We were up to the alarm just after 6AM. It took a while to raise Amir, who had promised coffee the night before. After 3 rings of the outside bell, he finally appeared from the depths of the riad.
We were outside the gate right at 7AM to meet with Isham who, it was readily apparent, spoke very very little english. A few minutes later, Hassan arrived to say that he would be joining us.
We got settled into a Mitsubishi 4×4 and headed off to the southeast of Marrakech. It was pretty slow going, heading up over the Tizi n ‘Tichka pass ( 2260m ). We stopped several times to look out over the villages toward the bottoms of the valleys. Most did not have motor vehicle access. Everything coming into the villages by foot or donkey cart. About a third of the way up we started to see military vehicles coming the opposite direction. There were a variety, including humvees and larger transport trucks in addition to jeeps. These were followed by a number of black Mercedes sedans and white campers. As the sedans passed, Hassan put it together that these were likely the entourage of King Mohammed VI, who had been out near Ouarzazate for the groundbreaking of a large solar energy project. We stopped just before the pass for a long view back down the way we had come.
On the east side of the pass we exited the main road to visit Telouet and the ruins of Dar Glaoui. The brothers Glaoui were powerful Berber tribal leaders. They are singularly reviled for having sold out the country to the French. Their kasbah headquarters were abandoned in 1956 and have steadily fallen to ruin in the years since. The red earthen walls crumbling back into the landscape from whence they were erected.
Deep in the center of the sprawling complex are several rooms that are still a marvel to gaze upon, replete with mosaics, stone and wood carving. The kasbah in it’s heyday must have been a sight to behold in the barren Atlas environs.
The winding narrow road took us by numerous other villages tucked away in places with or near water. Most of these were near the floors of valleys, that were bright green gashes between the upthrust of the barren red, tan and browns of the mountains. We stopped near several to admire them and take pictures.
Another highlight along the road was the old fortified city of Anemiter. We slowly exited the Atlas and headed for Aït Ben Haddou, a sprawling old kasbah that has been featured in numerous films including: Lawrence of Arabia, Sodom and Gomorrah, Jesus of Nazareth, Gladiator, Alexander the Great and Troy. The narrow streets are overrun by shops full of trinkets to entice the numerous busloads of tourists that visit.
After a long, hot hike to the pinnacle of the mound that the kasbah rises upon, we headed back to the nearby ‘town’ for some lunch. The offering was a bit overpriced, but good.
There were several offers to take in the studios…which at first I understood to be craft marketplaces, but turned out to be a Moroccan version of the Hollywood backlot. We decided to pass on this. We did make the obligatory stop by the ‘authentic’ Berber shop. We were offered mint tea and the spiel about the owner being born in the Sahara. We looked around part of the two story warren of rooms full of handicrafts and trinkets. None of them seemed particularly interesting nor of quality warranting haggling over them. We exited fairly quickly and headed to our last stop, Kasbah Taourirt.
The Taourirt kasbah was built by the Galouis, but was never their residence, instead being home to a close relative. It was one of the largest kasbahs in the south and strategically located along the trade routes.
After poking around part of the kasbah, we started to head back. It was a long windy way back over the pass and we arrived back in Marrakech around 8:30PM. There was some confusion about Hassan being late for his night shift at the riad where he worked and worry that he would get let go. Lots of tales had supposedly been told during several phone calls. I needed to change some dollars to dirhams and they got a bit spooked when I suggested that Duygu go to the riad while I changed the money.
We found a money changer on the round-a-bout near the Djemaa. I got inside just as the proprietor was about to pray. He asked me to wait five minutes and proceeded to unfurl his prayer rug behind the counter. Five minutes later he was again ready for business.
Money exchanged, Hassan and Isham happily paid, Duygu and I headed back to Riad Dar Naïma to freshen up before heading out again. After the long day, the going out again seemed less and less appealing after relaxing in the bath. We ended up heading to bed instead.