march-2011

FEATURES | MARRAKECH
PLAYED OUT AGAINST a backdrop of
vibrant cultural colour, the late Marrakech
afternoon is like nothing else on earth. The
souks are packed with bargains and bustle;
the people cloaked in hooded djellaba
robes. Bundles of wool carpets from the
High Atlas mountains are stacked up next
to dazzling brass trays inscribed with the
names of God, baskets of dried damask
roses and mounds of pungent incense
and antimony, and the endless shops are
crammed with treasures from the remotest
reaches of the desert.
70 | TRAVELLER | MARCH 11
This is the Marrakech that lures
countless visitors each year; the city of
snake charmers, the crème de la crème
of the exotic East. It’s irresistible and
enchanting, a realm that bewitches all
of those who set eyes upon it.
But if you can extract yourself from
the labyrinthine medina there’s another
Marrakech to be found. Elusive, yet equally
alluring, it was laid out during the French
Occupation and is called Guéliz. This new
town is misunderstood by most visitors,
who take it at face value. But dig down
below the surface and the rewards – both in
terms of culture and style – are astonishing.
By obsessing over the old medina, many
visitors miss out entirely on the hip new
face of the Pink City. A wild mix of galleries,
restaurants, bars and boutiques, Guéliz
attracts the big names in couture. And for
every Jean Paul Gautier and Yves Saint
Laurent there are dozens of others – some
Moroccan, some from elsewhere – whose
work is touched by the desert magic.
Take a left off Avenue Mohammed V
down a slim alleyway, and you come