Top Souqs
» » Okchen Market,
Meknès
» » Souq Sebbaghine
(Dyers’ Souq),
Marrakesh
» » Souq an-Nejjarine
(Woodworkers’ Souq),
Fez
» » Souq el-Ghezel
(Wool Souq), Rabat
» » Marché Central,
with a fountain in the centre (for more on riads, Click here ). A riad is also not to be confused
with a dar , which is a simpler, smaller house constructed around a central light well – a more
practical structure for hot desert locales and chilly coastal areas. With more than 1000
authentic riads, including extant examples from the 15th century, Marrakesh is the riad capital
of North Africa.
From outside those austere, metre-thick mudbrick walls, you’d never guess what splendours
await beyond brass-studded riad doors: painted cedar ceilings, ironwork balconies and
archways dripping with stucco. Upkeep on these architectural gems isn’t easy, and modernising
mudbrick structures with plumbing and electricity without destabilising the foundations is
especially tricky. But for all its challenges, this ancient material may be the building material of
the future. Mudbrick insulates against street sound, keeps cool in summer and warm in winter,
and wicks away humidity instead of trapping it like mouldy old concrete – no wonder green
builders around the world are incorporating it into their construction methods.
Souqs
As thrillingly chaotic as Morocco’s ancient cities seem, there is a certain logic to their zoning
that you can still discern today in Fez, Meknès and Marrakesh. At the centre of the medina (old
city), you’ll find labyrinthine souqs (covered market streets) beneath lofty minarets, twin
symbols of the ruling power’s worldly ambitions and higher aspirations. Souq means ‘market’,
and the same word is used to describe weekly village farmers markets – but once you’ve
gotten lost in the souqs of Marrakesh or Fez, you’ll agree there’s no comparison.
LOST IN THE MEDINA MAZE? FOLLOW SOUQ LOGIC
In labyrinthine Moroccan medinas, winding souqs hardly seem linear, but they do adhere to a certain zoning logic. Centuries
ago, market streets were organised by trade, so that medieval shoppers would know exactly where to head for pickles or
camel saddles. More than other medinas, Fez souqs maintain their original medieval organisation: kiosks selling silver-braided
trim are right off the caftan souq, just down the street from stalls selling hand-woven white cotton for men’s jellabas. What
about wool? That’s in a different souq, near stalls selling hand-carved horn combs for carding wool. The smelliest, messiest
trades were pushed to the peripheries, so you’ll know you’re near the edge of the medina when you arrive at tanneries,
livestock markets and egg souqs. In Marrakesh, the saddle-making souq is at the northeast end of the souq, not far from the
tanneries.In Morocco, souqs are often covered with palm fronds for shade and
shelter, and criss-crossed with smaller streets lined with food stalls,
storerooms, and cubby-hole-sized artisans’ studios carved into thick
mudbrick walls. Unlike souqs, these smaller streets often do not have
names, and are collectively known as qissaria . Most qissaria are through
streets, so when (not if) you get lost in them, keep heading onward until
you intersect the next souq or buy a carpet, whichever happens first.Zawiyas
Don’t be fooled by modest appearances or remote locations in Morocco:
even a tiny village teetering off the edge of a cliff may be a major draw