Abdul clarified for us that since 1917, no non-Muslims can enter any mosque in Morocco with the exception of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, which we visited. The reason was that the French soldiers of the protectorate had entered mosques in their boots and disrespected Muslim women. The French head of the protectorate response was to ban all non-Muslims from mosques.
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| Koutoubia Mosque
Abdul told us that the population of Marrakech is around two million, of which about one-third live in the medina (old City). Marrakech is known as the Rose City as many of the building are a pink colour. The medina is comprised of the mellah (the old Jewish area); the Kasbah (another internal fortified area); and the Souks (markets). The medina's walls are about 30 feet high and seven feet thick. Until the early 20th century, the gates were closed at night to prevent anyone who did not live in Marrakech from entering.
Our first major stop was the Dar Si Said museum, also known as the Museum of Moroccan Arts. This was a 19th century palace belonging to Si Said, the brother of Si Ahmed Ben Musa (known as Bou Ahmed), the Grand Vizier (Prime Minister) to Sultan Moulay el-Hassan I.
The collection consists of antique Moroccan crafts including pottery from Safi, jewelry, daggers, carpets and letherwork.    
Beautiful wooden window, which women could look out of and not be seen
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Safi pottery
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| View of Courtyard |
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| Embroidery |
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Door with star of David  
The jewelry section had some amazing Berber and Jewish items. Some of the designs were vary modern. There were a number of photos of women with many beautiful silver pieces.
  
Beautiful brooch and other jewelry
  Even a traditional "ride" for children.   We then went to visit La Bahia Palace, built at the end of the19th century by Grand Vizier Bou Ahmed. It was once home to his harem. Bou Ahmed had four wives and 24 concubines. They were all housed in the Palace. We were able to tour only about one quarter of the Palace, as the rest was under restoration. It is an amazing place of beauty. Lots of tiles, marble, carved cedar ceilings and fountains. The room sizes varied according to the importance of each wife or concubine. We were able to see where the four wives lived. The concubine area is undergoing restoration.      
Modern folks at La Bahia Palace
There were also beautiful gardens. The following picture is of a banana fruit, which I don't think we have seen before.
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| Banana Flower
We then proceeded to walk through the Kasbah part of the Medina. Beautiful coloured walls, alleys and street life.
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| More beautiful doors- this one with hand of Fatima |
We also passed some small workshops where the craftspeople were at work. This man was doing detailed embroidery work on a caftan in front of his small shop.
There was also a small vegetable market. The produce is very fresh.
We had asked our guide to show us a place where we could buy some Moroccan spices of good quality. Abdul took us to a place called "To 100,000 Spices", which had been open since 1992. All the spices are in sealed jars, instead of uncovered and in the open air. The salesperson took us to a small room and tried to entice us to buy various spices, creams and cosmetics. We bought some things, but didn't overdo it. A salesperson at The Spice Trader and Olive Pit (just down the street from us in Toronto) had told us to buy some ras el hanout, a mix of spices, which the Moroccans call the spice for lazy cooks. We bought some of this spice, as well as some other treats.
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| Salesperson et moi |
The spice shop was located near the Saadian Tombs, the site of our next visit. The tombs are the burial ground for 166 Saadians, including the tombs creator, Sultan Ahmed el-Mansour, the Golden One. It dates back tot he 16th century. The Saadian dynasty was an Arab dynasty that governed from 1554-1669. The tombs include those of the Kings, their wives and their children. There are also graves, not in the mausoleum, of key servants. During this period, there was a plague, so there are a lot of children's graves. The Berber King who followed the Saadi dynasty chose not to destroy the tombs (Moulay Ismail was superstitious about plundering graves), but did seal the area. The tombs were rediscovered in 1917 by General Hubert Lyautey during the French protectorate. The General undertook the restoration of the tombs.
There are separate parts of the mausoleum for Kings, women and children. There are wonderful marble columns, vaulted ceilings, and carved doors. Some of the tombs have raised stones with inscriptions. The children's section is in a former prayer room.
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| Children's section in former prayer room |
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| Kings' section |
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| Beautiful column and tile designs |
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| Separate section for women with separate area for the dynasty's founder's mother |
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| Five trunked fig tree |
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| Holes in walls around the tombs |
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| Even a turtle on the grounds!
One can also see the mark on the wall from where this area had been covered up until an aerial sighting in 1917, which lead to the excavation by the French.
It was then time for a coffee at Kasbah Cafe, a lovely spot with a rooftop terrace.
Alain, Abdul et moi with our coffees
We continued our walk, slowly making our way to the main square of the medina, called Djemaa el-Fna.
 
Under one of many arches
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The main square is right at the centre of the medina. It is centuries old, and once used for executions. There are snake charmers, fortune-tellers, and henna women in the square. Orange and grapefruit juice are sold from carts. In the evening, food stands are set up with grilled meats. The name comes from Djemaa (meeting place) and el-Fna (the end or death), from its gory past as a spot for public viewings of the heads of those executed.
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| In front of juice trucks in square |
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| Square in mid-afternoon (not too many people)
We then wandered through the Souks, a labyrinth of narrow streets. The Souk area is a marketplace of arts, crafts, workshops and food. Beautiful handmade objects sit next to T-shirt shops. Our guide also took us to a beautiful jewelry shop, where we just looked.
Olive displays
 
Gorgeous jewelry of high quality
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There was a beautiful wooden window for sale.
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| Details on window
We wandered for a while and then met Mohamed who took us back to the hotel at around 5:00 p.m. We said our good-byes to Abdul and Mohamed. I then took advantage of the large pool at the Hotel and went for a swim. Alain went to use the treadmill, which wasn't fully functioning. We had a late dinner at the hotel.
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