Oriental and modern Marrakech

Feb. 14 2014

by Laurence Ogiela / TÊTU

A rendezvous for trend-setters, jet-setters and other trendy tribes for more than ten years, Marrakech has been an undeniable success. And this despite the 2011 attack on Jemaâ el Fna Square. It must be said that Morocco has remained stable during the revolutionary wave of the Arab Spring and that many tourists have fled Tunisia and Egypt to take refuge during their vacations. For the moment, nothing seems to have changed in Marrakech. After the real estate fever of the 2000s and the opening of hundreds of tourist riads, it is now the luxury hotels of international chains that are settling in the imperial city.

Riads, souks and mint tea

Surrounded by ochre earthen ramparts, the medina and its labyrinth of alleys are the soul of Marrakech. Behind the orange-red facades without windows, one can guess sumptuous riads, these garden-houses, each more secret than the other. Under the shaded alleys of the souks, it is the effervescence. Muleteers push their donkeys and merchants accost passers-by. A daze of colors, sounds and smells. The souks are organized in districts: dyers, tinsmiths, potters, leatherworkers, jewelers, carpet sellers... Above all, don't forget to bargain!

laurence Ogiela

And to recover from the endless negotiations with countless cups of very sweet mint tea, there is nothing like a walk in the Majorelle garden. Beautifully restored and maintained by Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent, it houses a stele in memory of the designer whose ashes were scattered in the rose garden of his villa Oasis. The Majorelle blue house, former studio of the painter of the same name, houses an interesting museum of Islamic art.

In the late afternoon, we go to the Menara to refresh ourselves around the monumental basin that serves as the city's reservoir, and to observe the ballet of young Marrakchis who meet there to flirt. The boys walk hand in hand looking at the girls they dare not approach. Or other boys, which they dare not admit. Dusk is the right time to go to Jemaâ el Fna square, the nerve center of the old city, which is filled with food stalls where tourists and locals mix. To the sound of drums, snake charmers, fire breathers, gnaoua dancers, astrologers and other storytellers perform their ballet. A veritable court of miracles from another time!

A thousand and one gay-friendly nights
But there's more to Marrakech than local folklore. To find bars, restaurants and clubs with a Western atmosphere, you have to leave the medina.

Head for L'Hivernage, the former diplomats' quarter, Guéliz, the new town, and the Ourika road. A good option to start the evening is to have a drink at the bar of the famous luxury hotel, La Mamounia.the mythical palace, a favorite resort of heads of state and Hollywood stars, was renovated in 2010 by Jacques Garcia.

Another must-see is the Comptoir Darna, which remains a staple of Marrakech nights. You can also have dinner there before going to the clubs. Most of the clubs are still located in the big international hotels, such as So, at the Sofitel, and Theatro, the nightclub of the Es-Saadi hotel.

However, Moroccan mores have become more relaxed and clubs have opened outside hotels. A trend inaugurated by the Pacha Marrakech in 2005. Alter ego of Pacha Ibiza, this huge complex with restaurants, a pool, lounge areas and several dance floors still attracts the golden youth of Marrakech, Casa and Rabat.

Photo @Djellabar

But today, it's Djellabar that's winning the day. In an old house in L'Hivernage from the 1940s, the duo Stéphane Atlas and Claude Challe, who worked at Comptoir and Buddha Bar, have created a modern boudoir with an oriental pop art decor. On the walls, Warholian portraits of Egyptian diva Oum Kalsoum, Jimi Hendrix, Gandhi and Yves Saint Laurent are all adorned with the Moroccan tarbouche, a sign of the perfect harmony between East and West that prevails here. Every night, Stéphane welcomes his friends, the artistic and intellectual elite and tourists.

A festive and gay-friendly atmosphere is guaranteed. Because if the days of the Black Diamond, a club that used to be famous for welcoming the Western and Moroccan gay community, are over, the clubs and bars in Marrakech still show their tolerance, but more discreetly. Homosexuality is still forbidden and Moroccans risk imprisonment. The police in plain clothes and the religious authorities watch, even if Marrakech remains the most open and tolerant city of the country.

Main photo ©Laurence Ogiela