DJEMAA EL FNA

GOODBYE MARRAKESH - NOVEMBER 2006

No visit to Marrakesh would be complete without a tour of the Djemaa El Fna, a truly open-air theatre, the main square of Marrakesh, the largest in Morocco and allegedly the largest in Africa! Its fame is not due to its particular beauty, but to the incredible day and night life as well as to its atmosphere. Djemaa el Fna, whose name may mean either «Assembly of the Dead» or «Place of the Vanished Mosque» is famous for the large number of spectacles going on all the time and for the exquisite, tasteful and much appreciated food sold at night at the numerous food stalls. The place, a crossroads of Arab and Berber cultures, was closed to traffic in the early 2000s after having served as a bus station for some time!



"ARGANA - Some believe that the Argana has the best combination of view and price. From the Argana Restaurant one may have a nice view of the place, which is the perfect excuse for poor food..."

THE SHOW MUST GO ON!


"WATER SELLERS - Colourful costumes, leather water-bags and brass cups"


"SNAKE CHARMERS"


"BARBARY MACAQUE - According to Wikipedia, «The Barbary Macaque (Macaca sylvanus) is a macaque with just a stub of a tail. Found in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco with a small, possibly introduced, population in Gibraltar, the Barbary Macaque is one of the best-known Old World monkey species. Besides humans, they are the only primates that live freely in Europe. Although the species is commonly referred to as the "Barbary Ape", the Barbary Macaque is a true monkey, not an ape. Confusion as to the name could have arisen from the fact that apes are tailless.»"


"TEETH PULLER - He appears as a dentist, but he is also part of the show. Don't believe he would pull out your teeth with nippers right in the middle of the largest town square in Africa. He actually earns his living by charging some money to get the picture taken..."

SHOPPING ADVENTURE


"DRIED FRUITS - This picture is dedicated to Cergie, who was missing the smells of Morocco"





"SOUK - From the Djemaa el Fna there are several entries to the Marrakesh souk, the traditional North African market which service both the population and the tourist needs. The souk is somehow a labyrinth where you soon lose directions. But, getting lost might be an advantage, as it will allow you to find some beautiful treasures, even if colours and shapes may be exaggerated"


"HANDCRAFTER - This is the same artisan that I saw in Lisbon on the Expo 98, at the Morocco pavillion. It was amazing to see him again in Marrakesh..."

FOOD EXPERIENCE




"DJEMAA EL FNA BY NIGHT - As dark descends, the orange juice stalls close, the snake charmers depart, the square opens its dozens of food-stalls, and the crowds take control of the space"


"RED HOUSE DINNER - A farewell dinner to close the visit. The lobster was the only mistake..."

STILL IN MARRAKESH

FROM GARDEN TO MEDRASSA – NOVEMBER 2006




“THE MAJORELLE GARDEN - Jacques Majorelle was born in 1886 in Nancy but settled in Marrakech in 1924 to continue his career of painter. He then created a botanical garden that displays plants from the five continents: cactus, yucas, water lilies, jasmines, bougainvilleas… and hosts more than 15 bird species, which can be found only in the area of North Africa. Since 1947 the garden's doors were open to the public. In 1980 Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent purchased the garden and restored it”



“ISLAMIC MUSEUM – In 1931 Paul Sinoir created a workshop for Jacques Majorelle, painted in the special shade of bold cobalt blue which is named after him, «Majorelle bleu». It now houses the Islamic Art Museum, displaying the personal collection of Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Lauren, including North African textiles and carpets, as well as ceramics and potteries, weapons, jewellery, woodworks, and paintings by Majorelle”


“MAJORELLE BLUE - Majorelle was one of the more important collectors of plants of his era. The originality of the garden lies in the combination of a luxurious plant life and architectural elements allying sobriety and traditional aesthetic Moroccan, and always showing the magnificent Majorelle Blue”


“BAMBOO – Since the main residence, created in the image of Marrakech palaces and currently private property of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, was not available, we had to satisfy ourselves with the bamboo forest for the picture…”



"MINARETS - Basically consisting of three parts: a base, shaft, and a gallery, the Moroccan minarets are usually square. Their main function was to provide a vantage point from which the muezzin can call out the faithful to prayer. The first one pictured may be found close to the Saadian Tombs, the second in the Medina"


"SOUK - A rather quiet part of the Marrakech souk"



"DYEING - Fantastic colours"


"HERBORISTE DU PARADIS - Care for some spices, cosmetics or white magic against evil eye?"


"BEN YOUSSEF MEDRASSA - The Koranic School, founded by the Merinid sultan Abu al-Hassan, was named after the Almoravid sultan Ali ibn Yusuf who reigned between 1106 and 1142. The current building dates from the 16th century, as it was re-constructed by the Saadian Sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib in 1565. The School having been closed in 1960, the building was refurbished and reopened to the public as an historical site in 1982"



"THE INNER COURTYARD with columnade, windows and the water tank. The largest Medrassa in Morocco and one of the largest in North Africa may have housed as many as 900 students"


"COURTYARD - Richly carved in cedar, marble and stucco, the carvings contain no representation of humans or animals, and consist entirely of inscriptions and geometric patterns"


"CELL - Its 130 student dormitory cells cluster around the courtyard"



"NO COMMENT"

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..."

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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"

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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"

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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"