Our first official day in Marrakech, we decided to take a walking tour with a guide. Our riad was right in the souk and we needed to get a good feel for the area, as it’s really a labyrinth.
Leaving on Walking Tour
We started down the street, taking in everything as we passed. Some of the shops had their wares out already, first thing in the morning.
Shops’ Wares
Our guide told us those in the souk who actually make the products never waste their scraps. We saw a pile of scraps, but those working in that area kept going to the pile and picking pieces out of it to use.
Scrap Pile
We got to explore some back parts of the souk that tourists don’t usually go through – those of the actual workshops.
Metal Workshop
Finished Lanterns
Quiet Corridor
Taking a Rest
Fun Colorful Doors
There seemed to be more cats here than there were in Turkey. Most of them were quite mangy looking.
Cats
Some of the cats were treated to some treats. It must be a matter of ‘being in the right place at the right time.’
Cat’s Treat
Part of the luxury of being with a guide was being able to see where all the locals shop at the market.
Veg Stand
One of the main modes of transportation was a bicycle (others were a motorbike or a donkey cart).
It was interesting to see what products were transported via bicycle.
Leather Scraps
Hooves
Donkey Cart
As we finished up our tour of the souk, we did see a little bit of the tourist side.
Exploring the Souk
The last part of our walking tour was a tour of the Bahia Palace, which was built in the 1800’s for the grand vizier. Our guide told us this palace was also a riad, as it fulfilled 3 criteria.
(1) – Open Space
(2) Fruit Trees (especially oranges)
(3) Water
The details throughout were very pretty.
Our last stop with our guide was the square – The Djemaa el Fna.
The Gang at the Square (Shannon’s Picture)
There were monkeys, henna ‘drawing’, freshly squeezed orange juice, etc. We were hoping to see the snake charmers, but didn’t spy any on our quick walk through.
Later that night, when it had cooled off, Chris, Shannon, and I went out on our own to explore the souk.
Chris with our Trusty Map
While we were out, there was a dust storm, so it wasn’t ideal, but definitely interesting. We didn’t intend to do any shopping, but we did do some scouting for future outings.
Dust Storm in Square
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