SPRING / SUMMER 2019

WOMEN of MOROCCO

NEWS & STORIES TRAVEL GUIDES YOUR STAY SPA TREATMENTS DRINK MENUS

The influential women of Morocco Medina, Gueliz, Fez & Ourika Useful info for your time here Choose a pampering session Cocktails & Wine EL FENN MAGAZINE SPRING / SUMMER

CONTENTS

4 About El Fenn 7 Our partners Welcome 8 Interview with Nora Fitzgerald - social entrepreneur 10 Many of our guests ask about the lives of women here in Focus on the Sea & the Desert Morocco and the simple answer is that they are as varied 12 A day out in Gueliz and kaleidoscopic as those of women anywhere. 13 Interview with Cassandra Karinsky - restaurateur Walk down any street in Marrakech and you’ll see girls 14 Interview with Yasmine Berrada - gallerist in hijabs walking side by side with friends whose heads 15 are bare, women in kaftans and others in the latest high Our new exhibition fashion. Modern Morocco is home to all kinds of women 16 Focus on Fez living all kinds of lives and we celebrate them in this issue. 20 A day in the Medina Elsewhere, you’ll find articles about places we love (find 21 Interview with Hanane Chouquir - tour guide our guide to Fez on page 15) plus maps and itineraries of 22 Interview with Madou Eijkman - social activist the most visited areas in & around Marrakech (if you’re 24 looking for inspiration on a fun night out then head to A day outside Marrakech page 36). There are also snippets of news on the latest 26 A dying art: the storytellers of Morocco trends in food, travel & design. 28 Get the El Fenn look We hope you get inspired. 29 Interview with Sanaa Bousairy Berrada - designer 30 Meet the staff 33 Recipe: Amlou (Moroccan Almond Butter) 34 HOW TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH US Your Stay 36 Celebrating at El Fenn 37 Interview with Rosena Charmoy - events planner 38 The future of El Fenn 39 A day out with children FOLLOW US SIGN UP 40 @elfennmarrakech to our email list and we’ll be in touch A night out in the red city Instagram & Facebook twice a year with news & special offers 41 Interview with Norya Ayron - store owner 42 Cocktail menu 44 Wine menu COVER PHOTO Top: Hanane Chouquir, Sara Kchirid, Rosena Charmoy, Nora Fitzgerald, Cassandra Karinsky 47 Spa Treatments Bottom: Yasmine Berrada, Madou Eijkman, Norya Ayron, Sanaa Bousairy Berrada 48 Do’s & Don’ts

Content & Copy MEGAN LLOYD DAVIES & TARA STEVENS | Design LARRY SMITH | Illustrations LUKE EDWARD HALL Photography : El Fenn KASIA GATKOWSKA | Interviews MEHDI MOUNIR | Fez OMAR CHENNAFI | Staff SANDRA LESVIGNE

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About El Fenn We call El Fenn a home from home because that is what ROOM RATES we wanted to create from the first day we opened our doors Small Rooms from 270€ fourteen years ago. Medium Rooms from 380€ Since then we’ve added rooms, knocked down walls, hosted Large Rooms from 470€ art festivals and film screenings, huge parties and memorable Extra Large Room from 570€ weddings but that one core value of what we’re here to do has remained. Now, more than ever, we want to retain El Fenn’s Plunge Pool Rooms from 630€ intimacy and friendliness. Two Bedrooms from 700€ Three Bedrooms from 790€

Why? Small Annex Rooms from 270€ Medium Annex Room from 380€ Because our lives are increasingly time poor as the world keeps getting busier. And while we’ve seen Marrakech grow and Our five bedrooms Annex Riad from 1,460€ expand over the years since we opened - donkeys and carts replaced by scooters that buzz and smartphones that ping - the FOR BOOKINGS medina is also immutable: ancient, atmospheric and inspiring. [email protected] We want you to make the most of that while you’re here.

That’s why there are no TVs but instead lots of spaces to relax WHAT’S INCLUDED in. Please do make the most of them to read, sleep or sip a mint Breakfast, in-room tea and coffee facilities, tea and listen to the muezzin’s call to prayer as the sun sets. afternoon tea, internet access, 10% TVA, city taxes Then, once your energy levels are reset, we urge you to venture WHAT’S EXCLUDED out a little further and see what you find - or finds you - in the beautiful city of Marrakech. 7.5% service charge

There’s a saying in Morocco that you don’t choose a house, a AIRPORT TRANSFER house chooses you. And we feel incredibly lucky that El Fenn 40€ each way (per room) happened to choose us. It is a place that we hold deep in our 90€ Standard Fast Track hearts and it gives us great pleasure to be able to share it with 120€ VIP Fast Track you.

ADDITIONAL BEDS 0–5 years free of charge Please make yourself at home. 5+ years 50€ per night Maximum 1 bed per room (small, medium & large rooms excluded)

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Our Partners

Between them, our five El Fenn partners Vanessa and Howell’s original vision was to For more than 20 years, painter turned have advised prime ministers, influenced use the large scale rooms as a backdrop for designer Madeline Weinrib built a textile the art and design scene on either side strong colours, the abundant artisan skills brand beloved by some of the US’ most of the Atlantic and built up a peerless found in Morocco, deep baths, powerful influential tastemakers. knowledge of rug makers everywhere from showers, handmade beds, luxury linen, and Afghanistan to Shanghai. delicious, simple food. Mixed in would Blending the beauty of traditional crafts be serious contemporary art and striking with her own unique aesthetic, Madeline And it’s this mix of talents, interests and mid-century modern furniture. worked with artisans across the world expertise that we believe gives El Fenn its to create her range of rugs, cushions and unique atmosphere. El Fenn opened its doors in 2004 with six accessories. bedrooms, soon gained a cult following and The hotel’s life began in 2002 when Howell expanded into neighbouring properties. Then the internet caught up, her work was James and Vanessa Branson were hunting imitated and gradually felt increasingly for a holiday house. At the end of a long The next phase of El Fenn’s life came in unsustainable in a world where prices are day, they walked into what was then a near 2012 when Willem Smit arrived to manage constantly being driven down by mass derelict riad. By the time they left an hour the hotel - and kick start a refurbishment production. Architectural Digest labelled later, they were on the way to owning not that built on the original look and feel. it ‘the end of an era’ when Madeline just one Marrakech home – but several. It’s still ongoing in many ways because, as announced the closure of her eponymous return guests will know, nothing ever stays label last year. Unknown to them, the main building the same too long. (today centred on the courtyard that houses Now, in addition to working with the our reception) was being sold with a string Paintings, colours, fabrics, furniture and Cristina Grajales Gallery in New York of smaller properties – some with only one spaces are constantly being repositioned, to create truly bespoke pieces for private or two rooms. reinvigorated or reinvented. clients, Madeline is bringing her eye, aesthetic and experience to El Fenn. It was only when Howell, a former El Fenn’s drama and decorative abundance permanent secretary in the Cabinet Office has earned it a reputation as one of She’s joined by her husband Graham Head, who has also held senior positions at the Marrakech’s most beautiful hotels – with president and vice chairman of the iconic BBC and Christie’s, and Vanessa – an art Architectural Digest calling it ‘Instagram New York store abc carpet and home, collector, gallerist and patron - signed the gold’ – and today we employ ninety staff who has spent the last 30 years scouring sale papers that they realised just how much and stretch over a site occupying an entire the world for rugs and textiles that have house they were getting. acre of the medina. changed the home furnishing world.

They took a leap of faith and decided to Then last year, El Fenn’s newest partners So what’s next for El Fenn? Turn to page 34 open a small guest house. joined the team and a new era began. to find out.

From left: 6Willem Smit, Madeline Weinrib, Graham Head, Vanessa Branson, Howell James 7 EL FENN MAGAZINE SPRING / SUMMER

starting their own businesses, the truth is very few want to go that route, they prefer the stability of being an employee. A small “Over 80% of our graduates percentage do have entrepreneurial spark, and we have one student who started a are subsequently employed in sweets business recently on Facebook. She’s doing really well. a healthy environment like a The Future’s Female What does the future look like for Nora Fitzgerald’s organisation the Amal Foundation has local restaurant or riad.” Moroccan women? I see a drive in young women that I’m expanded because ambitious women have driven the growth, not sure I’m seeing in young men. For How did the women find out me, Morocco’s greatest opportunity is she tells Tara Stevens. about you? undeniably female. The legal framework is changing to favour women more and Mostly they simply walked by and came more in different ways, for example the in to ask about what the association was Born in Morocco to American parents who introduction of the law against les petites about. One woman, Bouchra, called every bonnes” (child maids) with a set minimum moved to Tiznit, Southern Morocco in the day for six months wanting to get going age for when young people can work. The 1970s, social entrepreneur Nora Fitzgerald was on the training. I was so happy the day result is we’re seeing less families sending raised in Marrakech before studying applied I could finally say yes to her. So it all Do they get any benefits during girls to be maids and that’s a huge gain. happened very organically. To compound that, it is often the trajectory mathematics and Spanish in the United States. their time with you? Having that law in place will trickle down When she returned to Morocco and started the that these young women go on to have and make huge changes in the long term. Amal Foundation she didn’t even know that Now, we have more demand than we children out of wedlock and become They are given a living stipend so they can can offer. Every six months we take on get somewhere to live if need be, and those social entrepreneurship was a thing. All she was single mothers. You then have someone Stats are also showing the gender gap in 30 new students, but we have over 100 with no education, no training and who is with children get extra so they can arrange education is closing. Twenty years ago, it sure of was that there were some women who applications for those positions. It’s very perceived as a fallen woman by just about for childcare. They also received a bus card had not been given many chances in life and was considered hashouma (shameful) for clear to me that women really, really want everyone. If she chooses to keep her child provided by the Alsa bus company for girls to go to school in some villages but she wanted to help them have something to call some opportunity in life. she has to leave her home town and never free, which for many is a deal-breaker as there are now huge changes in mindset their own. return so she doesn’t bring shame on her they wouldn’t be able to afford the bus fees around that. One woman that came to us How difficult was it to make it family. I’d say about 25% of our students otherwise. told me none of the girls in their village work? fall into this demographic. How did it all begin? went to school, but then suddenly a We opened our doors in early 2013 What happens when they leave male school teacher started sending his Small! I started out with just two women who I and soon partnered with the Drosos We also see a lot of women who were you? daughters. At first everyone was shocked taught American style baking – cheesecake, brownies Foundation, whose remit is to enable widowed or divorced very young. Suddenly We promise each woman who completes but ultimately followed suit. These sorts that sort of thing – which they would transform into disadvantaged people to lead a life of they are forced to raise one, two, three our program that we will connect her of forward-looking initiatives can have a something really special. I quickly saw there was an dignity, to help us build a restaurant children on their own and for obvious with a job opportunity. Over 80% of our huge impact and the World Bank reports opportunity to help someone who was basically stuck training model. They asked me to write reasons it’s a struggle. Often, they rely on graduates are subsequently employed females are now overtaking males in in the social landscape of being a domestic servant, them a grant proposal, which got me their families, but it’s not ideal as they need in a healthy environment like a local enrolment at higher education which is to create their own business. I thought if this works thinking on a much bigger scale. In something that’s sustainable and enables restaurant or riad. I prefer women not to massive. for two women, then it could work for five or seven December of 2013 we were given the them to move forward. think about opening their own business or ten women, so I started to look for premises that grant, which was a game changer because right away, but get more work experience Finally, there’s a new auto-entrepreneur could be a facility. we finally had a proper budget to work What sort of training do you and understand what it is like to work status that has come into play in recent with and we were able to hire people. provide them with? in a bakery or restaurant. We always years. It means, if you run your own small What were the biggest challenges to The training period is 6 months and covers talk about empowerment, but it’s not an micro-business you are legally recognised setting up? What sort of situations have the cooking, patisserie and waiting tables. If overnight, or even a six-month thing. It’s a and that’s opening a lot of doors for It took me six months to find the place where Amal women come from? we see someone has more inclination to painstakingly long journey. No matter how women. The thing is about Moroccan is now, and then begin paperwork to make it an Lots of the women were sent away to one thing we’ll help them develop in that transformative the experience is at Amal, women is they are extremely motivated, association. It was a very steep learning curve because be maids from as young as six or seven area. They also get an hour of classroom it’s just one step on that path so I think it’s especially when they have mouths to feed. I had no prior experience in business, and it is not years old. They’ve missed out on all their time every day in subjects like French for important we manage expectations. These women are go-getters, even at the something I’m naturally inclined towards, but my developmental years: school, play, being hospitality and hygiene, as well as practical most basic levels. strategy was to throw myself into all the stuff I’m not loved by their family. I don’t believe soft skills like the importance of arriving Any major success stories? very good at and hope for the best. this is a western ideal – it’s a universal on time and how to get a bus. Volunteers Every Amal graduate is a major success :: :: If you’d like to donate to the work done by Social entrepreneur Nora Fitzgerald human right for children to have access also come to give one-off experiential story. The impact and transformation the Amal Foundation there’s a collection box to education and not be in labour so courses, like yoga, which is incredibly in their lives is truly remarkable. Many on reception. Their cafe is located in Gueliz at young – so the goal is to return some of enriching as it helps cement the idea that are working in high-end establishments Rue Allal Ben Ahmed s/n. Do stop by if you’re that to them. there are endless possibilities out there. and continue to grow and thrive. As for in the area.

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SPOTLIGHT ON… Marrakech will always steal people’s hearts but Sleeping lodges are scattered among the dunes, now the more remote corners of Morocco are each with a private deck for soaking up ocean or Dakhla attracting travellers too. lagoon views, and constructed from local timber. GETAWAYS Sports enthusiasts should head to Dahkla, In return, Ocean Vagabond planted some 2500 located on a narrow peninsula in southern native plants to create a thriving ecosystem Morocco where the Sahara meets the Atlantic around the properties. Ocean. There are also cocktail bars and live music in It’s also home to a stunning lagoon that the evenings, massage rooms and daily outdoor stretches 40km into the Sahara and now a new yoga as well as delicious food with a focus on watersports eco-lodge has opened. pristinely fresh local ingredients like grilled lobster and oysters. Ocean Vagabond - who own a popular property in Essaouira - offers accommodation at two sites With Air Arabia now flying from Marrakech to - one of the lagoon as well as Dakhla Lassarga, Dahkla three times a week, maybe it’s time to Beach Chic Ocean Vagabond eco-lodge at Dakhla Lassarga which is on a pristine Atlantic promontory. discover a new part of this beautiful country. El Fenn style - with the beach thrown in - is on offer at a seriously photogenic holiday let near Essaouira. Combining the environmentally sensitive architecture of Studio KO (who also built the YSL Museum) with interiors by our own Willem Smit, Villa Mabrouka offers a tranquil retreat. The house, which has been featured in SPOTLIGHT ON… Architectural Digest, has four bedrooms, a the sea & huge infinity pool with ocean views, resident donkeys, large grounds and spacious terraces. Dar Ahlam There’s also a full catering and maid service if the desert you require so all you’ll have to do is soak up the sun and those views. Remote desert hotel Dar Ahlam is a property like no other. As part of a sustainability initiative, the Institut Paul Bocuse is also partnering with 700,000 Heures to train local teams When Thierry Teyssier, who opened it sixteen years ago in in hospitality, ensuring a seamless, but thoroughly authentic, a remote outpost near the Sahara Desert at Ouarzazate, his experience for guests. USP was to create ‘moments’ for guests. A percentage of profits go to the Fondation EPIC, which aims It means their experience of his hotel is constantly changing to bring impactful change to the lives of disadvantaged youths as everything - from where dinner is served each night to through a variety of projects around the world. The ultimate recharge the table linens and cutlery - are curated to create the stuff of Arabian nights fantasies. Lunch might be on a sand dune, The next trip-of-a-lifetime opens amid the sand-dunes and If you dream of your own private island then So whether it’s hiking across heather- dinner beside an oasis. lagoons of Lençois, Northern Brazil in June 2019. All-inclusive head to Eilean Shona, a wild retreat found covered hills, swimming in crystal clear daily rates cost between $1750 and $2150, with a 20% discount just off the west coast of Scotland which waters or kayaking to a lunch cooked Now he’s taken the concept a step further with his latest for members. inspired JM Barrie’s Neverland. over an open fire on a white sand beach venture 700,000 Heures – the approximate average lifespan by the island’s staff, the It’s home to nine holiday of a Western human being – to create a series of ‘wandering’ possibilities are endless. pop up luxury hotels, which will open at unique locations all houses sleeping two to twenty- around the world for just six months. two people and is the perfect With no roads or cars combination of luxury and and wildlife ranging from They are all furnished by objects housed in a set of 100 travel the wild outdoor, according to red deer and grey seals to trunks, handmade by L’Atelier de Manue in Agadir. actress Kate Winslet. otters, eagles and owls, Eilean Shona is also the Silver dinner services, hand embroidered bed linens by Chez “This is the kind of magic one perfect place for children to Zoe in Marrakech, and other luxurious, artful or curious longs for, looks for and seldom run wild. props ensure that every second is quite literally filled with finds,’ she once wrote. magic, even if it appears you’re just lazing around enjoying the view. Dar Ahlam

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A day in 1PM: Hail a petit taxi to take you into Gueliz’s commercial district for lunch Hot spot +61 (96 Rue Mohammed el Bequal) 10 MINUTES WITH gives organic, locally-sourced ingredients a sophisticated Sydney-inspired twist. Also open in the evenings. Cassandra Karinsky

Gueliz9AM: Roam the Jardin Majorelle 3PM: Shop the art triangle Cassandra Karinsky is a master of many trades: in between running Kulchi, a rug Yves Saint Laurent brought these beautiful gardens Lalla (35 Boulevard el Mansour Eddahbi) hand back to life as a gift to the city he loved. Today they crafts deeply covetable collections of weekend sourcing company favoured by stylists and contain a dizzying array of cacti, bamboo bushes and bags, handbags, toiletry bags and clutches. designers everywhere from Europe to the palm trees as well as a fascinating Berber jewellery US, she’s now opened Marrakech’s hottest museum, and uber stylish gift shop. Open daily Kaftan Queen (61 Rue Yougoslavie) designs new restaurant. 8am–5.30pm (9am during Ramadan). Entrance contemporary kaftans, delicately embroidered 100dhs. blouses and body-fitting tunics in the basement atelier of this sleek, Gueliz boutique. When did you arrive in Marrakech? Kulchi owner Cassandra Karinsky Atika (34 Rue de la Liberté) is a popular treasure 10AM: Pick up a juice I first visited in 1996 but it took almost another ten trove for locally designed leather and suede years to make the permanent move. I arrived here Coming from Australia, I’m used to a lot of open The Jardin Majorelle’s cafe has pretty terrace or soak Jardin Majorelle pumps, and ballerina flats, in rainbow colours. in November 2005 after running restaurants in space and like living in places with an aspect so up some sun on the terrace of Kaowa opposite. New York, Sydney and Chicago for people like Bill the medina can feel a little claustrophobic to me. David Bloch (8 Rue des Vieux Marrakechis) has Grainger with the idea of opening my own here. Gueliz is open, there are palm trees, wide streets bought many young Moroccan artists to the and of course all the amenities that make life fore, giving street art and graffiti credibility in a But then I started meeting people while I was comfortable. 10.30AM: Admire the Musée YSL country that tends to more classical forms. researching what restaurant to open where and Studio KO’s spectacular building has quickly began making and selling kaftans. Then I worked You’ve got a successful rug company so become a landmark in its own right. The permanent Galerie 127 (127 Avenue Mohammed V) shows for a friend doing shopping tours and styling for why a restaurant? exhibition displays 50 rarely seen pieces from the a world-class collection of contemporary another who’s an interior photographer so I was Between the smells and the colours, Marrakech great French designer’s archive that pay homage photography from all over North Africa and in learning about rugs. is a sensory overload so I wanted to create a very to everything from ‘le smoking’ to his love of particular Morocco. restful space with a simple menu. And while there’s Marrakech, plus temporary exhibitions and a book Five years on, I started Kulchi and was very happy obviously a lot of Moroccan cuisine here and shop. Open daily 10am to 6pm (except Wednesdays). to be out of the restaurant business for a long French too, there wasn’t much else on offer which Entrance 100dhs. time. There is so much creative potential here in is why I drew on my background in Australian 33 Majorelle 6PM: Pre-dinner drink Marrakech and I enjoyed learning about the world food. Nab a seat on the terrace in high summer, or head of design and all those new possibilities. upstairs into the cosy, fire-warmed bar when the It’s very fresh and produce driven so ingredients 11.30AM: Pick up locally crafted gifts and first snows fall on the Atlas at the iconic Grand But after years of listening to everyone complain are not overworked and instead left to speak for perfume Café de la Poste (Angle Boulevard El Mansour about the lack of great neighbourhood restaurants themselves. I thought all the wonderful produce Notoriously private Yahya Rouach’s new showroom Eddahbi et Avenue Imam). First in Marrakech, I decided to open one at last. you find here would translate well to that style of right opposite the entrance to the Musée YSL, opened in 1925, its colonial era décor And now I have, I’ve been reminded that there’s cooking. And in a town full of places that cater showcases his exquisite filigreed and handcrafted is a gem. something thrilling about working in a restaurant to solely to visitors, I also wanted +61 to be a metal lanterns. – there’s no other feeling like the one you get when restaurant that served both visitors and locals. the room is packed, service has gone well and 33 Majorelle has lots to discover from recycled flour people are happy. What are your favourite things to do in sack bags to flowing kaftans and designer jewellery Gueliz? by up-and-coming Moroccan designers. What do you like most about living in There are great pavement places here for a breakfast Gueliz? of eggs & khlii [dried meat], I love going to see At Heritage Berbère, you’ll find all the exotic scents I’ve been in the medina pretty much every working films at La Colisee – a really giant old school of the Red City in myriad forms: perfumes, atomisers day for the past thirteen years and don’t think cinema – and if friends are in town, we’ll head to and candles exuding musk, amber, fruits and flowers. I’d have lasted this long if I’d lived there as well. Epicurean for a late dance. Café de la Poste YSL Museum

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Sister Art Yasmine Berrada and her sister Myriem defied expectations when they opened their Casablancan art gallery in 2009. Yasmine was just 24, but her and Myriem’s fresh perspective made them pioneers on the Moroccan contemporary art scene. Our Latest Exhibition How did you get involved in art? and abstract painting so this felt like a Myriem and I both come from a financial natural starting point for us. We began background. That’s not so exceptional - there compiling comprehensive catalogues about are lots of women working in banking here their work and started getting international El Fenn’s next show is a collaboration with Loft Art in Morocco because it’s very exciting and attention. Since we opened we’ve taken fast moving. I loved it, but art was always my Moroccan artists to the Pompidou in Paris, Gallery, Casablanca showcasing the work of one of passion and when I became a new mum I MATHAF – the Arab Museum of Modern wanted to do something that gave me a bit Art in Qatar, and Art Dubai with the aim Africa’s most promising new artists. more time for myself. We opened Loft Art of helping to give them a voice on the world Gallery with a huge exhibition of the work stage. of Chaïbia Talal. What is the contemporary art scene SAÏDOU DICKO And she was? like today? Born into a large ethnic group of Fulani One of most influential Moroccan artists I was very surprised at the beginning shepherds in Burkina Faso in 1979, Saïdou of the 20th Century. She’s an institution in to discover that, even among collectors, now lives and works in Paris, France. He is a this country because she was so influential Moroccan artists were not really considered self-taught artist who drew the shadows of his on the Art Naïf movement, which is the to be part of the African scene, but that’s sheep as they grazed the Sahel plains when country’s best-known form. Launching the now changing. Over the last few years he was just five years old. Play on shadow has gallery with a retrospective of her work was Morocco has gained an increasingly Yasmine Berrada of Loft Art Gallery in Casblanca been an integral aspect of his work ever since a risk because people in the art world here important role across the African continent, and his new series ‘The Shadowed People’ were very sceptical of what we were doing. especially because the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair sends the message that is a thought-provoking reflection on the They didn’t trust us because we didn’t have a very like it was for us when we started out Marrakech is becoming the undisputed juxtaposition between light and dark, black formal art background, but I think that was – we had to work very hard and keep heart, capital of African art. What the founder, and white, urban and rural, wealth and poverty, what allowed us to do things differently and because when you are innovating the first Touria Glaoui has taken on is a huge Europe and Africa. In bringing together these push the envelope. reaction you get is criticism, but you must challenge and we are very keen to be a part opposites he speaks volumes on the physical keep going, you must be strong. and psychological effects on our humanity. Sounds tough. How did you of it by representing artists who tell the story overcome these challenges? of the continent, not just Morocco. What have you learned? You have to remember that the history of What is it like to be a woman artist I’m 35 years old now and I trust myself and contemporary art is very young in Morocco. in Morocco today? my choices in the artists we represent much Before the 1960s, the only Moroccan art more. I am extremely proud of the work Female artists are usually multi-taskers that was accepted and considered true that we have done and I feel confident that juggling jobs with families and somehow were naïf and folkloric works. Artists like it’s been an important thing, not just for squeezing in their art too, so I would say Belkahia, Melehi, Chebaa or Hamidi Moroccan artists, but for our country as a when they succeed it is a real triumph. It is started to break the rules with modernism whole.

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OCUS ON

Kilim Berber Think of Fez as the cultured, classic older sister to Marrakech’s funky, Fez WHAT TO BUY rebellious teenager. If it’s the ‘real’ Handmade felt hats and vintage 1970s wallpaper Morocco you want to see, pay this from Omar Berrada near the Moulay Idriss extraordinary city a visit. Mausoleum. Antique carpets at Kilim Berber, or colourful tribal rugs at La Maison d’Art Berbère - both within steps of each other on the Ta’laa K’bira. Contemporary blankets and graphic ceramics from Anajam Home (studio visits by appointment). Exquisitely filigreed brass and copper lanterns by WHAT TO DO master craftsman Jawad at L’Art Traditionnel, just off the Place Seffarine at number 8 Boutouil WHAT TO KNOW Café Clock Iraqi architect Aladine Said offers specialist Karaouine. design and architecture tours of the Fez medina. Atmospheric and unique, Fez is 17 different kinds of wild honey from Hicham It starts in his jewel of a guest house, Dar WHERE TO GO where artisans gather and history Nafis’ stall – ask for a tasting before you buy - at Seffarine and continues through medieval is seeped into every stone. FOR BREAKFAST the Kaat Smenon number 81 Ta’laa K’bira. medrasa (koranic schools) and fondouks, : Café Clock for hearty It’s also the biggest pedestrianised finishing at the jazzy new Lalla Yeddouna Berber eggs, banana pancakes and the best, area in the world with around Artisan Centre. Italian coffee in town Afternoon tea in Derb Chouara 156,000 citizens packed into FOR LUNCH the 9000 or so derbs (narrow Sign up for a modern Moroccan cooking course : Jardin des Biehn for succulent alleyways) that make up this and lunch at the Courtyard Kitchen at Dar tagines and cool glasses of Moroccan rosé in a formidable maze. Namir with food writer Tara Stevens. She lushly planted garden. delivers a fresh spin on traditional dishes like FOR AFTERNOON TEA There’s also nowhere better for picking up handmade : Derb Chouara, just spiced lamb and artichokes topped with mint off the Place Seffarine (copper beaters souk) treasures because its master craftsmen specialise in beaten Lalla Yeddouna and preserved lemon picada, and cinnamon to find the no-name place serving mint-tea metal lanterns, intricate zellije tiles, blue and white pottery strawberry torte. and fine weaving. spiked with absinthe leaves. Have a traditional hammam at the delightful FOR SUNDOWNERS Still known for its traditional values, Fez’s university : Palais Faraj for Dar Bensouda with its pink tadelakt cupola and expertly made Negroni’s in an eyrie-like Al-Karaouine is widely agreed to be the world’s first, local beauty treatments made from rose petals, WHERE TO SLEEP established by a female Tunisian benefactor in 859. To get rooftop bar as the sun goes down over the lavender, black soap and ghassoul from the medina. in you need to be Muslim, and have memorised the qur’an Henna Souk. Riad Laaroussa has 9 eclectic suites in full. FOR DINNER: Nur ffor a 10-course, modern – the best have fireplaces - arranged around a delightful, orange-tree filled Air Arabia flies from Marrakech-Fez on Tuesday, Moroccan tasting menu in a chic marble courtyard. There’s also a turquoise pool Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, €25 one-way. dining room. Or Dar Roumana for Franco- Moroccan fusion in a romantic courtyard. surrounded by a real lawn and shady day beds, and a top-flight hammam and spa. Breakfast on the roof terrace with 360º views of the medina makes the Dar Namir cooking school most atmospheric start to the day.

Riad Laaroussa

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9AM: Get in early to dodge the crowds at the Ben Youssef Medrasa. This 14th century koranic school is one of the most dazzling 10 MINUTES WITH examples of Moorish architecture in the world, A day in the 1PM: Grab lunch at La Famille (34 reminiscent of the Alhambra in Granada and Derb Jdid) with its driftwood inspired the Alcázar in Seville. Open 8am–5pm. Daily. interior, woven straw carpets and Hanane Chouquir Entrance 20dhs. rambling terraced gardens. Come for inventive salads and irresistible homemade cakes. In 2007, Hanane Chouquir became one of the first women to be licensed 10AM: Peruse the photos at the Maison de Medina as a tour guide in Marrakech. More la Photographie. The collection documents than a decade later, she’s seen many Moroccan life from 1870–1950 and is spread 2.30PM: Shop til you drop down Dar el Bacha. changes in the Red City. over three floors of a 17th Century Saadian townhouse. A mint tea while admiring Norya Ayron - for masterfully reimagined kaftas, fabulous views of the Atlas from the roof is ghandora and jumpsuits cut from limited edition pretty special too. Open 9.30–7pm. Daily. Free vintage and her own designed fabrics. WHY DID YOU BECOME A GUIDE? for children, adults 40dhs. Soufiane Zarib - for a mind-boggling array of My mother didn’t even go to school but tribal carpets, contemporary wooden furniture and luckily my parents believed in education leather pouffes. Rue Riad Laarous s/n so I did languages at university and today Tour guide Hanane Chouquir 11AM: Mooch around the Places des Epices speak Arabic, French, English and Italian. then hit the shops nearby that shine a light on Topolina – for flamboyant jackets with natty That’s a good base for being a guide and I’d also lived in both France and Italy so HOW HAS MARRAKECH both contemporary and traditional Moroccan linings, cocktail trousers and maxi-totes that are CHANGED? art and design. perfect for stashing your haul. 134 Dar el Bacha liked having contact with people from other countries. Finally, two of my brothers are In every way. I was born and raised here but Riad Yima - Artist Hassan Hajjaj is known Valerie Barkowski – for exquisitely embroidered guides so it’s kind of like a family business. came back to a new city after living abroad. as the ‘Andy Warhol of Marrakech’ and has bed linens and bath towels emblazoned with tassels. Marrakech had always been known as a a loyal international following. His home/ HOW MANY OF MARRAKECH’S poor place but suddenly there were riads Norya Ayron gallery/boutique showcases much of his art as Galerie Dar El Bacha - hot newcomer to the 400 TOUR GUIDES ARE WOMEN? opening and tourists coming. It’s benefited well as lanterns fashioned from sardine cans medina’s art scene with a strong collection of Only about ten per cent, so we’re still quite the city in many ways. Marrakech is now and modish African clothing contemporary Moroccan photographers. unusual. Initially certainly, there was a lot truly international and a mix of cultures, of resistance to women doing the job. But religions and perspectives. It’s opened Shtatto - this hip concept store showcases women in Morocco had gone into every up many employment opportunities for hot young designers like Amine Bendriouich area of work from politics to publishing so it women and life is much freer now for many, for embroidered bomber jackets, Nasire for 4.30PM: Stroll to the impeccably restored, 16th made sense for us to become guides too. although if you’re from a traditional family butter-soft leather bags and Nature for a new century Le Jardin Secret when the late afternoon or the countryside that’s still not necessarily hairdo. light bathes its ancient gardens in gold. Many men were against the idea though. case. Open 9.30am - 7.30pm spring & summer; 9.30am Morocco is forward thinking but women WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT Kulchi - cut down hours of searching and - 5.30pm autumn & winter. Adults 50dhs, children still have many responsibilities to their YOUR JOB? view Cassandra Karinsky’s edit of the best in 30dhs, under 6’s free. home and family. These men believed that Moroccan carpets, Tuareg reed and leather women would not make good tour guides The medina is where our true history lies rugs as well as other home accessories. By because we had so many other demands on because everything outside its walls was appointment only. our time. Women like me though knew that built during or after the French protectorate 6PM: Cocktails back on the roof at was untrue. that started in 1912 and I am proud of Palais de la Menara - packed with antiques El Fenn in time to see the sun set over my country, its history and culture so it’s a ranging from historical arms to art, statement the Koutoubia minaret. Today there are still men who are against privilege to share it with people. It’s good pottery, Syrian furniture and silver jewellery. the idea of women guides but there are in so many ways that the medina has got many more who see the good work we do so popular but we must also be sure that it Rue Mouassine - for a cluster of shops Le Jardin Secret and want to collaborate with us. Myself and doesn’t lose its heart. It is a living, working, including El Fanous for filigreed metal lamps, all the other women guides are members of local place, a mix of shops, hammams, Galerie L’Art Arabe for classical pieces and an association so we meet, talk and support koranic schools and mosques and I hope we calligraphy, and Galerie Mourjana for quality each other. do not lose its magic. antiques.

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I started very small, borrowing a friend’s one- room office in Tamesloht and asking friends and family in Holland to send whatever money they could. I bought some books, hired a girl A life’s work to help me and bought bread and oil. The children started to come because news travels Madou Eijkman had lived in Morocco for almost 40 years before she fast in a small place and they soon knew I was there. We read to them, sang songs and they discovered a side to the country that she had never seen before – and her ate before going home in the evening. Soon the office was full at night too as children children’s charity Fiers et Forts was born, she tells Megan Lloyd Davies. started sleeping on the floor. A year later, we rented a small house and the children had proper beds for the first time. My aim was to educate them for the future as well I moved from Holland to Casablanca with as care for them and there were always more my husband in 1964. He was a banker, I was boys than girls who needed my help. Girls a teacher and as well as raising our three stay at home or are sent to work as maids for children, we had a very social life. After he relatives or neighbours while boys are left to go died in 1992, I moved to Marrakech with onto the streets. my second husband and it was then that I The Fiers et Forts centre in Tamesloht discovered how little I really knew Morocco. During those first years, we had some problems with the authorities. They didn’t We’d often go to the mountains to walk or know who I was after all but I could speak ski and usually make a stop in a large village Arabic and reassured them that I wasn’t called Tamesloht. There was a souk where we’d going to talk to the children about religion “That is my work now: I care for the children go to buy fruit and vegetables and I started or politics. That’s not my job. I’d never get to notice all these children who seemed to be involved in those things. I am here simply to who are not cared for by anyone else.” unaccompanied and aimless. I started talking give these children a better start in life. to them and asking why they weren’t at school. They often told me that they had to help their In 2014, we opened an educational farm in Some children leave here as teenagers to go parents so they didn’t go to school. Others, I Tamesloht with the help of the Al Baraka back to their families and work to provide realised, had been abandoned to live on the Association. Today we have 40 children living income. Others stay until they’re about 20 and streets. at the farm and 30 who attend daily. They all then leave to live independently. Our aim is go to school in Tamesloht and we provide extra for all those who leave us to have some kind of After almost 40 years here, I thought I knew tuition as well as lessons in everything from professional training, maybe even a university Morocco well. But until then I’d done what music to karate and art. They garden and look degree. Others find work in hotels and people the world over do: look but not really after animals as well because nature is good restaurants or as gardeners and cooks. see what was staring me in the face. It was only for them. And the farm is also visited regularly But while earning a living is of course in Tamesloht that I realised the true extent of by doctors and dentists because the children’s important for young people who once had the poverty you can find here and also just how health was a real problem in the early days. lost many children are. Some had parents who nothing, most of all I want the children who worked, others didn’t, but these children were I’m now 83 and still working every day at the arrive with us scared and loveless to leave as left to raise themselves and while they were farm. I can’t tell you why I started all this. happy and balanced adults. At my age, it’s a loved, they were not cared for. All I know is that I knew in my heart that I real privilege to have a purpose in life like this. had to. Today it’s a family job. Dorine works I’m lucky that I do. That is my work now: I care for the children daily with me but my other daughter Barbara who are not cared for by anyone else. With my and son Victor are also very involved in what daughter Dorine and many other people who we do. Money of course is always the biggest :: If you’d like to donate to the work of Fiers & work for us, we feed, clothe, educate but above problem. We now have seventeen salaries to Forts then there’s a collection box on reception. For Madou Eijkman is the founder of children's charity Fiers et Forts all care for children who would otherwise have pay each month which is a worry but somehow more information go to centrefiersetforts.com nothing. everything works.

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A day outside Two-wheel City Tours You’ve always been able to see Marrakech on foot, four wheels or from a horse drawn carriage - but now vintage Marrakech motorbike sidecars have been added to the list. 10AM: Marrakech Insiders specialise in tours of all parts of Call in to the HQ of the city’s hottest, the city, from the medina to the Palmeraie. Each one is handmade cement tile manufacturer Popham tailored to what you want to see and their aim is to take Design on the way out of town. Clever clients to hidden spots so that they can be a ‘traveller - combinations of eye-popping, geometric patterns not a tourist’. and muted tones that can be put together in a myriad of ways made them an instant hit with interiors editors at AD, Vogue and Elle Décor.

11.30AM: The whimsical Anima Gardens are the creation of Austrian artist André Heller. As much outdoor art gallery as horticultural treasure stitched together by exotic blooms and Beldi spa time marvellous shrubs, it hides a dazzling collection Lunch under the olive trees before a dip in the pool of contemporary African sculptures and thought- at the Beldi Country Club is almost a Marrakech provoking art. institution. But did you know they have a spa too? It’s styled in the same casual, chic way as the rest of the hotel complex but is on a much larger scale than many of 1PM: the spas found in the centre of town.There’s a beautiful A dramatic mountain drive following the hammam, treatment rooms and a stylish relaxation space sinewy curves of the silvery Ourika river takes you that looks out onto the beautiful gardens. to an al fresco lunch at the Kasbah Bab Ourika. Take your seat in the shade of an olive tree with So factor in time for massage next time you head to And if you want to see a local market in action then treasure Beldi for a pool day. breathtaking views and fuel up on local goats’ hunters should plan to visit the souk in Ourika village on cheese brik and slow-cooked Atlas lamb with Monday morning where you’ll find beaded jewellery and salsa verde. amulets plus good quality tagines alongside livestock. In Aghmat village on Friday mornings, you’ll find jewel- encrusted daggers, fossils and the odd excellent rug.

3PM: Learn more about the Amazigh culture at the Musée Berbere which showcases the extraordinary crafts of local women including Lunch with a view rugs, jewelry and pottery as well as an excellent Head out of the city to discover the beauty of the Atlas photographic exhibition documenting the Berber mountains. Our tour combines the stunning countryside way of life. with a chance to meet local people and is a highlight of many guests’ stays. Guide Mohammed will take you on a gentle trek to 4PM: The Jardin Bio Aromatique is bursting a Berber home where lunch is being prepared. It’s with organic herbs, flowers and spices that form served in a traditional tent filled with cushions and rugs the basis of local skin care products, homeopathic overlooking the beautiful views. It’s a great chance to remedies and healing teas. It’s a delightful place to chat to those who live and work in the mountains - and stroll a while before treating yourself to a soothing immerse yourself in nature. herbal footbath and a cup of saffron tea.

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A dying art Morocco has long been a melting pot of cultures but the storytellers that unified them all are under threat.

Such is the power of story in Morocco that it lead But even though UNESCO protected the square, to the Djemaa el Fna - and the storytellers who fast forward a decade and the tradition was performed there - becoming the first ‘cultural beginning to die out. space’ to be protected by UNESCO in 2001. Immersed in the worlds of Netflix and social The art is called hikayat and it dates back nearly media, interest among young people had dwindled 1000 years to a time when storytellers moved and the remaining storytellers found their circles from one end of the country to the other, carrying sabotaged by thuggish youngsters who’d blast news of current affairs with them as well as telling loud music or stage fights to break up the crowds parable-style tales which helped parents educate that gathered. Disillusioned, most will now only their children and above all entertained and perform at specialist festivals. inspired entire communities. By 2015, there were just two master storytellers Moroccan women in particular take storytelling left on the square when one, Hajj Ahmed extremely seriously, particularly in rural areas Ezzarghani, decided it was time to retire. where illiteracy is high because it serves as a means It was then he met Michael Richardson, the of self-expression and establishing authority British owner of Café Clock in the Kasbah area of within the home. But it is always done in private. Marrakech, and together they hatched a scheme to The halqqa, or storytelling circles, of urban public revive the art. spaces had always been a male occupation They were an essential part of the social fabric of the The men invited young apprentices to come and country and, like medieval theatre, drew crowds. learn under the guiding hand of Ezzarghani and ‘Hajj Ahmed told me about two Moroccan girls ‘There are almost no storytellers in public squares take an interest in preserving our heritage. We the stories were also translated into English, who had been very good at telling stories,’ Sara anymore,’ she explains. ‘Hajj is always saying that could add storytelling to the public speaking Tales ranged from the story of a lion, a hedgehog making them accessible to a much wider audience. says. ‘One who now works as a storyteller in Japan when a storyteller dies, a library burns, so I’m curriculum at universities for instance or maybe and a donkey which illustrated that everyone and another who went to Manchester to perform. trying to learn as much from him as possible so create an annual prize to give this amazing skill has their own unique qualities and none are Cafe Clock’s storytelling programme and with that we can keep the tradition going.’ more status. more important than another, to more gossipy it Hikayat Morocco – a storytelling collective ‘I was really inspired by that because I felt like observations about behaviour at court and highly comprised of Ezzarghani and his young there could be potential to do this professionally Most of the Hikayat Morocco apprentices are ‘My dream is to see the storytellers return to the flattering portrayals of the king. apprentices - was born. someday. either young professionals or university students. Djemma al Fna and to perform there one day Sara works full time for Ryanair so has to squeeze myself. Our society and culture will thrive because ‘Hajj also told me he believed girls tell stories No one did it better than the master storytellers It soon gained traction among Marrakech’s performances around her schedule. To compensate, of it.’ better than boys because they are more deeply who worked at the Djemma al Fna – Morocco’s youth, particularly women unusually, who saw she uses social media as a platform for raising connected to their emotions and characters. It was answer to Broadway – which until recently was one an opportunity to develop their own voice. Sara awareness. all the encouragement I needed.’ of the few remaining places you could see these Kchirid, 23, was a regular customer at Café Clock :: Head to Café Clock on Mondays and Thursdays to ‘It’s great there are so many girls getting involved,’ halqqa, at work. when an apprentice friend of hers persuaded her to Sara it turned out was a natural but, like Hajj, she’s see Sara and other storytellers perform. give it a go. she says. ‘But we need young people generally to Sara Kchirid - an aspiring young Moroccan storyteller worried the tradition is dying.

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Sanaa Bousairy Berrada, creator of Sana's Atelier

10 MINUTES WITH get the Sanaa Bousairy Berrada

When the easy-to-wear, shirt dresses exception, were firm in saying their wives created by Sana’s Atelier first hit the El could only work from home. Fenn boutique they were a sensation. Undaunted, Sanaa arranged to bring special El Fenn look colours and threads from Marrakech, and paid for their work piece-by-piece. Soon, The great designer William Morris once said Our shop began life as a few shelves on the The young Moroccan designer had captured a more and more women were approaching ‘have nothing in your home you do not know back wall of our reception office. look that successfully mixed modern tailoring her about starting working. These micro- to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ and we with authentic, highly-skilled Moroccan businesses ideals are now trickling down to the children, particularly girls, who are couldn’t agree more. But in the years since then it’s grown to detailing such as tassels, embroidery and covered become one of the biggest draws to El Fenn, buttons. recognising the value of handmade work and having their own income. In the age of stripped back decluttering known for its eclectic selection of both These have become the defining feature of her courtesy of Marie Kondo, we want to raise established and up-and-coming names on brand - as has the opportunity to use fashion as Husbands have also got behind the the flag for maximalism and colour. It doesn’t the Moroccan design scene. a way of empowering women artisans in rural scheme, recognising that their wives can means mess but a Morris-inspired collection communities. now contribute financially which not only There are LRNCE products from the potter improves their home lives, but ripples out to of the things you love. ‘There are a lot of very talented women out there beloved by the design crowd, stripped back the community at large. who don’t have the opportunity to show it,’ Sanaa That’s why we’ve curated a selection of urban luxury fashion courtesy of Marrakchi explains. ‘My dream is to make it possible, not Ultimately, Sanaa wants to roll this model products that will allow you to take a small Life and traditional artisanal home just for them, but the next generation coming up.’ out across the whole country. piece of El Fenn back to your own home. furnishings given a modern twist by the ‘Even the smallest, poorest villages that have team at Anajam Home. Most women in rural Morocco tend to get So from crockery to linens, fragrances to married and have children very young. After that, very little exposure to the outside world have books, we believe every product we sell is :: The El Fenn shop is open every day from life revolves around the home and very few have their specialty,’ she says. ‘And when you bring that to a modern fashion brand you create either beautiful or useful – and hopefully both. 10am to 8pm. the option of going out to work. something really unique. The handmade When Sanaa first started exploring her idea in sector has huge potential, but I’m not just High Atlas villages near Ourika and Tahannaout, doing this for me, I’m doing because when she had to speak to the men first who, without we work together everyone wins.’

28 Naoufal Ismail Nourdine Fatima Fouad Mehdi Hassan Zouhair Mohamed Fatima Laila Farah

Fatiha Nezha Khadija Nadia Majda Ahmed Nourdine Belaid Mounir Meriem Abdellah Kaltoum

Omar Soufiane Wafaa Ayoub Younes Salah Aziz Noah Oussama Abderrahim Noureddine Rachid

Soukayna Hamza Anass Monstassir meet the staff Azzedine Mohamed Houssine Yassine

Halima Moumen Abdelouhab Kamlia Wafaa Mohamed Nora Fatima Abdellah Oumayma Zakaria Houssien

Atif Mohamed Salahddine Issam Hind Abdessamad Diane Abdelatif Achraf Imad Ahmed Ahmed

Khalid Noura Youssef Hamza Ilham Fatimzahra Hamouda Zouhair Hayat Sanaa Leila Mouh EL FENN MAGAZINE SPRING / SUMMER

For the foodies 1. Blitz 450gr of grilled almonds to a fine crumb in a food processor. 2. Transfer them to a bowl before slowly adding 200ml of argan oil and 170gr Dining… A new side of the City AmlouEach morning you’ll find a pot of amlou - a of honey. There’s more to Marrakech than the medina so why not discover the traditional Moroccan almond butter - on your Conran Style parts that most tours don’t reach? 3. Mix until the amlou forms a smooth, L’Hotel, Jasper Conran’s ethereal, five- Mandy Sinclair, a Canadian who infuses her Tasting Marrakech street breakfast tray here at El Fenn. It couldn’t be runny paste and serve with anything room hotel, has only been open a year food tours of Djemaa el Fna with her deep passion for the city, now easier to create your own at home. from fresh bread to pancakes. but it’s already being whispered about offers the chance to explore by non-guests for its stellar Moroccan Gueliz, the neighbourhood home cooking. built by the French during the protectorate. The hotel is tucked away amid leafy gardens that frame a small but sexy bar Mandy’s tour is also and a spacious dining room done out in sherbet tones. There’s also a roof interspersed with stops at her terrace packed with hideaway spaces. favourite designer ateliers and coffee shops. Lunch at a The menu changes frequently, but our favourites are the chicken, prune locals-only diner is included. and almond tagine gently spiced with ginger and turmeric, and meltingly tender ossobuco tangia fragrant with preserved lemons and olives. Reservations 24 hours in advance, essential

A taste of the Liquid Gold Morocco’s first internationally recognised, cold-pressed, real Morocco extra virgin olive oil has gone on sale at Fortnum & They say the best Moroccan food is cooked Mason. by women in the home and you can taste it Produced from centuries-old organic olive trees in Beni at the Amal Foundation. Mellal in the Middle Atlas, modern Italian techniques The cafe run by the non-profit organisation in Gueliz is home were used to make the top-grade Morocco Gold oil. to a training school where disadvantaged women learn to It’s processed by a local co-operative that encourages be chefs, front-of-house or administrators in the restaurant women into agriculture – a sector that is shown to twice business. Nearly all leave after six months with a job to go to. as effective as others in reducing rural poverty. Lunch is served every day but on Fridays the women serve up The resulting oil - made from 100% Picholine olives couscous and it’s always buzzing. that recall the top-end Mediterranean varieties - is Food is served in a pretty garden at the villa in Gueliz (Rue smooth and grassy with a hint of pepperiness. The Allal Ben Ahmed s/n) and be sure to book because it’s popular project is supported by the Millennial Foundation. with locals.

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Your Stay

FRONT DESK & FOOD & PAMPERING & USEFUL SECURITY & AIR CONDITIONERS COMMUNICATIONS DRINK FITNESS INFORMATION PERSONAL SAFES & LOG FIRES

RECEPTION & CONCIERGE BREAKFAST SPA CURRENCY EXCHANGE & ATM SECURITY COOLING DOWN YOUR ROOM Belaid and his team are here in the office from When the sun is shining, breakfast is served Open daily from 10am to 8pm. Please For a bureau de change, turn left out of El We have 24-hour security at the main door so We recommend using our default settings and 8am to 11pm each day and can help with on the roof terrace. If it’s raining it’s served book at reception and remember that late Fenn’s front door, left again at the top of the there’s always someone available in the riad in to avoid overworking the motor please either anything from making restaurant reservations downstairs in the restaurant. Available from appointments are popular so it’s worth street and walk through Bab El Ksour - the case of emergency. switch off the unit when you’re not in your to advising on trips and tours. Dial 100 or 101 8am to 11am. reserving in advance. Wear your bathrobe for large arched gateway. Cross the road into the room or keep your doors and windows closed for reception. treatments or underwear or swimwear for a street ahead and it’s in the small row of shops DOOR LOCKS when the A/C is in use. AFTERNOON TEA hammam – bottoms only are acceptable. on the right. If you need a cash machine then There aren’t any keys here at El Fenn because CHECK-OUT Complimentary mint tea, house-baked cakes turn right out of Bab El Ksour and walk about this is a family home with trusted staff. Please HEATING UP YOUR ROOM Check-out is no later than midday and we’re and pastries are served every day in the main YOGA & PILATES 30m. There is a Banque Populaire on the right. keep valuables, passports and laptops in your As above, simply make sure the unit is happy to store your luggage if needed. If you courtyard from 3.30pm - 6pm. When the weather is warm, we offer free safe. Or if you prefer, our reception team can switched to heat mode. are departing before 8am please settle your bill classes on the yoga terrace just off the main LAUNDRY provide a padlock for your main door. at reception by 10pm on the evening before MEALS roof terrace. Please ask reception for further You will find a linen bag in your bathroom. OPEN FIRES departure. A set lunch menu is served from noon to details - or they can book you a private class if Please fill out the form provided and leave it in PERSONAL SAFES Some of the bedrooms have real wood fires 2.30pm. It changes daily but always includes you prefer. your room. If you need something dry-cleaned Instructions on how to set a personal code but this is an old building with temperamental TRANSFERS freshly made seasonal salads and grilled meat please let reception know. are inside your room safe. If you need help chimneys so please don’t light the fire yourself. If you haven’t already booked a departure or fish followed by dessert priced at 350dhs per JOGGING, BIKING & HIKING please ask reception who have a safe key - and Contact reception and we’ll do it for you. Once transfer please let us know if you need one the person. A menu of European and Moroccan There’s a lovely park for a run about two DOCTOR & DENTIST remember to empty it and and leave the door the fire is lit, add one small log at a time and day before you leave. dishes is available during our two dinner minutes away, or you can book cycling or Just ask us at reception and we can make open on departure. don’t forget to damp down the fire if you’re sittings - 7pm & 9pm. hiking tours via reception. appointments. If there’s an emergency during leaving the room or going to sleep. PHONE the night please dial 100 or 101 and we’ll be Each room has a phone which you can use to ROOM SERVICE SWIMMING POOLS right along to help. contact reception. Dial 100 or 101 then press We’re happy to serve dishes from our dinner El Fenn has three swimming pools: on the ‘call’ button. If you press call before dialling menu in your room. Please just order from one the rooftop, on the ground floor next to PHARMACY the number nothing will happen. Please don’t of the staff and we’ll do the rest. the restaurant and in the spa (this one is a There is a pharmacy just opposite Bab El unplug your phone as the battery will die. quiet zone between midday and 8pm). Just Ksour that is open every weekday 9am to ALCOHOLIC DRINKS remember that sound carries in the riad if you 12.30pm and 3pm to 7.30pm, and from 9am WIFI A wide range of wines, beers and cocktails are decide to swim early or late and also note that to 1.30pm on Saturday. Closed Sundays. Please ask reception for the current password. available day and evening in your room, the bar the pools are unattended. Children must be or on the roof terrace. accompanied by an adult at all times.

34 35 10 MINUTES WITH Rosena Charmoy Marrakech was so exotic when Belfast- born Rosena Charmoy first visited in 1999 that it hit her ‘like a thunderbolt’. She came back at every opportunity and in 2005 decided to make the move. Soon after Boutique Souk, the Celebrating events company she runs with husband Frederic, was born.

What was it like to set up as foreign at El Fenn woman in business in Morocco? Morocco is a very matriarchal society in many Do you dream of a thousand-and-one-nights respects so it’s not something I really came up Events organizer Rosena Charmoy party or a wedding in a rose-filled courtyard? against. There are lots of women here in senior positions including the mayor of Marrakech. Marrakech is a destination where anything – Irish people are renowned for being hospitable, 3 hacks for a party at home? almost – is possible. And whatever your vision, we friendly and family-led and that’s very carefully design each event to realise it. Over the prominent here so it felt familiar to me. It’s all 1. Music is the biggest lever in any event, even years, we’ve hosted rooftop parties with dancers about respect. If you build good relationships just a dinner party. If you personalise that it can really transform an evening. and DJs, created a poolside ‘club’ with lounging with people you are ok. spaces or filled our courtyards with roses and How do you plan the perfect event? 2. Keep food simple. Arrange great ingredients candlelight for intimate dinners. on a platter to share - it’s interactive, looks great We do everything from creating bespoke and the host can relax. Also make the vegetarian We can also help you to explore outside the hotel menus, to sourcing gifts for guests, to planning with lunch in Berber tents beside a lake or horse- or vegan dishes the star of the show, with meat and booking entertainment, to the flower as more of a side - things are inversing these drawn carriage tours of the city. We understand arrangements. We start by asking clients for days, which is really interesting. these one-in-a-lifetime events must go perfectly mood boards and plan around that. This city is to plan and we’re proud to say that many of the so visually rich it’s an event designers dream: 3. Be playful with table décor, even if it’s just people who’ve thrown parties with us have become candles, roses, pottery and textiles - everything a quirky detail like a camel to hang name tags true friends of the hotel. you could dream of to make an event look on, or animals from a kids toy box sprayed gold. beautiful. Alternatively, follow the seasons – you can never To create them, we partner with event organisers go wrong by bringing in fruit, veg and flowers Boutique Souk. Founded by Fred and Rosena What inspires you? from garden. Charmoy, Boutique Souk are known for sourcing I come to the medina every week because as unique locations and experiences for their guests. much as it stays the same it is ever changing. The The Red City’s top 5 instagrammable merchants have such a clever eye and sensibility, spots They’ve organised everything from model Poppy they are always on-the-money in terms of Delevingne’s three-day fairytale wedding to a 1. The Orange juice stands on the Jemma al Fna trends. For weddings we’re far more likely to Casablanca-themed party for Chanel. be inspired by something from the Dior show, 2. The Cactus Thiemann – an amazing or couture week, than a bridal magazine. We Whether it’s flying in musicians and DJs to plantation outside of Marrakech go to the biggest music conferences in Austin perform, commissioning artists to create original and Miami to get ideas for styles of music and work for menus and invitations or creating a 3. The monochromatic, black and white innovation in entertainment. courtyard at La Mamounia magical atmosphere through thousands of candles and lanterns, Boutique Souk & El Fenn are What are the key trends for this year? 4. The bright blues and yellows of the Majorelle dedicated to creating Marrakech magic for your 2019 colours are emerald green, blush, dark blue Gardens celebration. and coral. We have cactus, desert vegetation, coral roses and Majorelle blue so there’s plenty 5. The flamboyant basket market on the Place for us to work with. des Épices

Photo by Igor Demba EL FENN MAGAZINE SPRING / SUMMER

CAMEL RIDES If you can’t make it to the Sahara, you can still get your fix of desert vibes. Dress up in traditional flowing robes and turbans (if desired), and our driver will take you to the Palmeraie for a camel ride as the sun goes down over the Atlas Mountains. 1-hour ride with tea break, transfer included, 450dhs per person, (200dhs supplement for those riding pillion).

OASIRIA WATERPARK Our New Great for children, but with enough quiet spots to keep the adults calm. Pools, giant slides, a pirate ship and wave machines will keep the kids entertained for hours. Open daily 10am–6pm. Entry – adults (over 1.5m height): 210dhs, children (under 1.5m): 130dhs

Extension POTTERY CLASSES Kids can make clay animals that will then be glazed and fired at family- friendly Beldi Country Club. The vast property also includes extensive grounds, a kids pool (plus one for grown ups), a baker who’ll show them how to make flavoured breads and an afternoon cinema when they need some downtime. For children 12 and under all activities cost 100dhs. Pool We might be the masters of reinvention but even Oasiria waterpark access and lunch 250dhs. we’re excited by what’s planned next for El Fenn.

Working with architects Sylvain Ragueneau and These drawings show the building project that we hope Dorothée Ricard, of Aire Au Carré, we’ve come up with will take the hotel into a new era. We’ve bought two plans to transform neighbouring buildings. First comes neighbouring properties and, over the next eighteen the main structural work. Then artisans ranging from months, will connect them to El Fenn. tadelakt makers and woodcarvers to zellig experts will Colonnades will be expanded, terraces and walkways move in to start creating the interiors. added. When work is finished, the hotel will span from It’s a huge project and one we’re really excited about. Days out with kids our current plot through a series of interconnected There’s plenty to keep kids interested in Marrakech, including buildings to our annex down the street. We hope you are too. Opening in Autumn 2020, the extension will house If you want to know how work is progressing and some memorable activities within an hour of town. thirteen new rooms and suites, a rooftop lap pool, wine follow the development of the extension then follow cellar and yoga studio. There will also be a state of the art us on Instagram @elfennmarrakech or sign up to our conservatory that will serve as a winter restaurant and newsletter. events space. Christmas wedding anyone? TERRES D’AMANAR Of course the El Fenn formula will still be at work: This remarkable nature reserve is 40 minutes from town but comes blend old buildings and traditional craft techniques with with enough thrills for even the most discerning little adventurers. modern design. But remaining true to what makes us tick Wear them out trekking the forest floor, zip wiring over the canopy, doesn’t mean we have to remain static and we felt it was leaping and splashing in cool mountain pools before a little down time to create a new era for El Fenn – and all the guests time at an artisan crafts workshop. Prices by activity, height and age: who stay with us. under 12yrs 120dhs, over 12 yrs 150dhs. Pool opening times 10am–7pm.

MOHAMMED VI MUSEUM OF WATER CIVILISATION Kids (and adults too) will love this huge, modern and highly interactive museum where the history and geography of how water has been produced and conserved in Morocco are explored. Decorative pools, water wheels and interactive displays are all used to convey just how vital the natural resource that we so often taken for Terres d'Amanar granted is. Admission 45dhs. Open daily 9am to 7pm.

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10 MINUTES WITH

A classic Marrakech night at Norya Ayron LE COMPTOIR DARNA Going strong for nearly 20 years, there are candlelit shows, Algeria born Norya Nemiche opened shimmying belly-dancers and a mix of locals and tourists her boutique store above Le Jardin who all want to party. Open 7.30pm – 1am. Daily. restaurant in 2013 after being offered Live music & dancing at the keys and given carte blanche to do ‘whatever she wanted’. She put together her first clothing collection MARRAKECH CASINO Old school clubbing at Go for dinner or drinks at L’Epicurean which is part of the in 10 days and the rest, as they say, is Marrakech Casino. There’s also a live band that guarantees a history. Her spin on traditional Arabic good time and dancing until dawn. Open 8pm-4am. Daily. THEATRO robe shapes styled with funky fabrics Not quite Studio 54, but it has a young, gregarious have been worn by everyone from vibe, thumping techno and mega light shows. Come Kate Moss to Monica Bellucci. to rave the night away after a flutter in the Casino next door. Open 11.30pm–5am. Daily. Why did you decide to get into fashion? I’ve been making my own clothes since I Fashion designer Norya Ayron was 15 years old because I didn’t want to go to school dressed like everybody else. It was always really important to me to be different and that became the concept of my shop.

A Night Out in What inspires you? Top 3 tips for channelling the I don’t really follow fashion, colours or trends, Marrakech vibe? and I don’t buy magazines so much. My 1. Have breakfast at the Café des Epices inspiration comes from what I want to wear because they play really good old Arabic Red in a given moment which means I don’t have music. It’s so atmospheric and you travel from the City to follow the seasons and my pieces reflect my Morocco, to Egypt, to Lebanon, to Algeria. It’s mood. I’ll always go for limited edition prints a cool way to start the day. to keep the exclusivity. Every time someone Cocktails with locals at comes to my shop they should see something 2. Go to the Italian bar at La Mamounia new. All that glitters is glam at Nightcap at the for pre-dinner cocktails because it feels so cosmopolitan and old fashioned. It has a BAROMÈTRE What are you working on for 2019? strange feeling of nostalgia, not like being in Gueliz’s very own speakeasy comes in this shape of this My first own-designed print which is inspired 2019 at all. BÔ ZIN sultry, basement bar specialising in new wave cocktails and CHURCHILL BAR by Islamic art with some Moroccan design. I Luxurious décor and an upbeat vibe Leopard print chairs, red leather walls and an avantgarde snacks. Open 6.30pm – 1am. Closed Sunday. adapted it with a graphic designer using colour 3. Come to town for Oasis Fest at the Fellah for grown-up nights out. Nibble gyoza international roster of live jazz bands give Churchill’s combinations in pictures of butterflies I found Hotel in September. It has amazing music, dumplings paired with pretty drinks then favourite old haunt a decadently clubby feel. Open online. I also used the colour of tree trunks cultural activities, and a huge pool, 24 hours a dance in the candle-lit garden. Open 6pm – 1am. Closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. 8pm–2am. Daily. from a lot of photos I took in a botanic park day over 3 days. Last year one of my favourite in Brazil. That can’t be invented by people, it’s DJs from South Africa, Black Coffee, played mother nature at its best. and it was electric.

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El Fenn Margarita 140dhs

Our signature cocktail is a blend of patron tequila, hibiscus & LONG agave syrups with a dash of fresh ginger. The perfect sundowner.

Greyhound 150dhs vodka, grapefruit juice, maple syrup & rosemary

Pina Margarita 150dhs Cocktails tequila, cointreau, coconut liquor, pineapple juice

Mango Habanero Pina Colada 170dhs MUDDLED habanero infused rum, coconut milk, mango & pineapple Strawberry & Basil Mojito 160dhs rum, strawberry, fresh basil, lime, soda water & sugar Long Beach Iced Tea 170dhs vodka, gin, tequila, triple sec, rum, lemon & Royalito 160dhs cranberry juices vodka, raspberry, fresh mint, vanilla, soda water & sugar Hendrick’s Fizz 160dhs Spicy Caipirinha 170dhs hendrick’s gin, cucumber, fresh mint, lime juice, anejo tequila, lime, chilli, pineapple, cachaça & agave syrup simple syrup & soda

Mojito 140dhs rum, lime, fresh mint, sugar, soda water

Vodka & Ginger Mojito 150dhs MARTINI vodka, ginger, lime, mint, sugar & ginger soda French Martini 150dhs vodka, chambord, pineapple & lemon juices

Dry Martini 150dhs OLD FASHIONED gin or vodka & vermouth. dirty or with a twist

Grandor Bay Cucumber 150dhs Azur Waves 150dhs rum, cucumber & lemon juices, simple syrup blanco tequila, blue curaçao, pineapple & & fresh basil lime juices, passion fruit syrup

Moscow Mule 140dhs Raspberry Daiquiri 140dhs vodka, ginger ale, lemon juice rum, simple syrup, lime juice & raspberry

Jack Daniel’s Passion 150dhs Appletini 150dhs jack daniel’s, passion fruit syrup & lemon juice vodka, apple liqueur, cointreau

Green High Mexican 140dhs Pear Martini 150dhs tequila, melon liquor, sour mix pear vodka, grand marnier, pear juice

Peach on the Roof 150dhs Cinnamon Sour 140dhs vodka, peach liquor, orange juice, cranberry juice tequila, cinnamon syrup, egg white, lime juice

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FRENCH WHITE FRENCH RED MOROCCAN WHITE MOROCCAN ROSÉ MOROCCAN RED

Clos du Château Meursault 950dhs Crozes Hermitage 600dhs Medaillon 450dhs Beauvallon 450dhs Perle Noire du Val d’Argan 350dhs Chardonnay - Burgundy Syrah - Côtes du Rhône Sauvignon Blanc Syrah Syrah, Grenache & Mourvèdre Lots of minerality and a splash of vanilla Light red with juicy aromas of black fruits and a Green apples on the nose, citrus zest in the Balanced red fruits and spices, a well rounded Lean with sweet hints of strawberry jam Wine sprinkle of white pepper mouth finish (organic) Chablis 800dhs Chardonnay - Burgundy Heritage Chasse Spleen 1500dhs Perle blanc du Val d’Argan 350dhs Volubilia 450dhs Medaillon 450dhs Steely with green apples and citrus in the mouth Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot - Bordeaux Ugni blanc, Bourboulenc, Viognier, Muscat Blanc Caladoc & Marselan Cabernet & Syrah Award winning blend, black fruits and a splash of à Petits Grains & Grenache Fresh, zesty flavours, mineral edge on the Opulent layers of spiced plum and chocolate, Menu chocolate and coffee A refreshingly blossomy, fruit-forward sipper finish fine tannins on the finish Pouilly-Fumé 700dhs BY THE GLASS Sauvignon Blanc - Loire Elderflowers, citrus and a slightly smoky finish Chateau Ferrande, Graves 650dhs S de Siroua 450dhs Joyau 350dhs Ait Souala 450dhs Claret - Bordeaux Chardonnay Grenache Arinarnoa, Tannat & Malbec WHITE A classic, brimming with cassis and a pleasing Buttery with pleasing mineral notes, stone fruit Zesty and refreshing, lingering notes of melon Bursting with black fruits and a sprinkle of Beauvignac 400dhs minerality and no oak and exotic fruit pepper Medaillon Sauvignon 80dhs Viognier - Languedoc S de Siroua 80dhs Well rounded, slightly honeyed finish Mercurey, Maison Albert Bichot 900dhs Ait Souala 450dhs S de Siroua 450dhs Gewuztraminer 100dhs Pinot Noir - Burgundy Viognier Syrah Chardonnay Pays d’Oc 500dhs Light with red and black fruits in the mouth, dried Brimming with juicy apricots, a smooth, supple Easy drinking, light bodied red with peppery fruits on the finish finish notes Chardonnay - Languedoc Roussillon MOROCCAN GRIS RED Pleasant tropical aromas and well balanced Medaillon Cabernet 80dhs Ait Souala 450dhs Savigny-les-Beaunes, Maison Bichot 1000dhs Terres Sauvages 500dhs Grenache & Cinsault blend Volubilia 550dhs Ait Souala 85dhs Clos Mireille Domaine d’Ott. 800dhs Pinot Noir - Burgundy Viognier & Sauvignon Ripe fruit nose with a crisp, refreshing finish Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Tempranillo & Terres rouges 100dhs Rollo & Semillon - Provence Ripe with cherries, raspberries and a splash of vanilla, Floral nose, peachy mouth, steely minerality to Mourvedre Refreshing with exotic white flowers, honey and nicely rounded finish finish Fruit forward with a satisfying, chocolatey almonds Domaine de Sahari 350 dhs finish ROSÉ Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot blend Brouilly Maison Girard. Gamay. 450dhs Amal 350dhs Crisp and light, with hints of jasmine Beauvallon 70dhs Gamay - Beaujolais Chardonnay & Sauvignon Blanc Tandem 600dhs Volubilia 80dhs Light and summery with a strawberry nose and floral Fresh with intriguing notes of pear, pineapple Syrah highlights and mint Volubilia 550 dhs Elegant with deep Morello cherry in the Joyau 90dhs mouth, supple tannins FRENCH ROSÉ Cabernet Sauvignon Grassy on the nose, with a herbaceous, M de Minuty 600dhs refreshing finish GRIS Grenache, Cinsault & Syrah - Côtes de Provence Chateau Roslane 650dhs Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Syrah Ait Souala Gris 80dhs Classic rosé, light, bright and a perfect aperitif Juicy black fruits, richly spiced finish Sahari 80dhs

Mas Fleury Rosé 450dhs Syrah & Grenache - Côtes de Provence Amal 350dhs CHAMPAGNE Dry with a well balanced acidity and hints of Tempranillo, Syrah, Grenache & Cabernet Floral on the nose with a delicately spiced De Moncel Brut 180dhs strawberries finish

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Spa Treatments

MASSAGE HAMMAM Relax 50 minutes / 600 dhs The ultimate Moroccan treatment leaves your skin A full body massage using argan & lavender oil. smooth and invigorated.

Express Tonic 50 minutes / 600 dhs A full body scrub using traditional black soap. Re-energise with this stimulating argan & rosemary full 1 person 30 min / 500 dhs body massage. 2 person 40 min / 950 dhs

Plus Warm candle massage 50 minutes / 700 dhs Black soap is applied followed by a sugar scrub and Warm aromatherapy candle wax is used to create deeper ghassoul clay body mask. massage strokes for the ultimate relaxation. 1 person 45 minutes / 650 dhs 2 person 1 hour / 1250 dhs In Room Massage 2 person 50 minutes / 1300 dhs Royal A black soap & argan body scrub is followed by a plant body mask, hair mask and facial serum. Then enjoy a relaxing back massage in one of our treatment rooms. FACIALS 1 person 80 min / 950 dhs All facials last an hour and start with a foot bath followed by an express back massage. There’s also a hand & foot massage during the treatment.

Hydrating facial 60 minutes / 700 dhs Cleansing, exfoliation, facial massage and a hydrating MANICURE 350 dhs mask are followed by deep moisturisation. Cuticle & nail shape, hand massage & varnish.

Anti-aging facial 60 minutes / 800 dhs All the above plus the anti-ageing properties of PEDICURE ingredients including argan oil and prickly pear. 400 dhs Cuticle & nail shape, exfoliation, foot massage & varnish.

Purifying combination skin facial 60 minutes / 700 dhs Recommended for men, this facial moisturises dry areas while also tackling oily zones.

46 47 7. 1. Let the spirit of Marrakech envelop you. Go down to Djemaa El Fna just before It’s all about discovering what lies behind sunset. It’s a world heritage site for a hidden doors as you wander the streets or reason, so grab a mint tea on a roof terrace sitting on a terrace sipping mint tea as the and watch the square come alive with muezzin sings his call to prayer. storytellers and dancers as night falls. 8. 2. Prepare to spend hours drinking mint Book a guide to tour the medina. Prices tea and haggling with a smile if you buy start at 300dhs for a three-hour tour and a carpet. It’s a national sport here. As a it’s the best money you’ll spend here. The wildly general rule, expect to pay around a medina is a living, working place and a do third of what you’re first quoted. guide will help you make the most of it. 9. 3. Allow yourself to get lost. You’ll never Revel in the fact that you won’t be work out the maze of streets that make up bombarded by a choice of 97 types of the medina and souk on a short visit here. coffee in local cafes. Stop at one and enjoy Just remember that all roads lead back to the simplicity of only being able to order the main square: Djemaa el Fna. just two types: straight up espresso or nos nos (half milk, half coffee). 4. Remember that taxi drivers should put on 10. the meter. If not, then don’t negotiate a February in Marrakech. It’s officially our price. Just tell them where you want to go favourite secret month of the year. We and pay 30-40dhs for a city ride during can’t guarantee sunshine but it’s usually the day and 50dhs at night. And always wall-to-wall and you’ll get many of the carry small change to pay. best sights to yourself. 5. Be aware that noise carries in a riad. It’s an open building and we’re a home from home, so if you’re up late on the roof terrace or in the courtyard, please be considerate of those around you trying to sleep. 6. Book a hammam. Book three hammams! It’s the ultimate Moroccan experience, where you’ll be slathered in black, olive-oil based soap and scrubbed until you feel 5. Wander around in a mini skirt and vest reborn. Particularly useful if you’ve had top if you’re in the medina. Marrakchis too many cocktails the night before. are very tolerant but we advise covering shoulders and above the knee if possible. 6. Tip on an individual basis here at El Fenn. We apply a 7.5% service charge to 1. Worry too much about checking your your bill on checkout and there’s a box at emails. The Gettys came here to party, reception if you want to leave something Churchill to reflect and plan. But if you extra. must, just ask at reception for the WiFi code. 7. Leave your aircon going day and night. The motor will struggle to keep going so 2. Follow a man who accosts you outside please make sure you switch it off when the riad. He’ll usually say he works you go out, and make sure your doors and here – he doesn’t – and he’ll always want windows are closed when you are in. to show you his carpet shop / spice souk / restaurant. 8. Get too distressed by the odd smell of don’t drains. The medina is ancient and so is the 3. Get upset that you haven’t got a TV. Our plumbing. What can we say? Just see it as aim here is to help you relax – not catch extra ambience. up on CSI. But if there’s a game you can’t miss or the kids are craving a cartoon then 9. Forget to have a cocktail on the rooftop as there is one in the library. the sun sets over the Koutoubia minaret. 4. Get too caught up about prices in the 10. Think that you can’t visit in Ramadan. souk. Obviously you don’t want to It’s a beautifully peaceful month to come be ripped off, but pay what you feel and explore. The city slows down into an something is worth to you, even if that is a almost hypnotic calm before exploding few euros more. again after dark.