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Ben Youssef Medersa (Marrakech, Morocco)
by koshkha
~I love a good mosque - but I'll settle for a medersa~
I love Islamic architecture and one of the great disappointments for me when I visit Morocco is that tourists - in fact anyone who isn't a Muslim - are not allowed to enter mosques. There are just two exceptions to this - the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca and the Tin Mal ... mosque up in the Atlas mountains. Neither you'll have noticed is in Marrakech so your visit to the city is going to be entirely mosque-less. The rule - I'm reliably informed - was introduced by the French in colonial times although I've never got to the bottom of why they came up with it. But rules are rules and so you just have to go along with them. Fortunately in Marrakech there's a religious building that is open to the public which will give you a glimpse of classic Islamic architecture and that's the Ben Youssef Medersa.
A Medersa is a form of Islamic college where students go to learn the Koran. Muslim society sets great store by the ability to memorise the entire holy book - something that thankfully nobody tries to do with the Bible. It's fair to say the Koran's not so big but it's still a genuine achievement of memory and religious determination to learn it.
The Ali Ben Youssef Medersa was founded in the 14th Century and takes its name from the nearby Ben Youssef Mosque which in turn was named for a 12th century sultan of the same name. Most of what visitors will see today was built in the 16th century and has been renovated since the college closed back in the 1960s. You do not need to worry about disturbing anyone at their religious devotions because today the medersa is not used for teaching and has instead become one of the city's top tourist attractions.
~Me, Ali Ben Youssef and a Masterclass in Decorative Technique~
On our first visit to Morrocco about 8 or 9 years ago, we were taken to see the medersa and our tour guide used it as a great way to introduce us to some of the classic elements of Islamic architecture and design. With some of that teaching still embedded in my mind - and many more visits to mosques and other Islamic religious places since then - I was pretty sure we could show my sister and her girlfriend around without needing to join a guided tour during our recent holiday.
The Sunni form of Islam places a lot of very strict constraints on architects and decorators which are noticeably absent in the Shia form. Struct Sunni Islam bans the depiction of people, animals and the like and with that in mind, artisan craftsmen developed highly decorative design styles that rely on the use of geometric patterns and calligraphy. As so often happens, constraints can force creativity rather then restrict it if you're determined enough to pursue beauty. Technique include the use of tiling, painting, wood and stone carving and stuccowork, all of which are in evidence at the Ben Youssef Medersa. The classic 'Star of Islam' design of zellij tiling is particularly noticeable - a well developed design in which rigid geometric designs embrace a series of stars within a wider design. If you're looking for examples of what I mean, check the photos or try this link - http://www.cgl.uwaterloo.ca/~csk/projects/starpatterns/
You'll also see stucco work, lots of intricately carved wood and the use of both geometric designs and glorious calligraphy. The medersa has some lovely examples of a type of tilework whose name I can't remember but it involves the glossy front of the tile being chipped away to leave the calligraphy standing out proud against a neutral background like Italian scraffito work.
~Layout~
The layout of the Medersa is a classic example of such buildings throughout the Muslim world. There's a large central courtyard with an ablutions pool where people perform their cleansing rituals before proceeding to the high ceilinged prayer hall beyond. Down either side of this courtyard on the upper floor are a series of small 'cells' where the students lived and slept and beyond them smaller inner courtyards of tiny and very simple rooms arranged around wooden balconies. The windows of some of these rooms look down over the courtyard and tourists line up to get their photographs taken staring wistfully out of them although this requires sending someone to the other side to take your picture. I don't advise sending my husband who snapped our group shot when none of us were looking. Other rooms are arranged around smaller inner courtyards or light wells, clustered down either side of the building.
The doorways are particularly eye-catching with highly decorated arches and finely carved wooden doors hung inside them. They won't keep out the drafts but they look fabulous.
~Some practical aspects of your visit~
The Medersa gets very busy and you'll possibly have to bite your tongue with frustration when you're lining up a lovely photograph and one of the many other tourists walks right into the middle. It takes patience to get people-free shots. If you have control over your time, try to go early in the day or late in the afternoon when fewer people are there. Go only at mid-day if you want to avoid shadows in your photos. The Ben Youssef Medersa is a fabulous visual feast that showcases the best of Moroccan architecture and design. I've seen it three times now and I can't stop myself from going back time and time again.
The Medersa is open every day so don't believe anyone who tries to tell you that it isn't and lures you off to a shop or stings you for a 'private tour' of somewhere you weren't planning to go. The entrance fee is 50 dirhams but for another 10 Dirhams on top you get access to the Marrakech Museum and a strange old bathhouse on the same ticket. The bathhouse is a bit of a non-event but the Marrakech Museum is well worth the supplement.
~Details~
Ben Youssef Medersa
Place Ben Youssef
Marrakech
Open 9 am to 6 pm daily - may be open until 7 pm in the summer months.
Eid Mubarak everyone!
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Majorelle Gardens (Marrakech, Morocco)
by elysia2003
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Majorelles Garden, Marrakech, Morocco
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I was extremely lucky that for my 40th birthday, my Mum decided to pay for me to go on holiday. My sisters and I decided to make it a girly weekend and go together. We didn't want to stay away too long from the kids and so a ... long weekend, and a 'city break' was chosen, with Marrakech as our destination.
We had pre-booked a half day private tour of the city, at the time of booking with our tour operator; but upon arrival at our Riad, and meeting the Holiday Representative the next morning, we were offered several other excursions. My sisters had wanted to go in a horse drawn carriage around the city; I had wanted to go to the Majorelle gardens, and the rep gave us a special deal if we took both.
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Opening times
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I've had to Google to prices and opening times as we had obviously pre-paid and were ushered inside without any hesitation.
Open every day including holydays
from October 1st to April 30th
from 8:00am to 5:30pm
from May 1st to September 30th
from 8:00am to 6:00pm
Special visiting hours for Ramadan
from 9:00am to 5:00pm
Entry to the garden is 40dh (approx £3.50) and entry to the garden museum is 20dh (about £1.75). Due to time constraints we didn't visit the garden museum. We were only in Marrakech for a long weekend, and already having one half day tour booked, and this half day trip too, there wouldn't be an awful lot of time to explore the souks and other attractions that Morocco has to offer.
I had done absolutely no research on the garden before my trip, as we only had the half day tour pre-booked. I had heard of Majorelle's garden, but not what in contained.
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Jacques Majorelle
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Our tour guide informed me that Jacques Majorelle was born in 1886 in Nancy, France. He came from a family of artists of various forms. Apparently he was inspired by Brittany, both the colours and textures. He wasn't a poor artist as one would expect and often travelled. In the 1920's he settled in Marrakech and didn't leave until he went back to France in the sixties, but didn't return before his death.
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The Garden
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The garden is a wonderful haven of tranquillity, almost like an urban oasis. You can slightly hear traffic noise from the cars on the main road outside, but the wonderful walled gardens screen most of it away.
Once inside you are transported to another world. You enter into a calming courtyard with a bubbling fountain in the centre. The birds sing, and it's so quiet to the outside world.
When you think of Morocco what are the colours you imagine? For me its terracotta and blue, and these are most definitely the predominant colours of this garden.
This blue is the most stunning, vibrant, effervescent blue imaginable. It's almost indescribable. This blue is striking. The pathways through the garden are of differing substances, in creams and pale terracotta's and is the perfect backdrop to this vivid Majorelle blue. There are splashes of colour wherever you look. There's blues, and lime greens and oranges, all zingy and vibrant. It is a look which has stayed with me, and I now try to recreate at home, the effect is so breathtaking.
What shocked me at the time was the planting scheme. As I say, I didn't know what to expect, but it was still a surprise. It's like a tropical paradise. There are plants from all over the world. Yuccas, bougainvilleas, cacti's, jasmines, bamboos, and ponds of water lilies.
The water lily pond reminded me of another French artist, Claude Monet, but that painting was so romantic, and this was totally opposed to that. There are straight lines everywhere, and I couldn't believe how modern and futuristic the whole scheme was; especially the house where Marjorelle lived, considering it was built in 1931.
A surprise for me and one for any fashionista, inside the garden is a memorial to Yves St Laurent, and his ashes are scattered beneath. YSL, the fashion designer, was the next door neighbour to Majorelle, and purchased the gardens after his death, to enable the public to continue to visit this wonderful garden.
They day we went, there were a lot of school children on an excursion. It was great seeing the children run and play in what could almost be described as an austere place. The straight lines of the planting are very minimalist, and this isn't helped by the fact that in most places the planting is well spaced out. The thing that lifted the whole mood of the place was the vibrant colour and the children's laughter.
All in all, it is a wonderful place to visit. At a slow amble around, we were inside for about an hour and a half. We didn't feel this was rushed even though our tour guide was keen to usher us onward to the next part of our trip, but if we'd visited on our own, we probably would have lingered a while longer.
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Would I recommend it?
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My sisters are both none gardeners and both enjoyed this immensely; it's not at all stuffy and pretentious, or flowery, blousy or girly. It's just a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours away from the madness of the souks and the vendors; a touch of calm in an otherwise busy schedule. If you're ever in Marrakech I totally urge you to visit. I know if I ever go to Morocco again, it will be first on my list.
Many thanks for reading my review. I do hope it has been of some help.
This review will also be posted on Ciao with photographs. :)
© elysia2003
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Table Mountain (Cape Town, South Africa)
by kingseany
It goes without saying that no trip to Cape Town would be complete without a visit to it's number one landmark - Table Mountain. If you are there long enough, I'd suggest more than one visit. Not that there is much to do, apart from admire the view from 1km above the city and surrounding area, enjoy the clean air, walk along the flat 3km ... roof of the mountain, spot wildlife, so not much.
I absolutely loved it. I spent a year in South Africa and the mountain was on my doorstep. As I left for work each morning, it glanced down at me and I felt an amazing feeling that I was lucky to be surrounded with such a wonder of the world. Not that it is officially, but it's been nominated as one of the 7 new wonders of the world, so you kind of appreciate it's grandeur. It's been there for approximately 260 million years, so imagine the number of people it has looked down upon. Sometimes you can see a layer of cloud apparently clinging to the top of the mountain, this is known as the "tablecloth".
Getting here is simple (assuming you are already in Cape Town). Any cab driver will take you to the lower cable station (you are already at 360 metre above sea level here) where you can decide to hike the mountain or take the cable car. Be wary though, tourists will be taken advantage of, check the price before you get in. Normal cab fares are around the 10 rand per km mark, so it shouldn't really be costing you much more than 50 rand from the centre of the town. Only the most able should take the hike, although it's not exactly mountain climbing there are fatalities each year, mainly novice hikers. There are plenty of easier mountains to walk up such as nearby Lions Head at the top of Kloof Nek Road, which peaks at just 669 metres for those who are less able. Either way, take yourself plenty of water, some food and rainwear just in case. Obviously take your camera.
A very relaxing, much safer and unique way of reaching the top is the cablecar. The original cableway was built in the 1920's, but a much more modern, and higher speed/capacity affair was introduced in the 1990's. It's an interesting fact that the cars travel at a max speed of 10 metres per second. There can be a queue at times, so expect to wait for up to 30 minutes before you get your turn. You can now join up to about 60 people in a capsule which rotates 360 degrees as it ascends. Some of the windows are open so you can take fantastic shots of the view, as well as the other cable car going in the opposite direction. The rates are reasonable for this unique ride, 160 rand for a return trip. Concessions are available for children and students. It's worth checking to make sure that the cars are running as there are periods of maintenance, sometimes for a week or more. The weather is the other factor, and if it is extremely windy, it will not run for safety reasons. Don't go up on a cloudy day either, as the only view you'll be seeing is cloud. There is a number you can call to get an update, or if you glance in the direction of the mountain you should be able to see the cars going up and down (or not).
The thing that amazed me the most was the vastness of the top, as well as how quiet it is up there (apart from the other tourists of course). You can walk around for hours it seems, take plenty of photos and really take in that clean fresh air. Don't expect the place to yourself though, as there will be several hundred tourists and locals alike also enjoying the views. There's plenty of space to go round though. There are a number of set walks, with guides for those of you who can't find your way around. They will of course point out interesting wildlife, flowers and so on.
The things I didn't expect to see on top of the mountain was a gift shop, nor the restaurant, or ample toilets either. You can't see these from below of course. The restaurant, although it has surely one of the most lovely locations in the world doesn't serve particularly lovely food, although I did only ever try the breakfasts. I'm sure a change in staff and management can sort out this minor issue however.
It's certainly one of my favourite experiences of my year, and one I just had to repeat on several occasions. Absolutely nothing negative to say about the whole experience, so don't think twice. Even if you don't particularly like walking or nature the sheer thrill of looking down from the viewpoints at the top will make your day, if not your entire trip.
Respect the mountain, don't smoke, litter or stray too close to the edges, and it will still be there in all it's glory in another few hundred million years for others to enjoy.
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