The ochre city, the red city, was founded more than a thousand years ago, in 1062, by the Almoravid sultan Abou Bekr, who built the first palace and the first mosque near a source, at the foot of the Gueliz hill. Here starts a story full of highs and downs, story of a city that will be several times capital of an empire, several times abandoned, nearly destroyed, renovated, re-installed.

It is Marrakouch, the country of the sons of Kouch, in other words, the domain of the black warriors who came from Mauritania to support the Almoravids kings. It is the most Berber and the most African of the imperial cities, the most cosmopolite also, and for a long time the richest. In its stones can be found thousand years of history, from the scarce remnants of the first Almoravid magnificence (like Koutoubia’s minbar) to the modern and quadrangular architecture of villa Majorelle.

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Called back to guard the borders, Abou Bekr trusts his new city to his cousin, Youssef Ben Tachfine. The sultan improves it with the spoils of war, notably coming from Spain. He dies in 1066 nearly a hundred years old, and his son, Ali Ben Youssef pursues his tasks. But it remains nearly nothing of these marvels, of the capital of a state that went from Atlantic to Tafilalet and Algiers, only few parts of the strong walls, and the small Koubba el-Ba’Adyine. Indeed, the Almohads, led by Abd El Moumen totally destroy the city in 1147. Once the Almoravids chased, Almohads rebuild the city, mainly with the help of Andalusian workers. They build monuments like the Koutoubia, and plant gardens like Agdal and Menara ones.

When the dynasty falls, in 1269, Marrakech is abandoned for Fez, and enter three dark and unsettled centuries. In 1522, they found a city depopulated by starvation, impoverished, in ruins, and nevertheless take it again for a capital.

New constructions, new growth, partially paid by Portuguese gold (after their defeat in the Battle of the Three Kings, in August 1578) and mainly by the African gold, brought from Timbuktu by the large Saharan caravans. At the end of the XVI° century, Marrakech reaches its highest, with more than 60.000 inhabitants, a large mellah, and many European, diplomats and merchants.

But the Saadians loose also their power, and Marrakech its capital status, given back to Fez. Internal disputes and rising insecurity send back Marrakech into oblivion. Moulay Ismaïl tries to erase all tracks of the former dynasty. He enclosed the Saadian graves into the strong walls, and they will be found again only by chance, at the beginning of the XX° century, when a plane flies over them. The pendulum goes on, at the end of the XVIII° century, Muhammad III renovates again the city, plant new gardens.

Under the Protectorate, Marrakech rebels and becomes a supporting key for the rebelled Saharan leaders, like El Hiba. The Protectorate develops other cities, and take support from one of the last pashas in Morocco, the Glawi. This family had to definitively leave Morocco after Independence, paying for their support of the French and their personal richness gained from this collaboration.
The French build the new city, where is for example, the villa Majorelle

Today, Marrakech is an international city, full of activities through the year, with various possibilities for the tourist, from the high luxury of Mamounia (the only Palace in North Africa) and many riads in the medina to simpler lodgings, from the quietness of Majorelle gardens to the hectic Jemaa El Fna square, from monuments visits to golf resorts, from the lights of the Marrakchia night to trekking in the nearby Atlas valleys.

Recently cobbled anew, an forbidden to cars, Jemaa El F’na must be visited twice, once in the day, and once at night. It is also an entrance to the medina. You must enjoy the panoramic terraces of the several cafes around to quietly enjoy the show.

If you don’t have time to wander in the medina, you can at least make a walk along the strong walls, and admire the several doors and their different styles. The doors are also mark points to get your orientation in the Medina.

Bab Doukkala opened near the outside territory reserved to the leprous, Bab El-Khemis doors are told to be brought directly from Andalusia, Bab ed-Debbagh give access to the tanneries, Bab Aylen stopped the Almohads in 1129, and Bab Aghmat opened to the same Almohads in 1147 after a long siege and starvation. Here is the zawiya from Sidi Youssef Ben Ali, one of the Seven Holy Men of Marrakech. Bab Ahmar, the Red Door, behind the largest cemetery in Marrakech, is the door used by the sultans to reach the palace. (When the king is not there, this door can be used to reach the meshwar (parade ground) near Dar El-Makhzen, the Royal Palace, and leads to the Agdal gardens). Bab Ighli, at the end of the large meshwar, then Bab Ksiba and Bab er-Rob (the grapes door), an Almohad defence leading to the fortified kasbah, and sole entrance point for the “thickened grapes juice” (a sort of fortified wine) which traffic was controlled by Yacoub El-Mansour. Partially closed, there is a pottery shop installed in Bab er-Rob. Bab ech-Charia was built by the Almoravids, and then, in line with the Menara, Bab el-Jedid, “the new door” and the monumental Bab Agnaou, the Door of the Ram without horns, one of the most beautiful, which name comes from the two towers guarding the entrance, a cornered entrance designed to stop assaults, built by Abd el-Moumen at the same time a the Koutoubia, with the same Andalusian stones. Bab Agnaou was the main entrance, and the place where the heads of the executed prisoners were displayed.

Mamounia, built in 1923, completly renovated in 1986 and once again in 2006 is one these mythical palace which sole name is enough to make you dreaming. When correctly dressed, you can easily enjoy its garden, a wonderful 13 ha assortment of fig trees, orange trees, palms and hibiscus initially created by the Saadians.

Agdal was arranged in the XII° century by the Almoravids trying to escape desert’s heat. They planted hundreds of fig, apricot, olive and orange trees, and dig water canals which are still in use nowadays. These gardens were several times enlarges by the Saadians, and received their final set up in the last century. One finds two pools, the largest one of the Almohads times, a ruined Saadian Palace, Dar El-Hana, and a richly ornate kiosk

Menara is at the end of a large avenue of two kilomotres starting at Bab el-Jedid. It is a small Saadian folie, totally changed in the last century, that reflects in a huge pool. This water pool was initially built by an Almohad Sultan to teach his desert-originated soldiers to swim, before sending them cross the Straits of Gibraltar and conquer Spain. In the olive grove, shows are given in the evening.

Villa Majorelle is in the north-east part of Gueliz (the modern part of Marrakech), in a small street giving on Yacoub el-Mansour avenue. It was built in the twenties by the painter Jacques Majorelle, son of Louis Majorelle (one of the proeminents of Ecole de Nancy and Art Nouveau), who lived in Morocco till he died in the sixties. It’s a modern quare building, painted with a strong electric blue, and enclosed in the middle of a magical garden that hosts a huge botanical collection, cactus, palm trees, bougainvillea, coconut palms, bananas, bamboos… The villa was abandoned a short time, before being bought by Yves Saint-Laurent. You can visit the gardens, and the former workshop now a museum of Islamic Art where you can see beautiful carpets

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