On The Road to Marrakech - The Atlas Mountains
/We ventured outside the city of Marrakech today into the Ourika Valley of the Atlas Mountains to learn more about the Berbers - the indigenous people of North Africa.
The Berbers have been in Morocco for centuries - Islamic (Sunni Muslim) make up the majority of the Berber community, but a large Jewish Berber population could be found in Morocco up until the 1960’s. The Berber life is a simple one, and according to our guide, similar to life during the Medieval period.
The Berber family welcomed us into their home. A simple lifestyle to be sure, with dwellings made of mud, stone and straw. The main floor housed the barn - upstairs were rooms for living, cooking and sleeping quarters.
We watched as the women prepared Berber Bread - made with only a few ingredients, tasting like heaven!
Their hospitality continued with a serving of the freshly baked bread and the mint tea that I’ve come to love during my stay in this fascinating country.
A quick rooftop panoramic view, and we were on our way to the next location of our tour…
…but not before stopping for a photo op of the magnificent snowcapped mountains, complete with camels. It only cost me 20 dirham ($2) to photograph these delightful dromedaries!
Just outside the Ourika Valley is the 500-year old grave of Rabbi Shlomo Bel-Hench. We were told he was an emissary from Israel, who came to Morocco to raise funds and eventually settled down in the area. Even though he died around the fifteenth century, many travel from around the world to visit the tomb in search of cures for illnesses and healing miracles.
As we made our way back into the city we had one more stop at Jardin Majorelle.
French painter Jaques Majorelle moved to Morocco in 1917 due to an illness that required a drier climate. He spent years painting the countryside and in 1923 he bought 4 acres of land that would eventually become the garden we see today.
Because the garden’s upkeep became so costly Majorelle was forced to open it to the public for the price of an entrance fee to help pay for its maintenance. A divorce, serious car accident followed by health problems forced the painter to sell the garden in 1961.
Jacques Majorelle painting. Courtesy Jardin Majorelle
After the artist’s death in 1962 the garden fell into disrepair. Fast-forward to 1980. Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé bought the garden, saving it from being torn down and becoming a hotel complex.
Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge. Courtesy Jardin Majorelle
After Saint Laurent passed away in 2008, his ashes were scattered in the rose garden of the Villa Oasis. A memorial was built in the garden, designed around a Roman pillar which was brought from Tangier. Bergé donated the Jardin Majorelle and the Villa Oasis to the foundation in Paris which bears both their names.
Before heading back to the hotel a group of us wanted to visit Synagogue Al-Alzama back in the Mellah (old Jewish Quarter).
It is a Sephardic (Spanish Jews) synagogue build around 1500 that is still active, with services 3 days a week. It also houses a small museum with artifacts and history of the early Moroccan Jewish population.
After our visit, it took a while to walk back through the winding roads, of the Souk. One last chance to see the vibrant market before heading back to the hotel.
Totally exhausted from the ambitious day, we gathered to light the menorah for the 8th and final night of Hanukkah and had dinner at the hotel. One more day of our Moroccan journey, and it promised to be an adventurous one!