Where do you start with a place like Marrakech? How can you possibly hope to define a place that seems as mystical and alluring as the country of Morocco itself. Both are in a state of constant and ongoing evolution, mixing and merging customs and cultures of those who live here. Morocco itself is surrounded by more influences than most; the Spice Winds and gold, slave and ivory trade of the Atlantic Ocean and West Africa; the Mediterranean Sea; the Sahara Desert; the Atlas Mountains. Its people have been drawn from the Berbers, the Moors, the Arabs, the Africans and the Romans. It's more than East meets West or Europe meeting Africa; it's almost a beautiful tolerance of all things that have been created here and now flourish.
Marrakech takes its name from the Berber word Mur-Akush, meaning Land of God. It is as seductive and warm as its inhabitants. The place exudes a magical scent of friendliness and welcome. The city walls of the Medina are coloured rose pink, cooling the mood from the sharp African sunlight. The minaret of the beautiful Koutoubia Mosque is visible from everywhere - the Call to Prayer can be heard five times a day, silencing the chaos of the Djemma el-Fna Square.
There is much to see and do in Marrakech. One step within the Medina Walls and voyages of self-discoverys soon take hold. Endless souks take you by the hand to lead you down meandering alley-ways, rich with trinkets, copper and winking eyes. Heads nod, hands meet and Peace is given to you wherever you go. The rich air sings with spice and sweet mint tea. Colours call out to you from the hypnotic labyrinths that run off into medieval quarters, closing walls that grow narrow and tall, squinting slats of sunshine which fade overhead.
The French explorer Theodore Monod once commented, "Immersion in the desert makes for profoundness of being, unattached from all responsibilities, freed from all that is accesory." Travel is much the same, and the trick is to make yourself as defenseless as possible, allowing your self to be open and thus able respond to those strangers around us. Going into the unknown takes great patience and faith. Yet only in such surroundings can we gain insight in to how many opportunities are around us each day - almost all of which can only be sensed through being aware of the present moment. The sweetness of such is the same beauty as the palm trees that grow in the desert, the oasis.
Once in Marrakech you start to realise that you wish you had more time to spend here. You wish you had more time in to discover, more time to get to know the place, the people and the customs. The Atlas Mountains, the Sahara Desert and the waves of Essaouria all whisper to you to stay and play. Magic and mystery hang in the air. There is something here that you just cannot put your finger on, but you grow aware that deep within you an alchemy has been invoked and is beginning to wake with wide-eyed curiosity. Rooftop gardens, flying carpets, magic lanterns, the whirling dervish, the Djinn of the desert, The First Kiss of the Sun, and hot, sweet tagines. And each morning, at the moment just before the Dawn, as pink light fills the Heavens, the skies of Marrakech fill with songs of the Divine and the First Call to Prayer is heard.
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