Rock The Casbah

Over four days in Marrakech I think we managed to take in more or less all of the sights. Our first venture into Place Jemaa el Fna was pretty scary stuff. It was quite late so all the entertainers were out in force. Everywhere you go is like trying to run the gauntlet, with people trying to persuade you to take their picture or eat their food. Our guidebook recommended Hassan's with "the best merguez sausages" but it was packed, largely with locals. We eventually planted ourselves at one stall and ate well for 90 dirham (DH) – about £6 for the two of us. However, I still hadn't managed to accumulate much change for the entertainers and we had become a bit weary of being hassled and returned to the riad.
On Wednesday we visited the Musee de Marrakech, the Madrassa Ben Youssef and Koubba el Baroudyn. The Koubba was part of the Ben Youssef mosque which was used for ablutions, but was buried for hundreds of years before being re-discovered in 1947. It was the first piece of Arab architecture that we had really looked at and a great starting point – although not elaborate it is the only surviving structure from the Almoravide period in Marrakech and it's design and decoration have been replicated ever since the 11^th century. From there we crossed the track to the Madrassa of the Ben Youssef mosque. Non-Muslims aren't allowed in all but one mosque in Morocco, but madrassas (where religious students live) are often opened up to allow tourists to view. It was beautifully decorated and I've been most stunned by the deep stucco work on many of the buildings. The open courtyard reminded me a little of the monastery at Montserrat, and you can explore the rooms to see the difference between the bad ones (little boxes with no windows) to the best (much bigger with views over the courtyard). The best thing about looking out of these windows was that it gave a closer look at that intricate stucco work.
Next on our ticket was the Musee de Marrakesh. More of an art gallery than a museum, the main piece on view is the building. Like most buildings in the city there is an open courtyard, although this one had a tented roof which gave the roof a strange, yellowish glow. There were quite a few chairs and benches around so apart from anything it was a lovely place to sit and relax and listen to the sound of the water trickling over the fountains. The art displayed was vibrant and wonderful, reminding me that I'd love to find a nice piece from a souk vendor to take home!
We decided to take a break from the Moroccan cuisine and visit an Italian restaurant recommended by the guidebook. It was early so when we arrived we were the only diners, but Casanova was a very nice restaurant with good food (it's great when you order something you've had before and are served with an excellent version of it). Our waiter was intriguing and determined to practice as much English as possible on us, regaling us with tales of how he hated his job, hated the Spanish and was really a very creative and sensitive soul. His accent was heavy and we often lost track of his musings - as sweet as he was we were pleased when more customers came in to take his attention!
For our final day in Marrakesh we ventured to the south of the city – the Kasbah and the Palaces. The first place we wanted to see was the Saadian Tombs. 66 members of the Saadian dynasty (16^th-17^th century) are buried here, and the most intriguing thing (for us Westerners at least) is that the graves are more or less unmarked. Rectangles of mosaic tiles differentiate one grave from another, and even those housed under ornate roofs are relatively plain. Slightly disappointed we walked to El Badi, a Saadian palace. After the Saadian dynasty fell, Sultan Moulay Ismail stole all the marble that decorated it for his palace in Meknes, so essentially it is nothing more than a ruin that is now owned by the many storks who build their nests on top of the walls. But it is huge! There are a few walls along with sunken gardens, ex-fountains and foundations with good signs explaining how the building may have looked, and you can envisage just how grand the parties there would have been. You can also walk around some of the unearthed outbuildings – the ground was very uneven and you would never be allowed so much freedom on a ruin in Rome!
On our way back we decided we had to eat where the locals at. It was relatively early but Hassan's stall at Jemma el Fna was already doing the business. There was no fussing about with menus, just sit down and eat what's put in front of you. The merguez were indeed very good, as was the slightly random (not sure I want to know what was in it) meat stew and with bread and tea it was no more than 40 DH for both of us! Just shows that the locals (and the guidebooks) do know what they're talking about sometimes!