On the first day we had slept in leisurely, which meant the sights and the central square were already full of tourists and often annoying vendors. So on the second day we set off early, at sunrise, for the beautiful Medersa Ben Youssef, an old Koranic school in the northern part of the old town that opens early.
From the Koranic school to the garden
As almost the only visitors, we enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere there to the full. Then we went to the Jardin Majorelle, once laid out by a French painter and later bought and cared for by Yves Saint Laurent. For the entrance fee the garden seemed small at first, but the variety of plants and the beautiful details made it worthwhile.
Tanners’ quarter at sunset
At sunset we strolled to the other side of the medina, to the tanners’ quarter, where leather is processed and dyed. The ammonia stench isn’t for everyone, so everyone gets a bunch of fresh mint to hold under their nose now and then. The next day our rental car was already waiting, and we headed over the High Atlas towards the Sahara – we could hardly wait.
Early morning in the northern medina: an excavation and a dome in the first sunlight.Medersa Ben Youssef – the old Koranic school opens its studded door early.A red window in a pointed stucco niche.A plain arch on the left, a doorframe in a chequered pattern on the right.A small crenellated building above an excavation, the rooftops of the medina around it.Almost alone in the courtyard of the medersa – Marrakesh gets no more peaceful than this.Arcades of the Medersa Ben Youssef frame a patch of open sky.Stucco up to the ceiling, a horseshoe arch in the middle.An inscription frieze on the left, the colourful star mosaic of the Medersa Ben Youssef on the right.The great stucco portal, nothing but darkness behind it.Through the dark arch to a green tiled roof, a bird perched on top.In the dark hall of the Medersa Ben Youssef, a silhouette sits on the floor.A rug in the passage behind the arches, a red half-dome beside it.A man with a cart stands in the bright exit, beside the sign of the Medersa Ben Youssef.A pointed-arch door with signs on the left, a painted portrait on wood on the right.Between two large carpets on the wall, a man stands on a ladder.A donkey cart rolls past the studded gate.Sunlight falls into the covered lane on the left, a lit shop on the right.Bags, plates and tajines fill the stall, with a woman in a pink robe in front.A treetop like a green roof above the Jardin Majorelle.Water lilies, reflected palms, a fan of leaves – the Jardin Majorelle seems small but is full of detail.Columnar and barrel cacti stand together by the gravel path in the Jardin Majorelle.Upright cacti on the left, an orange flower on a barrel cactus on the right.Small fruits sit on the cactus pads, and the background stays blurred.Palms and cacti in the Jardin Majorelle stand against the open sky.A yellow window with white stucco set into the blue wall.White plant ornament in stucco on a yellow wall.In a workshop yard lie metal sheets and chairs, with a blue bicycle beside them.Twice a market lane: carts and men stand between the stalls.Two men sit by the fruit cart, oranges spread on a black tarpaulin.A cyclist rides through the lane on the left, vegetables on cloths on the right.Under a parasol, vegetables lie on blankets, with a dog at the edge.A dome and a minaret on the left, a narrow lane with another minaret on the right.A tall minaret rises above the rooftops, with snowy peaks far off on the horizon.Brightly painted wooden spoons hang beside an embossed metal vessel.Yellow patterned cloths hang on the left, a cart full of strawberries on the right.Orange plaster peeling away, two barred windows remain.On the orange wall hangs a white carpet with a patterned band and coins.Blue-and-yellow tiles at the foot of an arch.A green circle in a rust-red wall.In the tanners' quarter at sunset: hides on the roof – the mint under your nose helps.Hides lie over brick vats, with a worker on the flat roof to the right.Vats and work areas between pink houses – this is where leather is dyed.On the tannery roof, large hides lie among the workers in the sun.Hides in the pink lane on the left, vats and palms of the tannery on the right.A scooter stands in the covered lane, with a man at a stall.On the raffia plate sits a tajine with olives, potatoes and carrots.Arabic script covers a sign framed in red and black.At night in the narrow alley, a headlight coming towards us – tomorrow we cross the High Atlas.
