Marrakesh Day 2
Exploring old Marrakesh
In the morning we had a local guide of Saadian Tombs, Bahia Palace, and the Souk (open-air marketplace) Semmarine.
Saadian Tombs: The tombs were a royal necropolis in Marrakesh Morocco next to the Kasbah Mosque in the royal kasbah district of the city. They date to the time of the Saadian dynasty (1578–1603). Alaouite Sultan Moulay Ismail walled up the Saadian Tombs to keep his predecessors out of sight and mind. The mausoleum lay forgotten until aerial photography exposed it in 1917.
Bahia Palace: The palace was built in the 1860s and was where the sultan, his four wives, and 20 concubines lived.
Souk Semmarine: The souk is an open-air market and public square. We explored many of the shops looking at silver, spices, all kinds of different foods, and clothing. In the public square we tried to navigating the chaos of men trying to get you to take a picture with their monkeys, women trying to force a henna tattoo on you, and snake charmers trying to get you to take a photo of their snakes.
One the way back to the hotel we stopped for gelato and coffee.
Majorelle Garden
After a quick rest, we headed out to visit Majorelle Garden. A garden created by the French Orientalist artist Jacques Majorelle, starting in 1923, and features a Cubist villa designed by French architect Paul Sinoir in the 1930s. The property was the residence of the artist and his wife from 1923 until their divorce in the 1950s. In the 1980s, the property was purchased by the fashion designers Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Bergé.
Final Dinner
To wrap up our trip, we headed out for our last dinner with the tour group. Most of those we are traveling with have new adventures planned after this particular trip. We were one of the few heading back to the real world immediately upon return.
