I’m back with more from Marrakech – specifically Saadien’s Tombs! I know the world is in a strange place right now and everyone is at home with a lot of the borders shut. I was actually stuck in Peru for 9 days of quarantine due to the borders closing so fast, but more on that later! However, I figured I would keep writing and posting to provide some ideas of places to go visit after the lockdowns have been lifted.
Another site I recommend seeing if you find yourself in Marrakech is Saadien’s Tombs. This site was a little ways from our Riad but definitely worth the visit. Plus, they don’t take too long to go around. You can make your way over there by slowly wondering through the souks (Arab Market) and small streets or you can grab a taxi. The taxis are not very expensive but make sure you get the right size taxi. If there are more than 3 of you, you will need a large taxi. If there are 3 or less you can get a small taxi.
We arrived at the Saadien’s Tombs mid-morning after walking our way over. They are located just outside of the walls of the Medina near the Koutoubia Mosque. The entrance fee is about $8 per person and they are open daily from 9am to 5pm. These tombs date back to the 16 century and the reign of Sultan Ahmad el Mansour.
Ahmad el Mansour ruled over Morocco from 1578 to 1603 and was the 6th Sultan of the Saadi Dynasty. He was also probably one of the most famous of that Dynasty with a life filled with war, intrigue, and murder. He wanted to leave a legacy and a burial place for himself and his descendants and the tombs are just that! They are a work of art and it is evident no expense was spared.
You can see all the intricate detail everywhere you look.
After the Sultans death a new one ascended the throne. Sultan Moulay Ismail wanted to leave his own legacy and set to destroy everything previously created by Mansour. Instead of destroying the tombs; Moulay built a wall around the tombs sealing them from the outside. Over time people forgot about them. 200 years in fact! Saadien’s Tombs were not discovered until 1917 when an Ariel photography survey, by French resident General Hubert Lyautey, sighted them. It was the General who recognized their value and began restoring them.
Now you can go see the tombs, still surrounded by a wall, and nestled between orange trees!
After leaving the tombs we set out to find lunch. My sister’s friend had reccommened a place called Earth Cafe . Be warned, if you try and visit there are two. It is not the one out on the square but the one down a narrow side street. This is a vegan/vegetarian cafe which didn’t thrill me at first but was actually pretty good and very quirky!
You order downstairs and then go find your seat. Naturally we headed to the very top! I decided to have an apple and orange juice and then the spring rolls with pumpkin, carrot, shallot, bleu vein cheese and sesame oil sauce dressing. I was actually pleasantly surprised on how very tasty it was. So good that we went back a second time a few days later! We decided to head back to the Raid after that to decided what to do next.
Juice Spring Rolls
Remember I mentioned taking a taxi…we actually grabbed a taxi back and it was a very scary ride but also quite fun! The young taxi driver turned up the Arabic rap music once we got in and flew through the streets while singing. He even started driving down the wrong side of the road when he got stuck behind a donkey and didn’t want to wait! However we made it back to the gate closest to our Raid.
I would recommend reading up a little on the tombs before you go unless you speak French or Arabic. All the information provided is in either of those languages making it a bit hard if you don’t speak either. If you don’t get a chance to read up you can still go to appreciate the time and dedication that went into building the beautiful tombs.
See you in my next post!
Buffy xx
