We have two more days to explore Marrakech and began with the Saadian tombs where The Saaid built his own burial grounds fo himself, family members and close advisors. A rather grand burial site especially compared to the modern Muslim cemeteries which are temporary and tombs are indicated only by a small standing rock at each end. Once 50 years have passed, these cemeteries are reclaimed for reuse..
Outside the gate was this guy,dressed as a traditional 'water seller' poses for photos at a set price.
Next was the Badi Palace, but unfortunately it was closed for renovations. Good to see some storks have returned for the winter though.
The hands of Fatima are frequently seen in jewellery and on buildings.
The Baha'i Palace is also known as the Beautiful Palace, and it s easy to see why. Room after room of ornately decorated walls and ceilings. Tiles, plaster work and carved cedar wood.
Huge doorways with intricate designs.
Stained glass windows.
Then it was time to hit the medina. Medinas are those areas within the protective walls and are characterised by lots of narrow pathways between buildings. They can be difficult to negotiate wth so many pedestrians, motorbikes and the odd donkey cart.
We made it back to the main square where we observed the goings on from the safety of a balcony. above. It's a lot less crowded during the day and the cafe stalls in the middle dale are closed. There are a few 'performers' : the snake charmers, the guys with monkeys on chains and the women Henna tattooists. The most popular artist was the one man band who drew a big crowd. All activities cease during the call to prayer from the mosques surrounding the square.
Souks are the covered in market areas within the medina. Goodness knows how they expect to sell all their goods, there are thousands of stalls, often selling the same items over and over again. It is very easy to get lost in here, Mike was able to guide us through using Maps.me.
Sugary sweets in all sorts of designs.
After an afternoon rest we headed back on the bus to the square to check out the entertainment and for dinner. It's a hoot! Now that we have got our bearings and are more accustomed to Morrocan goings on, we were able to relax and enjoy the variety of activities. It seems you don't need much talent to put on a show here, just lots of enthusiasm and something to bang on to draw a crowd. There were groups of dancers, men dressed as women, small groups paying traditional instruments, acrobatic troupes, the lone guys sitting with their violin or flute, scales and shoe shines hoping to draw some business. And lots of women henna tattooists. The people with sticks that I saw the ther night are 'fishing' for bottles of soda.
We stayed safe and had dinner back at number 41, Chez Said, where we had been taken on our first night with Terik, our guide. There are some pretty dodgy looking food stalls including the one opposite with the sheeps heads set in a row and being wiped down by hand with oil to keep them looking 'fresh'. Although not 'sick', our stomachs are not quite the same as normal, perhaps it's the olives.
Although it appears to be an 'anything goes' type of place, there are some rules. While we were eating we had to move the seats in a bit closer to the back. Not long after a group of police came along and it seemed like they were checking how many seats each stall had, and if they were within the limited area. They did confiscate a couple of seats from one place. There's also the lady with the gigantic vacuum cleaner to keep it all a bit tidy.
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