Posted by Seth on January 31, 2011 under Dining, Trip Reports | 
Certainly every travel journey varies a bit from what the guide books or expectations offer up. Things change and it is not possible to be 100% accurate all of the time. Still, there were a few things that were consistently wrong in our trip through Marrakesh last month, things that any informed traveler should know are simply not true.
- If you wear jeans you’ll stand out as a tourist. You’re going to stand out as a tourist no matter what you do. Choosing to wear jeans or not will have no bearing on that fact. On top of that, WAY more locals were wearing jeans than not. Maybe that advice was sound 10 or 20 years ago but it simply has no basis in reality today. If you’re hanging out a lot outside of touristy areas then maybe – MAYBE – it matters. But odds are you aren’t so just wear what you’re comfortable in, though I’d still recommend avoiding shorts or short skirts unless you want to offend the locals and look like a tool.
The souks offer great shopping. There are tons of shops throughout the souks. They all have lots of stuff for sale. But they are mostly all the same tchotchkes. We actually watched a delivery guy with a huge box of lacquered wooden boxes stopping at a number of shops selling the same, trying to convince the proprietors to buy his version to sell in their shops. Not a lot of unique, hand-made goods to be found.
There were some, to be certain. There were guys hammering on small metal plates and some hand-turning wood to make other tchotchkes. I’m pretty sure they were even selling some of that stuff in their shops. The vast majority of the stuff for sale, however, was just more junk. I‘m not big into shopping so maybe I’m just bitter, but I didn’t find the shopping particularly compelling. A touch better than Otavalo, but not much. At least it was obvious that some of the goods – most notably the fabrics – were made in the Medina, though I’m sure it would also be possible to find plenty that were imported just based on the volume on display.
- “This” is a map of the Medina. There are things approximating maps of the Medina area. Actually, the maps included in the Time Out Shortlist Marrakech are pretty decent (and the book is small enough to fit in a pocket, which is nice). They show most of the main paths pretty well. But there are points on those maps that simply peter out into gray that aren’t dead ends; they are simply where the maps become too confusing to maintain. That doesn’t mean you’ll manage to avoid walking down those alleys, just that you’ll likely get lost once you do.
There are other maps, too. The Riad we stayed at gave us one. It was much more detailed than that in the guide book. So much so that it was useless. We couldn’t figure out which of the many parallel paths we were on or where to turn for anything useful. And none of the maps we had labeled the streets particularly well. Then again, that wasn’t too much of an issue since the streets generally aren’t signed with names either. So there you have it. There are no maps of the Medina and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.
- You can only eat tagines or cous cous. To be fair, most of the food options are tagine and cous cous. Nearly all of them, in fact. But that doesn’t mean that they are the only things available. Indeed, over the four nights we spent in town we uncovered a number of other dining options that were quite pleasing and most definitely not a tagine nor a cous.
There are a wide variety of salads on offer in Marrakesh, none of which are slow cooked or cous-based. The salads were actually one of the highlights of the dining experience, fresh and flavorful. They also came as anywhere from six to nine small servings of different items, keeping the flavors changing and taste buds alive and guessing. Some of the veggies were roasted and mushed up along with a bit of olive oil and some spices. Others were just freshly chopped and served au natural. Either way they were delicious.
A number of the restaurants we ate at also had other entrees available. A lamb chop, seasoned and grilled to perfection, for example. Or seafood options like shrimp-filled summer rolls (we had both of these at Foundouk, along with some killer cocktails). Foundouk actually has a pretty solid selection of French options to go along with a couple tagines on the menu. Certainly not your average Marrakesh meal, either in price or menu selection, but well worth the minor premium and nearly getting lost wandering the random alleys to find the place and actually getting lost on the way home.
The other option for meals in Marrakech is the Jemma El Fna. Food stalls appear every evening and the choices are very much not tagine or cous cous. Depending on which vendor you choose the options range from delicious sausages to grilled fish or prawns to offal options, like lamb’s brain. Sure, there are questionable hygiene standards at the stalls (definitely do NOT drink anything that isn’t from a sealed container) but the food was outstanding. Pick the vendor based on the crowd they’ve attracted, not the barkers trying to pull you in, and odds are that you’ll do OK. Desserts in the El Fna were also quite delectable, particularly the ginger-mint tea.
And finally, not that it matters too much, but the tagines were often pretty darn good. When the lamb is this tender and the apricots this sweet I don’t mind the same thing a couple times in a row.
- That way is closed. This is a tough one because there actually is a slim chance it is true. The main paths in the Medina simply do not close. The smaller alleyways, however, can. These paths that close are truly the smallest of the small, essentially shops that happen to have a path through them rather than proper paths that you are likely to be walking down. They do close at night in some cases.
The path you are walking on, however, isn’t closed up ahead unless you really, really, really are lost. If you have even a smidgen of an idea of where you are then that turn you are taking almost certainly is just fine. Simply ignore the kids on the corner. They are going to do their best to convince you that they know where you are going and that you are going the wrong way or that the path you are taking is closed. And that’s before they actually know where you are going.
Even without a decent map navigating the Medina in Marrakesh is pretty easy, so long as you are staying on the main paths and heading to the main sights. Don’t get me wrong, we got lost the first time through, partly because we believed the kid telling us one path was closed. After that we were just fine and actually found navigating it pretty easy. Deviate at your own discretion, but do not do so because the kid on the corner said the path is closed. He’s almost certainly lying.
Marrakesh is a great place to spend a few days, enjoying the local hospitality, food and sights. Just remember that not everything is as it seems or as it is presented and you’ll do just fine.
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Posted by Seth on January 19, 2011 under Trip Reports |
I don’t really have any great stories to go along with these photos. They’re all from the 4 days we spent in the Medina of Marrakesh and I thought they were worth sharing even if there is no particularly compelling tale to tie them together. Enjoy!
Posted by Seth on January 18, 2011 under Trip Reports |
After we’d exhausted our patience for shopping in the Medina and taking in the sights around Marrakesh we decided to get out of town and see some of the great nature that the area is known for. There are a couple different day trips available from “travel agents” all over town and after much negotiation is broken French and English we had settled on a private car and driver for the trip to Ouzoud Falls. It was a bit more than the shared ride but the added comfort made it worthwhile. Plus it was the only option we had.
Imagine our surprise when – after paying for the private ride – we were dumped into a van with 8 others for the three hour ride out to the falls. More on that later.
It is a long ride to get to the falls making for a reasonably long day but there is not much worth staying out in that area for unless you’re looking for the Bob Marley camps along the river below the falls. After taking in the Atlas mountains for around three hours we finally arrived in town and set out to explore the falls.
There are plenty of local guides around, assuring you that the only way you’ll get to see the falls is by hiring them (~150 dinars for the couple hours). Not surprisingly, that isn’t at all true, though the hike you get with the guides is definitely different than the one you can reasonably find on your own. With the guide you actually head upstream to start and make your way through olive groves on the far side of the river before descending down the side of the falls.
Hiking back up the side of the river brings you along a series of smaller falls and pools. Apparently the pools are quite popular in the summer when folks are camping out along the riverside but the area was rather empty during our visit, save for a handful of folks. Eventually the path makes it back up to the base of the falls, over 100 meters down from the start.
Cross a rickety bridge or take a ride in a small rowboat that will also get you into the pool at the base of the falls and you’re now at lunch. There are a couple restaurants along the side of the falls. The prices are fair, the food was (somewhat surprisingly) good and the view cannot be beat.
Once lunch was finished it was more climbing on paved paths with lookout points offering some of the best views possible of the falls. At the top of the climb are the monkeys, hanging out in the trees on the path and hoping for treats from the visitors.
And then, at the top, even more amazing views before you run the gauntlet of the merchants selling mostly the same schlock that is available on the streets in Marrakesh.
The falls were simply stunning. The photos and video really do not do it justice. It is definitely a long day and you have to be willing to put up with that ride but the scenery on the road is actually pretty nice, too, and the payout is worthwhile. As noted above, it is more of a day trip than a long-term stay for most folks.
If you do not want to deal with the guides the paved paths on the near side of the falls are incredibly easy to navigate, assuming you can find the starting point. Head to the left of the hotel/restaurant at the main square in town, not at the same entrance to the top of the falls as the youth hostel. You will almost certainly want to hike in and out on the same side rather than trying to complete the loop with the olive grove on your own. The far side of the river is not particularly well marked. If you choose that option you mostly miss the pools and smaller falls further down unless you are more willing to get lost or there are more folks around to help guide you.
And to finish the story of the "mispriced" tour from our agent, I am pretty sure he was expecting me when I showed back up that afternoon when we returned from the falls. As soon as I explained that we had a problem he opened up his desk drawer and pulled out the money to refund the cost difference. I made it within 100 dirhams of what I expected the original price to be, down from the 400 extra it started at. I consider that recovery close enough given that, at this point, he did already have my money in his possession. The negotiation involve him making up several stories, each more ridiculous than the previous one, until my French was exasperated and I nearly exploded. Fortunately that was avoided and things ended relatively well.
Read more of my Marrakesh adventures here!
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Posted by Seth on January 5, 2011 under Trip Reports |
Cities simply look different from above. At street level they can be crazy and chaotic, crowded and loud. But look down from above and you get a much different view. The noise fades away. The chaos may not fully disappear – indeed, in Marrakesh it was just a different chaos – but it was quiet and peaceful.
Instead of crowds making their way through the Souks and merchants grabbing at passers by hoping to score a sale it is a jumble of satellite dishes and antennae mixing with laundry lines, construction debris and roof top decks.
Among the many other practical purposes the roof tops serve, we watched one night as a young boy spent a couple hours training his pigeons as the sun was setting. It is a whole different world up there. Yes, he really is taking pigeons out of a cage and throwing them up into the air in the hope that they will return. There were a few that landed two buildings over and which were somewhat remiss in returning. He enlisted the help of a girl living in that building to help get them back.
Along with the beautiful sunsets we were able to enjoy from the roof top deck of our Riad we also had the pleasure of listening to the Adhan several times each day. The call to prayer sounded from the minaret of every mosque – and there are a lot of mosques in Marrakesh – at just slightly different times and with varying volumes and voices. Watching the sun set with that in the background was incredibly peaceful. The video simply doesn’t do it justice.
Read more of my Marrakesh adventures here!
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Posted by Seth on January 5, 2011 under Trip Reports |
Given its stature as a huge tourist destination there are surprisingly few hotels in Marrakesh. Those that do exist are nearly all outside the heart (and walls) of the old city, the Medina. And yet the Medina does not lack for places to stay within her walls, thanks to the many, many Riads that exist in the tiny back alleys and around random corners. A Riad is much more like a bed-and-breakfast than a hotel. Generally they are small (ours was only7 rooms) and run by a family who manages the property as well as cooking and other tasks.
Nearly every door within the Medina is rather unassuming. No need to advertise to the outside world your great wealth or sense of style. But step in to a Riad, behind that simple door, and you will discover an oasis away from the crazy that is Medina life. The Riads are built around a central courtyard with rooms and galleries on each side. Some have pools while nearly all have a roof deck from which you can catch a glimpse of the surrounding area without the noise or crowds pressing down on you.
Our stay in Marrakesh was at the Riad Irene. Charming and unassuming, Riad Irene is located at the northern edge of the Medina. Indeed, it wasn’t even on the maps that our guidebook offered that vaguely attempted to show how the Medina is laid out. And while this led to us getting a bit lost more than once, it also meant that we were way outside the hustle and bustle but still close enough that it was an easy walk to be in that scene when we desired.
The room was perfectly functional and breakfast each morning included pastries and a hot option, pancakes or crepes of some sort, to go along with fresh juice, coffee and tea. Free WiFi that I got to fix while I was there to actually make it functional worked in all the rooms and even up on the roof deck.
Ahhhhhh, the roof deck. I’m pretty sure that there isn’t a better way to enjoy the Medina than from above it. And the views were stunning. The chaos of the Medina unfolding in front of you in the form of buildings, wires, laundry, small gardens and satellite dishes. And then the Atlas mountains providing the backdrop on the horizon.
Indeed, no need for a hotel at all in Marrakesh, so long as you can find a Riad with rooms available.
Read more of my Marrakesh adventures here!
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Posted by Seth on January 4, 2011 under Trip Reports |
When last I wrote about Royal Air Maroc it was not a pleasant scene. They had just dumped us at a dingy hotel for the night after preventing us from connecting to our flight from Casablanca to Tunis, Tunisia. As hard as it may be to believe, things got worse before they got better.
The Atlas Airport Hotel has all the external trimmings of a fine property. The pool area and one of the restaurants actually looked quite lovely. We tried to have lunch using the voucher provided to us by the airline and it was, to say the least, a disgusting affair. We arrived late so that somewhat excuses the limited food still available but it was still a buffet with scraps burnt onto the sides of the chafing trays that we were offered. We spent several minutes trying to find a table that wasn’t still covered with someone else’s meal scraps. The waiter apologized profusely, moving us from one table to the next but they were all filthy. We finally decamped back to the other restaurant that was at least clean.
The room situation was not much better. In addition to being a bit dingy and tiny there was the issue of the towels. I hadn’t bothered to check if there were towels in the room when we dropped our bags initially because it never occurred to me that there might not be. There weren’t. A perky maid was roaming the hallways and stopped by as I went in. She noted that we had just checked in and offered to get me some towels. After bringing one towel in she asked if there were two of us staying. When I answered in the affirmative she indicated that the only way I was going to get a second towel was if I paid her for it. Yup, a shakedown by the maid. I declined her offer.
Dinner was no better than lunch, though at least we got some food before it was baked into the serving trays. They managed to overcook some pasta and remove anything resembling flavor from it though there were at least some fresh vegetables available. There was also a gruel of some sort on offer that was quite disgusting looking.
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Posted by Seth on January 4, 2011 under Trip Reports |
Buying meat in the United States is boring. You go into a grocery and there, under wrap and strict climate controls, are various bits of meat cleaned and prepared for you. In very few scenarios is there the option to talk with the butcher, explain what you want and work with them to get just the right cut. Plus, the chances of finding offal on offer are near nil.
Get away from the USA, however, and things start to get more interesting. The souks of Marrakesh, Morocco offered up a number of butchers working out of tiny storefronts with minimal facilities or apparent regulation. But the number of options available was significantly higher and you could truly request the exact bit you desired.
The meat is fresh. There is no 21-day dry-aged prime to choose from in these markets. Still, knowing that the meat is fresh every day, cut and trimmed in the morning and sold by that afternoon is somewhat comforting. Plus it is incredibly enjoyable to me to watch a butcher at work. Something about the way they manage to expertly carve up the huge carcasses into useful pieces with so little waste is impressive. And I’ve seen plenty of the “other” bits out on display in the markets here so it is clear that very little goes to waste. Seeing that stuff out and being purchased is lots of fun.
I’m sure that I’d be just as bad shopping in these markets as I am in the other parts of the souks. I suppose it is a good thing that all my meals have been prepared for me on this trip rather than having to source and cook myself.
Read more of my Marrakesh adventures here!
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Posted by Seth on January 3, 2011 under Trip Reports |
It is now the new year, with new goals and new milestones on the horizon. But not too late to take a quick look back at 2010 and the travel milestones I hit during the year. Not surprisingly, the more I travel the harder it is to reach new and different accomplishments. Indeed, 2010 had many fewer than 2009, though in a couple categories it surpassed the previous year.
Perhaps the most significant numbers of the year are the total amount of time in the air:
- 151 segments
- 208378 miles
- 18 days 13:31
Those numbers are “butt-in-seat” and based on the distances between the starting and ending airport as calculated on www.openflights.org. They do not include 500 mile minimums or the like. In most cases the durations are based on wheels up to wheels down as tracked by the appropriate authorities, not the block time of the flight or estimates. The 208K miles is the most ever for me in a calendar year as is the 151 segments.
Of the 151 segments flown, more than half (86, to be precise) were routes I had not flown previously. It is certainly becoming more and more difficult to find new ways to get to different places but I continue to try. New lines and new dots are still of value to me and I’m finding that I’m paying a bit more to get them.
I also passed through 77 airports during the year located in 18 different countries. I actually Immigrated 31 different times, including the various times I returned to the United States. On four of my trips there were multiple foreign countries involved.
I visited 15 distinct countries, plus the USA. Eight of those countries (St. Maarten, Sint Martin, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Togo, Guyana, Morocco and Tunisia) were new to me. Two of the crossings (into Togo and back into Ghana were on foot while the Sint Martin/St. Maarten crossing were by car; The others were all by plane. I also added a new state visited – Idaho – to my list even though I drove over from Spokane to get there rather than flying in.
My travels included flying on 24 different airlines (possibly a few more if regional/express carriers are included by I’m not great at tracking those). Of those 24, 13 were airlines I had not previously flown on (AC, AT, BA, BD, BE, HA, LC, RW, SN, TGY, VS, YV & YX). Again, it is getting much harder to find new ones at reasonable prices but I’m doing my best, including a couple booked for the early part of 2011.
None of my milestones north, south, east or west were new extremes for me this year. Nor was my longest flight (SYD-SFO) longer than previous records. I did get a new shortest flight for my list, one that will almost certainly never be broken.
Somewhat amazingly, of the 151 flights I only had three instances where I was struck by operations so irregular that they caused a missed flight. One of them – during my JetBlue AYCJ adventures wasn’t a big deal and I got back on track without really missing anything along the way. Two others – a US Airways delay out of Belgium and a Royal Air Maroc fiasco in Casablanca – caused me to overnight unexpectedly. The US Air incident wasn’t so bad but the Air Maroc one was pretty awful.
Finally, I managed to pick up five new aircraft types during the year. My favorite was probably the smallest, the Cessna 208 Caravan I, though the
| Saab SF340 was fun, too, and the Embraer 175LR was the best ride of them all.
And I got robbed once where the guy took money directly from my hands and probably a couple more times due to bad negotiating skills in markets. At least I robbed the guy who physically took the cash out of my hand back. |
And while I sit on the airplane now, enjoying a flight from Lufthansa into Frankfurt and on to Munich, I realize that I may only be three days into the new year but I’ve already got a new line for my map and tomorrow will bring another one, along with a rubber duckie souvenir. Not a bad way to start the year.
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Tags: Air Canada, bmi, British Airways, Brussels, Dominican Republic, Embraer, FlyBE, Flying, Ghana, Guyana, LoganAir, Lufthansa, Morocco, Togo, Tunisia, Virgin Atlantic
Posted by Seth on December 30, 2010 under Trip Reports |
Little did I know that, on the eve of our great North Africa adventure, our decision to screen Casablanca would be the inspiration for one of the reports from the trip. Sadly, however, it has come to pass that we are stranded in Casablanca, awaiting exit papers to Tunisia. Really it is more like we are awaiting the next flight but it feels the same: nothing we can do and nothing more the airline will do. And so we wait.
In our case the situation was a pretty simple yet rather egregious snafu on the part of Royal Air Maroc. The morning started reasonably enough. Some minor confusion upon checkout from the Riad regarding the bill but those details were quickly resolved and we quickly made our way to the airport. A line here, a line there and next thing we knew we were in the international terminal for our domestic flight from Marrakesh to Casablanca. The flight continues to London and I guess no one ever takes just the domestic portion. Either way, we were in the international transit area awaiting our flight amongst the hordes boarding Ryanair and easyJet flights to the Continent.
At the posted boarding time no gate assignment on the departure screens nor any update to the flight status. A full 20 minutes later – only 20 minutes to departure now – still nothing posted. I wandered over to the lounge (small but clean and decently stocked) and asked the agent there what was going on. Not to worry, she assured me, as the inbound was only delayed a little bit and the flight would leave soon. She was right. We were only about 10 minutes late pushing back and made it to Casablanca with 60 minutes to make the connection over to the second flight of the day.
Then things got ugly.
None of the departures screens in the terminal had any details about our flight. Through some dumb luck we happened across a wholly different set of monitors that indicated that departures to five countries, including ours, should proceed to a specific gate. We headed down to the gate, now about 40 minutes prior to departure to discover a desolate area. We were the only passengers there. Not good at all. There was a gate agent off in the corner flirting with a police officer. She seemed to suggest that it was fine, that we’d be fine and that she’d call a bus to take us to the gate. Ruh-roh.
Twenty minutes prior to departure we’re still waiting for the aforementioned bus to appear. By now we’ve been joined by three other passengers, two of whom were also headed to Tunis. I ask again about the bus, noting that it is very close to departure and that I am quite worried we won’t make the flight. Eventually a bus shows up and the five of us scurry aboard. And wait – and wait – and wait. Precious minutes tick away before we finally start rolling to transfer to the other terminal.
The bus drops us of about 150 feet from an aircraft, the one that happens to be bound for Tunis. Unfortunately, we aren’t going to head directly on board. Instead we have to go into another transit area in the new terminal. As we enter there is an agent inside who come out, calling for the Tunis passengers to hurry so that we can make our flight. We hurry, as instructed, only to get to the gates about 60 seconds later and watch as the other gate agents laugh at us and the plane rolls away. We’re now officially screwed.
At this point the four of us who have missed the flight become allies. It was of great help considering my limited French skills. A cacophony of French, Arabic and English overwhelms one agent after another. How to get help? “Nothing we can do for you here.” We head back to the original terminal where we visit the transit desk. “Nothing we can do for you here.”
So we immigrate. Again. In our case, because we never really left Morocco they actually just annulled our exit stamps and gave us additional entry stamps. Then the search for useful help continued.
No one was willing to help and few were willing to point us in the correct direction to even see help. Ultimately, whether by design or just dumb luck, we ended up in what I believe was the Royal Air Maroc Station Manager’s office. Even he wasn’t all that interested in lending assistance until we started to pull out chairs and make ourselves comfortable in his office.
Eventually we did get help. A guy took our boarding passes, wandered off for an hour or so and eventually came back with passes for the early flight tomorrow. They took us to retrieve our bags, only one of which was located.
They provided us with hotel and food vouchers at a pretty dingy airport hotel where the lunch offerings were pretty bad and the restaurant itself had not a single clean table. Needless to say we ended up buying our own meal at the other restaurant in the hotel to avoid that mess. There’s a cute little bar that is dingy, smoke-filled and over-priced, but the value of a wee bit of alcohol at this point is not to be underestimated. The WiFi doesn’t work and the room is pretty dingy though the sheets appear to be clean.
And it only took us about 3 hours to get all that sorted out.
Suffice it to say, I’m not really all that impressed with Royal Air Maroc. Or maybe it is me. We had similar troubles last year on our trip between Egypt and Barcelona for New Year’s Eve then.
Read more of my Marrakesh adventures here!
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Tags: Africa, Barcelona, Egypt, Flying, London, Marrakesh, Morocco, NYE2010, Photos, Royal Air Maroc, Trip Report, Tunisia
Posted by Seth on December 29, 2010 under Trip Reports |
I actually enjoy the somewhat controlled chaos that comes from wandering amongst the souks in Marrakesh. Much like the bazaars of Turkey, the souks mostly appear designed to confuse and confound their visitors, eventually resulting in a sale or at least some entertaining negotiations. Watching folks come and go, checking out the various merchandise and the interactions with the merchants is enjoyable, at least to a point.
I hate negotiating on prices. Partly because I’m really bad at it and mostly because I believe in asking a fair price and not trying to screw over your customers. Either way, the process at the souks is not one that I’m good at and not one that I should engage in.
While we have to walk amongst the souks to get from our Riad to most anything else in town, today was the first time we purposefully spent any appreciable time in them on purpose. We were going shopping in hopes of finding some fun souvenirs to bring home.
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Posted by Seth on December 28, 2010 under Trip Reports |
Certainly there are plenty more than just two sets of tombs in Marrakesh but there are two relatively famous interment sites that are absolutely worth a visit. And the experiences at the two could not be more different.
The Saadian Tombs, dating back over 400 years, are incredibly ornate and well preserved. It houses the graves of about 60 members of the royalty from that era. The story of the Tombs’ “discovery” mostly goes that an intrepid Frenchman eventually wandered far enough back into various dark alleys and past folks trying to keep him out until he found the beautiful site in 1917. The caretakers asked his assistance in helping to protect the secret and preserve the site. Today it is perhaps the most visited attraction in Marrakesh. At least each of the visitors pays a few dirhams to get in, helping to keep the site in decent repair.
The site is quite beautiful. The mosaic work on the walls is impressive but even more stunning is the intricate detail with which the cedar and stucco moldings are carved. It is a bit hard to get a sense of scale from the photos but the pieces are rather huge and the level of detail is quite minute.
The site is not particularly large but it gets crowded, so much so that there are lines to get to the doorways of some rooms from time to time. Fortunately the lines moved quickly.
Just a bit across town, in the Mellah district, is the old Jewish Cemetery. Contrary to the huge crowds at the Saadian Tombs, the Jewish Cemetery was nearly empty. For most of the time we were on the premises we appeared to be the only people there. No admission is charged and access is gained through a relatively poorly marked gate that hangs slightly ajar off a side road. If you didn’t know it was there (and none of the kids on the corner chased after you reminding you where to find it) then you could easily miss it.
Most of the monuments are unlabeled. There are mounds built up above ground to mark the tombs but many appear to have been never labeled or the writing is wearing away. Similar to the Saadian Tombs there are a few “special” grave sites marked in the space, mostly those of prominent members of the Jewish community. They are quite ornate in their own right, similar to the mausoleum across town. Even the simplest of the graves held a certain amount of beauty, however.
The Jewish Cemetery had the benefit of being mostly overlooked by visitors in town, giving it the quiet, respected feel that memorial sites should have. Similar to our visit to the Taj Mahal, where it was quite nice and serene for the first 45 minutes or so until folks started to show up en masse, the calm that overtook the space was incredible. As the crowds build a bit of that is lost, unfortunately. It doesn’t make the busier sites any less beautiful from an architectural perspective, but it does diminish the overall experience a bit.
Read more of my Marrakesh adventures here!
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