Imperial cultural city with the most fascinating bazaar - Medina of Marrakesh 331; Cultural space of Jemaa el-Fna Square 00014; Moussem of Tan-Tan 00168; Tbourida 01483; Date palm, knowledge, skills, traditions and practices 01509; Knowledge, know-how and practices pertaining to the production and consumption of couscous 01602; Arts, skills and practices associated with engraving on metals (gold, silver and copper) 01951
What and Why
The status of Marrakesh (Tamazight: ⴰⵎⵓⵔⴰⴽⵓⵛ, Amurakuš) in Morocco (ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ, Lmeɣrib) cannot be understated: it is so important to Moroccan civilisation that the modern country of Morocco is named after this imperial city. As a matter of fact from mediaeval times until around the beginning of the 20th century CE, the entire country of Morocco was known as the Kingdom of Marrakesh (Latin: Regnum Marrochiorum). With this status, Marrakesh grew rapidly and established itself as a cultural, religious, and trading epicentre of sub-Saharan Africa. The city has also long been a hub of trade, craftsmanship, and culture and serves as a confluence of Berber, Arab, and Andalusian cultural influences, making it a fascinating destination for tourists seeking an authentic and immersive cultural experience. Its iconic bazaar Jemaa el-Fnaa (Arabic: ساحة جامع الفناء) is easily the most important square in Africa.
UNESCO describes the medina of Marrakesh as a 'world-famous square', 'a metaphorical urban icon, a bridge between the past and the present, the place where spectacularised Moroccan tradition encounters modernity'. This is probably a bit hyperboled, but certainly one will not be bored or mistaken with the dynamic colours, odours and sounds of city. It is a real-life rendition of the colourful Arabian fables, and its reputation is now firmly etched as it is the only site to be enlisted as both a UNESCO WHS and ICH.
Marrakesh was founded by the Almoravid (Arabic: المرابطون, Al-Murābiṭūn) in 1070 CE by Abu Bakr ibn Umar (Arabic: أبو بكر بن عمر), the Berber chieftain during the time and subsequently developed by his successors. The major souq (Arabic: سوق) of the city started developing immediately connecting the city's two main landmarks: Ksar el-Hajjar (Arabic: قصر الحجار, stone fortress) and the Friday mosque. The souqs, being the main stopover before crossing the Sahara (Arabic: الصحراء, Aṣ-ṣaḥrāʼ ), have perpetuated and still exist today.
Toponymy
Marrakesh is believed to derive most likely from the Berber words 'ⴰⵎⵓⵔ ⵏ ⴰⴽⵓⵛ (amur-akush)', meaning 'land of God'.
See
Jemaa el-Fnaa (ساحة جامع الفناء)
Jemaa el-Fnaa (Arabic: ساحة جامع الفناء) literally means the 'square of death' in Arabic, as it used to be a public execution site until the 11th century CE. The multi-cultural multi-ethnic square is a kaleidoscopic view of merchants of Morocco and exhibits what we expect of a bustling Arabian souq in movie right from the page of One Thousand and One Nights (Arabic: أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, ʾAlf Laylah wa-Laylah): shouting stalls constructed of canvases and bamboos, charming snakes, narrow labyrinths of shops, exotic foods and stray animals. One cannot get enough of excitements of sights, smells, tastes and sounds from this souq. The experience is so fascinating that it is actually one of the first to be listed as a UNESCO ICH.
The place is also known for its active concentration of traditional cultural activities by storytellers (known as halqa (Arabic: حلقة)) , buskers, and performers, but it was threatened by economic development pressures, and UNESCO has paid exceptional tribute to this cultural heritage and ensure its continuity through awareness promotion campaign.
During the day the bazaar is predominantly occupied by food and juice stalls, with water sellers with traditional leather water-bags and brass cups, while the main square is populated with with chained monkeys and snake charmers. My suggestion is to visit the souq and market during the daytime and leave the plaza till the evening, as it is easier to find your way inside and it is very hot outside the plaza. As the day turns to night, the entertainment in the plaza on offer changes: the square becomes more crowded, with the mountain Berber Shilha (ⵉⵛⵍⵃⵉⵢⵏ) dancers, buskers, story-tellers and magicians coming out to hone their skills. The halqas, in particular, are a hallmark of Jemaa el-Fna, preserving the ancient art of Arabic and Berber storytelling. They narrate traditional folktales, fables, and epic stories passed down through generations, creating a lively, communal atmosphere.
The plaza also cools down and the outdoor areas become much more livelier and more crowded after dusk.
The narrow alleys within the massive souq offer a whole-day of shopping orgasms, selling every imaginable objects. Moreover this souq is featured in literally every Arabic-themed movie. Make sure one visits the Berber pharmacy, but I shall advise not to touch any or try any of their 'medicines'.
The indoor alleys show the same chaos throughout and naturally we got lost in the jungle. I wonder if there is a map for the maze.
In these bustling marketplaces, traditional craftsmanship is alive and well, with artisans producing goods such as handmade carpets, leather goods, metalwork, and pottery, recalling that metal engraving, especially on metal potteries is another ICH (See our blogs of Algiers (ⵍⴷⵣⴰⵢⵔ) and Fez (ⴼⴰⵙ)). The artisanal traditions passed down through generations are central to Marrakesh’s identity, and many tourists visit the city to purchase these authentic, handcrafted items, albeit at an hiked price.
It is genuinely very difficult to find your way out within the maze, and again geographical position system (GPS) does not work properly as it is covered and very congested. The size of the medina might not be as massive as Fez, but it is probably way more crowded, interesting and chaotic as overall signages are quite poor inside.
Bab Agnaou (باب اكناو)
The name of this gate Bab Agnaou (Arabic: باب اكناو) is very racist as it means deaf-man door in Berber (ⴰⴴⵏⴰⵡ, agnaw) when it used to refer to the non-Berber people or Saharan nomads wandering outside the gate who could not understand Berber. The gate gives the official entrance to the royal kasbah of the medina of Marrakesh.
Palmeraie (ⴱⴰⵍⵎⴻⵔⴰⵉⴻ)
Meaning palm grove in French, this is an oasis area or the green lung of the city. There are now over 100,000 date palms, as well as olive and fruit trees in the Palmeraie (ⴱⴰⵍⵎⴻⵔⴰⵉⴻ). Most resort hotels incorporate part of it into their precinct, including ours. As blogged in Aït Ben Haddou (ⴰⵢⵜ ⴱⴻⵏⵃⴰⴷⴷⵓ), the consumption of date palm is another ICH.
Kutubiyya Mosque (ⵎⵙⴳⵉⵜⴰ ⵏ ⴽⵓⵜⵓⴱⵉⵢⴰ)
The name of the Kutubiyya Mosque (ⵎⵙⴳⵉⵜⴰ ⵏ ⴽⵓⵜⵓⴱⵉⵢⴰ) comes from the Arabic word ‘كتاب البائع (koutoubiyyin)’ which means ‘booksellers’, as it was once surrounded by large number of bookstores. It was completed under the reign of the Berber Caliph Abū Al-Manṣūr (Arabic: أبو المنصو) and inspired other buildings such as the Hassan Tower (ⵙⵓⵎⵓⵄⵜ ⵏ ⵃⴰⵙⵏ) in our blogged Rabat (ⴰⵕⴱⴰⵟ).
The mosque is of characteristic Almohad design, and its various elements resemble those of many other mosques from the same period. The mosque has a large plaza with gardens and is considered the main landmark of the city. The minaret is 77 m tall and is easily seen from everywhere in the city.
There are two mosques in the site. The first mosque was built under Manṣūr, but it was realised halfway through construction that the mosque was misaligned and not properly oriented towards Mecca (Arabic: مَـكَّـة, Makkah). It hence underwent many changes until the end of the 12th century CE, when Andalusia defeated the Almohad dynasty. Afterwards, the construction of the first mosque was abandoned and a decision was taken to build a new mosque alongside the first structure, leaving the site similar to Hassan Tower of Rabat with incomplete column blocks.
The orientation of the first mosque mihrab (Arabic: محراب) was 5° out of alignment with respect to the direction towards Mecca. Ironically and incredibly, the orientation of the second mosque was 10° to the other direction, thus actually further out of alignment than the first.
Marjorelle Garden (ⵓⵔⵜⵉ ⵎⴰⵊⵓⵔⵉⵍ)
Marjorelle Garden (ⵓⵔⵜⵉ ⵎⴰⵊⵓⵔⵉⵍ, urti majuril) was created by the French artist, Jacques Majorelle over almost forty years, starting in 1923 CE, and features a cubist villa designed by the French architect, Paul Sinoir in the 1930s CE. The property was the residence of the artist and his wife from 1923 CE until their divorce in the 1950s CE. In the 1980s CE, the property was purchased by the famous fashion designer, Yves Saint-Laurent (né Yves Mathieu-Sain-Laurent) and his gay partner Pierre Bergé who began to restore it to its former glory. The garden and villa complex houses the Islamic Art Museum and the Yves-Saint Laurent museum. An absolute eye-candy in the middle of the desert.
Chez Ali (ⵛⵀⴻⵣ ⴰⵍⵉ)
Chez Ali (ⵛⵀⴻⵣ ⴰⵍⵉ) is dinner show which offers honestly very good food plus an Arabian spectacle. The place easily houses 3,000 guests every night and includes Arabian horse-cavalier parades, Berber songs, Arabic acrobatics and belly dances in its fantasia (Arabic: الفانتازيا) shows. The restaurant is organised to mimic the moussem (Arabic: موسيم, mawsym), the seasonal Berber fair, where many tents and stores are setup for gathering.
There is a traditional Berber whistle, which is practised by Moroccan women in the medina and during the show.
The highlight of the show is certainly the fantasia cavalier warcry, also referred to as the tbourida (ⵜⴱoⵓⵔⵉⴷⴰ), which features a single row or file of Moroccan equestrian performance, usually ending the run by shooting at mid-air during the full gallop, as shown below. This performance dates back to the 16th century CE and simulates a succession of military parades based on Arab-Berber rituals. Interestingly, each tbourida must be performed by a troupe made up of an odd number of riders and horses, usually 15 or 25. The local word tbourida derives from the Arabic word 'بَارُود (bārūd)', meaning 'gunpowder'. This act alone is a newly enlisted ICH.
The overall performance also models itself as the moussem, which is a major performance during the annual tribal gathering of social and cultural exchanges. The moussem was first held in the 1960s CE, suspended later due to security concern and then resurrected by UNESCO. The Arabic word 'موسيم (mawsim)' simply means 'season' and leads to words like monsoon.
Buy and Do
Too many things to buy, but the following do merit mention: djellaba (جلابة) - the Arabic robe, carpets, dates, brasswares, spices. Remember to haggle and start from at low as 30% of the 'listed' price. Do attend the Chez Ali fantasia show, although it does cost a pricey USD $65.20 per person for the dinner.
Eat and Drink
Couscous (ⵛoⵓⵙⵛoⵓⵙ)
As expected, Marrakesh eats tajine (Arabic: طاجين, ṭajīn), and Chez Ali's is actually very good.
As you can see we had a huge portion of the couscous in Chez-Ali. Couscous comes from the Arabic term 'كُسْكُس (kuskus)', meaning 'to pound finely', and is the Moroccan pasta. Couscous is actually small balls of crushed semolina (usually 3 mm in size) served with a stew in a tajine. Together with tajine it is the staple of North Africa and does come from Morocco. The culture of consuming and producing couscous is recently inscribed as another UNESCO ICH.
Eating at the Jemaa el-Fnaa is another exotic Arabic experience, and against what other bloggers usually say, I found eating at the bazaar quite a pleasant experience, perhaps of my ability to speak French. The stalls are not tourist traps and are serving mostly locals, in fact ever since. I believe I was the few foreigners in the stall, but I did not find myself alien, and as a matter of fact I was fully engaged in conversations with the store-owner. The culinary experience at Jemaa el-Fna is an integral part of Marrakesh cultural appeal, reflecting the richness and diversity of Moroccan cuisine. Most of the stalls are highly regulated and their hygiene is reasonable and acceptable, if not exceptional. I tried the lamb's head stew and really enjoyed it.
Stay
We had the dream experience of staying in desert camps in Marrakesh. Desert camp-stay is an interesting but pricey accommodation option in Morocco. There are many camps (mostly luxury camps) in Marrakesh and we stayed in Camp Scarabeo (ⵛⴰⵎⴱ ⵙⵛⴰⵔⴰⴱⴻⵓ). The other areas in Morocco that offer camping is Merzouga (ⵎⴻⵔⵤⵧⴳⴰ) which is almost at the edge of Sahara. Sahara in Arabic means 'the great desert'. I would not say the campsite is a real desert, but rather a barren land; but the stay is very enjoyable and the service is absolutely fantastic. The dinner is superb and there is a supply of hot water for shower. Remember to do a campfire.
The camp tent interior.
Travel Suggestions and Logistics
Marrakesh is easily accessible by train or local buses and it has a big international airport. We drove around, especially we stayed in the desert which is really off-track.
Being a major tourist city, Marrakesh has way more to offer than this blog presents. Other sites of interest and deserving a visit include the Agdal Gardens (Arabic: حدائق أكدال, Ḥdạỷq Akdạl), Saadian tombs (Arabic: ضريح السعديين, Ḍryḥ Al-Sʿdyn) or the El-Bahia Palace (Arabic: قصر الباهية, Mùsīlín Fùnǚ). Spend at least three or four days or more in the city.
UNESCO Inscriptions
Founded in 1070–72 by the Almoravids, Marrakesh remained a political, economic and cultural centre for a long period. Its influence was felt throughout the western Muslim world, from North Africa to Andalusia. It has several impressive monuments dating from that period: the Koutoubiya Mosque, the Kasbah, the battlements, monumental doors, gardens, etc. Later architectural jewels include the Bandiâ Palace, the Ben Youssef Madrasa, the Saadian Tombs, several great residences and Place Jamaâ El Fna, a veritable open-air theatre.
The Jemaa el-Fna Square is one of the main cultural spaces in Marrakesh and has become one of the symbols of the city since its foundation in the eleventh century. It represents a unique concentration of popular Moroccan cultural traditions performed through musical, religious and artistic expressions.
Located at the entrance of the Medina, this triangular square, which is surrounded by restaurants, stands and public buildings, provides everyday commercial activities and various forms of entertainment. It is a meeting point for both the local population and people from elsewhere. All through the day, and well into the night, a variety of services are offered, such as dental care, traditional medicine, fortune-telling, preaching, and henna tattooing; water-carrying, fruit and traditional food may be bought. In addition, one can enjoy many performances by storytellers, poets, snake-charmers, Berber musicians (mazighen), Gnaoua dancers and senthir (hajouj) players. The oral expressions would be continually renewed by bards (imayazen), who used to travel through Berber territories. They continue to combine speech and gesture to teach, entertain and charm the audience. Adapting their art to contemporary contexts, they now improvise on an outline of an ancient text, making their recital accessible to a wider audience.
The Jemaa el-Fna Square is a major place of cultural exchange and has enjoyed protection as part of Morocco’s artistic heritage since 1922. However, urbanization, in particular real estate speculation and the development of the road infrastructure, are seen as serious threats to the cultural space itself. While Jemaa el-Fna Square enjoys great popularity, the cultural practices may suffer acculturation, also caused by widespread tourism.
The Moussem of Tan-Tan in southwest Morocco is an annual gathering of nomadic peoples of the Sahara that brings together more than thirty tribes from southern Morocco and other parts of northwest Africa. Originally this was an annual event around the month of May. Part of the agricultural and herding calendar of the nomads, these gatherings were an opportunity to group together, buy, sell and exchange foodstuffs and other products, organize camel and horse-breeding competitions, celebrate weddings and consult herbalists. The Moussem also included a range of cultural expressions such as musical performances, popular chanting, games, poetry contests and other Hassanie oral traditions.
These gatherings took the form of a Moussem (a type of annual fair with economic, cultural and social functions) in 1963 when the first Moussem of Tan-Tan was organized to promote local traditions and provide a place for exchange, meeting and celebration. The Moussem is said to have been initially associated with Mohamed Laghdaf, who resisted the Franco-Spanish occupation. He died in 1960, and his tomb lies near the town. However, between 1979 and 2004 it was not possible to hold the Moussem because of security problems in the region.
Today, the nomadic populations are particularly concerned to protect their way of life. Economic and technical upheavals in the region have profoundly altered the lifestyle of the nomadic Bedouin communities, forcing many of them to settle. Moreover, urbanization and rural exodus have contributed to the loss of many aspects of the traditional culture of these populations, such as crafts and poetry. Because of these risks, Bedouin communities rely strongly on the renewed Moussem of Tan-Tan to assist them in ensuring the survival of their know-how and traditions.
Tbourida is a Moroccan equestrian performance dating back to the sixteenth century. It simulates a succession of military parades, reconstructed according to ancestral Arab-Amazigh conventions and rituals. Each tbourida is performed by a troupe made up of an odd number of riders and horses (between 15 and 25). The riders line up side by side, with the leader of the troupe in the middle. They often give spiritual significance to the event, performing ablutions and praying collectively beforehand. Under the direction of the leader, the riders and horses perform a parade composed of two principal parts. The first is the hadda, or salute, in which the riders enter the course at a trot and perform an acrobatic arms drill, then reposition themselves at the starting point. This is followed by the talqa, in which the troupes set off again at a gallop and fire a round of blanks from their rifles, simulating a collective departure for war. The riders wear period costumes and accessories, including a turban, draped clothing and oriental slippers. They also carry a small copy of the Koran and an ancient Arab sword. The horses are bridled and saddled with material sewn and decorated in the traditional manner. The riders’ customs and costumes represent their tribe or region, and transmission takes place from generation to generation within families, through oral traditions and by observation.
The date palm has been connected to the regional population of the submitting States for centuries, serving both as the source of numerous associated crafts, professions and social and cultural traditions, customs and practices, and as a key form of nutrition. The date palm is an evergreen plant typically associated with dry climates, where the roots of the plant penetrate deeply into the earth in search of humidity. Bearers and practitioners include date palm farm owners, farmers who plant, nurture and irrigate the date palm offshoots, craftspeople who produce traditional products using various parts of the palm tree, date traders, creative individuals and performers of associated folkloric tales and poems. The Date palm, knowledge, skills, traditions and practices have played a pivotal role in strengthening the connection between people and the land in the Arab region, helping them face the challenges of the harsh desert environment. This historic relationship in the region and the element has produced a rich cultural heritage of related practices between people in the region, knowledge and skills maintained to this day. The cultural relevance and proliferation of the element over the centuries prove how committed the local communities are to sustaining it; this is achieved through collective participation in multiple date-palm related activities and numerous festive rituals, traditions and customs.
The knowledge, know-how and practices pertaining to the production and consumption of couscous encompass the methods of preparation, manufacturing conditions and tools, associated artefacts and circumstances of consumption of couscous in the communities concerned. Preparing couscous is a ceremonial process involving several different operations. These begin with growing the cereal, after which the seeds are ground to obtain a semolina that is rolled by hand, steamed and then cooked. These practices are associated with a set of exclusive tools, instruments and utensils. The dish is accompanied by a variety of vegetables and meats, depending on the region, season and occasion. Nowadays, as in the past, the methods involved in preparing couscous constitute a sum of knowledge and know-how that is transmitted informally through observation and imitation. For the manufacture of the utensils: clay utensils are made by potters while wooden utensils are produced by cooperatives or artisanal factories, which are often family-owned. In recent decades, however, more formal transmission has also developed outside the family circle or home. The non-culinary aspects of the element – namely rituals, oral expressions and certain social practices – are also transmitted by the bearers. Couscous is a dish replete with symbols, meanings and social and cultural dimensions all linked to solidarity, conviviality, sharing meals and togetherness. Engraving on metals such as gold, silver and copper is a centuries-old practice that entails manually cutting words, symbols or patterns into the surfaces of decorative, utilitarian, religious or ceremonial objects. The craftsperson uses different tools to manually cut symbols, names, Quran verses, prayers and geometric patterns into the objects. Engravings can be concave (recessed) or convex (elevated), or the result of a combination of different types of metals, such as gold and silver. Their social and symbolic meanings and functions vary according to the communities concerned. Engraved objects, such as jewelry or household objects, are often presented as traditional gifts for weddings or used in religious rituals and alternative medicine. For instance, certain types of metals are believed to have healing properties. Engraving on metals is transmitted within families, through observation and hands-on practice. It is also transmitted through workshops organized by training centres, organizations and universities, among others. Publications, cultural events and social media further contribute to the transmission of the related knowledge and skills. Practised by people of all ages and genders, metal engraving and the use of engraved objects are means of expressing the cultural, religious and geographical identity and the socioeconomic status of the communities concerned.
References
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Please share your thoughts and comments about the blog. If you need suggestions to build a travel itinerary, please let me know. More than willing to help. I would also like to build a bespoke-travel community around UNESCO WHS and ICH.
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