I was wandering through the streets of Riad Laarous and Ben Youssef today looking to find property in Marrakech Medina. I love these walks – so full of colour and sensuality. In the quarter where I live and work there are street markets selling fresh fruit and vegetables – usually brought from farms just outside the city on a daily basis. The fruit is ripe to eat and oh so fresh. When I think back to my days in Europe I wonder how I ever ate a tomato or munched on an avocado, when here the food is seasonal and ripe from farm to fork.
Just at the junction of Riad Laarous and Ben Youssef is a little-known mausoleum. A saintly man is interred here, looked after day and night by women mourners. He died in the fourteenth century. It’s nigh on impossible to photograph the interiors of holy places in Marrakech … so for your eyes only here is the tomb of Sidi Abdelaziz, one of the seven Saints of Marrakech, in a picture I took today.
Just around the corner from this Marrakech monument is a thriving little spot where Max and Jan, high-end clothing designers, have set up shop. It has attracted other boutiques and restaurants and has made a little funky hub. Within 50 metres you can find the restaurants Le Jardin, Kui-Zin, Atay Food and Souk Cafe. There are fusion fashion boutiques like Joy Kech as well as traditional craft shops.
I walked another hundred yards and came out into the Ben Youssef square. Just across from me were the Marrakech Museum, the Ben Youssef Coranic School and the much ignored Qouba Almoravid – one of the oldest buildings in Marrakech. It was the place where devotees washed before going into the majestic mosque adjacent. In all the years I have been here this monument has sadly been closed. The interior is stunning and deserves viewing.
There is such density and vibrancy in Marrakech Medina. Finding a property turns into an adventure, a sensuous treat every day.