Marrakech is so close

The streets are filled with shops selling everything imaginable, everything that humans need and don’t need. souvenir In the making Morocco or In the making China? An employee of the Ouarzazate Crafts Center said, “We later found out that open-air market Many items considered traditional in Morocco are made in China. Embark on an adventure open-air marketAlmost overwhelmed by the dozens of motorbikes winding around, the local passers-by walking without hesitation, the shopping that invites bargain hunting, there are many reasons that attract our attention. But undoubtedly it is because of the beauty of the carefully crafted metal or wooden doors, the small works of art hidden in the commercial junk shops, and when they open we can see the dazzling view of the inner courtyard buildings filled with tile and plaster arabesques, columns and porches decorated with an aesthetic common to all Islamic art.

Yes, the view was pleasant, that’s it, our senses were awakened, also because of the smells that wafted through the air, different from what we were used to. Food, fresh fruit, oregano and mint, strong and pleasant, we wanted to take it home. We still smelled the metal of craftsmen, the molds of old houses, the carbon monoxide of lucky motorbikes, the sweat of people working in hot climates, the damp ground that calmed the dust, the perfume of tourists who had just arrived. Finally, we entered the Jemaa el-Fam. We thought we had seen everything for sale, but we were wrong. Right in front of us, a dusty stall with loose or neatly arranged dentures of various sizes waiting for customers. We smiled. We were in Marrakech. The square was the center of everything. There was traditional music, dancing, dervishes, musicians, snake charmers and more. But it was at night that the Jemaa el-Fam came alive, and that’s why Moroccan families would dress in their best clothes and wander around, shopping.

The pink city offers us some heritage gems like Tombeaux Saadiens, Koutoubia Mosque or Bahia Palace, where groups of Japanese tourists with cameras seem to want to compete with the Moroccans and not give us a minute of peace. In fact, we did not come to Marrakech for the quiet, without a doubt, what we liked most about this city was the great activity in its streets. If in the ancient and narrow streets we had to sneak through the bustle of motorcycles and passers-by, outside open-air markettaking a car, it was exactly the same thing. Cars, motorcycles, donkey-drawn carts, weaving around us in a chaotic, crazy dance, and pedestrians also posed in a graceful and luxurious manner.

It’s not the snake charmers of Jemaa d’Ema that bring us unexpected magic. In this restless city, life happens in daily exhibitions that are both spontaneous and carefully designed for tourists.