Morocco: Shopping Guide to Fez and Marrakech by Cynthia Rosenfeld
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Riad Due
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From its perch along the northern rim of the African continent, Morocco has long offered exotic allure. Think bejewelled camels, romantic courtyard houses, ancient walled cities and vast windswept deserts. Travellers who head there now will find a sophisticated scene with chic new boutiques within the bustling souks, sexy spas and some of the finest luxury hotels in Africa. Make your itinerary a mix of old and new by heading first to Fez then dipping down south to Marrakech.
High in the fabled Atlas Mountains, Fez is actually three distinct towns. Old Fez is the world’s oldest medieval city, founded in 792. New Fez was actually founded in 1273 and Nouvelle Ville is the French colonial town that sprung up in the 20th century when Morocco was a French protectorate.
Though the maze of narrow lanes that make up the medina of Old Fez is the most interesting part, the city’s most in the know tour guide Salim Abdellatif recommends starting from the top, literally, by visiting Borj Sud, a fort built by slaves in the 15th century. From this vantage point south of the medina, try counting rooftops within the ten kilometres of city walls down below. Built between the 12th and 15th centuries, the high enclosure was a protective strategy to keep out invading Turks.
Today, around 250,000 people live and work inside the medina, around 60 percent in cottage craft industries like ceramics, leather and carpets, for which Fez is rightly famous. En route into the walled world, stop to see the descendents of Andalusian artisans continuing their ceramic tile traditions in the Potters’ Quarter. Most of Fez's famed blue and white pottery is fired here, beginning as grey clay from the sea, softened for two days then mixed by foot, which visitors can watch.
Craftsmen here train until they can mould the clay without measurements. These forms dry for two days in the summer sun. In winter, a wood kiln is used which can be entered to get a full feel for the method before wandering into the painting studios to watch that painstaking process carried out in all natural colours on horsehair brushes, said to best absorb the pigments. After completing the genuinely educational tour, stock up in the pottery showrooms in this neighbourhood, all of which resemble an Aladdin’s Cave of dishwasher-safe treasures.
Enter the medina through the famous Bab Boujloud, or Blue Gate, then look backwards from the inside and note the green hue chosen for its religious significance to Islam. The thick medina walls keep this part of town cool even on North Africa’s hottest days. Wander past vendors offering camel meat and steaming sheep heads, both local specialties. Instead sample from pyramids stacked with honey and nut cakes fried in oil called shubakiya or fluffy Berber pancakes which taste even better laced with sugar. Both go even better with Moroccan mint tea.
After the tea break, forge on to Medersa Bou Inania, the city’s architectural gem. Built in 1350, this religious school still functions. Believers come to pray here while visitors run their hands along the intricate wood and tile carvings, some etched with Kufic script, the world’s oldest known calligraphy originally used in Iraq.
Heading back into the warren of narrow lanes, watch out for the thousands of donkey carts that share these close quarters. Meander onward to Maison des Brodeuses (29, Rue Bine Lamssari, Guerniz, Fez Medina) to inspect the indigenous two-sided embroidery. The work is so intricate women can only work a few hours at a time, guiding the silk thread into cotton or linen to create ornate tablecloths that can take up to a month to complete. Feel your way through the fabric souk where brides come to amass their dowries and walls seem lined by fabric rainbows.
The next stop, Univers des Herbes (2 Bis Swikat Dahban, Sidi Ahmed Tijani, Fez Medina) is even more exotic, stocked with natural herbs and ancient remedies. Locals flock to this address where staff can diagnose their symptoms and suggest homeopathic concoctions. Jars of colourful spices, organic perfume and natural dyes sit side by side along these walls. Best known among the exotic stock here is argan oil, made only in Morocco but with many uses such as skin disinfectant and hair shiner. It is also added to local dishes to lower cholesterol.
Though serious collectors insist Persians are far superior, Moroccan carpets deserve their admirers. Dar Zaouia (91 Derb Jeniara Blida, Fez Medina) is a 14th-century harem house turned carpet cooperative. Mohammed, one of the dapper salesmen in Fez’s signature yellow slippers, explains that the carpet weavers work from home all across Morocco then bring finished pieces here for sale.
Stock includes Arab and Berber carpets, tribal rugs and antique kilims of wool. Prices are controlled by the government, Mohammed says, as he holds up a list of prices per square metre and instructs that the finest wool comes from live sheep “because it has more energy,” and especially those that live at high altitudes like the surrounding Rift Mountains.
No one can survive on shopping alone, so grab a table at Restaurant Asmae (4, Derb Jeniara, Fez Medina) for a standard serving of sixteen plates of Moroccan salads including baba ganoush and fried eggplant, but save room for the flaky pigeon pastilla, a local savory pastry, at this restaurant that dates back to 1324.
Notice that Moroccans traditionally take their meals on padded banquettes that allow sated diners to stretch out and sleep, but for overnight accommodations, check in at Riad Fes (Derb Ben Slimane, Zerbtana, Fez Medina), a traditional courtyard house reinvented as a 17-room inn furnished throughout with antiques. An intimate swimming pool takes the edge off the desert swelter and the sumptuous breakfast buffet is not to be missed.
Fly south to Marrakech. For proof this city has shed its hippy chic image, check in at Amanjena at a sublime spot where the city meets the palm trees. Like a desert oasis, this collection of 32 sunset-red-hued private pavilions provide pampering refuge inside limestone walls with vast interior spaces under soaring domes, private pools and sunken wood-burning fires. At night, turn off all lights on the romantic pillared gazebos to gaze up at starry sky before settling into seriously plush slumber. In some suites, even the pillows are gilded.
Watch the sun set behind the surrounding palms while lounging on cushy pillows and listening to live Moroccan musicians nightly before gravitating to the culinary offerings here that add an international edge. Sample dishes from the Thai chef in residence and try the new Spanish restaurant, which turns out tapas late into the night.
Though the sights of Marrakech beckon, make time while in residence to shop in the exquisite boutique filled with treasures otherwise unseen in Morocco and to experience the low-lit rose-scented spa where jet lag eliminating massages are enhanced by a traditional olive soap scrub in the modern hammam. All of these pleasures are pretty, but what truly sets Amanjena apart is the hardworking staff that brings Asian hospitality to the African desert.
Not long after its founding by desert Berbers in the 11th century, Marrakech was mostly gardens. Today visitors still enter the medina by passing the sacred olive trees of the Agdal Gardens. Be awed at the 19th-century Bahia Palace, its ornate interior carvings on cedar wood walls leading to intricately painted ceilings. Notice the banana flowers and Seville orange trees in the traditional Islamic courtyard garden.
Leave the crowds behind to explore the medina’s newest cultural attraction, the just opened La Maison de la Photographie (46 rue Ahal Fez, Marrakech). The French-run collection of more than one thousand photos of old Morocco from the 19th and early 20th centuries include the first one snapped in the country, in 1862 as well as haunting images of Berber traders, Jewish women (because Muslim women could not be photographed) and young slaves, some by famous European photographers drawn to the desert’s stark beauty.
Spend at least one night inside the medina, preferably at one of the six Agsana Riad Collection Morocco, scattered near the Bahia Palace. All feature courtyard gardens with hand-made ceramic mosaic floors and walls, spacious accommodations enhanced by period antiques and attentive service around the clock.
Enjoy the rooftop garden with its unobstructed view of the medina’s towering Koutoubia minerat at the 19th-century Riad Si Siad, the intricate Berber motifs found down a 14th-century alleyway at Riad Tiwaline and the traditional Moroccan hammam plus authentic Thai spa treatments at Riad Bab Firdaus, which translates from Arabic as “Gateway to Heaven.” The Singapore-based hotel company makes sure its guests arriving afar see more than just Marrakech by offering tours into the Sahara desert on camelback, trekking in the High Atlas mountains and even skiing just 90 minutes drive away. Just don’t be surprised to ride up the mountain on a mule.
No one leaves Marrakech empty-handed. Serious shoppers bypass bargaining in the souks filled with tourist trinkets and head to a handful of standout boutiques inside the medina. The Australian duo behind Kasbek (216, rue riad zitoun jdid) drives eighteen hours across the North African desert in search of tribal embroiderers for their one-of-a-kind kaftans. Stock up inside this closet-sized space on eye-catching tunics inspired by Saharan tribal costumes and sexy, diaphanous beach cover ups tie-dyed in Mauritania.
Nip into traditional Moroccan shops like Beldi (9-11 Souikat Laksour) for sublime silk and velvet traditional coats and Au Fil D’Or (10 Souk Semmarine) for supple leather slippers known as babouches, richly embroidered caftans and custom linen shirts. At Aya’s (11 bis, Derb Jdid Bab Mellah) the stylish young Moroccan owner works with nearby village women to raise their standard of living while creating simple, sophisticated caftans wearable on the beaches of St Tropez or Cebu.
By far the biggest style news inside the medina is KiS (36 Mouassine) which stands for “Keep it Secret.” Opened just this fall, the private, by appointment only treasure chest of global jet set essentials from Brazilian designer Adriana Bittencourt, a friend of Gisele Bundchen and model gorgeous French designer Caroline Constancio, is the medina’s latest don’t miss destination.
Planning on hitting the souks sometime soon? Check out our collection of luxury hotels in Morocco.