Maneuvering Marrakesh, Marrakech, Morocco

So today we began our vacation club’s Morocco Dreamtrip in Marrakesh. My friend Suman and I loaded the bus at 8:30am with our new-found friends, Jimmi and Margit from Sweden and Nina and Brien, Americans who live in South Korea, among others.

Our first stop on the tour in Marrakesh was the Koutoubia Mosque. It takes its name from the Arabic word Koutoub, meaning book as there used to be a large booksellers’ market nearby. Built in the 12th century, the Moorish mosque became a model for mosques around Morocco and even La Giralda in Seville, Spain. Its minaret stands 77 meters high and is topped with three golden orbs representing three holy places; Jerusalem, Mecca, and Marrakesh’s medina.

From the Koutoubia Mosque, we wandered through the Marrakesh medina to the Mussée Dar Si Saïd. This museum was once a 19th century palace. The palace was built with a courtyard with four surrounding rooms for the four wives that Muslim men were allowed. Having said that, the new king discourages polygamy. The decorative rooms now display pottery, jewelry, tapestries and leather work.

We took the stairs to the second level royal chairs and a wedding chest were exhibited in the salon. The salon’s cedar carved ceiling was painted vibrant colors. The blue came from indigo, the yellow from saffron, and the red from poppies; all native plants of Morocco. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).