the moroccan markets.

the market is the cornerstone of moroccan tradition and people spend all their time there. the sights and sounds and smells were overwhelming.

 

the first thing you see entering the market is the large mosque across the street. we used the mosque as our north star, knowing our hotel was in that direction. the entrance to the market was chaos-- public transportation left from one corner and horse &carriages left from the other. the smell of horses and stinky buses burned our noses and we walked quickly from that area. this was also the spot where tour buses parked and a common meeting place for sas kids.

 

venturing further into the market there was a large open square. it was huge. there were snake charmers on carpets playing thier flutes. women on milk crates looked through their veils and tried to sell us henna tattoos. often they had children near them who would run along side and try to get snacks or sell us tissues. some worked selling cookies or would simply stare. little babies were in strollers or tied to their mother's backs and concealed with blankets. the men with monkeys would walk around and if they saw someone take a picture they would ask for money. it was hard to believe that this was how people made a living.

 

on the edges of the square were restuarants. most were open air or had a second story balcony. there were large advertisements for coca-cola as well as for hotel brands. all the menus were written in arabic and french so there was a lot of guessing on our part. we could easily figure out the words that were similar to spanish and just guessed at the rest.

 

throughout the market, motorbikes, taxis and bicycles wizzed by. they wove in and out of pedestrians at crazy speeds, making us nervous. there were also plenty of donkeys pulling carts and women with packages on their heads.

 

situated in the rear of the square were the stalls. they sold EVERYTHING.

 

some were dedicated to leather shoes -- most were handmade and intricately beaded. there were slippers and high heels and flats and sandals. i wanted one of each, they were so beautiful. i ended up deciding on a pair of flats with an intricate brown and tan design (for less than $12 USD).

 

others were all jewelry. i was overwhelmed and did not purchase much, though i should have. beaded necklaces, cuff bracelets, earrings, rings, everything. and it was all reasonably priced between 20-50 dirhams (~$2-6 USD). i purchases a leather cuff and i really like it.

 

some were purses. this would definitely be my weakness -- i won't have enough room for all the bags i'm accumulating! there were the knock-offs that you would find on canal street in new york city and traditional bags. i purchased an across the body purse to wear in my following ports when my backpack will be too big.

 

off the main plaza was a strip known as "the mall," where more substantial shops and higher end items were sold. this mall was the location of the pastry shop as well as the internet cafe and begging children.

 

there were spice shops, henna shops, places to buy woven bags, stores dedicated to soccer jerseys, stores full of scarves and rugs and others with knock-off nike sneakers. other stands were overflowing with nuts, dried fruits, oranges and mint tea. there were little restaurants tucked into small corners and stands covered in glasswares.

 

nearly anything you could think of existed in the market.

 

at night, as i mentioned earlier, the market changed drastically. in the center, where the monkeys and snake charmers were during the day, restaurants popped up. and in the place of the demonstrations, one could sit and listen to a storyteller by candlelight. we strained to listen as we passed but not knowing any arabic made it impossible to figure out.

 

i found it most interesting that english was not widely known but that french was the second language after arabic. most of the men in the stalls -- all the vendors were men, i don't recall seeing any women in the stalls other than the henna artists -- could speak enough english to get along. most assumed we were from great britain and were asking if we wanted fish and chips. it was funny. we were also thought to be australian, though when we said USA their faces lit up and i'm sure they increased the prices. most vendors asked us to bring back friends and asked if everyone was from boston or new york. it seemed those were the only cities they knew.

 

i hope this gives all of you a better understanding of the markets in marrakech though no one will ever understand exactly what it was like unless they have seen it with their own eyes. i enjoyed spending time in the market and am looking forward to more markets in the next countries.