Oasis of Plenty

Fragrant hedges of rosemary and fig trees surround one of Marrakech’s most exquisite monuments, the Saadian Tombs, a masterpiece of intricate mosaic patterns, delicate plasterwork and thin marble columns. This is where the sultans of Marrakech have slumbered for 500 years, while above them the ripened figs plummet to the ground and rosemary perfumes the air. Yet, only a few steps away, the labyrinthine medina heaves with commercial chaos between specialist souks, informal street markets and the performances and budget food stalls of Djema El F’naa. Here, motorbikes buzz through the backstreets, weaving between shoppers who might be Western glamour pusses, gawping tourists, local lads in baseball hats or women in long, hooded djellabas revealing just a flash of henna-tattooed ankle. Marrakech, more than anywhere else in North Africa, is a city on the cusp.