Fes- The Foundouk

Fundouks are the town equivalent of the caravanserai of the desert. They are for visiting merchants, or at least their muleteers and camel drivers, to stay with their goods whilst their baggage animals can be kept safe in the courtyard. There were several in the city in the middle ages in each neighbourhood ,for each trade. They were described by Leo Africanus who states that even at that time the largest space was given to traders in leather goods. even today we accept the quality of the leather in the leather bound books are still referred to as having moroccan bindings.
Some of the fundouks are run down but some are brilliantly restored thanks to the UNESCO and charitable funding. Some house craft collectives.

Fes - Bahia Palace

The Bahia Palace would appear to be a forgotten gem of Fes. It is outside Fes al Bali and more modern dating only from the end of the 19thC. It is a series of single storey diwans around a traditional arab garden which is divided into 4 by paths representing the 4 rivers of paradise. It is now a museum displaying some of the best of moroccan handicrafts (old ones, not for sale). There is also a lone artisan selling high quality woodwork. He must struggle though as the place was deserted when we went in stark contrast to the huggermugger of the medieval town.
The gem of the collection is a modern (1947) minature near the door. I could not get a photograph because of the sun reflecting off the glass and they do not sell postcards but it is up there with the medieval enamel of Jonah and the Whale in Toledo, and Rembrandt's little picture of Jeremiah lamenting  over Jerusalem in the Rejkmuseum, or Lowry's view of Whitehaven in the Tate,  that would just fit beautifully into a pocket or bag to go on my wall.  If only.

Fes - The Tanneries

Fes tanneries have become a travel cliche. Photographs of them appear on guidebooks, postcards and bookmarks, and I have seen them used as a backdrop to a range of documentary speakovers ranging from travel and history to mathematics. Presumably the directors like the trip. They are more colourful than in Taroudant because they have a number of dyevats of bright colours but are consequently much smellier as pee is used as a mordant. I explained the process previously when I wrote about Taroudant tannery. In Fes you can't get up close and personal because you have to watch from the roof terrace of one of the surrounding shops. Quite steep steps. Also you are more available for a sales pitch in the shop.

Fes - A Gated Community

The twin city of Fes of Fes was founded by the Idrissads in the 8C on the opposing banks of the river. Andalusian Fes specialising in manufacturing and Kairouan Fes in commerce. The first university of the western world was founded here and Fes became a city of great religous learning and importance but it was under the Merinids who made it their capital  in the13C that Fes reached its glory days. Today the whole of Fes el Bali, the old city, is a UNESCO world heritage sight and it is a little bit like walking round a museum, albeit a frenetic , in your face, shouting ,haggling, can't stay still museum.
We took a taxi round the walls and stopped to photograph the gates. Inside we took a guide who first showed us the impressive gates of the Royal Palace. As with the majority of Islamic cities Fes was built on a system of linking neighbourhoods each having its own mosque,hamman, bakehouse and shops. Main thoroughfares (often only wide enough to take a donkeycart) linked the neighbourhoods together. The thoroughfares had gates where the neighbouhoods met so each neighbourhood could be isolated in the event of invasion or insurrection. They are still there and our guide described with eloquent indignation how they were used by the French during the "protectorate" to suppress any opposition to their rule.

Gates of the Royal Palace Fes

Detail of Gate ,Royal Palace, Fes

Detail of Gate, Royal Palace, Fes.

Detail, Gate, Royal Palace, Fes

Detail, Gate, Fes Royal Palace.

Bab Boujeloud, Fes. The Sidi Lezzaz Mosque beyond.

Bab Ftuh, Fes

Bab al Guissa, Fes

A "neighbourhood" in Fes el Bali showing the main thoroughfare.

Marrakesh-Menara Gardens

Marrakesh has lots of gardens. One I really like is that outside the Kotoubia where local people congregate at dusk for the passagio. The Agdal and the Palmerie are vast and best explored by bike, a skill I'm missing; but the one on all the tourist posters at the eponymous airport and synomynous with the town is the Menara.

It consists of an olive grove around a huge water cistern. There is and 18c pavilion (10Dh entry) which usually houses contempory art for sale. The first time we went was mid-week in the winter and it was deserted, but go on a Spring weekend and it is buzzing. All the parking on the road is taken and you have a long trek to the entrance. Opposite are camels, ponies, horses and caleches just waiting for someone to ride them. Just outside the entrance are stall selling doughnuts, drinks, candyfloss and sweets. The hat stalls start there and line the avenue up to the pool. There are more camels, balloonsellers, toy stalls, silly hats and Tshirt vendors. Every bench along the avenue is taken and families sit in the shade of the olive trees and picnic. Small children are outrageously indulged. Most people seem to get as far of the pool and stop but the fitter and hardier take a turn round the lake.

Ryanair

We are just arranging our autumn trip with some friends who would arrive Malaga-Marrakesh with Ryanair. They have done wonders for tourism and there was a blissful year when they flew Liverpool-Agadir which ended, allegedly when the morrocan government subsidy finished.

However I found this link on Tripadvisor and had to share it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPyl2tOaKxM

Marrakesh Gardens - The Marjorelle

We pass through Marrakesh frequently. After Taroudant we are unimpressed by the "genuine" "moroccan" tourist atractions  or the frenetic activity of the souks and Jemaa el Fna but we relish the restaurants in Gueliz, particularly the Casanove, and , if sweetheart is with us, the Vietnamese on the Boulevard Mohammed Zerktoun. Also my pet passion is the gardens of which the city has  several.

Louis Marjorelle was the son of the famous art nouveau furniture makers (try the Louvre for some spectacular examples). He became a painter, took himself off to Marrakesh and made a garden which was then outside the city but has since been enveloped by it. It is an interesting and striking garden and seems to have acted as a template for other schemes round the country but like other painters' gardens (Giverny comes to mind) not really a plantsman's although the planting is of course the antithesis of your standard Gertrude Jekyll/Edward Luytens english garden.

The garden is based on strong lines and very strong painted colours on walls and pots. The predominant colour is generally described as cobalt blue although it reminds me of International Klein Blue. It is a colour which does not translate to our dim northern light but is vibrant and ubiquitous in  morocco and close to the traditional blue of the Toureg. Together with yellow and orange it is in contrast to the deep greens of the foliage, although this is by no means a green garden ,there are bright blossoms which remain in flower most of the year round. It is strange to see plants such as Kalinchoe and Begonia Rex which are small pot plants in the UK growing as huge almost weed-like thugs.

After Majorelle's death the garden was taken over and restored by Yves St Laurent and his partner and he brought a replica to Chelsea in 1997 which caused a sensation. There is now a memorial to him in the garden.  There is a pavilion usually containing a small museum of Marjorelle's collection of exquisite moroccan handicrafts and an exhibition of his paintings. Last time we were there it had been replaced by a temporary exhibition of YSL's couture designs -no photos allowed unfortunately.  It made me very discontented, wanting to be 40 years younger, 6" taller and size 10......Well one can dream.