A Bohemian Rhapsody in Morocco
Morocco, birthplace of Ibn Battuta, beloved haven of Yves Saint Laurent and dreamland of every soulful wanderer.
Located in the Maghreb region, Morocco acts as a gateway between Europe and Africa. This country’s cultural heritage has thrived amidst a landscape endowed with the Atlas and Rif mountains, Mediterranean and Atlantic oceans, forest expanses and the Sahara Desert. Music, art, architecture, clothing and all other aspects of life in Morocco is influenced by its diverse topography and culture.
To witness the confluence of African, Arab, Berber, Jewish and Mediterranean elements, we embarked on a journey with the Bohemian Travellers who are experts in curating slow and mindful travel for conscious wanderers. They showed us a side of Morocco that is both modern and traditional via ethical tours rooted in its crafts, culture and landscape. Our desire to connect with local communities was facilitated by Mohamed, locally renowned as the ‘Wikipedia of Morocco’ and Jenny, the founder and creative director of Bohemia Design. Born and raised in the Saharan desert, Mohamed ensured we had a memorable stay with his generous hospitality throughout our journey. Jenny has been working in Morocco for the past 25 years and enriched our adventures with her knowledge about the artisan community as we explored souks, art shops and museums.
We set out to experience the old city of Marrakesh to enjoy meeting local vendors, bread makers, butchers, and barbers; finally reaching the Yves Saint Laurent Museum—an oasis in this chaotic city.
Marrakesh, Mosaics and Medina
“This city taught me colour,” said Yves Saint Laurent about Marrakesh and it was true for our tryst with Marrakesh too. We were enthralled by the abundance of sensory offerings of this city.
The local architecture—an eclectic mix of Art Deco and neo-Moorish (or Mauresque) influences—is a visual bonanza. Everywhere one looks, the eyes meet striking Moroccan doors featuring intricate designs and motifs. Another exquisite aspect of this region’s architecture is the intricate mosaic designs, known as the zellij that are created with hand-cut tiles. Their colour palette and complex geometrical shapes evoke notions of order and chaos, abstract art and jigsaw puzzles, an artist’s eye and a mathematical mind.
As an ancient political, economic and cultural centre Marrakesh, is famed for its 11th century medina, the original walled settlement around which the rest of the city was built. We found countless stories in the labyrinthine narrow cobblestone streets. Even one thousand and one nights would not be enough to tell all the stories hidden deep within this fortified city encircled by its iconic pink ramparts.
Marrakesh has the largest traditional market (souk) in Morocco, bustling with shops trading items like leather, carpets, metalwork and pottery. We fell in love with the sight of craftsmen busy working on various objects, from sandals or slippers and leather pouches to jewellery. The marketplace was decked with lemons, chilis, pickles, olives, mint, dried fruits, nuts, dates, figs, walnuts, cashews, apricots and spices. Boasting one of the most diversified cuisines in the world, Morocco favoured our palette with a fusion of Moorish, European and Mediterranean cuisines.
The desert breeze, bougainvillaea-decked walls, camel-herding nomads, the colourful kasbah, handwoven rug atelier, vintage interior décor shops and innumerable treasured memories filled our hearts with a rhapsody of joy.