Things to do in Marrakesh

“Bahia”: literally, the marvellous, the brilliant, this name probably refers to the favourite wife of Ba ahmed, the grand vizier who had the palace built. The plans were designed by the Marrakchi architect si Mohamed el Mekki el Mesfioui, like a real labyrinth reflecting the whims of a powerful man. The best Moroccan and andalousian craftsmen worked on this palace for fourteen years. The tiles were imported from Tetouan, the marble from Meknes while the cedar wood used for the painted and shimmering ceilings came from the atlas.

There is nowhere in Morocco like the Jemaa el Fna Square – no place that so easily involves you and allows you to stay coming back for more. By day, most of the place is just a large open space, where a handful of snakes charming bewitched their cobras with flutes, medical men (especially in the north-east of the square) display cures and Panaceous, and tooth-pullers, wielding fearsome claws, offering to wrest pain from the heads of people suffering from toothache, trays of extracts attesting molars their skills. It's only in the afternoon that the square really happens. At dusk, as in France and Spain, people go out for a walk early evening (especially in the street Bab Agnaou), and the place fills up little by little until it becomes a carnival all of storytellers, Acrobats, musicians and artists. Go down and you will soon be immersed in the ritual: wandering around, crouching in the midst of spectator circles, giving a dirham or two as your contribution. If you want a break, you can walk to the rooftop terraces, such as the Grand Balcon Café, for a view of the square, its storytellers and musicians, and the crowds that come to see them.

Dar el Badii, the unrivalled palace was built between 1578 and 1603 by Yacoub el Mansour, an almohade ruler. The richest raw materials, some of which came from india were chosen for its construction: gold, onyx, italian marble…The andalusian influence in the plans of the palace is undeniable and one may think that the unknown architect must have come from granada. an almost absolute symetry was imposed in the plan of this magnificent residence completely built on arches with extremely solid bricks. The interior gardens, called gardens of desire, of which only an immense esplanade remains today with artificial lakes and orange trees, are surrounded by the ruins of the palace and high walls on which a multitude of storks is nestled.

The Majorelle Garden is a small, peaceful heaven, located in the heart of the city of Marrakesh. This garden is a living masterpiece composed of exotic plants and rare species, which Jacques Majorelle, a botanical lover, brings back from his travels around the world: cactus, yuccas, water lilies, water lilies, jasmines, bougainvillea, palm trees, coconut trees, banana trees, bamboo... In 1937, the artist creates ultramarine both intense and clear blue, the Majorelle blue, of which he dyes his garden that opens to the public in 1947. The workshop became the Berber Museum, which was inaugurated in 2011 under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohamed VI. It presents a panorama of the extraordinary creativity of these people, the oldest in North Africa. From the Rif to the Sahara, more than 600 objects collected by Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent attest the richness and diversity of a culture that is still alive.

One of the most spectacular monuments in Marrakesh and one of the most beautiful mosques in the western Muslim world. Marked by a complex history, it is actually a double sanctuary with a minaret. The first koutoubia was inaugurated in 1157 and the second one as well as the minaret were built a year later on the initiative of abdelmoumen. The two sanctuaries are distinguished by the T-plan giving great importance to the wall of the qibla (orientation of the prayer). outlined against the landscape, the 77-m ashlar minaret has a ramp which leads to the top, soberly decorated with carvings and white and green tiles on the upper parts of the façade and the pinnacle.

The royal necropolis of the saadian family, a first series of funeral chambers was created after the burial of Prince Mohamed Cheikh in 1557. his son had a koubba erected, known as koubbat lalla Messaouda, where he was himself buried in1574. in 1591, ahmed el Mansour had his mother buried there. his three successors also lie there. a second edifice was raised, with a central room called the room of the twelve columns, it houses the sultan ahmed el Mansour’s grave, the mirhab room, the room with the three alcoves. another space is reserved to children’s graves. all the rooms are exquisitely decorated.

it is in the workshop of Jacques Majorelle that the Berber Museum was inaugurated in 2011 under the high Patronage of his Majesty king Mohamed Vi. it presents a panorama of the extraordinary creativity of this people, the oldest in North africa. from the rif to the sahara, more than 600 objects collected by Pierre Bergé and Yves saint laurent attest to the richness and diversity of a culture that is still alive. The museum unfolds in four distinct spaces, articulated around as many themes. The history and geography of the Berbers (amazighs) of Morocco, as well as a cartography of the most significant tribes, are presented: a rich audiovisual documentation accompanies the visitors throughout their visit.

Right in the heart of the medina, the Ben Youssef Medersa, one of the biggest medersas in the Maghreb, is one of the most remarkable historical monuments in Marrakesh and is worth a visit. it was built in the 16th century by the saadian abd allah al ghalib, which is confirmed by the inscriptions on the lintel of the entrance gate and on the capitals of the prayer room. Created on a 1,680-sq.m quadrilateral plan, the medersa used to accommodate 130 students rooms over two floors around an interior patio leading to the prayer room.

This museum promises to make us live a unique experience. form the distillation of floral waters to the extraction of vegetable and essential oils, including the collections of rare objects being of use to the creation of perfumes, those of medicinal and aromatic plants used in the hammam rite, we discover the Moroccan ancestral know-how regarding perfume shop. in addition to its exhibitions, it proposes recreational activities and workshops to understand better this universe so particular.