Marrakesh, City of Fascination

Carts overflowing with oranges and roasted grains, women from the Anti-Atlas coming to sell their baskets, storytellers, musicians, dancers, public scribes with their black umbrellas, fortunetellers, potion vendors, healers and apothecaries all contribute to the unreal spectacle that in Marrakesh, is commonplace.
Then, as dusk approaches, the showmen make way for the hot food stalls. One after another, acetylene flames spring into life.
And then, in the starry night, the moon comes out to play the role it was designated for: to be the most magical of the thousand and one lanterns lighting up the Jemaa el Fna Square.
Marrakesh awakens. Just as it has done every morning for more than 800 years, with the same inflected intonation, the call of the muezzin going out from the 70 metre high Koutoubia, the spiritual beacon of Marrakesh.
Sunrise over Marrakesh. A multicoloured crowd invades the winding streets of the medina. Groups of men jostle towards the Ben Youssef mosque, nestling against the Medersa, the vast and superb Koranic school founded by the Mérinide sultan Abou el-Hassan (1331-1349) and one of Marrakesh's most remarkable monuments.
The sun bathes Marrakesh in light. Its rays show up the pink marble of the fountains, spread across the tiled courtyards, are reflected and then bring warmth to the turquoise, greens and whites of the mosaic, to finally be lost amidst to stucco of the Bahia Palace and the Dar Si Saïd, now a museum housing the finest masterpieces of Moroccan art.
The legendary sun of Marrakesh adds a note of accentuated contrast to the imperious splendour of the Saadian tombs. It illuminates the remains of the Badii Palace where a shimmering mirage may reveal the wonder of these former glories to the dazzled visitor; the gold, the marble and the onyx which were traded for their weight in sugar by the most celebrated Saadian ruler, Ahmed el Mansour (1578 - 1603).
The sun sets over Marrakesh.
Then, against a sky blazing with evening fire bounded by the eternal snows of the Atlas mountains, the perfect proportions of the Ménera pavilion may be contemplated, mirrored in the quiet, still waters that stand before it.
Time has passed you by. In the copper souk perhapss, where the metal is worked by craftsmen following age-old traditions, their faces set in profound concentration. Or perhaps it was in the Laghzal Souk, home of the wool merchants. Or in el Btana with its sheepskins. Or even in the hubbub of the Zarbia souk, where carpets and caftans are sold to the highest bidder...
You are in another world. Where the smell of saffron, cumin, black pepper, ginger, verbena, cloves and orange flower enchant the nostrils. Among sacks of almonds, ground nuts and chick peas piled high like mountains, with baskets of dates, casks of olives and, on the apothecaries' shelves, pots of henna, ghassoul, flasks of rose extract, jasmine, mint, khôl, pieces of amber and musk...
You are in the souks of Marrakesh.
Outside the ochre-coloured ramparts, the rhythm is broken, the colours change. The sound of the wind in the foliage, chirping birds, the heady odours of jasmine and honeysuckle and the president perfume of the famous Marrakesh roses. Here, nature is a haven of peace, beauty and contemplation. No doubt it is grateful to man for having watered it since 1106 by means of an ingenious  system of collecting and channelling spring water, 13,000 hectares of vegetation, 180,000 palm trees, a world class golf course; this is the renowned Palmeraie (Palm Grove) of Marrakesh. Further away, behind the Royal Palace, stretch the Agdal orchards, the setting for lavish festivals and celebrations. The trees weigh themselves down with exquisite fruit as the seasons advance; oranges, figs, pomegranates and olives...
And near Bab Doukkala stands the Majorelle garden with its abundance of giant bamboo, yucca, papyrus, palm, cypress and banana trees, philodendrons and bouganvillaeas, and amazing cacti with natural colours that contrast vividly with the bright blue facade of the villa.

The Wonders of the Atlas Mountains

Seen from Marrakesh, the vast, imposing mass of the snow-capped mountains seems unreal and unbelievable. And yet the splendour, other-worldiness and imposing might of the constantly changing Atlas landscape are only 20 kilometres away. Just head out South East of Marrakesh, through the friendly Berber villages of Aghmat and Dar Caïd Ouriki. Follow the road bordered with terraced gardens along Wadi Ourika until you reach Arhbalou. From there on, the choice is simply limitless.
Bear right towards Oukaimeden (2,600 m), the famous winter sports resort only 74 km from Marrakesh.
Or else admire Setti Fatma and its hundred-year old walnut trees and dive into the invigorating coolness of its seven waterfalls.
Or possibly go on to Annameure, village of the Aït Oucheg tribe where you can hire a mule and climb up as far as Djebel Yagour, centre of Moroccan prehistory which boasts over 2,000 cave paintings.
To the South, another change of scene.
47 km from Marrakesh, on the road to Taroudannt, in the typically Berber which is held every Saturday. Towards Ouirgane, the Landscape is reminiscent of American canyons. Magnificent gorges lead to Imlit, a charming mountain hamlet. This is the starting point for hikes through Toubkal national park: climbing to the summit (4165 m), North Africa's highest point or, at 3800 m, the Tazaghaght plateau, a stone strewn desert at such an altitude that it looks down upon the clouds.
East of Marrakesh, water, water everywhere!
The Ouzoud Falls, where the water plunges for more than 100 meters. Wadi Mehasseur, spanned by the natural Imi-n-Ifri bridge, the "gateway to the abyss" in Berber, which cascades through vast rock formations to end in the artificial Aït-Aadel lake surrounded by bare, red coloured hills.