Day 13 Marrakech

We had breakfast on the terrace then met with our local guide for our walking tour. The first stop was the main Koutoubia Mosque built in the 12th century. We could only see the outside of the mosque because the French rule that no nonbelievers are allowed to enter. Then we walked through very lovely mosque gardens to the Jewish quarter. It’s interesting that the gardens are immaculately maintained, but the paths, steps and fountains are in terrible disrepair. After that, we walked to the cemetery where the whole royal family was buried. They all died within a short period of time of bubonic plague around 1600, The graves (3 separate sets – one for male kings and princes, one for females and one for children) were hidden until the early 20th century when the French found them and opened them up. Afterwards, we went into the Bahia palace built by a high official for his favorite wife. Each site was accompanied by a lengthy explanation of its origins and history. Our guide took us to a natural pharmacy where we got a demo of all kinds of spices and herbal remedies and beautifying products. We are skeptical about their effectiveness after surveying the appearance of the local populace. After lunch at the famous Djemaa El Fna square, we separated from the guide and toured the souk ourselves. It is overwhelming – 50,000 separate vendors. It’s hard to focus on anything because there is so much of everything all around and people constantly grab you to come in and bargain. We did manage to buy a few things, but decided that buying in smaller cities and smaller souks or stores is a lot less exhausting. After a short rest in our room, we went out again, this time to explore the modern part of Marrakech. We came across a lovely huge plaza (Marrakech Plaza), which led us to the main avenue full of nice high-end shops and restaurants. Quite a contrast with the old medina. After dinner we went to the main plaza where thousands of people were gathered to eat and watch performers.