Marrakech
Medina
I entered Marrakech around 8:30
looking for a carpark close to
Koutoubia, but after several turns of
house block I did not find it. I
determined to station in a species of
carpark wedged in a building. I parked
my truck so that the solar panels are
under the sun, absent this day. Then I
started, under an icy drizzle, my
visits by the “Place”, Djemaa El-Fna.
Having seen in 1972 I did not hope for
anything original if not a
modernization with trap doors for
tourists. Thus I was not disappointed.
Whereas I moved towards an alley of
the souks a Moroccan took to me by the
hand and told me :"followed me I work
in the tanner quarter. Of course on
arrival I was dealt with by a guard
who gave me a mint bouquet by
introducing me into a tannery with the
obliged visit of the store. In the
afternoon I traversed the tour
proposed by Lonely Planet, except Dar
Si Said closed. The research of the
monuments was a true rally of track
plays with the benevolent complicity
of the Moroccans in the maze of the
lanes in the souks. Douiria Derb el
Hammam is a splendor of the 16th
century at the time of Saadians. While
walking on in the souks I stole some
photos. Funduqs are caravanserais for
travellers coming from the desert with
their goods. They are organized around
more or less in rectangular courtyard
with gravers at the ground floor and
rooms in the first floor for
travellers. Ali Ben Youssef Medersa
was one of the most famous Koranic
schools in the North Africa built in
the 14th century in the
Hispano-Moresque style. It sheltered
900 students in cells on the first
floor. Beside the Museum of Marrakech
exhibits traditional objects as well
as sumptuous embroideries. Before
fallen the night I returned in the
“Place” to seize some typical scenes
of animation for tourists in evil of
exoticism. After a frugal dinner sited
on a bench of one of the mangers of
the “Place” I returned to sleep in my
truck.
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| Koutoubia |
Tanner quarter
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| The tanner shop |
Douiria Derb el Hammam
In the souks
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| Artisanat |
Funduqs,
caravanserais
Ali Ben Youssef Medersa
Musée de Marrakech
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| Picture by Mahi Binebine |
Mujer by André Delfau |
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| Clown |
Djemaa El-Fna
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| Koutoubia |
New city
The following day in the sun again I
went for the new town. The first stage
was the five top galleries. Matisse
Art Gallery is a shopping mall with
some paintings by local artists, not
very filling with enthusiasm. I didn't
visit the four others proposed by the
Lp. I lengthened the step to go to the
Majorelle Garden. It is a “Madness” by
the couple Pierre Berger & Yves
Saint-Laurent, madness of billionaires
men auto-called on the left wind;
Pierre Berger was in addition the
executor of another man on the left,
François Mitterrand. It was drawn and
organized by Jacques Majorelle. In the
enclosure a museum is devoted to the
Berber culture showing of objects
remarkably put in scene. Alas private
museum, No photo! I returned to the
medina. The Bahia palate was carried
out from 1860 to 1900 where Bou
Ahmed's four women and the 24
concubines placed. During the
protectorate it sheltered the
resident-generals. While walking on
along the enclosure of the Palais
Royal I observed storks on the lathes
notch. The stork is migrating very
often coming from French Alsace.
Without it to want I visited the
Jewish district that the families left
at independence in 1960's. The
buildings are remarkable among the
tallest within Marrakech with cast
iron balconies. An young girl, Jewish
without veil, led me to the synagogue.
I finished the visit by the Kasbah
district where the Saadian tombs are
being next to the mosque. Sultan Ahmed
Al-Mansour, dead in 1603, carried out
his tomb with munificence not counting
the Carrara marble expenditure. The
Badi palate was closed for
restoration. After a dinner as frugal
as the day before in a cheap
restaurant of the Place, I returned to
sleep in my truck.
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| Matisse Gallery, local painter |
Jardin Majorelle
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| Poster by Yves Saint-Laurent |
Yves Saint-Laurent's memorial |
Palais Bahia
Palais Royal, stork
Jewish quarter, Synagogue
Saadian Tombs
Improbable meet : Gandini
On Wednesday, December 17 I arrived
around 9:00 at the camp-site Relais
4x4 at 13 km from Marrakech in a
beautiful sun in a nicely raised
ground. But alas without drinking
water for my tanks, with WiFi at the
restaurant and a washing machine but
without dryer. I remained one day
there to finish the publication of my
two days spent to visit Marrakech.
Whereas I wrote a man came to the door
of my cell and said: “You know who I
am - No! - I am Gandini”. We exchanged
information. He concern consisted in
looking for a new vehicle to replace
to it his… not expensive.
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| Gandini's vehicle |
Oukaïmeden
Ha track
On Thursday, December 18 before
leaving Marrakech, I filled the tank
with diesel fuel and the food
purchases at Carrefour to 13 km away
on the road to Oukaïmeden. Moreover I
bought there two external hard discs
of 1 TB because the videos of the
dashboard camera are very consuming of
disk space. I definitively left this
mythical city around 11:30 to stop on
the road to Asni. Indeed information
obtained on the way the tracks Ha & Hb
does not exist any more it is a small
asphalted road. However I should
inform me in Sidi Fars to know if the
track to Oukaïmeden is open due to
snowfalls.
On Friday, December 19 I left the
roadside for Sidi Fars. Before the
village I warned three peasants at the
edge of the road whom I questioned on
the track going up to Oukaïmeden. They
ensured me that it was practicable.
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| Early morning |
At km 39.3 the track entry was muddy, but
100 meters further it was dry. Bold, I
engaged; but 600 meters after I was
stopped by a gully, already! Extremely of
my experiment I inspected the thing, moved
rocks and began my progression slowly
while going down grinds time to take the
ad hoc measures. Once on other side I saw
a peasant and his donkey with a figure
very wrathful. It copiously set fire to me
in vernacular language. I understood that
the track was not practicable and that I
was to return back. He helped me in the
operation like passing by again the ford
by posing other rocks. I thanked it
cordially, he tightened me his hand with a
frank smile. Ah, these Berbers, what a
obligingness!
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| km 39.3 |
A gully |
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| Crossing the gully |
Yes, but |
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| Carefully, |
Hb & F tracks
Back to km 39.3 my heart in sorrow I
continued by the Hb track towards Asni.
Then by the F track also tarred I
traversed the 40 km to the Lake Takerkoust
at the edge of which I bivouacked.
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| Au bord du lac Takerkoust |
Jebels Erdouz & Azgour
G track
The target on Saturday, December 20
was to traverse the G track from
Amizmiz to Souk Sebt Mzouda which I
did not reach. The track is mainly
asphalted up to Adassil. From the km
59.2 the track walks in foothills up
to km 64.3. After having zigzaged in
an olive plantation I butted against
the Mehl wadi in rising which had to
be crossed to take the track opposite!
Vainly I looked for a detour. In a
village a Berber told me that the only
possibility was to continue on the
track up to Sidi Bou Othmane. After an
artificial lake I stopped at the edge
of water to lunch and bivouac.
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| Sunrise |
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| Landscape |
Terrace cropping |
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| Isolated farm |
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| The dam |
Route from Amizmiz to Ouirgane
On Saturday evening December 20th
around 8 p.m. a group of three people
announced itself as the committee of
safety come to wish me a good night.
Ah, these Berber, what a vigilance!
Due to problem encountered with the G
track I reconsidered my road
plan to return to Amizmiz to take the
road to Ouirgane and to traverse the
valley of the wadi Miss by visiting
the Tin Mal mosque and by crossing the
Tizi-n-Test pass. The road from
Amizmiz to Ouirgane curves between
small valleys and mountains in
sumptuous landscapes, not to miss.
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| En route |
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| Bridge under construction & crossing a gully |
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| Geological
curiosity |
Vallée de l'Oued Miss
Tin Mal mosque
The road of the valley of the wadi Miss is
very boxed and is often narrow and
degraded. The Tin Mal mosque, 12th
century, is one of rare worth visiting by
the no-Muslims, it is unused. The vast
room of prayer lost its roof. The southern
descent of the Tizi-n-Test pass is very
impressive. In the reconsideration of my
road plan I had decided to try my chance
to visit Tafraoute after three weeks of
good weather and the renovation work by
the DDE Moroccan. Consequently I returned
to Tiliounine to publish the weekly page
of my website and to bivouac on the
carpark.
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| St Jacques ! |
Tizi-n-Test pass
