Marrakech: Day 4
by Céleste | March 13, 2015
This day was spent in the neighborhood of Marrakech known as the Kasbah. Émilie wasn’t feeling well and had to finish some things online for school, so Vincent and I ventured out on our own for most of the day.
Lunch d’Or
You can’t survive the crowds of Marrakech without breakfast, so we stopped by this little cafe that you may remember from the first day, to grab some fresh msemen (the thick pancakes) for 6 dirhams each, coated in Vache qui Rit cheese. Gotta get that protein in!
Bab Agnaou
To get to the Kasbah, we walked through the (unfortunately under-restoration) Bab Agnaou door. Bab must mean door in Moroccan Arabic, because all the doors were labeled “bab.”
Saadian Tombs
The first thing we did when we made it to the Kasbah was to visit the Saadian Tombs. They’re tucked away behind the Mosque Al-Mansoor, but there was a helpful Moroccan man telling people, “The tombs are this way, so you can go in and then come back to buy a pre-stamped postcard from me!” We didn’t though.
We walked through the entrance and paid the 20 dirhams to go in. One thing I will say, especially after the attack in Tunisia at a museum, is that there is little to no security in these museums. I didn’t think about it at the time, because it didn’t seem like a big deal, but they really had no security at all. Anyone could have barged in and hurt people, stolen things, or destroyed the priceless monuments.
Anyway, we made our way in, past the ridiculous lines of school kids and old people, and got a look at the walls of the palace, which were made up of elaborate tile work. The tombs were built in the 16th or 17th century, and weren’t rediscovered until 1917. They were built by Ahmad al-Mansur, and house the tombs of many people, including his family. The beauty of the tombs can’t really be described, so I’ll let the pictures speak for me.
There were oranges growing on all the trees, and feral cats slinking about. The place was so peaceful, especially when compared to the busy street outside. Just another day in Marrakech.
The main attraction of the tombs is the room of the Twelve Columns. As the name suggests, it contains twelve columns. We had to stand in line for about 30–40 minutes just to get a glimpse. The room was dimly lit, unfortunately, but beautiful. Vincent and I both came away with a feeling that the tombs and the palaces we had seen so far were just so detailed.
Mosque Al-Mansoor
On the way out, we could see the Mosque Al-Mansoor. We couldn’t go in, of course, but we heard the call to prayer from here later in the day, and since it was Friday, it was Jumu’ah, the Muslim Friday prayer, so we watched the men trickling in (we couldn’t see the women’s entrance). There were so many people that they actually started to flow out into the courtyard to pray.
Kasbah Street
We walked down Kasbah street, which was really just more of the same old market we had come to know and love in Marrakech. There seemed to be fewer tourists here, so Vincent and I were sought out by all the shop owners, wanting us to eat at their restaurants or come buy something from them. We did stop into another artisanal building, though this one was like a giant Wal-Mart of Moroccan goods. It was lined floor to ceiling with wares, separated into section by material (wood, metal, leather, etc). We didn’t buy anything, but I could see the appeal for weary travelers or tourists, looking to get Moroccan goods but not feeling comfortable haggling or being preyed upon in the souks.
Kasbah Cafe
We were a bit hungry from walking around, so we headed to the Kasbah Cafe, which we saw had good reviews on Trip Advisor. It had beautiful views of Kasbah street and the Mosque (the aerial photo above was taken from our seat at the restaurant). We weren’t very hungry, but we were soon full from all the food. The waiter brought out our food, which included harira, a Moroccan soup; chicken skewers for me; and a kefta tajine for Vincent. Kefta is a sort of meatball, and Vincent loved it. The skewers, as you can see in the photo below, were hung upside down. The food was delicious, but we were so full afterward that we just sat on the rooftop, gazing down and feeling comfortable in the padded seats. While we were eating, a stray cat came in and sat next to Vincent. The waiters didn’t care, which was generally the same everywhere in Marrakech.
Palais el Badi
Next, we headed to an ancient palace in the Kasbah, the Palais el Badi. The whole place was sprawling, with storks perched on every rooftop, giant nests on all the columns. It was a beautiful and lonely place. The palace contained the Photography Museum, but the day was so beautiful that we didn’t go in.
Inside the palace, you could enter these tunnels that went under the walking path. The tunnels were dark and a little scary. We were certain that they would have been lit-up in the US, but Morocco plays by its own rules.
Patisserie Anjar
After a long day of walking around, we decided we wanted to get Moroccan pastries from a shop. We went into Patisserie Anjar and I slowly chose different pastries in French, depending on our tastes. We got many different kinds, including honey, pistachio, lemon, date, almond, and fruit-based pastries. We tried them later with Émilie, and they were delicious! The almond and honey ones reminded me of baklava, which I love.
Cafe du Livre
When we returned to our apartment, we found that Émilie had gone out to the Cafe Livre that day, to use the wifi to figure out some things for her return to graduate school. She told us that the place was really nice and they cater to expats. She said they even had an “American breakfast,” which she ordered that morning, with bacon, eggs, and big ol’ flapjacks. We decided to check it out, because the food and drinks sounded good, and there was live music that night.
I had a club sandwich and fries, Vincent had a burger and fries, and Émilie had pasta. We all ordered alcoholic drinks; a mojito for me (natch), a coffee martini for Vincent, and a margarita for Émilie. Alcohol is usually more expensive in Morocco, because it’s a primarily Muslim country, and we had read that it’s not really supposed to be consumed in public. Most people were fine with it though, even the Moroccans there were drinking.
Everyone was happy with their meals and drinks! As we ate, the live music started up — a young Moroccan guy , later joined by another singer, singing current top 40s as well as songs that were popular when I was in middle school. Unfortunately I can’t remember any right now, but we were immediately transported back home. It was nice, and quelled any homesickness we may have been feeling. It’s funny how close to home you can feel in a country that’s so different and so far away.
