June 2, 2017 - Marrakesh, Morocco - PART 1

Today our group had a small guided tour in Marrakesh stopping at the Koutoubia Mosque, Palais Bahia, and ending at the market area we visited briefly last night.

As we exited the bus to walk to the mosque, we spotted this man taking his dog on his scooter with him. I’m not sure the dog was very happy about the ride, but I guess it beats walking..We continued on to the mosque.Construction on the Koutoubia Mosque began shortly after the Almohad conquest of Marrakesh, around 1150. Built on the site of an 11th-century mosque, it was completed during the reign of Sultan Yacoub el Mansour (1184-99). Its name comes from the Arabic for "book" (koutoub), because there was originally a book market nearby. The Koutoubia Mosque is the largest mosque in Marrakesh, Morocco. In the last 15 years, the city has planted beautiful gardens around the mosque. It is often a location where Muslims choose to stop for their daily prayers, instead of going inside the mosque.

From the mosque, we had the opportunity to visit the Palais Bahia. The Bahia Palace, is a set of houses which were converted into a palace between 1880-1894. It is located in the medina (old city) near the Jewish Quarter. The palace complex was built piecemeal as additional land areas have gradually been made available by viziers sultans. Our local guide told us 200-300 people lived in the palace – the sultan and his four wives, as well as 24 concubines. The architecture was beautiful. The main doors were made from cedar wood which is resistant to insects and termites. Inner courtyard – concubines lived in this area and this is where all of the wives and children would congregate and socialize.Beautiful carved columns and archways

After our tour of the palace, we were delivered back to the souk market area.

CONTINUED in PART 2