Indrani,
Thanks!

Lakshmi,
Awesome, I agree!

Peter,
Autumn will be a nice season to get there! Free advice… ;))

Leena,
There is surely a huge amount of work there; don’t know how the life of the concubines was… ;)

Sue,
Thanks!

Lyliane,
Menara, Fantasia, Thalasso; tu t’es bien amusé au Maroc… ;))

Caba,
Glad that you’re back and enjoying the Marrakesh posts!

Jo,
It is; breathtaking…

Wendy,
Lucky girl to have the chance to get back as and when you wish!

Norman,
Thanks! Marrakesh is a great place…

Julie,
The Saadian tombs are awesome!

Razzler,
Leo,
Thanks!

Lilli & Nevada,
Never say never…

Gizelle,
The sky is gorgeous blue and the work is fantastic!

Julia,
Didn’t make the Atlas, so can’t confirm the impressions…

Missy,
That’s an incredible work.
Hope you enjoyed the Indiana movie…

Celine,
It’s not difficult for a stand on Morocco to be a highlight on a tourist exhibition… ;)

Jules,
Sorry for the download difficulties. I’ve reduced the size of pictures and the number of posts (three) per page, but even so… ;(

Shionge,
It’s always a bit warm down there; but nothing compared to Singapore… ;))

Marguerite-Marie,
Marrakech, dans le système Michelin, «vaut le voyage»!
Prochainement (sur cette scène) Santiago de Compostela…

Azer,
Thanks for the math explanation. It’s true that those ceilings look like ships…

Helene,
The work of the artists and artisans is incredible…

Ming,
It’s weird that some people take their time to harass others that aren’t bothering them at all. What happened to Lori is simply repulsive…

Roon,
Thanks!

JB,
Great trip indeed!

Paul,
You may be sure that it’s truly a great place to visit…

Kalyan,
So glad to see you back here! Hopefully everything is running well in your new position!

April,
Thanks. I’ll check your new address…

Paz,
That first picture took me some time to catch, but I think it came out really nice… ;))

Raghu,
Thanks! Great to see you back here…

Ted Roth,
Thanks. My pleasure to visit your wonderful pictures… ;))

Emily,
It’s hot, but not so humid as Malaysia… Actually, Malaysia and Singapore are my climate nightmares… ;))

Joy,
Casablanca is on the other one… ;))