Exhausted in Marrakech

I am currently sitting in the Marrakech airport with a delayed flight to wait for. This has to be the most exhausting airport I’ve ever been to, there were no less than 4 lines and a very pushy French woman who I was determined not to let sneak by me mostly because I am tired and cranky. I have found the city to be filled with what we would consider rude people and I’m really not in the mood for it.

Yesterday’s tour was also our most exhausting day, clocking in over 20,000 steps. While it was a whirlwind, we did see some really great things.

We first went to a 12th century garden which was nothing but miles and miles of olive trees, Menara Gardens was established along with two large water reservoirs which supplied all the water for the garden for centuries.

Next we went to the Kasbah which is a walled city within a city. The Kasbah historically was where the wealthiest people lived and the shops were the crème de la crème. The streets are wider and easier to navigate; and it was much quieter than the Medina. The Kasbah dates back to the 12th century.

In the Kasbah we visited the Sa’didi Tombs where the most prominent of the rulers, their families, and some servants were buried. Note that in Moroccan culture, you typically do not find head stones with names. The only identification is based in your status and sex and is reflected in the size and shape of the graves.

After a long walk through the area we ended up at the Palace Bahia which was built in the late 18th century. The story we learned on the tour was that it was built by the Sultan for his first wife, Bahia, but google gives a more nuanced answer. It was begun by a grand vizier who had been a prominent slave. Continued expansion of the palace occurred under the son of another ruler (to be honest I’m confused about the path here).

The palace encompasses a number of riads, which are effectively homes with inner courtyards. I found the designs of some of the ceilings to march more what I saw in Turkey, which makes sense given the time period it was built.

Our final stop before lots of walking through the Medina was the Ben Youssrf Madrasa, an Islamic college built in the 16th century. It was STUNNING. The school includes dormitories that would house both students and professors, there are a total of 130 student rooms and it housed up to 800 students.