Road trip in Morocco #3 – from Boumalne-Dadès to Ouarzazate

Our second road trip across Morocco took 3 days, 2 nights, from our desert camp at Merzouga to Essaouira on the Atlantic coast. The first night was spent in Boumalne-Dadès, and the second in Ouarzazate. This post covers the journey between these two points. See earlier posts about the road trip here and here.

When we arrived at the Kasbah Tissarouine at Boumalne-Dadès, it was rather late. So we did not have a chance to look around the place. The Kasbah turned out to be a rather large family resort which was largely empty because we were there during the off-season.

By the way, the pool and white loungers in the photo above are visible from space via Google map if you know where to look. The sky above Morocco was blue and clear the entire time we were there.

The resort is built on top of a hill that looks across the River Dadès (Oued Dadès) towards the mountains to the northeast.

After breakfast, we walked around enjoying the view – the snow-covered High Atlas was visible in the northwest.

Getting back on the road again, our first stop was the Gorge du Dadès. We followed the Oued Dadès upstream on R704.

The mountainous terrain here was formed by two different kinds of rocks, one type intruding into another type and they were eroded to different extents over the years …

… and the intruding type yielded dramatic shapes on a large scale. The hillside looked like the back of a giant scaly animal.

The most dramatic part of the gorge is a set of hairpin turns on R704 as the gorge narrowed and the elevation increased.

We cannot imagine the traffic during peak tourist season here.

At the top of the hairpin turns is a viewpoint at the Cafe Timzzillite. It is also a hotel. What a location to spend a night – the sunrise and sunset colors on the rocks must be spectacular.

We turned around here to head back towards Boumalne-Dadès.

We passed by a number of villages, like Tamelatt, as well as a string of hotels and restaurants. Although this area is somewhat remote, it is a popular area for visitors who come here for hiking.

A market was taking place as we drove passed.

Whole lamb was sold with fresh herbs. Apologies if it is too graphic but it is just the market in that part of the world. The butcher was trying to call back a potential customer.

Our next destination is the Vallée des Roses which is situated near a tributary of Oued Dades further downstream. We passed some fields that looked like rose bushes and stopped by the town of Kalaat M’Gouna to do some shopping.

Damask roses (Rosa × damascena) are grown here and used to make rose water in the valley. The roses are also shipped to factories in Marrakech to make perfumes.

At one of the tourist shops, we saw the prices of the products and they were not what one would expect at the source of its main ingredient. The cosmetics appeared relatively crude (simple rose scents plus what sounded like industrial chemicals). Packaging and perception are so important in this business. But … at least the local taxis are pink.

Getting back on the arrow straight N10 westbound, we headed straight for Ouarzazate passing Skoura. The landscape was fairly boring on this stretch of the highway – just endless rocky desert on one side and emptiness with distant snowy mountains as a backdrop on the other side.  … on a desert highway, cool wind in the air …

As planned, we stopped to look at the Atlas Studios in Ouarzazate before checking in at our lodging – Dar Chamaa – just outside Ouarzazate. The Atlas Studios will be the subject of a future post.

Around the corner from Dar Chamaa is an emporium of handicrafts and antiques – Labyrinthe de Sud – it was touristy but well stocked with unique and high-quality wares.

Two days, and about 400 kms we travelled so far.

 

Random moment #10 – things in life

Random moment is our playlist series started during the 2020 pandemic.

#10 – things in life

Jamaican gold, enjoy + like.

#spotify #playlist #nowplaying #dennisbrown #reggaediscorockers #althea&donna #sugarminott

Road trip in Morocco #2 – from Merzouga to Boumalne-Dadès (ⴱⵓⵎⴰⵍ ⵏ ⴷⴰⴷⵙⵙ)

Our second road trip across Morocco took 3 days, 2 nights, from our desert camp at Merzouga all the way to Essaouira on the Atlantic coast. The first night was spent in Boumalne-Dadès, and the second in Ouarzazate.

On this portion of the trip, we played Dire Straits in the car which delighted our driver who is apparently a fan.  It has been a while for us too.

We retraced our route out of the desert camp back on N13 northbound from Merzouga to Rissani, and then Erfoud. This area known as the Tafilalet was the homeland of Morocco’s ruling Alawite dynasty and also the last area to yield to French control in the early 1900s.

Entering Rissani through the gate. Rissani was the location of the ancient capital (14-17th century), Sijilmassa, a crossroads between the north and south where gold and slaves were traded. It is still a major commercial center of the area.

We passed the Salon International des Dattes (well, the sign is not legible in the photo). Look at the space available for a souk!  Sadly, we did not stop somewhere in this region to buy dates, apparently this is the place to find the best dates in Morocco.

At Erfoud, we made a short shopping stop at a fossil “factory” or rock shop.  See later post for pics.

Then we used R702 westbound, passed a series of small towns, namely Jorf, Ksar Touroug, and Ksar Mellab. The word ksar or qsar (ⵉⴴⵔⵎ) refers to a Berber fortified village.

I was sitting next to the driver, when most of these pictures were taken from inside a moving car – please excuse the quality of the photos.

Our driver said that different Berber tribes live in these small towns, and women wore robes with distinct color and styles.

Pink house with decorative rock pattern. Made me think of the Flintstones.

We joined the highway N10 at Tinejdad for lunch. It was 1:30pm already. Tinejdad means ‘nomad’ in Tamazight (Berber language) and it was a resting post for caravans.

… and unexpectedly we ran into DL and family (!) in the restaurant. They had left the Merzouga camp a few hours before us because they had to catch a plane from Marrakech the next day. Apparently, their driver took a detour to show them an underground irrigation system in the area.

Even though we said goodbyes just a few hours ago, it was very nice to see friends in foreign lands especially when you do not expect it. The fact that we stopped at the same restaurants tells us that there are “designated” restaurants for tourists all over the country.  All drivers know to take their client to such establishments, at least one per town, hence our Moroccan dining experience is kind of monotonous while mostly authentic.

Our next stop was a large oasis town Tinghir (Tinerhir, or in tamazigt: Tinɣir or ⵜⵉⵏⵖⵉⵔ, in arabic تنغير), recently made the capital of Tinghir province.  See later post about the Berber language and alphabets – tamazigt.

To take in a panorama of the oasis and Tinghir, we used R703 northbound and headed up into the mountain.

Along River Todra, at Tinghir, lush palm trees cover a narrow strip of land about 48 km long and 1 to 4 km wide – la palmeraie. Most of the homes are built on either side of the river on the slopes, without taking up valuable naturally irrigated land for agriculture.

Our driver said Tinghir is prosperous partly because of the silver mines in the area.

Notice the light-colored robes the ladies were wearing in this photo – quite different from the black one worn by a lady (sitting on a donkey) we saw earlier.

The road R703 followed River Todra, and we continued driving upstream to see the famous Todra Gorge. We stopped for a bathroom break at this hotel located in a narrow part of the gorge.

We had arranged a local guide to take us on a walking tour of the gorge, the riverbed where the river started, and the village of Ait Tizgui. See later post.

An impressive gorge ! There were a lot less traffic than we thought, given that it is a gap through these mountain range in the area. May be it was important in the old days for the caravans.

Foreign visitors has started coming here for rock-climbing. We met an American in his 20’s who has been living in the area working as an expedition guide.

Downtown Tinghir

After the tour, we came back down the mountain on R703, passed Tinghir and continued westward on the highway N10.

Decorative walls ? –  we must have crossed a provincial or regional boundary.  From Tinghir, the distance to our final stop for the day is about 50 km.

As we approached the city of Boumalne-Dadès (ⴱⵓⵎⴰⵍ ⵏ ⴷⴰⴷⵙⵙ in tamazight), it was almost 8 pm. This city is modern-ish and the approach road was lit with pretty lights and neon signs that reminded me of outposts outside Las Vegas, USA. That’ s a continent away.

We spent the night at Kasbah Tissarouine on the edge of Boumalne-Dadès.

A long day on the road but it was really fun, especially when someone was driving.

Random moment #9 – march of the trolls

Random moment is our playlist series started during the 2020 pandemic.

#9 – march of the trolls

a few urgent instrumentals, enjoy + like.

#spotify #playlist #nowplaying #alicesarahott #edvardgrieg #valentinalisitsa #michaelnyman #gyorgyligeti #philipglass

Riads and Dars, part 2

Continuing with a tour of riads and dars … I think Astrakan Cafe by Anouar Brahem on ECM suits the mood of this dar, especially Track 14 Astrakan Cafe – 2 and Track 8 Parfum de gitane. Part 1 of this post is here.

On our return to Marrakech in the second week, we booked into Dar Darma. IT selected this property because of its unique interiors.

As we mentioned in part 1 (here), most rooms in a riad/dar do not have outward facing window. Partly it is because there is no view in a dense urban setting (where most riads/dars are situated) and more importantly, for religious and privacy reasons. The occupants cherish their privacy and tranquility. As such, many of such homes in the medina have no frontage and are recognized only by an unassuming door. The photo above shows one of two entrances to Dar Darma, the other one is, we think the backdoor, which is even more modest.

Part of the fun in staying at a riad or dar is the sense of discovery and wonder when one first steps inside.

To start, there is usually such a contrast between the hot, chaotic, messy public alleyways and the finely decorated, calm, cool and darkened interiors, followed by a view of clear running water in the center of a tiled garden populated with fragrant plants.

Then, as one explores the property, there is the unexpected and original designs that have been executed by the architect to transform a traditional home into a business that provides hospitality.

As we were welcomed into Dar Darma, we were led through a labyrinth of passages, halls, seating areas, and narrow stairs. We were totally disoriented.

The interiors were all dimly lit, but it was adequate for seeing where to go. Can you imagine this place illuminated only by candles ?  A bit creepy.

All the interior spaces have a soaring ceiling – at least 15 feet – with matching tall windows looking out to a garden or courtyard.

We booked one of the six suites. Our suite was the Red suite – two bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and a living room – look at the walls of the living room.

An arched entry leads to our bedroom framed by a traditional full-height door that carries a smaller one.

Our medieval-looking bed was situated in the middle of an elongated, high-ceiling room. The stripes on the wall accentuated the vertical dimension. The ensuite bathroom was at the far end.

The bathroom was spaciously cave-like (reminded us of Riad Tawarjit) with two separate bath/showers, illuminated by this massive ornate light. It has to be the most dramatically-lit bathroom we have ever used in our travels.

IT’s room was on the other side of the living room, with a set of double doors.

Two “armored” giant vases flanked a small fireplace. A piece of leopard-skin was laid out in front of a TV hidden in a cabinet. The rug was old – the poor cat was probably not an endangered species at the time it became a rug.

We had not seen any skin of exotic animal for sale in the souks – a little surprising since we were in Africa.  A benign observation it was as we do not condone such trade. Plenty of leather, though.

IT’s room was decorated with period furniture and a creepy old photograph (see photo below).

It was nice to share breakfast in our living room. There was an option to have breakfast on the roof terrace which we took the next day. Our living room had windows overlooking a shallow pool with pink petals, surrounded by giant vases (see the photo near the top of the page).

Steep steps lead up to the roof terrace. The black-and-white theme is consistently executed throughout the property.

Compared to the two floors below, the roof terrace was relatively spartan or modern (depending on your taste). In the riads/dars we visited, the roof was always devoted to relaxing – having a drink, a snack under an umbrella, or a dip in a rooftop pool.

There was a small swimming pool up there but it was drained. January was their off-season, after all.

This property does not have a reception. The manager works in a small room somewhere in the labyrinth, we saw it but probably could not find it again.

The very personable concierge gave us a brief tour of the property as it was mostly vacant on our day of arrival. On our own, we would have gotten hopelessly lost. We saw Asian-themed decorations in some rooms with possibly orientalist antiques.

Apparently, many large riads are amalgamations of several homes resulting in a collection of interconnecting courtyards and balconies. Like Dar Darma, they have interesting spaces, some hidden and cosy, while some offers a surprising view of a garden.

Wrapped around mirrors in one of the suites’ bathroom and shower for a very vain person.

Dar Darma is not palatial but it has a maze of rooms and corridors which hides its true size … and then we discovered a small garden.

Due to its layout, we hardly saw any guests, nor the service team – must be a great place to play a murder mystery game or hide-and-seek.

We really liked Dar Darma for its understated luxury and privacy.

Dar Darma’s website has more pictures. Check it out here.

Part 1 is here. More riads to come …

 

 

 

 

Riads and Dars, part 1

Staying at a riad (or dar) is part of the Moroccan experience. For our two weeks in Marrakech, Fes, Ouazazate and Essaouira, we stayed at 2 riads, 3 dars and had a dinner in a riad where we were too late to make a room booking.

I selected a few songs for this post.

Riad (رياض) means a type of garden associated with a traditional Moroccan house. The word originates from the Arabic term for garden. Dar has a courtyard instead of a garden. But the meanings of the two words have apparently mutated and merged in English to represent traditional homes which have been restored and modernized, often by foreigners, to operate as intimate boutique hotels.

Our first night in Marrackech was spent in Riad Tawarjit situated in the medina, about 10-15 minutes walk from Place Jemaa El-Fna (see our post about the square here).  It is a small modest property with about 10-12 rooms on two floors and the roof.

We think it is a recent conversion from possibly two adjacent homes.

The placement of the water feature (a small pool for your feet ?) is not in the center of the property and looks like an afterthought. But it does have a small tree qualifying it as a riad.

Our room was on the second floor and very cosy. IT’s room was directly on the other side of courtyard (see photo below).

In our room, we felt like sleeping in a cave because it had a high ceiling, all the walls (not just the bathroom/shower, see below) were smooth with rounded corners and edges, and had a natural not painted grey color. Probably concrete.

Historically, riads were the city homes of wealthy citizens (merchants, aristocrats). They were mostly two or more stories high with a square or rectangular garden/courtyard and a fountain. They typically have two salons at the ground level facing each other across the central open area.

In Fes, we stayed at Dar Al Andalou which has the classical layout. Being the only guests when we arrived, the host allowed our group to pick any room we wanted. It was not an easy decision as the rooms were all different.

DL and family chose the salon on the right and for us, the one at the far end (see photo above). IT chose a room on the second floor.

This property had been nicely restored. They took care to maintain as much traditional details as possible. But the plumbing was not modernized for the 21st century. We were cold and the hot water was not consistent. The manageress was nice about it but the on-site caretaker/waiter was less responsive.

The traditional floor plan was designed to preserve family privacy and reflected Islamic cultural norms. The architecture directs the attention of the dwellers inwardly with windows, galleries and balconies looking back into the courtyard, with the fountain as a focal point.

In older houses there would be no windows in the salons but only two large doors each housing a smaller door. The smaller door is kept open in summer with a curtain for privacy. The photo below shows the double door to our bedroom, neither one were used during our stay. Another set of doors with stained glass and a weak lock was used (see photo above).

The salons are typically elongated with very high ceilings, sometimes carved and painted. This was our bedroom which lacked any outward facing window and was quite dark throughout the day (see photo below).

Because of this inward-looking design, many of such homes in the medina have no frontage and is recognized only by an unassuming door. In a densely populated medina, this type of architecture makes it very difficult for visitors to find their riad in the alleyways lined by high featureless walls with few identifiable landmarks. Losing your orientation the first time is almost fun and feels adventurous, but after that one time, you feel stupid and find the situation annoying when you just want to get back to rest your feet.

Typically, they have a roof terrace for cooking, relaxing and entertaining, but historically, the roof terrace is used for drying clothes and grains, and sleeping when it is too hot.

It has been said that the gentrification of these traditional homes played a role in keeping alive Moroccan handicraft traditions, such as tadelakt plaster (the “concrete” walls we had in Riad Tawarjit ?), stucco decoration, and zellige tiles.

More riads and dars to come …

 

 

 

Random moment #8 – all i wanna do

Random moment is our playlist series started during the 2020 pandemic.

#8 – all i wanna do

… is have some fun …  a bunch of feel-good pop, enjoy + like.

#spotify #playlist #nowplaying #sherylcrow #sergiomendes #blackeyedpeas #theB-52’s  #pharrellwilliams

Volubilis, an archaeological gem

While we were staying in Fes, we took a day trip to Meknes and Volubilis.  Meknes, one of the imperial cities of Morocco. Meknes did not make much of an impression on us but Volubilis is a gem.

First, let’s put on some Morocco traditional music made with an Oud – a type of lute. In Fes, IT booked a tutor to learn how to play the oud.

Volubilis was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. See its record here. Most of what is written below came from UNESCO and Wikipedia.

Covering an area of 42 hectares, it is of outstanding importance demonstrating urban development and Romanisation at the frontiers of the Roman Empire and the graphic illustration of the interface between the Roman and indigenous cultures. Because of its isolation and the fact that it had not been occupied for nearly a thousand years, it presents an important level of authenticity. It is one of the richest sites of this period in North Africa, not only for its ruins but also for the great wealth of its epigraphic evidence.

Volubilis is a partly excavated Berber city and commonly considered as the ancient capital of the kingdom of Mauretania. Built in a fertile agricultural area, it developed from the 3rd century BC onward as a Berber settlement before becoming the capital of the kingdom of Mauretania.

It grew rapidly under Roman rule in the 1st century AD with a 2.6 km (1.6 mi) circuit of walls, 8 gates and 40 towers and around 20,000 inhabitants – a very substantial population for a Roman provincial town. The city gained a number of major public buildings in the 2nd century, including a basilica, a temple and a triumphal arch. Its prosperity, which was derived principally from olive growing, allowed the construction of many fine town-houses with large mosaic floors.

The city fell to local tribes around 285 and was never retaken by Rome because of its indefensibility and remoteness being on the south-western border of the Roman Empire. It continued to be inhabited for at least another 700 years, first as a Christian community, then as an early Islamic settlement.

In the late 8th century it became the seat of Idris ibn Abdallah, the founder of the Idrisid dynasty of Morocco. By the 11th century Volubilis had been abandoned after the seat of power was relocated to Fes. Much of the local population was transferred to the new town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, about 5 km (3.1 mi) from Volubilis.

The ruins remained substantially intact until they were devastated by the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake and subsequently looted by Moroccan rulers seeking stone for building Meknes. It was not until the latter part of the 19th century that the site was definitively identified as that of the ancient city of Volubilis.

During and after the period of French rule over Morocco (started in 1890 until 1955), about half of the site was excavated, revealing many fine mosaics, and some of the more prominent public buildings and high-status private houses were restored or reconstructed. The Arch of Caracalla is one of Volubilis’ most distinctive sights, situated at the end of the city’s main street, the Decumanus Maximus.

The basilica was used for the administration of justice and the governance of the city.

Completed in the early 3rd century, it was one of the finest Roman basilicas in Africa.

The Capitoline temple

Some of the houses were apparently luxurious residences which had private baths and a richly decorated interior, with fine mosaics showing animal and mythological scenes.

The houses have been named by archaeologists after their principal mosaics or other finds.

Many of the mosaics were protected by a rope barrier to prevent people to walk over and wear down the tiles.

The city was apparently supplied with water by an aqueduct that ran from a spring in the hills behind the city. An elaborate network of channels fed houses and the public baths from the municipal supply.  The bath shown here can accommodate more than 10 people sitting in the round stone seats.

Our tour guide was very helpful and took us for a walking tour of first the major public buildings and then the private homes, and down the main street, Decumanus Maximus.

The site also has a small modern museum showing a movie about the city and displaying some excavated pieces.  Apparently, the best pieces are on display in the capital and Tangier.

UNESCO commented that the archaeological site of Volubilis is an outstanding example of a focal point for the different kinds of immigration, cultural traditions and lost cultures (Libyco-Berber and Mauritanian, Roman, Christian and Arabo-Islamic) to exchange influences since High Antiquity until the Islamic period.

We are very glad to have chosen Volubilis to spend half a day.