Things To Do in Marrakech Part 2

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Hello my name is Flo. I am a foodie, a nurse, a nature enthusiast, and lover of anything c... [more]

2 years ago

Topics: My Story, Blog, Travel, Travel blog, Morocco

So as promised, I am continuing my travel blog and recommendations on what you can do in Marrakech if you ever find yourself traveling there. Looking at my travel photos make me long to travel again and inspires me to write a lot that I did not even realise how long the first article has gotten. Let's get right on to my list.

1. Visit Palais el Bahia

The Bahia Palace was built on the 19th century under the orders of the Grand Vizier, Si Moussa, who was quite renowned for being a slave prior to rising to power and becoming the second most powerful man in the land. This Andalusian-Moorish inspired palace is one of the most beautiful attractions in the Ochre City. It gives you a Spanish vibe and yet also showcases distinctive arabesque features. Being an art lover, this palace was very much a feast to my eyes. It is filled with geometric and chromatic wonders.

The small courtyard. Don't be misled it looked bare but it was actually quite crowded with tourists I had to take several shots.

You can clearly see the juxtaposition of the Spanish and Arab architecture in this photo.

The ceiling which is very much intricately painted with natural paint from real plants and flowers.

2. Explore El Badi Palace

Surprise, surprise second on my list, another palace! El Badi Palace which translates roughly as the incomparable palace was constructed in the late 1570s by Sultan Ahmad al-Mansour to commemorate Moroccan victory against the Portuguese. This palace was 25 years in the making. Back in the days, it was a palace of grandeur with over 350 rooms lavishly decorated with turquoise, gold, and crystals. To this day, it is now considered as ruins as the next dynasty that preceded it, headed by Moulay Ismail, decided to strip it off of its glory to destroy al-Mansour's legacy. It took him decades to loot this palace to decorate his own palace at Meknes in the 17th century when he decided to move the capital of Morocco to Meknes instead of Marrakech.

Someone was kind enough to take my photo. To be honest I was a bit worried he would run with my phone.

Still some colours left. I love the little pigeon on this shot.

Still if you are keen for a walk (as it is quite a massive place and entails a lot of walking), I would maintain that it is absolutely still worth seeing as traces of its grandeur and history still remains. There is also a little war museum in the place which did not allow photos so you would have to go there to see it for yourself.

Massive pool in the palace grounds. The water was unfortunately brown.

European White Storks nests around the palace. It was my very first time to see stork nest!

The courtyard which provides a very welcome shade in the scorching Moroccan heat.

Something still looked beautifully untouched.

3. Admire Koutoubia Mosque

I set out to visit Koutoubia Mosque but since I was Catholic, I wasn't allowed entry inside. Anyhow I had to settle for a walk around the outside perimeter of Marrakech's largest mosque which was built way back in the 1140s. In my Province back in the Philippines there are quite a few Muslim communities but their mosques are quite small as compared to this one so it did left me in awe. Here are some photos.

So which among the three mentioned architectural marvel is your favourite? Please let me know. And I do hope you enjoyed this article as much as I enjoyed making it. See you in the next one!