Marrakesh

We left for Marrakesh early on Friday, as it is further than Erfoud. Halfway through the trip, we stopped at a restaurant that was oddly enough connected to a gas station. They also had some weird pricing issues. Apparently there is a butcher at the restaurant, and if you want kebabs, they go and buy the meat from the butcher, charge you for the meat, and then charge you an additional 5 dh to have it grilled. Sneaky sneaky. I wasn't all that hungry so a stray cat at the restaurant wound up eating most of my lunch.
We arrived at our hotel, Hotel la Menara, and again it had air conditioning AND a pool. We headed out to go walk around the Jama al-Fna Square and take a look around. Even though everyone keeps saying that Marrakesh is the big tourist trap of Morocco, it was remarkably clean, even cleaner than Rabat. The square was absolutely huge and energetic, and filled with people. I think the square was my favorite place I've been to in Morocco so far. There were so many people and so much energy, but I may be biased because of the orange juice. I probably drank 10 glasses of the orange juice in 2 days. We wandered around the square and into the souks, which were arranged like a maze. I could never tell if we were walking in circles, and I was actually just seeing the same stores over and over, or if it was as massive as it seemed. I'm leaning to the latter, because when Austin, Carly, and I went back to shop, we couldn't find the same stores we had seen earlier, and instead ended up in the metal working district or something.
After wandering around the square, we had dinner at The Argana, which had excellent ice cream, and went back to the hotel to swim.
Saturday morning was our historical tour of Marrakesh, including the Saadian Tombs, the Badia Palace, the Ali Ben Yusef Madrassa, and the Qubba al-Barudiyyin.



The Saadian Tombs had been sealed away after the end of the Saadian dynasty, and were only rediscovered in 1917. The tomb rooms in typical Moroccan fashion, are covered in carved wood and tiles. As interesting as the tombs were, though, the two playing kittens got most of our attention. The tombs contain the bodies of over 60 members of the Saadian dynasty. After, we went to the Ali Ben Yusef Madrassa, a famous madrassa that was in use until 1960. IT had a really pretty courtyard with a nice reflecting pool. We also checked out the "dorm" rooms, which were not that much smaller than my freshman dorm room. The purpose of the madrassa was to teach Islamic law, and was something akin to a theological college.


My favorite historical location in Marrakesh was the Qubbat al-Barudiyyin. The structure, which was built in the 12th century, has rather mysterious origins. It is sunken from the street, even in ancient times, and is next to a ancient cistern and bathrooms. Some think it may have been a fountain, but it only has a small indented basin inside the pavilion, and no pipes or water sources. It features a very ornate double dome, with detailed carvings. The carvings themselves seem to incorporate Roman mythology, especially the carved scallops, which were a symbol of the goddess Venus. The carvings are all similar, but not exactly the same, some have different patterns, some are different sizes, which is also another unusual trait not found in Muslim architecture.

After spending the afternoon shopping in Jama al-Fna, Austin, Carly and I went to McDonald's, which was an interesting cultural experience (don't laugh! It was!). The menu is very similar to the US, without the bacon, and with the addition of two Morocco-specific sandwiches, like the McArabia. Also, they have a choice between french fries and potato wedges called "deluxe potatoes". We definitely experienced the "high context society" line-phenomena, or the lack thereof. People just sort of crowded around the registers, and it took a long time to be served. The McDonald's was decorated in traditional Moroccan decor, with detailed tile designs and the like, which we thought was kind of funny for a fast-food restaurant. Also, apparently McDonald's is the cool place for Moroccan 20-somethings to meet their friends. We bought a McArabia to try, which was a hamburger in a pita with lettuce and a "Moroccan sauce". It basically tasted like everything in Morocco. Also, there was ice in our soda! Only two cubes, but it was still surprising.

I really liked Marrakesh, I don;t know why people complain about it being a tourist trap. The square is probably my favorite place in Morocco so far. One minor problem I had, though, was the large amount of endangered species bits that seemed to be ubiquitous, like this store, which had 3 leopard skins hanging up.