Marrakech - Morocco

The Heartbeat of Morocco

Marrakech

4 days - October 24-27, 2008

With its red walls, shady palms and maze of packed streets in the souk, Marrakech is a world away, although the flight is little over three hours. You are guaranteed a vivid and exciting taste of another culture. Known as 'Morocco City' by early travellers, Marrakech has been a meeting and market place for nearly 1,000 years. At its heart is the market place - the Djemaa el Fna - an open-space with a continuous flow of people, food stalls and in the late afternoon and evenings a bewildering range of acrobats, drummers, dancers, musicians, storytellers and snake-charmers. Musical styles include the spectacular Aissawa Sufis with their gaita oboes and drums, Arab-Andalus musicians with oud and violins, Berber banjo players, or the dark-skinned Gnawa with a funky gimbri (bass lute), krakesh (metal castanets) and drums.

Marrakech is a market and north of the Djemaa el Fna sprawl the souks - narrow alleyways and courtyards devoted, in the Middle-Eastern manner, to specific products and crafts. There is pottery, textiles, skins, blacksmiths, slippers and the former slave market (the Gnawa were brought as slaves from sub-Saharan Africa) - now the place for rugs and carpets. We'll also show you the musical instrument shops and instrument makers.

Other notable sights include the Koutoubia minaret - the symbol of the city - dating from the 12th century, the Ben Youssef medrassah (religious school), the El Badi Place, Saadian Tombs and, particularly in summer, the shady and beautiful Majorelle Gardens.

All Songlines Music Travellers will receive an information sheet about the local music plus recommended recordings and DVDs.

Marrakech Itinerary - 4 days

Day 1

Our flight from London arrives at Marrakech's Menara Airport in the late afternoon. We are met by our Songlines Travel Leader for the short drive to our riad, set around an atmospheric courtyard amongst the narrow lanes and alleyways of the old city - a short walk from the Royal Palace or the Djemma el Fna.

After the noise and chaos of the streets the riad is an oasis of calm. We check in and have an introductory chat with our Travel Leader. In the evening you can head for the Djemma el Fna, the vast main square of old Marrakech, where you can get a thrilling first taste of the city's music scene amongst the musicians, jugglers, healers and magicians.

We suggest eating in the riad and afterwards enjoying a musical soirée in which Gnawa musicians and dancers will give an introduction to their bluesy, sub-Saharan musical traditions. These will be intimate performances with explanations of instruments and songs.

Day 2

After breakfast, a tour of the old city. Your guide will collect you from the riad and lead you on foot through the narrow streets. This is essentially an orientation tour to give you some idea of what is where in this convoluted and endlessly-fascinating maze of narrow streets.

After lunch we will visit an instrument maker in the old city. The remainder of the afternoon is free to wander the narrow streets, do some shopping or visit some of the city's spectacular architectural attractions.

After dinner there'll be a trip to hear live music in the trendy Gueliz district after which you can continue to party late, if you wish, at the many clubs in the area.

Day 3

Today we will head for the hills. After breakfast we'll leave for Imlil in the High Atlas. It's the Berbers, not Arabs, who are by far the majority population in southern Morocco. After a walk to the village and a picnic lunch, Berber musicians will give us a taste of their celebratory Ahouach music with their own string and percussion instruments.

Returning to Marrakech in the late afternoon the last evening is free for you to use as you wish. However if you wish, your Travel Leader can arrange a final dinner at the Riad, and we suggest a return visit to the Djemaa el Fna where the music will already start making much more sense than it did three days ago.