Rooftop Turtles & A Once-Great Palace - Day 1 Wanders in Marrakech - UNESCO Morocco

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my journey through Morocco! I just arrived in Marrakech, one of Morocco's oldest and most famous cities. Marrakech was founded in 1070 AD by the Almoravid Dynasty, and much of the original buildings and infrastructure are still in place today. During its long history, the city has been an important hub for culture, religion, and trade. Similar to Fes, the medina (old quarter) in Marrakech is also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, particularly for its well-preserved souks (markets), palaces, and historic architecture.

Due to some delays on my drive to Marrakech, I had gotten into the city after the sun had gone down, and it was rather hectic trying to navigate the tight, crowded alleys. The next morning, I was eager to wander around and get my bearings in this new city, waking up rather early in anticipation. Having already made plans to visit a palace with some friends, I had some time to kill before they would be ready. I decided to wait for them on the rooftop terrace, where I could catch up on some reading and see if I could recognize any nearby landmarks. When I got up to the rooftop, I was greeted by three new friends.

This is not the first time I have encountered turtles on rooftops in Morocco, and apparently, keeping them here is quite common. Many Moroccans believe turtles are lucky, and keeping them can bring calm and good fortune to the home. Being that turtles are cold-blooded, they enjoy the sunny rooftops, which are also usually quiet and enclosed areas of the home, ideal for them to roam safely.

This guy was especially curious, and walked right up to where I was sitting.

My friends are up, and we are ready to set out into the medina. Similar to Fes, Marrakech is a city made up of a complex labyrinth of high-walled alleys, 600 hectares densely packed with an unknown number of narrow, winding paths. You could follow a small alley, only wide enough to fit a man and his donkey, quiet and deserted, before suddenly coming out into a wide, bustling road.

Before long, we come to our first destination, the El Badi Palace. It is always strange coming up to large buildings like this one in these old cities because you can't see them from afar. Normally, when you come up to a large structure, you can see it before you reach it, which is impossible when navigating the high-walled alleys of these historic cities. The complex design was intentionally done to help confuse potential invaders and aid in the city’s defense.

Passing through the gates, I am instantly struck by the spacious internal courtyard and the high surrounding walls. Coming out of the cramped alleyways makes you appreciate the luxury of space even more, and I imagine this was an even greater luxury during the more uncomfortable historic periods.

This complex is said to have over 300 rooms, which were once opulently decorated in gold, ivory, onyx, and Italian marble. In the late 17th Century, this palace was thoroughly looted by Sultan Moulay Ismail to build his own palace in Meknes, and now not much remains besides large bare rooms.

One treasure that does remain is the sunken gardens, which would have historically had orange, lemon, palm, and olive trees. Planted symmetrically and to optimize shade, this garden was designed to emulate heaven. Underneath the garden is a vast system of underground tunnels, as well as an advanced irrigation system to keep the area properly watered.

That advanced water system also feeds into these once-lavish royal baths, which even had their own underground heating system.

Despite being merely a shell of its past glory, it was cool to visit this cool piece of Moroccan history.

I hope you enjoyed reading. Join me in my next post, where I venture deeper into the historic medina and discover more interesting places along the way.

If you would like to read about my adventures along Morocco’s Route of 1,000 Kasbahs, please consider checking out some of my previous posts, including:

A Dangerous Journey Through the High Atlas Mountains, which can be found here.

Famous Kasbah Amridil, A New Friend & A Magical Sunset View Over A Lush Oasis, which can be found here.

All photos were taken by me. Have a great day!