MarrakechTraversing the alleyways and souks of
Marrakech, particularly in the
Medina (Old City), it is easy to believe you have been transported back in time or stumbled onto a movie set for a medieval 'Arabian nights' production. It is this enchanting fairy tale quality that brings thousands of sightseers to the most visited of
Morocco's three Imperial Cities. The heart of the Medina is
Djemaa el-Fna, an irregular 'square' where everything seems to happen and the place to which tourists are drawn again and again to soak up the carnival-like environment. Tourism, though, has not spoilt
the atmosphere, but seemingly rather added to it. The modern side of Marrakech with its luxury hotels, banks and streets bursting with motor scooters, blends well with the past in a metropolis made up of the peoples of the Berber Atlas tribes, Mahgrebis from the plains, and Saharan nomads.
Marrakech was founded in 1062 by
Youssef bin Tachfine of the Almoravid dynasty, and his son perfected the city by bringing in architects and craftsmen from Cordoba to build palaces, baths, mosques and a subterranean water system. The city walls were raised from the red mud of the plains, with the snow-covered peaks of the High
Atlas Mountains forming a backdrop for the city, though they are often hidden by the heat haze.
One of the many ways to soak up the sights and sounds of Marrakech is in one of the hundreds of horse-drawn carriages, known as caleches, that are for hire, but it is also necessary to take in the Medina's souks on foot, plunging into the hurly burly maelstrom of passages where tradesmen ply various crafts, from cloth dying, copper beating, and leather working to herbalists, perfumers and slipper makers, and where shopkeepers cajole passing tourists into taking a look at their glorious array of colorful crafts.
Getting Around: Marrakech is easily explored on foot. The city consists of the Medina (old town) and the Ville Nouvelle (new city), approximately four kilometers apart. Beige-colored petits taxis are cheap with metered fares and are a good form of transportation between the two destinations if it is too hot to walk. Taxis can be hailed on the streets. Public buses are a bit of a free-for-all, but they are cheap, frequent and cover the entire city. Driving in the city of Marrakech is difficult unless you know your way around and is not recommended, considering the narrow alleyways of the central urban medina area. The coach bus stations (CMS and Supratours) are situated in the new city and cover routes between cities and towns.
Mercedes Benz sedans are called grands taxis and are another alternative for getting to neighboring towns.
Climate: The weather in Marrakech is sunny nearly all year round, with pleasantly warm summers and mild winters. The hottest months of the year are July, August and September, but there is no humidity so temperatures are generally bearable. Winter can bring heavy downpours of rain, which leave the streets of the old town very muddy, and winter nights can be cold.
FezFez is the cultural and spiritual center of Morocco. It was founded in 790 AD by Moulay Idriss II and is the oldest of the three imperial cities. The main attraction in this ancient city is the medieval Medina, the old part of the city, which has been continuously inhabited since the 10th century and still bustles with a bewildering throng of colorfully costumed tribal people, from olive-dealers and veiled women on their way to the baths, to industrious merchants and traditional bell-ringing water-sellers. The Medina of Fez is the most complete medieval city still in existence, it's preservation having been instigated under French occupation, and it forms a working model of the way life was lived when the world was still young. The more modern part of the city is known as Ville Nouvelle, and has a decidedly French influence.
A guided tour is the easiest way to tackle the buzzing hive that is traditional Fez, but the brave can take on the teeming alleyways, too narrow for motor vehicles, risking getting lost and having to haggle with a local to be guided back out. Laden donkeys negotiate the steep cobbled lanes, and the buzz of buying and selling is often interrupted by the urgent cries of mule drivers or deliverymen pushing heavy and ungainly carts that warn shoppers to flatten themselves against the walls or be flattened themselves. A visit to the souks will undoubtedly lead to a stopover at Fez's famous tanneries where one of the oldest arts in Morocco, and the world, is practiced to produce the soft leather that has been sought after for centuries.
The best vantage point over the ancient walled city, which lies at the eastern end of the plain of Saiss, bordered by the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, is from the ruined Merenid tombs on a hilltop. From here it is possible to view the skyline with its profusion of satellite dishes, and to pick out some of the magnificent palaces, green-roofed holy places and the
Karaouine Mosque, all hemmed in by workshops and tenements, souks and squares, and a mass of humanity and the ubiquitous donkeys. Fez is secretive and shadowy, but captivating and colorful at the same time.
Getting Around: Fez has a basic public transport system, with trains, buses and taxis. It is easy to get lost in the maze of narrow streets that make up Fez's Medina, the world's largest car-free urban zone. The medina does have color-coded tourist routes, so it is best to use the accompanying tourist map and ask for directions if lost. In Fez, the petits taxis are small and red and operate between the Medina walls and within the city limits. They tend to be metered and are not too expensive, only carrying three passengers. Grands taxis are bigger and travel fixed routes from the cities to the outlying areas. Both types of taxis are usually shared and drivers often wait until the taxi is full before departing. The train station is situated in the Ville Nouvelle (new city) and operates a route to
Tangier and other destinations.
Climate: Fez has a continental climate with extreme temperatures. In summer the mercury can reach a sizzling 120°F (45°C), so a more pleasant time to visit would be during spring and autumn, when the weather is warm and dry. Winters, by contrast, are very cold.
RabatMorocco's capital,
Rabat is a modern city with wide boulevards, gardens and light, white buildings, for the most part a far cry from the hectic warrens of the other Imperial cities of Marrakech and Fez, but no less steeped in history with its origins going back to the 7th century. The King of Morocco lives here in his palace amid trees and flowers. Being an administrative capital the city is somewhat conservative and serious, but there is some local color to be found in the old part of the city, the Medina, and the Kasbah. Recreational opportunities abound too, with a world-renowned golf course (the
Dar Es Salaam Course) and a few lovely beaches at hand. Rabat sits on the Atlantic coastal plain at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg, opposite to its twin city of Sale.
TangierFor decades, between 1920 and the late 1950's, Tangier was a playground for adventure seekers and the rich and famous, attracting all those seeking a tax haven or a mystic destination, from authors to artists and spies to aristocrats. Regular visitors included the likes of
Truman Capote and
Tennessee Williams, and
Woolworth heiress
Barbara Hutton. When
Spain relinquished Tangier back to Morocco in 1960 its duty-free status went with it, and the city lost a great deal of its flair. Tourism is slowly increasing once more, though; visitors succumbing to the city's proximity to
Europe are discovering that its decayed grandeur still has much to offer, from its palm-treed promenade and sandy beach to the old town section, and the outlying villages and resorts. Seasoned Moroccan visitors, however, warn that it is best not to take on Tangier until you are acclimatized to the rest of the country, and to be vigilant as regards safety after dark. Despite it's fall from glory, a stylish café society has once again begun to build up in modern day Tangier's boulevards, and the merchants in the medina (old city) are doing good trade with tourists exploring the maze of narrow streets, all within sight of the Spanish coast across the straits of
Gibraltar. An essential part of a visit to Tangier is to promenade along the beach, which extends along a curve for several kilometers.
