Marrakech: ... and the Jardin Majorelle

Founded in the early 1920ies by Jaques Majorelle he opened his Jardin Majorelle in 1947 to the public, making the wide range of plants from five continents accessible to everyone.
After he died from a car accident, Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent restored the garden and still today you can visit the beautiful art collection 'Islamic'.
It's definitely worth a visit, also in case you are no botanist or art lover... The lush and green garden is a beautiful hiding and chilling place in the hot summer from the dusty and crowded streets in Marrakech.

Casablanca: ... and strolling trough the old medina

Did you ever take the time to stroll through the medina without actually searching or buying something? I can tell you it's worth it: you will discover many things and details you never paid attention to before...

Casablanca: ... and preparations for the Aid El-Kebir...

One month after Ramadan and at the end of the pilgrimage all moroccans celebrate the Aid El-Kebir. Each family who can afford will buy at least one mutton and have it killed/butchered in the morning of the Aid El-Khebir. For one week the family is only eating mutton meat and is also sharing parts of their meat (mostly the mutton head) with the poor.

So at least one week before the celebration sheep can be bought everywhere and they are kept until the morning of the Aid in the family's garden, the balcony or even in the apartments. Therefore it is not rare that you can observe muttons being transported on car roofs or in the boot.

Muttons for sale: 1kg costs around 4€

All these beautiful sheep wait to be selected for the Aid...

A Moroccan family father is showing me on the teeth of the mutton

how old this one is: 12 years apparently

Aha, one mutton has been selected and is now waiting to be weighted...

And here we go: selected, weighted and now ready to be transported 

to the family's house/apartment...

Rabat: Impressions from the Marché Central in Rabat

Casablanca: Fantasia horse festival

The 'Fantasia' is a very traditional and cultural festival in Morocco and it's the first time that I have seen such a thing! It was incredible...
20 horsemen or so - grouped according to their tribe and dressed up in the tribe's emblem - line up closely next to each others and dash all together by command of their chief towards the spectators, just to brake a few seconds later and to shoot a blaze of gun-fire from their 'moukhahla' - which definitely is ear-battering...
As soon as one 'wave' of riders has finished, the next tribe is already waiting to perform...

Fès: Part two... the Chouwara tanneries

If you visit Fès you surely wouldn't want to miss the tanneries. Even though its smells are tremendously strong, the tanneries are one of the city's most stunning sights. Either you try to find the way yourself into the leather district or you simply let you guide by someone... there are enough people who are willing to lead you there for a couple of dirhams.

The first time we entered the tanneries we honestly were a bit disgusted by the strong smell and the view how the leather is being tanned... But imagine: the method how to produce, tan and dye the leather hasn't been changed for centuries...

 

Just look at this man: how he stands knee-deep in the poisonous dyeing colour...

Working in a tannerie is said to be one of the most exhausting and hard works.

Here the yellow leather skins are exposed to the sun on straw for drying...