Marrakesh is a bit of a challenge. Unlike many cities we have visited much of our daily travel (by foot) occurs through the souks or markets which are essentially a crazy web of narrow alleys, sometimes covered, sometimes open to the sky. Shops offering a plentitude of goods and wares are crammed in the crevices of a human coral reef, the matrix of which is either ancient stone buildings or wooden stalls laden with bric-a-brac, schmatte, gew-gaws, tzotchkes and enough glitter to stun a magpie. Everything is packed together in contiguous solidity with no relief save the occasional road that branches off at any errant angle except ninety degrees. All has evolved long before a colonial grid was conceived - as in many ancient cultures the routes likely generated by natural geography: cowpaths, streams, dwellings and valleys. Throughout centuries a 'Medina' evolved.
The Medina in Marrakesh is Morocco's largest. It is surrounded by an ancient crenellated wall, perhaps 25' tall, built of stone, faced with a cement-like covering. To a non-native it seems a confusion, without signage (english) or wayfinding clues. GPS is a godsend. I have no idea how it was navigable before smartphones (at least to a tourist).
Add to the disorienting environment: dense crowds, irregular cobble streets with grates and holes and locals on bicycles weaving in and around same. Plus many persons on poorly tuned motorcycles that spew noxious fumes also buzzing through at terrorizing speed- it's a complex stew (tagine??) - kind of like traveling through an intestine with all the attendant smells and obstructions one might imagine.
But, trust me, there are rewards. I'll write another installment soon to expand...
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