Marrakesh to Essouaria
Marrakesh is one of four imperial cities in Morocco divided into a new town and an old town. Buildings are limited to 5 storeys so they don’t sink into the ground and all are a regulation heritage Moroccan red in line with the colour of the original clay. No preferences here. Much of the architecture has a strong French influence.
The Menara Gardens dating back to the 12th century were designed in an Arabic style but their usage is Islamic. They are olive groves, not flower gardens, 1000m x 500m. The pool, 200x180x3m, and egg shaped, holds just enough water for this sized garden, or for washing the army's horses.
The trees are kept short so that the fruit can be harvested by hand. It’s then sold by silent auction to keep bidding fair and the money goes to local government.
The Medina, the Old town is walled, there are no intersections and no straight streets so as not to create wind tunnels.
The Bahia palace was built by one of the powerful Moroccan families in 1866. It was designed by Muhammad Makki Masfiwi - grand master of crafts know-how and is covered entirely in jellig (mosaic tile). We step down into a small courtyard, designed to collect the rain and protect the rooms from scorpions and rats. There's a labyrinth of hallways to protect the main bedroom from attacks.
As we walk back through the markets we learn that the ornate stained glass is actually a carved timber frame with coloured glass behind it. The designs are geometrical or feature calligraphy and flowers. The public square is triangular in shape so that the breeze circulates easily to all corners. It’s fairly deserted because of the holiday but there are still a few vendors around.
Heading west from Marrakesh the landscape is sparse and rocky with no foliage at all and a constant amount of dust in the air. The wells used for irrigation have solar powered pumps. After three hours we approach the coast, there’s a thin covering of grass and we begin to see goats and sheep. Single enterprises, flocks of 20 sheep each with their own shepherd standing nearby in the sun.
The government has funded a number of cooperatives to assist women in difficult circumstances. We stop at one producing Argan oil. The Argan tree only grows in this region. It has a fruit like an olive which is left to drop and dry on the ground before being collected. The outside is fed to goats, the kernels crushed for oil. You’ll need 40kg to produce 1 litre. The Women’s cooperative still does everything by hand in order to provide as many jobs as possible.
There’s musk oil for the men, lavender and eucalyptus for the women, oil for salads, for your skin and joints, and for your hair. Don’t leave it on too long or your hair will fall out. There’s anti-aging oil and oil in lieu of peanut butter as well as Argan honey but at $30 for a 150g jar it’s a fairly expensive sandwich!!
Tonight we’re staying in Essaouria, a city on the coast, known as the windy city. The wind blows here 300 days a year, but not today. No air conditioning needed here. It’s a seafood city, a holiday city with lots of artists basing themselves here. Once again there is a main square and markets to walk through.
The harbour is tightly packed with small fishing boats moored up against each other. So many that you can’t see the water. They’re licenced and controlled so that only 30% go out each day from 3am. Just make sure that you take your motor with you when you return otherwise it won’t be there in the morning.
Abdul leads us through the streets to dinner in a rooftop restaurant overlooking the harbour. A tasty meal with some local musicians. Then back through the square to bed.
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