Morocco: Land of golden deserts

Manila, Philippines - Morocco has always been a dream destination. Images of golden deserts, barren mountains, dry olive groves and small mud brick villages seen in such blockbuster films as “Alexander,” “Gladiator,” “Kundun,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “Jesus of Nazareth” and the “Mummy” have fascinated me since I first saw “Lawrence of Arabia” in the 60’s.

We were a group of six friends, five of us first timers in Morocco, who made the “pilgrimage” to this distant land located in the north of the African continent. The trip was quite long – 8 hours 40 minutes by plane to Dubai; two and a half hours layover; and another 8 hours 20 minutes flight flight to Casablanca. From Casablanca we immediately proceeded to Marrakech which took another three hours of land travel.

It was a self-prepared and quite relaxed itinerary that had us based in Marrakech most of the time. We rented a 7-bedroom modern villa in the Palmeraie (palm grove) area of Marrakech 15 minutes from the city center. The villa was a simple and solid structure in the middle of a one-hectare garden dotted with palm trees, olive trees and cacti. There was a large swimming pool and a hammam (Moroccan spa) where one can have a massage and traditional spa treatments provided by the house staff.

Olives of all kinds and colors

Marrakech is a charming city located at the foot of the Atlas Mountains in central Morocco. It is often called the “red” city because of its terracotta architecture. Traditional homes are made of mud bricks mixed with hay. By city ordinance all new houses and buildings must be painted the color of terracotta to blend with the rest, thus creating a stunning panorama of red houses amidst the greenery of palm trees and olive groves.

On our second day we trooped to the Medina, the old city, to get a feel of Moroccan life. The small labyrinthine alleys, old houses and shops crammed into small spaces, donkey carts carrying loads of fruits or vegetables, and locals dressed in traditional garb give one a sense that time has stood still in this part of town. One can only wander aimlessly around the Medina for there is no logical order in the street layout. But there were surprises that greeted us at every corner – an artisan weaving carpets, a small market that sells tagine pots and baskets, a museum that displays ancient artifacts or a food alley that sells the best mechoui (roast lamb) in town. 

The heart of the city is the vast Djemaa El Fna, Marrakech’s main square and action-packed center of traditional culture. Its name – literally translated as the “assembly of the dead” – came from the time (circa AD 1050) when the square was the site of public executions. Nowadays the place is more for the assembly of the living where thousands of locals and tourists go to sample traditional cuisine, shop for handicrafts, watch the snake charmers or simply listen to ethnic Berber music or poetry. In 2001 UNESCO declared Djemaa El Fna as a “Masterpiece of World Heritage” for keeping Moroccan intangible culture alive. 

A typical Beber village in the Atlas Mountain region

But the ultimate experience for shoppers are the souqs situated in a maze of alleys north of the main square. Souqs are like our tiangge or Divisoria crammed with shops selling all kinds of traditional crafts, food, jewelry and clothing. No tourist leaves the labyrinthine shopping area empty handed. Popular items are colorful Moroccan carpets, dramatic metal floor or ceiling lamps, handwoven jellabas (flowing garments) made of cotton or cactus fibers, felt or embroidered pointed slippers and silver jewelry encrusted with rough-hewn semi precious stones. Word of advice: bargain, and bargain some more for the shopkeepers expect it. They’ll be disappointed if you don’t.

We also did a walking tour of some popular Medina museums. These are age-old buildings converted into repositories of items of ancient history and culture including Musée de Marrakech which presents changing exhibits on traditional arts and crafts, and the Musée de l’Art de Vivre Marrakech which contains a permanent exhibit on living traditions. The Medersa Ben Youssef museum was a 14th century school for Quranic learning and has a spectacular courtyard lined with colorful high-luster Hispano-Moresque zellij (mosaic) and magnificent Iraqi-style Kufic stucco, etched with letters intertwined in delicate leaves and knots.

MORE MOROCCO (from top): The Ksar Char Bagh hotel, location for the Filipino musical film Emir. The mud brick castle atop Aït Benhaddou. One of the mosaic courtyards of La Mamounia hotel.

Marrakech is also home to some of the best hotels in the African continent so we didn’t pass up the opportunity to visit some of them. The Ksar Char Bagh is a majestic castle hotel in the Palmeraie that was the location for the Filipino musical film Emir. The Naoura Barriere Hotel is a plush hotel in the Medina with beautiful modern architecture and facilities. But the grand dame of all hotels in Morocco is the world-famous La Mamounia. Built in 1923, the hotel oozes with history and memories of famous personages who patronized the establishment. Newly renovated in 2006, the old grandeur infused with modern amenities has been restored. We had a wonderful lunch in one of the hotel’s fine dining restaurants where the food and service, as well as the price, were indeed world-class.

Outside the Medina, the city is called the Ville Nouvelle (new city in French) where the more modern buildings and activities are. Morocco was a French protectorate from 1906 to 1955 so French influence in arts, culture and language are still evident today, particularly in business, education and the media. The official language is Arabic although a large majority of the population still speaks French. In fact, noted French designer Yves St. Laurent loved Morocco so much that in 1980 he bought a large property in the Ville Nouvelle formerly owned by French visual artist Jacques Majorelle.

Nowadays, Jardin Majorelle and the cobalt blue house in the middle of the landscaped garden, which has been transformed into the Museum of Islamic Art, are major tourist attractions in Marrakech. The picturesque garden hosts more than 15 bird species, which can be found only in the area of North Africa, and has a notable collection of cacti. The museum houses a beautiful and carefully selected collection of North African textiles from St. Laurent’s personal collection as well as ceramics, jewelry, and paintings by Majorelle.

Museum of Islamic Art in Jardin Majorelle, the fanous blue house once owned by Yves Saint Laurent

On our fourth day, we decided to take an out-of-town trip to Aït Benhaddou, another UNESCO World Heritage site south-west of Marrakech. Aït Benhaddou is an 11th century mud brick village on the slopes of a hill along the Ounila river that was also a location for the film Emir. The 3-hour trip took us across the magnificent Atlas Mountains stopping over along the way to buy argan-based cosmetics from a cooperative shop run by females and crystals from a roadside vendor.

We reached Aït Benhaddou by noon and had lunch on the rooftop of a local restaurant with a spectacular panoramic view of the hill. The Moroccan fare was delicious and cheap – tomato and cucumber salad, lamb kebab, beef tagine, khoobs (Moroccan style pita bread), fruits and sweet mint tea. After lunch we trekked to the hill village, crossing the shallow Ounila river carefully through sandbags laid out from one side to the other. Once inside the village we made our way up through narrow alleys, stopping along the way to catch our breath and admire the view below. The houses, some of which have been converted into tourist shops, are all made of mud. Around ten families still live in the village which now subsists mainly on tourism.

We went back to Casablanca for an overnight stay before heading home. Casablanca, as the name implies, is a sprawling modern white city. In contrast to Marrakech, all the buildings are painted white. It has a fantastic Atlantic coastline pretty much the same as our Roxas Boulevard but is longer and has more activities. The city’s main landmark is the Hassan II Mosque, an imposing structure along the boulevard and is considered the 5th biggest mosque in the world. 

A souq selling colorful earthenware (middle right). A small market at the Medina selling tagines (bottom).

On our final night, we had dinner with Philippine Consul General Maria Elena Tantoco at A Ma Bretagne, a popular restaurant along the boulevard that serves the best lobster meal. A perfect way indeed to end our dream vacation. All of us agreed that Morocco certainly did not disappoint and a second visit is the only logical thing to do.