Life in the Medina of Marrakesh
Former essence girl, Erin Holland keeps us up-to-date with her overseas adventures and fabulous photography.
Words: Erin Holland Photography: Erin Holland
The medina of Marrakesh is literally a trouncing of the senses from the moment you step foot inside! Whether you go out to observe the nightly carnival of the main square Jemaa el-Fnaa or are navigating your way through the winding, walled and maze-like streets, you will be blown over by noise, smells, languages, traffic, food, donkeys, tourists and aggressive sales tactics of would-be guides and craft-sellers. I found out just how much energy it takes to live in the heart of the medina by spending the past two months there, wearying, but this is undoubtedly where you feel the real heartbeat of Moroccan life.
In the medina there are no supermarkets, or any kind of regular stores for that matter, and nowhere is Marrakesh’s medieval, modern vibe more evident than in the centuries old shopping markets, known as the souks. Inside you can buy everything from traditional food items to dazzling lanterns, slippers, leather bags, rich carpets and amazing Berber style jewellery – but be prepared to haggle. The rule of thumb is that you should be able to achieve lower than half the original price offered, if you know how to play the game! These days Marrakesh is also seeing a new breed of entrepreneurs, designers, chefs and fashionistas opening up an exciting range of boutique stores, galleries, restaurants and gardens merging 21st century ideas with medieval craftsmanship and medina know-how. But nothing is straightforward in Morocco, and even just a simple trip to the vegetable market can entail tiresome bargaining over the price of bananas and always some near misses, motorbike dodging down the narrow streets.
With this in mind it is essential to find a serene, comfortable riad to stay in, many times it can be down the narrowest, quietest alleyways of the medina where you will find the most extravagant Moroccan courtyard fountain or sweetest smelling rose garden. The word riad means “enclosed garden” in Arabic but over time has come to represent the traditional Moroccan style home. The classic construction sees all the rooms facing towards a roofless courtyard and without any windows towards the streets, typical Islamic architecture designed to maximize privacy from the outside world, especially considering the women should not have been seen uncovered. The riads in Marrakesh mostly have non-descript entrances making it impossible to know what lies behind each door and another interesting detail is that when you enter you immediately must walk to the right or left, again due to privacy, so people can never look directly inside from the street.
I also found out the secret as to how these people keep their skin looking so good this close to the Sahara! Hammam - these traditional public baths are an important part of Moroccan life and culture, and also a chance for people to converse outside of the house, as unfortunately the riad design does not allow for anything to go unheard. Initially, being scrubbed raw by a perfect stranger did not sound like my idea of relaxation but there was something so angelic about going along with the other girls and gossiping in a steamy room while sweet Moroccan ladies take you in hand, cover you with savon noir (black soap made with olives) before scrubbing off layer upon layer of dead skin followed by a soothing mud mask.
If walls could talk, the ancient streets, souks and homes of the Marrakesh medina would be able to tell the stories of a thousand years of urban transformation on the western edge of the Islamic world.