Karl WP Beyer My ship 4 takes us on a cruise to the Moroccan city of Agadir. Between our starting port Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – City Life, History & Island Vibes and Agadir are approximately 640 kilometers as the crow flies. The first thing we see when we arrive in Agadir is a 240 meter high plateau rising behind the city with the ruins of the historic Kasbah Agadir Oufella. Below, on the slope of the hill, an Arabic lettering is clearly visible. Its translation into German is: “God, Fatherland and King”.
Agadir - inscription below the Kasbah
Agadir - Inscription below the Kasbah in the dark
Experience Marrakesh by coach
Around 20 coaches chartered by TUI Cruises are available for tours at the port's cruise terminal. On this day, four or five buses are heading to Marrakech, the metropolis and former capital of Morocco. We are also among the passengers. During our cruises we prefer individual excursions with rental cars, public transport, transport service providers such as GetYourGuide or occasionally walking.
Agadir - waiting tour guides
This time we decide on an organized tour in view of the total distance of 500 kilometers ahead of us. Fifteen years earlier we had already traveled to the North African kingdom. The royal city of Marrakech was also on the route list at the time. Although there are a few other interesting destinations to see around Agadir, we visit Marrakech again to see how the city has changed.
The journey time on one route takes 3½ hours including a toilet break. The journey takes you past the High Atlas, the mountain range that stretches from the Atlantic east to the Algerian-Moroccan border. The landscape is different and varied. Shortly after we leave the big city of Agadir, which extends far into the hinterland, we see goats on argan trees. Why do goats climb trees? They find little food on the barren soil. As a result, they eat the argan fruits, which they find tasty and digestible. They excrete the kernels that cannot be digested. The valuable argan oil is traditionally made from the kernels.
The Moroccan tour guide accompanying our bus bridges the long journey with such explanations and other interesting information and stories. We are particularly surprised by his statement that, contrary to the one million inhabitants generally stated in travel guides and reference books, Marrakesh now has a population of 2½ to 3 million.
desert landscape
Marrakesh – first impressions
When we finally reach Marrakech – the “Pearl of the South” – we initially see wide boulevards. We don't know the new train station yet. On the other hand, we are familiar with the Royal Theater.
Marrakech - train station
Marrakech - Royal Theater
Next we admire the approximately 12 kilometer long, six to eight meter high city wall made of rammed earth. The holes visible in the historic wall are used to hang scaffolding during upcoming repairs. The bus passes the legendary La Mamounia Hotel. We would have loved to visit the hotel again, which has been praised by many travel guides as one of the best 5-star hotels in the world.
Marrakech - city walls
Marrakech - city walls
A photo stop will be made at the Koutoubia Mosque, built in the 12th century. It is described in travel guides as one of the most beautiful mosques in North Africa. The construction of the church began in 1158. Construction of the dominant square minaret began in 1189. Including its gilded dome, the tower is 77 meters high. A wooden structure on the side shows the believers the direction of Mecca. The building, which is 90 meters wide and 60 meters long, offers space for 25.000 worshipers. However, we don't have enough time to visit the mosque and the palm garden surrounding it.
Marrakech - Koutoubia Mosque
Marrakech - Minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque
Visit to the Bahia Palace
On the other hand, the Bahia Palace is visited. The Grand Vizier Si Moussa had the large palace built in the Moorish-Andalusian style from 1867 onwards. His son expanded it to include a hammam, a mosque and an idyllic garden. Apparently no savings were made on the 8.000 square meter floor space. Ultimately, representative reception rooms, more than a hundred living rooms and various inner courtyards had to be created. A high wall surrounds the palace. The rooms are decorated with marble tiles, artistic mosaics and beautiful stucco work. The ceilings were made of cedar wood. UNESCO declared the palace a world heritage site. Films, including “Lawrence of Arabia,” were filmed in the palace, and every now and then Morocco’s state guests are allowed to lay their heads in the palace.
Marrakech - Bahia Palace - Palace ceiling
Marrakech - Bahia Palace - detail
Lunch break in Dar Es-Salam
The Bahia Palace is followed by a walk through the souk of the old town before a light, multi-course lunch is served in the Moroccan restaurant and guest house Dar Es-Salam with oriental music and the inevitable belly and light dance. The restaurant, translated as “House of Peace”, has been family-owned since 1952. It was a film set and, according to hearsay, many celebrities visited the establishment. To our surprise, we are now in Dar Es-Salam for the second time, and once again we are amazed at the enormous dimensions of the winding building. In relation to the number of guests gathering there, what is offered can be described as acceptable in terms of taste. However, things can always be better.
Lunch break in Dar Es-Salam
Lunch break in Dar Es-Salam - dance of lights
After Dar Es-Salam we continue the tour through the souk district. We see how close together the shops and workshops of the individual traditional professional groups (blacksmiths, wood carvers, wool dyers) are. If it weren't for the many cell phones in the hands of dealers and all kinds of motorcycles, you could feel like you've gone back decades.
Marrakesh - in the souk - courtyard of a riad hotel
Marrakesh - Souk Sehbaghine
Our final destination – Djemaa el-Fna
The tour ends – how could it be otherwise – at the gigantic Djemaa el-Fna. The name of the square has many meanings in colloquial language: you often read about “Gauklerplatz”, then “Square of the Hanged” or “Square of the Beheaded”. Public spaces have had a variety of meanings in the past. But we really don't want to know all that exactly.
Marrakech - Djemaa el-Fna - Café terrace
At the central market square, Djemaa el-Fna, we sat on one of the few restaurant terraces 15 years ago and, as darkness fell, we looked out at the filling square, the many food stalls and the bustling life at the time. This time it's not the right time to fire up the food stalls.
We can no longer find our former restaurant, the square has been built up with restaurants all around and the former charm of the square has been lost. Where have the singers and storytellers gone? What happened to the writers and naturopaths? We miss a lot of what excited us back then.
It's time to head back to Agadir. Unfortunately, we no longer have the opportunity to visit the tombs of the Saadian dynasty, the Medersa Ben Youssef Koranic School or the Menara Gardens, a 100-hectare public park. There is also no time to see one of the eleven huge gates of the city wall up close or to ride one of the many carriages waiting at Djemaa el-Fna.
Marrakesh - Caleschen at Djemaa el-Fna
Marrakech - Djemaa el-Fna - Waiting for the bus
A day in Marrakesh – conclusion
A total of seven hours of bus travel, the visit to the Bahia Palace, the walk through the medina, lunch in the “Dar Es-Salam”, the tour through the alleys of the souk and the “free time” on the Djemaa el-Fna make up a twelve-hour program . Anyone who has never visited Marrakesh before will probably be thrilled and possibly “stunned” by the trip and the city. As “repeaters” it is possible for us to refresh our memories of our visit to Marrakech 15 years ago. We come to the conclusion that, apart from the many cell phones and motorbikes, time seems to have stood still in the souks. The original local color is still present there. Not so at Djemaa el-Fna.
Marrakech - Djemaa el-Fna - View from the café terrace 15 years ago
The course has irretrievably lost the exotic flair that it had 15 years ago. We are grateful to have seen Marrakesh again. But we probably won't visit the city of over a million people again. And not just because of the damage caused by the severe earthquake in September 2023, which also caused disaster in Marrakesh.
Update February 2024