There are quite a few sights to see in Marrakesh. Obviously, the market stalls are a good way to get a feel for Moroccan big-city life. But if you wanna get away from that, here are a few landmark areas to visit in Marrakesh :
BADI PALACE
A Sultan called Ahmed el-Mansour built himself a grand place just off Djeemaa El-Fna in 1578 and these are the resulting ruins. He made his wealth through the sugar and human slave trade. The building of this palace was financed by a ransom from Portugal (nothing like good ol' blackmail). The original complex contained 360 rooms, including a small underground jail where the Sultan kept his prisoners. Just 75 years later, the palace was looted by another Sultan; it took that guy 10 years to remove all the sumptuous decorations (he wanted them for his own palace). El-Badi means ''The Incomparable'', but little remains of its opulent grandeur now.
Behind the tree is the entrance to the Sultan's personal mosque, which I couldn't enter as a woman, especially a non-Muslim one. The area I'm standing on to take the photo houses the underground dungeons. How symbolic to have filthy dungeons built next to your house of God.
The central courtyard, which is still used for official ceremonies and diplomatic visits.
One of four sunken gardens
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SAADIAN TOMBS
These gorgeous rooms contain the remains of Sultan Ahmed al-Mansour (the same guy who built the above palace) and about 60 members of his Saadian Dynasty. He spared no expense for the 66 tombs, with solid gold gilding the plastered honeycombs and Italian marble everywhere.
When another Sultan -- the same one who looted the Badi Palace -- discovered this burial ground, superstition kept him from looting it, so he sealed all the entrances to the tombs except for a small passageway through the neighboring mosque. The tombs were forgotten by almost everyone for centuries until aerial photography revealed them in 1917. The passages were unsealed and voilà, a beautiful and major tourist attraction! I, for one, was glad to see them.
Each grave is marked by beautiful tile work.
In Islam, statues and paintings are never created. They prefer to show their love and appreciation of Allah (or God) by pain-staking, time-consuming carvings in wood or plaster, decoration with metals such as gold and silver, and geometric patterns set in mosaics. The details just amazed us.
Patterns on the ceiling -- praise Allah for a good zoom!
The Hall of the Twelve Pillars, where the Sultan's body is buried alongside his wives' and sons'.
The Chamber of the Three Niches. A beautiful mihrab, containing 3 prayer niches, which in turn indicate the direction of Mecca (one must always pray facing Mecca, the destination city of the Prophet Mohammad's pilgrimage). Buried within this mihrab are some of Mansour's favorite alpha-male princes.
Next stop : lunch! We find a small restaurant overlooking some stork nests and take a break from the sightseeing...
Djeemaa El-Fna, the main square in Marrakesh
Tomorrow, Chris and I are picking up our vehicle and driving towards the desert to meet our guide, Fatah. He will then drive us a few more hours into the Sahara toward our tent camp, where we will enjoy 2 days of Sahara bliss, dromedary rides and home-cooked Berber food. So excited!
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