march-2011

FEATURES | MARRAKECH
across a cluster of understated galleries
and boutiques. Among them is the atelier
of a British-born Moroccan known to all
as Yahya (61 Rue de Yougoslavie, Passage
Ghandouri, Magazin 49-50, tel: +212
(0)524 422 776), whose brass appliqué
lamps hang in palaces and pleasure
domes the world over. Self-effacing, with
an unmatched eye for detail, Yahya
continues the tradition of artistry for which
Morocco has been known for centuries.
Next door is the gallery of designer
Kenza Melehi (61 Rue de Yougoslavie,
Passage Ghandouri, Magazin 41, tel:
+212 (0)524 422 641), whose kaftans
– worn by royalty and style icons alike
– are works of art in their own right.
Fashioned in dazzling colours and lavish
textiles, Melehi’s work is infl uenced by
a lifetime of travel, her haute couture
crafted with the same mesmerising
detail as Yahya’s lamps.
72 | TRAVELLER | MARCH 11
A stone’s throw away, on Avenue
Mohammed V, is another emporium of
excellence: Place Vendôme (141 Avenue
Mohammed V, tel: +212 (0)524 435 263).
A treasure trove of leatherwork, it also taps
into the traditional know-how of Moroccan
master craftsmen, selling saddles, belts
and suede jackets of extremely high quality.
Continue on to Rue de la Liberté and you’ll
come across Atika Chaussures (34 Rue de
la Liberté, tel: +212 (0)524 436 409), a tiny
store that sells the kind of suede driving
shoes popularised by Tod’s, but for a
fraction of the price.
TO PROPERLY APPRECIATE Guéliz it’s
important to seek out the local’s eye view.
Café du Livre (44 Rue Tarik ibn Ziad, tel:
+212 (0)524 432 149) is the ideal place to
start. A bookshop and café tucked away
in the courtyard of Hotel Toulousain,
behind the site of the old market, its