Marrakech may not be the country’s only international gateway but the red city is the jewel in Morocco’s crown with new attractions to welcome returning visitors, such as the shopping, dining and entertainment thoroughfare of M Avenue, alongside old favourites including the private garden of Yves Saint Laurent, whose designs were inspired by this colourful city over nearly half a century of life here.
On arrival, the eye-catching fretwork cladding of the new Menara Airport finds its echo in the rose bushes blooming outside the city walls as you approach the historic medina, where hundreds of traditional townhouses have been transformed into accommodation.
Pool at Riad Spice (Photo: Riad Spice)
These riads make an appealing (and often good value) alternative to the bland luxury of the hotels in the new town built by the French, their imposing wooden doors opening onto serene interior courtyards enhanced with reflecting pools and fountains.
Staying in the old town also means you can saunter to the huge central square known as the Djemaa el Fna, which transforms over the course of every afternoon into an illuminated extravaganza of pop-up alfresco restaurants, surrounded by orange juice and date stands.
The snake charmers and henna painters also come to set out their stalls as night falls, while the drum and lute accompaniment of gnaoua musicians in their huge conical hats provide a soundtrack for this timeless spectacle.
But the centuries-old tradition of storytelling in the square is gradually being lost, so Mike and Lucie Wood — owners of the Marrakech Riad Group — have opened the World Storytelling Café to help ensure its survival.
In this cheerful little café, around ten minutes’ walk from Djemaa el Fna itself, you can sit and chill out to tales from all over the world, courtesy of John Row, who has been enchanting crowds with yarns at Glastonbury for decades.
The couple have several riad properties of their own, including nearby Riad Star, which was home to jazz singer Josephine Baker for two years during the Second World War, while she lived in the country at the invitation of the pasha. You’ll find nods to the jazz age as well as Moroccan touches in the comfortable rooms.
New sister property Riad Spice offers a more exotic option in the Paradise room, with its tented silk ceiling and private terrace leading up (via steep steps) to its own yoga-cum-meditation pavilion.
Paradise room (Photo: Riad Spice)
As an added bonus, the riads’ English-speaking staff will book tuk-tuks for guests, as well as transportation if you’re heading further afield, to help avoid the ubiquitous mopeds which zip through the narrow lanes; a modern replacement for donkey carts in an ancient maze of streets where cars can only reach so far.
The Storytelling Café is not the only new attraction in the medina though. At Riad Kniza, owned by one of Marrakech’s most famous guides, Haj Mohamed Bouskri, a new private museum shows the family’s magnificent collection of artefacts, including some beautiful Judaica.
Run by son Kamal, who speaks Ivrit as fluently as English, French and Arabic, the displays include Torah finials and pointers as well as a menorah and a wedding dress specific to Moroccan-Jewish tradition. Make time for one of the riad’s traditional Moroccan feasts too, which can be tailored on request to vegetarians, served in splendour on low chairs to a live music.
Once you’ve meandered through the medina’s souks to eye up jewellery, metal lanterns, carpets and leatherware, it’s worth saving a day or two to explore the new city, especially the fantastically colourful Majorelle Garden, restored by Yves Saint Laurent and set adjacent to his own villa.
Celebrating its centenary this year, the garden contains a small museum housing an exquisite collection of Berber artefacts, jewellery and costumes and named for YSL’s long-time partner Pierre Berge.
The much larger museum next door is dedicated to the work of the great couturier, whose first collection celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, featuring iconic outfits, wonderful photographs and an excellent film bringing the clothes and their designer to life.
Majorelle Garden (Photo: Unsplash)
This year, his private garden will also be opening from Wednesdays to Saturdays (the main museum is closed on Wednesdays, while the Majorelle Garden and museum of Berber arts are open daily).
Along with high-end shopping occupying much of the road opposite the Majorelle Garden, and retail therapy off the new town’s main boulevards — including Jewish-owned leather emporia Birkemeyer and Place Vendome — M Avenue is the place to browse.
This new shopping street in the new town is home to international and homegrown designers alike, aiming to showcase Moroccan culture with not only artisanal products but a unique immersive experience, Meydene.
Crowned by rooftop restaurant Le Douar, serving traditional Moroccan food, Meydene’s exhibition hall brings the drama of the city to life on a panoramic screen and via the filmed testimonies of Marrakshis of every age and occupation, who share their tales when the visitor stops in front of them.
With everything from Jewish heritage to high fashion woven through the fascinating pages of Marrakech’s thousand-year story, this latest chapter is all the temptation you need to return.
Explore Essaouira
Around three hours from Marrakech, it’s well worth making the trip to Essaouira if time allows. Jews once made up around a third of the population of this small seaside town when it was Morocco’s capital in the 19th century; even its ancient name Mogador is a derivative of migdal, the Hebrew word for tower.
Synagogue at Beit al Dakira, Essaouira (Photo: Anthea Gerrie)
And its heritage is being revived today. Of the original 37 synagogues, Haim Pinto has been renovated, along with the shul dedicated by his widow to Simon Attia, a native son who is buried in London.
It sits in the new Beit al Dakira, a legacy centre aimed at promoting Jewish culture and interfaith cooperation.
Opened by a king whose predecessor refused to give up the country’s Jews to the wartime Vichy government, it’s proof of the strong links which endure between Morocco and its million Jews in the diaspora, as well as the communities in Casablanca, Agadir and Marrakech.
Getting There
Flights from Gatwick to Marrakech cost from £110 return. ba.com
Double rooms at Riad Star cost from £112 including breakfast, from £128 at Riad Spice. Book at marrakech-riad.co.uk
For more information, go to visitmorocco.com
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