Articles and News

Kasbah Ait-Benhaddou The Kasbah (ksar), a group of earthen buildings surrounded by high walls, is a traditional pre-Saharan habitat. The houses crowd together within the defensive walls, which are reinforced by corner towers. Ait-Ben-Haddou, in Ouarzazate province, is a striking example of the architecture of southern Morocco. Located in the foothills on the southern slopes of the High Atlas in the Province of Ouarzazate, the site of Ait-Ben-Haddou is the...Read More

Desert Of Merzouga When a wealthy family refused hospitality to a poor woman and her son, God was offended, and buried them under the mounds of sand called Erg Chebbi. So goes the legend of the dunes rising majestically above the twin villages of Merzouga and Hassi Labied, which for many travellers fulfill Morocco’s promise as a dream desert destination. But Erg Chebbi’s beauty coupled with Merzouga’s accessibility has its...Read More

Other guests bring flowers, but Yves Saint Laurent gifted the Jardin Majorelle to Marrakesh, the city that adopted him in 1966. Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé bought the electric-blue villa and its garden to preserve the vision of its original owner, landscape painter Jacques Majorelle, and keep it open to the public. The garden began cultivating in 1924 and thanks to Marrakshi ethnobotanist Abderrazak Benchaâbane, the psychedelic desert...Read More

Koutoubia Mosque Five times a day, one voice rises above the Djemaa din as the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer from the Koutoubia Mosque minaret. Excavations confirm a Marrakshi legend: the original mosque, built by Almoravid architects, wasn’t properly aligned with Mecca, so the pious Almohads levelled it to build a realigned one. When the present mosque was finished by Sultan Yacoub El Mansour in the 12th century, 100 booksellers...Read More

Marrakesh is no stranger to tourists, and travellers flock to the rose-hued city to discover the medina, scour the souqs for treasures, admire traditional zellij tiles on ancient mosques and savour local flavours at the food stalls of Djemaa El Fna. With the threat of overtourism encroaching on the red city, it’s imperative that travellers leave a minimal footprint as they wander Marrakesh’s labyrinth. Travelling responsibly means being aware of the environmental,...Read More